If only I knew then what I know now, I would have a lot more money in my pockets. Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Over the years I listened to ad reps with their stats of listenership, readership and the exposure I could expect from an ad campaign with their company. They were good sales people and I bought in. We created ads that got attention and favourable comments but in the end didn’t generate the amount of traffic that was needed to pay for it.

When I analyze what was working for us the best over the last 10 years it was glaringly obvious. Our website and email newsletter which cost about a buck fifty a day when figuring in internet access, happened to be our biggest marketing success. Media like newspapers, radio and television are fine for big companies but if you are a small to medium size business then you need to create an effective web-based marketing plan. Nothing else has the same return for dollars spent.

My email newsletters generate dozens of inquiries and hundreds of website hits per issue. The bigger you build your mailing list the bigger response you can expect.

Building your email list

This is where it all begins. Your email list isn’t going to become huge overnight. Over time it will build, but this is a long term strategy. Stick with it and make sure everyone on your staff is on board.

• Contact your existing customers and ask for an email address to update your files. Get their OK to add them to your email list.
• Start asking your new customers for their email address and if it is OK to add them to your email list.
• Put an opt-in email sign-up on your website.
• Have a contest online and in the real world where people enter there email to enter. Ask them to see if it’s okay to add them to your email list.
• If your market is broad enough you can buy email lists from brokers. Google it and see if it would be applicable for your situation.

Creating your Email Newsletter

Content is king. Don’t make it just about product for sale. Things that really work are how-to articles, reviews, personal blogs, tips, upcoming events, interesting related products and websites, client testimonials etc. I own a bike shop so our newsletter will have fitness and nutrition tips, new places to ride, product reviews, upcoming group rides, motivational stories and race results. Your industry might not be as fun oriented but remember your clients are still people. It takes some creativity but find a way to make your product about the benefits of using it and how your company offers something unique. If you install heating and cooling you can put up maintainence schedules, energy saving tips, new technologies, success stories of people using your product, weird repair stories (finding bats or squirrels) etc.

Follow these tips to make your newsletter more effective.

• Split up long articles with a link back to your website to read the rest. Long copy is hard to read in an email due to lack of white space so you make it easier for the reader and increase website traffic at the same time. On the landing page with the article create some links to other areas on your website you want to lead the reader to.
• Offer Email only deals. This makes them easy to track and makes the people on the list feel exclusive. People like to feel special so if you can create a good offer that only they get you will get some of them buying.
• For every article on your business, post two-three that are informative or entertaining. This ratio will keep it from just being a sales piece which you want to avoid.
• Write an ongoing series - If the first installment grabs their attention they will want to follow it through and look forward to your next issue. Make sure to number them from the beginning and make mention in the opening copy that it is an ongoing series.
• Make your newsletter personal. Write like your speaking to people because you are. Avoid the usual impersonal business writing style. If your competition are talking at people, you should talk to them. Ask for input or feedback.
• A few times a year have a creative contest. Figure out a prize that is relevant to your business and has a high perceived value to your subscribers. Here are a few ideas: trivia contest, coming up with a slogan or catch phrase for somethng, suggest improvements to your services and the one adopted wins, if you an environmental company you can have them tell what they are doing to help conserve and the most creative answer wins. These are just a few ideas. Half an hour of brain storming will come up with many more.
• Occasionally put up limited time offers. People aren’t rushing to their computer to check your newsletter but if you put up exclusive limit time or number of customer offers you will find it gets people activated.

Benefits of Email Marketing

Low Cost so you can afford to do it often. Repetition builds comfort as long as the information you supply is good. Multi-part articles allow you to explain complex offerings or more indepth benefits that typical advertising media doesn’t due to space or time restrictions.

You can connect with readers on a personal level. I use personal blogs of my own fitness training (which is applicable as I own a bike shop). Talk about life on the job, designing a product, the process of a project. Ease of readers contacting you. Just hit reply. Just make sure you respond promptly and thoroughly to show you take their inquiries seriously.

An easy way to increase web traffic with backlinks to your website. Make sure you have a link to your site at the beginning and end of the newsletter and link to specific articles if approapriate.

Email marketing takes a little work but will yield much more than it costs in both time and money. If you stick with it before long you will have a big mailing list and the ability to reach people with strong messages frequently. And don’t forget to put your personality into it.

My name is Winston Endall. I’m a bike shop owner and cycling coach. Over the last 12 years I’ve worked developing my Speed Factory Training System to allow real people like you to maximize their fitness. My system lets people with jobs and families build a high level of cycling performance with the minimum time spent each week. Speed Factory combines bike workouts, crosstraining and flexibility work to make you a stronger overall athlete in as little as 4 hours per week. For more training and bike fit information go to my site http://www.cyclecambridge.com.