Value-Added Marketing

You don’t need to have a big budget to effectively engage your Facebook fans.  Here are 4 easy tips that you can use today:  http://bit.ly/dy7a7d.

In this article, Chris Crum offers compelling reasons why email is far from dead, and in some ways is increasingly relevant as social media use expands.

It’s about your audience, not you.

1. It isn’t the size of your list that counts most, but the quality.  Make it fully permission-based.
2. Consider online and offline routes to building your lists with people who have already shown an interest in what you have to offer.
3. Help your deliverability and open rates:
   • Use the right tools for distribution (for example, an email marketing service, not bcc’g or worse, cc’g, your list).
     Constant Contact is a reputable, affordable service.
   • Keep the privacy of your subscribers’ contact information sacred.
   • Send from a recognizable name/email address.
   • Make your subject lines compelling.
4. What content do your readers care about?  What will help them achieve their goals?  What do you know that they would want to know?  This should form the backbone of your messages.
5. “Batch and Blast” is out.  Preferences and behavior are in.  Give users more control and engage them more effectively.   Segment your lists and emails to make sure the most relevant and timely messages get to the right people at the right time.
   • Enable users to select preferences, such as frequency and interests
   • Triggered (transaction-based, auto-response) emails:  Site registration, purchase, warranty
   • Lifecycle emails:  Former customer, current customer, not yet a customer

Do you receive way too many credit card and insurance offers, and other junk mail?  Many of the businesses that send these types of offers have an automatic opt-in approach.  What this means is that some of your personal information may be shared between businesses, and, unless you proactively opt out of receiving communications, you may be inundated with unsolicited offers.

Often a Privacy Policy is inserted with documents you receive in the mail (such as bank statements, insurance company communications, financing companies — think home loan, auto loan, or financing for that refrigerator or computer you bought).  Before putting it in the recycler, glance through it to find a website or phone number where you can opt out, and save several trees and papercuts in the process.

On the same note, it is generally in your best interest to make your own business communications (e.g., email marketing and direct mail) permission-based, and, unlike the examples above, let people opt in proactively, rather than signing them up automatically.  Your list size may be much smaller that way, but you’ll be communicating with people who want to receive information from you, rather than angering people who don’t.

For tips on effectively building your email marketing list in a permission-based way, register for my email marketing webinar on February 23rd.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  I encourage you to look at all of your marketing initiatives and communications this way.  If you were on the receiving end, would you welcome this experience?  Or would it be an annoyance?  If your answer is the latter, don’t do it, or rethink how you do it.

Think about how you feel when:

• You get spam
• You’re on a website and have to view an ad before you can get to the content you really want to see
• You go through menu hell when trying to reach a live customer service person

Now think about how you feel when:

• You get a great tip for a resource that actually fulfills a need (e.g., a free 411 number:  1-800-FREE-411)
• A waiter recommends the less expensive dish of the 2 you were considering
• Your issue is resolved promptly and to your satisfaction

Big difference, right?  Create great experiences for your clients and everyone wins.

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Here you’ll find thoughts on how to continually add value for your prospective and current customers.  This will help you to create a long-term relationship with them and build brand equity.  Brand equity is the intrinsic value of your brand in the mind of the consumer, and it affects how successful your business will be, and for how long.

In short, with everything you do, you should “make it count” — to your target market, and ultimately to your bottom line.  A steadfast, genuine commitment to your customers is one of the vital factors in building a sustainable business.  And it makes you sleep better at night.