Repeat customers contribute 60% of annual revenue to most companies but when I speak with clients about their marketing campaigns they are usually focused on getting new customers, reaching broader audiences and getting market share away from their competitors. While constantly attracting clients is important to every business, your existing customers are a source of consistent, profitable sales---if you forget them, theyll forget you.
There are many tactics that make marketing to your existing clients easy, affordable and effective but one of the most successful is an e-letter campaign. Our business sends an e-letter to all of our existing clients, vendors, collaborators and many potential clients every month with excellent results---we generate additional business after each issue is distributed. However, unless you plan to follow two cardinal rules of marketing this is not the right approach for you.
Rule #1: Repetition. I Repeat, RepetitionSending email marketing or an e-letter on a regular basis is a great way to get your message out there. As with all marketing, success is contingent on your commitment to delivering the newsletter consistently. You can decide the frequency of your letter by how often your customers make purchasing decisions in your product or service line. A dentist may deliver an e-letter quarterly with great results while a hair salon may want to deliver monthly. Whatever frequency you decide on, you have to commit to it and follow thru.
Rule #2: Write Something Worth ViewingCrafting a meaningful message and supporting your brand with great graphic elements is imperative. Your email campaign can offer expert advice, entertaining features and even special discounts or offerings available only via your e-letter---preferably a combination of features. If you dont have someone on staff that can write and produce your material, outsource it. Quality counts and you want every marketing tactic to positively support your brand.
If you think email marketing may be right for your company do some research, review your marketing plan and then get right on it. Remember, your current clients are potential new clients that another company is working hard to win over.
Claudia Trusty develops strong marketing and branding messages that drive results for small and mid-size companies. For twenty years Trusty and Company has produced communication solutions for clients in retail and service industries. Visit them on the web at
You know, many people dont entirely grasp the power you have when you have a high-quality email marketing list. The folks on that email list are a captive audience for you. Ive even seen some people use the catch phrase captive traffic to refer to an email list.
Permission-based direct email is a tried and true mechanism for increasing sales and improving customer loyalty. The people on your direct email list are truly a captive audience, many of whom actually *want* you to email them about special offers and timely information.
Suppose the money you spent developing your email marketing list had instead been spent for some guaranteed visitors to your website. Assuming the vendor were honest, you would have had a large number of people at least eyeball your home page, but thats probably the one and only chance you would ever have to sell or promote anything to 99.99% of them.
In contrast, your list has as many or as few names on it as you can buy or capture through your subscription forms, and you can email them again and again, until they tell you not to. Or you can entice them to one of your double opt-in autoresponders, and get a decent percentage of them as long-term subscribers that way.
So what are you going to do with your email marketing list How are you going to approach them
I would suggest you keep a few things in mind as you map out your email marketing campaigns.
First, you need to train your subscribers right from the start that if they want something from you, they have to give in return. Initially it might be a double opt-in subscription in exchange for a free ebook or a free report. Later, you will want their attention, and eventually their money, in exchange for what you are offering them.
In the beginning however, you have to be willing to GIVE to them BEFORE you can expect to get.
Give them a free report, or a free ebook, or a free e-course right up front the sooner, the better. WHY
Because that is what they signed up for in the first place information and they expect it to be free at this point.
Remember, most sales are not made until after a minimum of 5-7 contacts, and right now your list is cold - these people dont know who you are, or whether you can be trusted.
The other thing I would encourage you to keep in mind as you plan your email marketing campaign is the wants and needs of your audience. You have been, and perhaps still are, an opportunity seeker yourself. Think about the kinds of things you most wanted and needed when you were starting out. Chances are, the people on your list want the same kinds of things.
Did you want some stranger demanding that you whip out your credit card and pay up for information Or did you want someone to give you some free advice, and show you the ropes while you got your feet wet
What problems can you solve or prevent for the people on your list How can you educate and help them What can you do to make their quest for online opportunities easier
REMEMBER It will be much easier to sell to people later, if you give to them in the beginning. Once youve got them looking forward to your emails, and considering you a trusted friend, they are a captive audience for whatever you have to say
John Barbour is the author of , which outlines his method of targeted direct email marketing. John also has an email marketing blog at .