Just because you can communicate with hundreds of people virtually via email, doesnt mean you should. The phone still exists because its a valuable tool -- especially for small business owners.
Over and over again in the places I frequent on the Internet, I hear calls for help from small business owners for different services. One needs promotional items, another needs an accountant, yet another needs some other type of service -- youve probably heard it too.
And time and again I see people responding to those calls for help with a casual attitude via email. Theyre trying their best to make that connection using a method that has no emotion and plenty of personal detachment.
Dont make the same mistake. Email is fine as a medium for communication but lacks a lot in helping you acquire a new client. Theres just something about connecting with a real live person that can take you a long way to success.
Make that phone call!!!
Denise OBerry is a small business expert who helps small business owners take action to grow their business. Learn more about how to be a successful small business owner at
If you are serious about adding email to your marketing mix, you should take email seriously enough to develop a plan for it. Too many organizations launch a half-baked email program and then are disappointed when it doesnt live up to expectations.
The plan does not have to be as long as War And Peace, but it must include a few key elements so that you can develop a focused, targeted, measurable program that gets results. At a minimum, here are the elements that Hoover ink recommends:
* Objectives
* Audience Definition
* Key Messages
* Format
* Tactics
* Timeline
* Budget
* Measurement
First, determine what is it that you want the email program to achieve from marketing and communications perspectives. Is this a newsletter designed for relationship management purposes, or is it a sales-oriented vehicle Are you trying to build awareness, generate leads, increase web traffic, encourage loyalty, or close sales
Next, you need to define audiences. Who are you trying to reach What do you know about them from demographic and psychographic perspectives Are you addressing multiple audiences If so, do you need to segment your audiences and develop emails with different messages How will each audience profit from our communications.
Now, what is it you want to say to each audience Whats the nature of the content Will this include just editorial information or will it also contain some sales-oriented material
Closely tied to messages is your format. Are you producing a newsletter with a lot of editorial material, or does it contain just brief snippets of information Is it an announcement list, a discussion list, or just commercial messages Think about your audiences as you develop the most appropriate format.
Your tactics section lays out tasks and who is responsible for them. What technology do you need Do you have in-house email capabilities or should you use an application such as nTarget How will you build and manage your list How will you acquire new subscribers Who will create content, design and distribute the email
After you answer those questions, its time to turn to your timeline. Develop a schedule for having your technology in place, building your list, creating content, designing and distributing the email. Determine if this will be a one-time mailing, or if it will recur on a weekly or monthly basis.
Your budget may help you answer many of the questions above. Small budgets may mean you complete a lot of the work in-house.
Finally, its time to establish criteria for measuring the program. An awareness program may call for some baseline research so youll know how you are doing. A relationship management program may measure customer retention. Increased click-through from your email to your website is also a measurable element. Sales-oriented programs might measure total sales from email, or incremental sales increases with individual customers.
No matter what your objective in using email, spend a little time cooking up a plan so your results wont be half-baked.
Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR, He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Duke Energy, Levolor, North Carolina Tourism, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX and Verbatim.