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March 2011 www.thesalemaker.co.uk REALLY SIMPLE SYNDICATION ONLINE MARKETING BUILDING AN ORGANIC EMAIL LIST Really Simple Syndication Jumping on the social media bandwagon Digital matters Online marketing Providing fresh and relevant content on your website New regulations could signal big changes 10 reasons why online magazines have many advantages over their printed counterparts The changing landscape of consumer behaviour How will you generate repeat business opportunities and referrals from your clients? Nurturing your business relationships
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Engage March 2011

Mar 09, 2016

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engage is a monthly newsletter dedicated to digital marketing techniques & strategies for Professional Services marketers; Entrepreneurs; Solicitors; Accountants; Financial Advisers; Technology & Business consultants.
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Page 1: Engage March 2011

March 2011www.thesalemaker.co.uk

REALLY SIMPLE SYNDICATION ONLINE MARKETING BUILDING AN ORGANIC EMAIL LIST

Really Simple Syndication

Jumping on the

social media bandwagon

Digital mattersOnline marketing

Providing fresh and relevant content on your website

New regulations could signal big changes

10 reasons why online magazines have many advantages over their

printed counterparts

The changing landscape of consumer behaviourHow will you generate repeat business opportunities and referrals from your clients?

Nurturing your business relationships

Page 2: Engage March 2011

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WelcomeWelcome to the March issue of Engage magazine from SaleMaker, full of information about how we can help you create and develop a coordinated marketing plan.

In the last few years, consumer behaviour has changed dramatically. Consumers are now becoming increasingly more knowledgeable about what they want to buy. Their buying behaviour patterns show that many individuals are very targeted with their online activities and information-gathering and using this to make up their own minds based on the results. Therefore, on page 4 we look at why you need to provide content that makes visitors to your website smarter and more knowledgeable.

Online marketing communications now fall under the jurisdiction of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The regulatory body is making itself increasingly felt in the digital sphere from 1 March 2011, when its remit officially expanded to cover marketing on websites. On page 13 we consider the new regulations and why they could signal big changes for the content hosted on your website.

Also inside this issue, we explain how to build a list of targeted email data. It might be tempting to gather all the email addresses you have in your email account and place them on a list to receive your information. You might also think that purchasing an email list from an online source might help you build your list. To find out the pitfalls if you get it wrong, turn to page 18.

A full list of the articles featured in this edition appears on page 03.

Paul G ArmourDigital Newsletter PioneerSaleMaker Professional Services Marketing

Content of the articles featured in this publication is for your general information and use only and is not intended to address your particular requirements. They should not be relied upon in their entirety and shall not be deemed to be, or constitute, advice. Although endeavours have been made to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No individual or company should act upon such information without receiving appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of their particular situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss as a result of acts or omissions taken in respect of any articles.

Page 3: Engage March 2011

WELCOME

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4 The changing landscape of consumer behaviour How will you generate repeat business opportunities and referrals from your clients?

6 Social networkingA huge scope for more targeted advertising

7 Are you constantly improving your search engine optimisation ranking? One of the biggest challenges facing all businesses today is maintaining an online relevance

8 Digital matters 10 reasons why online magazines

have many advantages over their printed counterparts

9 The awesome power of feedback People feel more confident about doing business with you if they know there are other satisfied customers

10 Jumping on the social media bandwagon Older generation fully embrace social media

11 Really Simple Syndication Providing fresh and relevant content on

your website

12 Online marketing New regulations could signal big changes 14 Professional email

marketing systems The ability to email hundreds of your prospects, clients and centers of influence

16 Nurturing your business relationships Reflecting particular needs, interests and motivations of your target segments

17 Building an organic email list Connecting with a receptive audience is key

CLICK HERE TO

JOIN OUR

MAILING LIST

Page 4: Engage March 2011

How will you generate repeat business opportunities and referrals from your clients?

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The changing landscape of consumer behaviour

BUSINESS FOCUS

The changing landscape of consumer behaviour

Page 5: Engage March 2011

In the last few years, consumer behaviour has changed dramatically. Consumers are now becoming increasingly more knowledgeable about what they want to buy. Their buying behaviour patterns show that many individuals are very targeted with their online activities and information-gathering and using this to make up their own minds based on the results.

Therefore, you need to provide content that makes them smarter and more knowledgeable. Financial Adviser’s who provide that content will win. Financial consumers have rapidly moved online and are increasingly researching, purchasing and looking for advice on the internet. You need to approach your marketing with a mindset that will enable you to adapt your approach so that you don’t miss out on the considerable business opportunities as the consumer landscape changes.

Financial advisers are currently under-represented in the online space yet financial advice is more in demand than ever before. Marketing is not an expense. It is an investment, the engine that drives sales. Maintaining your marketing could see your business emerging from the economic downturn stronger than ever.

SaleMaker has combined several marketing solutions into one innovative service that will enable you to engage more effectively with your business audiences during this period of economic downturn.

Providing your clients with a corporate client magazine in both print and digital formats is perfect for generating repeat business opportunities and referrals from your clients. If you send a copy regularly, besides educating and informing your clients you’re also achieving greater brand and name recognition. This is a very beneficial way to build lasting relationships with these clients and to protect future revenue streams.

If you already grade your clients, sending a copy of your corporate client magazine is a highly effective way of engaging with your high net-worth and highest revenue-generating clients in between review meetings. We recommend that you engage with these clients by sending them a copy every two months to reinforce your commitment to regular communication and service.

You may consider this excessive; however, in between your six monthly or annual review meetings with these clients they will regularly be approached by other organisations seeking to acquire business from them.

These approaches may come from their bank, building society, financial institutions sending direct mail, online and traditional advertising and e-marketing. All it needs is for a single valuable client to respond to one of these approaches and you could lose a sizeable future revenue stream forever. We are not saying that sending top-grade clients your corporate client magazine every two months will completely

protect your business from losing them. However, when used as part of a coordinated marketing plan, we guarantee it will considerably reduce the risk.

For those clients who fall outside your top-grade client categorisation, we also advise sending them a regular copy of your corporate client magazine. This is a very cost-effective way to engage with these clients in between meetings and can encourage enquiries that would otherwise be missed. It may not be commercially viable to meet these clients face-to-face more than once a year, especially if there aren’t any further business opportunities. However, in between your meetings with these clients there is a high probability that they will also be approached by other organisations trying to secure business from them.

As clients today have a far greater choice about when, where and from whom they purchase advice, providing them with a copy of your corporate client magazine will reinforce your brand, company name and contact details.

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Talk to SaleMaker about how we could help your business improve your overall marketing success and effectiveness. To find out more, please call us on 07872 386388 or email [email protected]

BUSINESS FOCUS

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Social networkingDuring the past few years social networking has become very popular, especially in the business world. Social networking is based on a certain structure that allows people to both express their individuality and meet people with similar interests.

This structure includes having profiles, friends, blog posts, widgets, and usually something unique to that particular social networking website; such as the ability to ‘poke’ people on Facebook or high-five someone on Hi5.

According to a recent study by Virgin Media Business, 33 per cent of the 5,000 UK businesses surveyed use Twitter to communicate with customers, compared to 32 per cent using Facebook.

Twitter launched its new design last September and has added additional features to its services to give users an “easier, faster and richer experience”. The new features are set to make it an even more profitable tool for businesses and therefore we are likely to see further increases in its user base.

With 78 per cent of people trusting peer-to-peer reviews, the new Twitter has the potential

to become a place where many people make purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, its room for advertising means that when users ask their peers about certain products, they can see advertising and other information alongside the reply they receive – something which gives huge scope for more targeted advertising.

There is one marked exception though from the corporate twitter trend: banking. Only one British high street bank, Lloyds TSB, has begun to engage with its customers via Twitter.

The marketing potential of social media was highlighted by Facebook celebrating its 500 millionth active user last year and Twitter signing up over 100 million new users in 2010 alone.

A huge scope for more targeted advertising

SOCIAL NETWORKING

Talk to SaleMaker about how we could help your business improve your overall marketing success and effectiveness. To find out more, please call us on 07872 386388 or email [email protected]

Page 7: Engage March 2011

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Are you constantly improving your search engine optimisation ranking?

Once a website is built it should evolve, it’s never finished and must continue to feature relevant and regular changing content. Furthermore, it’s important to constantly improve and keep on top of your search engine optimisation (SEO) ranking.

One of the biggest challenges facing all businesses today is maintaining an online relevance in the eyes of the search engines, especially Google. Currently Google controls more than 90 per cent of search traffic.

SEO is one of the most basic building blocks every business needs to consider when building and developing a website.

Good search engine page rankings with relevant keywords and content are the key to getting more traffic for your website. More website traffic increases potential website enquiries, sales leads, online sales and other revenue opportunities for businesses.

10 ways to improve your websites SEO ranking

Replace underscores with hyphens - In search engine results, words separated by underscores will run together, while hyphens will create a space between each word.

Add a dynamic meta description - Ensure page description’s are relevant and targeted to make them more search engine friendly.

Use heading tags - Let search engines know what’s important by identifying titles and headers.

Regularly update website content - Give search engines a reason to keep coming back with plenty of fresh and new relevant content.

Make sure that your domain is easy to remember - If your company or brand name isn’t easy to say, type or remember; you may need to come up with an alternative domain name.

Build link popularity - Actively seek out relevant and respected inbound links to your website which will build trust and a higher profile with search engines.

Offer free content - Don’t turn off users by forcing them to register to access content.

Use clear Page Titles - This helps users when bookmarking a page and also promotes proper indexing by search engines.

Use contextual links - Link to other areas of your website whenever it’s relevant, so visitors will know you have a lot more to offer.

Add a blog - This will increase the size of the website over time and can provide a major SEO benefit in the form of an increase in website authority and a higher number of pages to leverage with internal links.

One of the biggest challenges facing all businesses today is maintaining an online relevance

BOOSTING SALES

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Digital matters10 reasons why online magazines have many advantages over their printed counterparts

DIGITAL MATTERS

2. Online magazine’s enable users to “flip” through and get to the topics they want to read even faster than printed versions.

3. Each title allows for more detailed content such as background on articles, sidebars and instant access to advertisers’ websites. These wouldn’t be possible on regular print magazines, due to space and technology limitations.

4. There is the possibility of adding interactive content such as audio and video. This results in a listening and viewing experience as well.

5. The circulation and distribution costs of online magazines are much lower.

6. Online magazines can reach a wider audience and get there faster.

7. Instant market feedback. With today’s technology, you can find out which sections are most popular and which are largely ignored. You know how much time people spend reading your magazine.

8. Online magazines can offer more content, not only traditional articles but audio and video streaming as well.

9. Some online magazine formats can also include links direct to an advertiser’s website, driving immediate traffic.

10. Online magazines are here to stay and growing numbers of businesses are enjoying the advantages of internet publications.

Talk to SaleMaker about how we could help your business improve your overall marketing success and effectiveness. To find out more, please call us on 07872 386388 or email [email protected]

1. Online magazine’s are instantly available anywhere. This format can be as visually appealing as printed material. Using established magazine design techniques, adapted for the internet environment, online publications are as readable and attractive as their print counterparts.

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The awesome power of feedbackPeople feel more confident about doing business with you if they know there are other satisfied customers

BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS

Two of the most powerful marketing tools that we have in business are the testimonial and the referral. Yet how many times do we use the excuse of being “too busy” or “I am not comfortable asking” to not actively request testimonials or referrals from our clients and customers. Testimonials and referrals can have a tremendous impact on people deciding whether or not to do business with you and your company. Why is that true? People feel more confident about doing business with you if they know there are other satisfied customers. Testimonials are the missing link for prospects considering a commitment to your product or service. Reading what others have to say gives them instant comfort. It helps them connect the dots, put a real face on your business and see the satisfaction others have garnered from working with you.

Testimonials work a special magic, helping prospects overcome fear and natural scepticism. Customers want information they can trust, and testimonials fit that bill. Comments from real people with real names who live in real places and provide information you can put into direct quotes are far more believable than any marketing message you can devise on your own.

Can you imagine the awesome power of 10, 20, 30 or more testimonials praising your products and services, a presentation you made or some personal attribute? This would be more compelling and believable than anything you could say about yourself when presenting yourself and your company to a prospective or existing client.

When we create integrated marketing communications plans with our clients, I stress the power of testimonials and referrals as a marketing tool. Why do I do this? Because I have seen over the years testimonials as third-party credible evidence that convince prospects that the company will deliver on their promises. Testimonials are more likely to be believed than advertisements, direct mail, and other marketing materials.

I have also found that peer referrals are the top reason or influence for buying professional services. In their ‘Benchmark report on Professional Services Marketing & Selling from the Client Perspective’, Mike Shultz and John Doerr found that “79 per cent of responders highlighted ‘Referrals from Colleagues’ and 75 per cent indicated ‘Referrals from Other Service Providers’ as the top two methods that buyers are likely to use to initially identify and learn more about professional service providers.

Testimonials have always been a nice way to offer third party proof that your company does what it says it does and that your customers are happy campers and willing to talk about it.

However, testimonials have become even more important now that search engines like Google have made them a foundational element for ranking well for local search.

February 2011. A search on Google for ‘financial services Woking’ returns Crystal Clear Financial Services along with a testimonial amongst the top in the organic results.

In an attempt to increase the number of testimonials and referrals received, Crystal Clear engaged with a third-party service to collect testimonials & referrals and post the positive comments onto a directory and social media sites, and within weeks, they are now prominent on Google for that search term. The surprising thing is their first testimonial was only made live at the end of January. So in under a month they have achieved Page 1 in Google, have 20 testimonials and 2 referrals. Isn’t it time you experienced these results for your business? My closing thought is to strongly encourage and recommend that you seek testimonials and integrate them into your marketing and sales activities. Use the power of testimonials and referrals to help grow your business.

Why not commit yourself today to using this powerful marketing tool. If you would like to learn more about the tremendous power of testimonials to grow your business, please contact Paul G Armour on 07872 386388 or email at [email protected]

Frankly, the use of testimonials and referrals are techniques that are virtually guaranteed to increase your business.

Page 10: Engage March 2011

JUMPING ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA BANDWAGONOlder generation fully embrace social media

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SOCIAL MEDIA

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JUMPING ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA BANDWAGON

The UM study showed that an astonishing 40 per cent of frequent internet users over the age of 55 manage a social network. It would appear that the older generation is using social media to feel more ‘connected’ in a world in which families and friends are more disparate.

Previously viewed as laggards, those over 55 are now one of the fastest growing segments in social media adoption. As people near retirement and their children increasingly live across the country or even the planet, social media offers the perfect cure to loneliness and social isolation. But, as UM confirms, feeling connected for this generation goes beyond social networking with friends and family members.

As a demographic, the over 55s are now more likely than their 16-54 year-old peers to bookmark pages, sign-up to email bulletins and register with websites - clearly wanting to stay connected with news, brands and no doubt a whole range of other information.

Furthermore, 60 per cent of over 55s stay connected by watching online videos. Like their younger counterparts, comedy seems to be their preferred choice.

Setting themselves apart from younger generations, they are also avid online news followers, watching video-based news content in real time, and staying current. What UM highlights is that the social web is no longer a space for the young and hip. In the context of the wider study, which considers the ‘Socialisation of Brands’, this is a trend that should be taken into account on many levels, not least in marketing.

In the last year, social networking among 55-plus internet users nearly doubled — from 25 per cent to 47 per cent, according to a Pew study. That’s compared with an increase of 10 per cent among internet users 18-29 years old, whose membership level is now at 86 per cent.

The over 55s are jumping on the social media bandwagon at a rapid rate. As part of a study by UM London, they specifically monitored the over 55 age group in the UK, and discovered that this generation is in fact fully embracing the social media phenomenon. In some areas, they are even more ‘with it’ than their children.

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The UM study showed that an astonishing 40 per cent of frequent internet users over the age of 55 manage a social network. It would appear that the older generation is using social media to feel more ‘connected’ in a world in which families and friends are more disparate.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Page 12: Engage March 2011

Really Simple SyndicationRSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is the technology blogs use to allow readers to subscribe to their content and be kept updated with the latest posts. The big benefit of RSS is that individuals opt-in to content of interest, totally controlling the flow of information that they receive.

Typically, RSS feeds contain news headlines and content summaries. The content summaries contain just enough information without overwhelming the reader with superfluous details. If the reader is interested and wants additional information they can click on the item in the feed, accessing the website which contains additional details.

If the quality of the content in the feed declines, users simply remove the feed from their RSS reader and they will not receive any additional updates from that source. The RSS reader acts as an aggregator, allowing users to view and scan multiple content streams in a timely fashion. It is most commonly seen on blogs with an orange button which says ‘subscribe via RSS.’

RSS ENABLE YOU TO: n Provide fresh and relevant

content on your website, which encourages users to return

n Constantly changing content means that search engine spiders will visit more frequently

n Automate the content delivery process

RSS is a great supplemental communication method that does not burden you with maintaining lists or following strict privacy guidelines. RSS feeds are compiled according to the user’s choices, removing any burden that is placed on your email newsletters. In addition you no longer need to be concerned with spam, privacy policies, and age guidelines.

There are three main ways of getting people to come back and read any blog you might publish. The first is by collecting someone’s email address and then sending them an update every time you publish a new post. The second is for people to connect/share/like your content through a social media platform such as Facebook.

Third and sometimes overlooked is RSS but it does have some great advantages.

RSS is popular for bloggers because unlike email it does not have to pass through a spam filter meaning lost messages, but is just a file that a blog reader will pick up. Once you have an RSS feed set up, you can also use the information to send your content to other places, such as Facebook or blog directories, allowing you to increase your visibility.

Providing fresh and relevant content on your website

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RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is the technology blogs use to allow readers to subscribe to their content and be kept updated with the latest posts.

REALLY SIMPLE SYNDICATION

Page 13: Engage March 2011

Online marketingNew regulations could signal big changesOnline marketing communications now fall under the jurisdiction of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The regulatory body is making itself increasingly felt in the digital sphere from 1 March 2011, when its remit officially expanded to cover marketing on websites.

The new regulations could signal big changes - and rewrites for some webmasters - as they will mean all marketing communications on third-party space under their control (including Facebook and Twitter), not just the content hosted on their own site, will have to adhere to the rules set out in the (UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing) CAP code.

To ensure no one is left unaware of the impending change, the ASA has been running a comprehensive cross-media ad campaign, and

website owners will be expected to take note of the new regulations and what they can do to ensure their communications abide by them. According to the regulators, the campaign “calls on companies to ensure marketing communications on their websites are legal, decent, honest and truthful.”

The change to the self-regulatory status quo is said to be an enhancement of the protections for web users - especially children and vulnerable users - already in place. The ASA hopes the extension of its remit will help create a level playing field, presumably one that forces people to play fair.

“This significant development in advertising regulation is good news for both consumer and business protection as it will ensure the same high standards as in other media,” the body said.However, many industry players are

wondering how the ASA will force website owners to comply with new regulations. The Register questioned the ASA over the punishment should a breach of the CAP code be discovered. The respected tech publication was told the regulators will “consider the application of appropriate sanctions” and that in extreme cases, it would consider drawing attention to the particular offender on its own site.

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ONLINE MARKETING

Talk to SaleMaker about how we could help your business improve your overall marketing success and effectiveness. To find out more, please call us on 07872 386388 or email [email protected]

Page 14: Engage March 2011

The ability to email hundreds of your prospects, clients and centres of influence

PROFESSIONAL EMAIL MARKETING SYSTEMS

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EMARKETING

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It’s essential not to confuse the ability to send hundreds of emails through Outlook with conventional email marketing. Financial adviser’s who do this don’t know that they are putting themselves at risk of violating SPAM laws.

Email marketing should be a standard part of every adviser’s marketing strategy. It provides individuals and firms with a quick and easy way to send weekly market wraps, monthly newsletters, special holiday announcements, invitations to events and even breaking news announcements.

Having the ability to email hundreds of your prospects, clients and centres of influence (COI) at one time is an efficient and cost effective way to communicate with them on a regular basis. Advisers who use Outlook for this purpose not only risk SPAM violations, but also run the risk of exposing private client email addresses to their entire email database if they don’t properly blind carbon copy (BCC) recipients. Luckily, this risk can be mitigated by utilising an email marketing system like SaleMaker. An email marketing system allows firms to send professional-looking emails and provides the tools to ensure marketing best practices are met. Specifically, a system such as SaleMaker provides:

n Visually appealing HTML email templates that are available for immediate use

n Tools to create custom templates based on your branding

n Automatic inserting of an ‘unsubscribe’ button on the bottom of every email, allowing recipients to manage their subscription settings and ensuring that you are in compliance with the SPAM rule that requires senders to honor opt-out requests

n Records of the list of contacts who were sent each email, as well as the names of recipients who opened the email

n The ability to create links and forms that can be added to your website, allowing people to subscribe to your newsletter or general email list

n The segmentation of contacts into different groups (e.g. clients, prospects, COIs) allowing customized emails for each group

n Non-exposure of the names and email addresses of other email recipients

n Reports which include information such as who opened the email, who clicked on links within the email and which email addresses are no longer valid

n The ability to merge data into the body of an email such as first name, last name, location, anniversary date, etc. for personalised emails

Before you send out your next marketing email to your hundreds of contacts in Outlook, think about the benefits of switching to an email marketing system.

Not only will your emails look more professional, you’ll be able to track the success of the email campaign and mitigate your risk. Once you switch, you will agree that an email system is marketing pounds well spent.

Talk to SaleMaker Professional about how we could help your business improve your overall marketing success and effectiveness. To find out more, please call us on 07872 386388 or email [email protected]

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EMARKETING

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Nurturing your business relationshipsReflecting particular needs, interests and motivations of your target segments

BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS

In other words, the content you put forth should reflect the particular needs, interests and motivations of your target segments. This will enable your business to:

n build lasting relationships n become top-of-mind with prospects n be there when your customers are

ready to buy

That’s why SaleMaker develops custom content for prospects, customers, and influencers to customers, influencers, and prospects.

Customers - Don’t get more customers. Create more advocates

Customers are the lifeblood of any organization. They can be your greatest fans—and spread the energy and enthusiasm they have for your brand on to others. That’s why it’s important to stay in touch and show your customers how much they mean to you.

Influencers - Sometimes, you need to think inside the box

Here’s a riddle: Who shares your customers but aren’t in competition with you? People closest to your customers—such as their accountants, lawyers, and financial planners —can often have the biggest impact on your success. Because when they refer your products or services, customers are more likely to turn to you.

We can help you identify your customers’ centers of influence and create a 12-month custom Nurture Influencer Campaign to introduce you and your company, educate the centers of influence on how you might help their customers, and finally, ask for - and get - client referrals.

Prospects - Does your business require a giant leap forward?

Nothing is more important to your growth than New Lead Generation. Let SaleMaker fuel your giant leap forward. Our time tested and proven programs are designed to locate the “low hanging fruit” in your market and to build the base for continuous growth long into your company’s future.

Talk to SaleMaker about how we could help your business improve your overall marketing success and effectiveness. To find out more, please call us on 07872 386388 or email [email protected]

Every audience responds in unique ways. So it’s crucial to tailor your offerings or messages—and the way you present them - for each individual group.

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Nurture the people your customers’ trust.

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BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS

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Nothing is more important to your growth than New Lead Generation. Let SaleMaker

fuel your giant leap forward. Our time tested and proven

programs are designed to locate the “low hanging

fruit” in your market and to build the base for continuous

growth long into your company’s future.

Page 18: Engage March 2011

List building is the process of gathering email addresses for the purpose of sending information, offers and other marketing information to clients and potential customers. It might be tempting to gather all the email addresses you have in your email account and place them on a list to receive your information. You might also think that purchasing an email list from an online source might help you build your list, but there is a much greater likelihood that you will be reported as a spammer if the recipients don’t know you and aren’t thrilled to receive email from you.

Building an organic list can take time, but you stand a better chance of actually connecting with a receptive audience. Make sure you provide all your visitors the opportunity to opt-in to your mailing list at every opportunity on the pages of your site. You may find that list building is best achieved by providing site visitors with information gathering forms. An ‘auto responder’ can often manage the automated distribution of the information they seek.

Some forms include an ‘already highlighted’ box that indicates the individual wishes to receive future e-offers. The premise behind this is many customers do not look at every field in the form and may not uncheck the box when submitting their information.

Online email list buildingn Incentives - Offer visitors to your

website incentives to sign up. Give away free magazines, guides and enews alerts.

n PPC landing pages - If you are using paid search to drive traffic to your site make sure your opt-in form or a link to your registration form is prominently displayed on the landing page associated with your paid search campaign.

n Newsletter links - Look into reciprocal links or banners in email newsletters with complementary content that relates to your same target audience.

n Use your house list - Include a “forward to a friend” or “refer a colleague” as an option in your out-bound emails. You can generate new opt-ins by asking current subscribers to send the email to a friend. Make sure to include a prominent opt-in link on the version of the email that is forwarded to the friend. Your email benefits from the implicit recommendation you get.

n Be social - If you have a social media marketing program offer the opportunity to opt-in to your list here as well.

n Signatures and footers – Include your sign up link to the footer of every email you send including personal emails and emails sent by your or other employees at your company.

No matter the method you use to gather names in your list building process make sure to honor requests to unsubscribe. If you manage the list manually make sure to remove the name quickly or risk a report of spam. One way to grow your list is to make sure the information you deliver is targeted, above average and something the client will look forward to receiving. The content could be information or it could be a simple sales email, but by staying on target you will be more likely to connect with your client.

Don’t abuse your list by sending them a significant volume of email. Carefully plan each email campaign and make sure it is strongly related to your core objectives. If you send too much - too often you may be perceived as only slightly better than those incredibly annoying forwards that we all delete from our email files.

List building is a proven method of devising solid contacts for online marketing, but make sure to avoid spamming techniques – the reputation of your online firm may be at stake.

Building an organic email listConnecting with a receptive audience is the key

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EMARKETING

Talk to SaleMaker about how we could help your business improve your overall marketing success and effectiveness. To find out more, please call us on 07872 386388 or email [email protected]