Getting the best from e-mail marketing

E-mail marketing is a cost effective way of canvassing various elements of your prospective audience; headlining a message; developing the proposition; and calling them to a specific action.

In many ways, the approach is no different to planning a direct mail campaign; re-soliciting to your prospect or customer database (CRM); running an advertising campaign; planning a joint venture even.

·         You need to understand who you are talking to;

·         what message you want them to take on board;

·         how you are going to say it so that they understand the benefits in their terms;

·         how you are going to headline it;

·         how might you visualise it;

·         and what you want them to do as a result of reading it. 

 

The process of applying each of the above to the selected medium then varies medium by medium. You can’t just take the advert your agency designed and paste it into an e-mail – although many do … wrong.

The content and style of your e-mail should fit the purpose. If you are writing to existing customers to announce an event – a sale perhaps – your audience is already warm to you and the style can reflect your mutual awareness. If you are renting and mailing cold data on the other hand, you are intruding on already busy screens alongside other market intruders all vying for reader time (and money).

E-mail marketing is easy to implement, low cost, scalable, accountable and most certainly worth a bash. But, even for a low volume, low-key start or test, it’s important to set it up properly. There are many ways of setting it up to do yourselves which are perfectly fine particularly if you have the time and inclination.

Set up an account up with a reputable server to take on the data, set the mailings up and action them for you. They can deal with matters of compliance, manage your unsubscribes, handle the data, and provide the analytics to help you assess the next step.

Building, renting, sourcing, selecting the data to be mailed is the next big step. It is true that because of the lower mailing costs involved in e-direct mail, you can afford to canvass greater numbers. We strongly advocate fine tuning your targeting through careful pre-selection though. If every player in the market put the effort into pre-selection, messaging would be more relevant, responses would rise (on an industry level) and spam e-mail rejection would fall.

Good news all round.

The whole concept of building an efficient database is a massive subject in its own right and one we will be covering at a later stage. (If you want advice in this area sooner though – please just ask: intime@intimeprofit.com).

Setting up and sending your e-mail is the fun part. What are you going to say? How are you going to say it? There are no real rules but, as you might expect, plenty of opinions.

 

If you are mailing a hot customer base with a fabulous offer pre-selecting the data by what you know them to have purchased before, then you can make a big, visual, simple flash  - YOUR FAVOURITE JEANS HALF PRICE. SAVE £20: CLICK HERE. Or something like this:

 

This is fine in B2C marketing.

 

There is a school of thought that in B2B, particularly when selling a business service to a broad, colder database, the closer your e-mail resembles a normal e-mail from Jane in Accounts upstairs, the better will be your Open Rates. Open Rates in e-mail marketing are like possession in rugby – if they don’t open the e-mail (possess the ball) there’s no chance of them responding (no try, no score, no point).

 

So, we do everything we can to lift the open rate

 

·         Soft, ambiguous, friendly subject (don’t mention ‘sale’ ‘offer’ ‘free’ … spam’s favourites);

·         Explicit, benefits driven opening line(s);

·         Bold, relevant development paragraph;

·         3 bullet points – max;

·         Clear, single call to action.

 

If you are going to use logos, branding, images etc, minimise the number and insert them after (yes, after) the message and call to action. Remember, not everybody has the same browser, so design your message to the lowest common denominator, a browser that does not show the pics without specific instruction to do so. If your message relies on an opening image or you are leading with brand images, your reader opens to a number of empty boxes with an x in the corner – delete.

 

 

Testing copy against copy; offer by offer; format against format is easy and cost effective in e-mail marketing. As well as your response and conversion rate you can and should measure your open rates. Even measure your unsubscribes and bounce backs. Imagine being able to drive round to the 100,000 recipients of your last direct mail campaign, look in their dustbins and count how many envelopes there were opened and unopened.

With e-mail, the analytics tells it straight. The knowledge is power and the power delivers better results each time you mail.

To receive your own 26 page E-Mail Marketing Guide, please e-mail: intime@intimeprofit.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make the 90 Day Promise – and let your business grow

We want to tell you about some quite radical changes being made to intime PROFIT’s Business Development Seminars for 2014. They’ve been very well received throughout the past year and feedback has been most encouraging – with just one exception.

The most common comment from regular delegates is that, despite knowing they need to take time out to work ON the businesses rather than simply IN it, the commitment of a full day is rather too much. We listened, considered and – presto – from 13^th February 2014 intime SEMINARS will gather over lunch for a sharp, focussed, business growth agenda in the afternoon only.

So, a half day rather than a full day in which to listen to and learn skills and ideas to lift your business and its profitable outlook during the year ahead.

It does mean that we need to sharpen up our delivery, but thanks to the team behind the seminar programme that’s not as difficult as we initially thought it might be.

The seminar content is intended to develop a practical, deliverable collection of skills, observations, tasks and techniques all designed to help grow profitable sales. Learn:

how to create more leads and enquiries;

how to convert more of these to high value sales;

how to improve sales margins and extend client relations;

how to generate referrals and exploit joint ventures – all this and much more.

So … Make the 90 Day Promise!

By taking just a half day out of the office each month to join other like-minded business owner managers, you will make a big difference to the business you run.

In the first three months (that’s just 90 days) of the exciting year ahead:

1.     Learn skills and techniques to generate more leads;

2.     Build and write a finely tuned USP;

3.     Follow a methodical path to improved conversion rates;

4.     Build systemised sales procedures;

5.     Discover simple, sustainable ideas to increase sales values;

6.     Empower business networking with a revitalised ‘perfect pitch’.

…and that’s what you’ll cover in just the first three of seven seminars.

Something else that’s new for 2014 is intime PROFIT’s Foundation Seminar.

The Foundation Seminar is for new delegates and may also be attended by past attendees wanting a refresher. It is held on the morning of the main seminar day and covers the vital details of the 7 Key Profit Multipliers that become core deliverables for the main seminar programme.

The Foundation Seminar introduces the 7 Keys and the subsequent seminars develop techniques and skills to multiply each one.

What’s more – your place on the Foundation Seminar is FREE

There are two Foundation Seminars planned for Kent, one in Chatham Maritime starting 09.30 on 13th February and the next in Maidstone at 09.30 on 13th March. Tea / coffee is served mid morning and we close over a sandwich lunch during which delegates meet, greet and share Kentish business opinion and opportunities. You’ll also meet regular attendees as they gather ahead of their afternoon seminar.

Well, the bottom line is ultimately down to you and how much you want or need to grow your business and unlock the hidden profitability within it. If you want to generate and convert increasing numbers of quality enquiries and to turn more of these to profitable business sales and / or relations, then these intime PROFIT Seminars will equip you with the tools, the plan and the energy to go back to your desk and make it happen.

For more details and to confirm your FREE place please call 08456 437 497

or mail intime@intimeprofit.com.


To find out more about intime PROFIT:

our One-to-One,

our Seminars and

our Marketing support services –

write to intime@intimeprofit.com or

call us on 08456 437 497.

www.intimeprofit.com

 

 

Eye 2 Eye – a 20:20 Maidstone business.

For more than 16 years, brothers Chirag and Manish Patel have proved that you needn’t have gone to Specsavers after all. Against the high street branding and million pound advertising campaigns, Eye 2 Eye clearly demonstrate that there is life in the world of Independent Optometrists – opticians to you and me.

Based in Allington on the outskirts of Maidstone, Eye 2 Eye draw patients from all over Kent, including Tunbridge Wells, West Malling, Sittingbourne and Ashford. So what makes people travel so far to have their eyes checked?

Healthy eyes are important to us all and a healthy eye is one that does more than simply see well.

We like to be healthy, to see well and to look good. It’s this trio of needs that, if satisfied at an affordable price, keeps the patient happy; willing to come back for their regular check up; and more than happy to recommend to friends.

Eye 2 Eye ticks all three boxes – the first being health. Having invested the Zeiss Cirrus HD-OCT 500, Eye 2 Eye promise exceptional healthcare as well as sight testing expertise. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a technique for obtaining sub-surface images of translucent or opaque materials at a resolution equivalent to a low-power microscope. It is effectively ‘optical ultrasound’, imaging reflections from within tissue to provide cross-sectional images.

Within the range of non-invasive three-dimensional imaging techniques that have been introduced to the medical research community, OCT as an echo technique is similar to ultrasound imaging. Other medical imaging techniques such as computerized axial tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or positron emission tomography do not utilize the echo-location principle.

OK – to you and me that all means you get a thorough health check with immediate results showing on the operator’s screen in the form of a three dimensional colour cross-section of the minutest pathology of the eye. They can see, identify, diagnose and record even the slightest imperfections immediately and refer the patient accordingly.

So, patient peace of mind and great looking specs as well.

Despite not having the buying power of the high street brands, Eye 2 Eye know that seeing well and looking good are the two other boxes to be ticked for client  patient satisfaction – and they have. The range, the quality, the brands and the service are all second to none, yet, the prices are comparable.

So, it is quite clear how an optician such as Eye 2 Eye remains successfully independent. Success is down to Chirag and Manish Patel’s attitude to service and excellence  - their patients see well, look good and can rest assured that the health of their eyes is in good hands too.

For every successful business there’s always more to learn, more to do and more to achieve. To this end we look forward to seeing Chirag and Manish at intime PROFIT’s Foundation Seminar in Maidstone on 16^th January.


To find out more about intime PROFIT:

our One-to-One,

our Seminars and

our Marketing support services –

write to intime@intimeprofit.com or

call us on 08456 437 497.

www.intimeprofit.com

 

 

Three key steps to building an intime WEBSITE

Step 1. Listen

Too often a web designer tries to squeeze a client’s ROUND business ethos, message and service into their off-the-shelf (‘same as I did last time’) SQUARE website template.

They are making two fundamental mistakes here – one, hearing the client’s noise but not listening to their needs; and two, assuming the client knows what they want. The former is plain rude, whilst the latter is a lack of commercial / marketing / business experience.

Clients working with intime PROFIT – either attending Seminars; enjoying the business development attentions of a One-to-One relationship; or using intime’s Marketing services – is acknowledging that they want to make changes to grow their businesses faster and realise the trapped financial benefits (PROFIT) sooner.

We don’t make any assumptions. We listen and develop the brief ‘together’; we make suggestions, identify KSPs and USPs and refine the message.

Working together we clarify what we want to say, to whom and how.

Step 2. Style

Once we have decided what we want to say and to whom, we consider the stylistic package in which the message is to be wrapped.

The obvious ‘assumed’ route will be to synergise the corporate image already bonding the client’s business. But again, don’t assume. The site could well be or become a tactical sales tool for a specific product or service within the business portfolio rather than a cross-product corporate platform.

Because on line advertising can be so finely tuned in terms of its target and message; and because web design and build doesn’t have to cost the earth, smaller sites can have great tactical applications.

We can develop a series of tactical ‘squeeze pages’ or low pagination sites driven by a series of different Google Ad Campaigns to reach different on-line eyes and ears. Draw the prospect into the tactical site(s), capture their data and product interest, then draw them into the corporate family of products and services.

Visually, this is a live example of an image selling contemporary home and office interior design by encapsulating favourite artwork or images onto a linen background and personalising bedrooms and living / working areas in unique creativity and style – this is The Linen Backed Art Co:

This is a very different feel, image and message from the original business to business operation of PDD Mounting Co. This takes the production side of PDD to a new audience with concepts, visualised and written for an affluent ‘yummy mum’ and house proud, creative young family – both commercially viable, deliverable audiences.

So – we built a home page delivering just that:

Step 3. Structure

Within structure we include functionality and navigation – what are we trying to do and how physically should the visitor understand and follow the click-to-action.

At launch stage this needs to be no more than a five page site – Home, Sleep, Work, Live and Share. Each page tells its own story and has its own call to action and contact details. You only need to land on the site to be able to ask for a free sample and more info … data captured … bring on the fulfilment CRM.

The curious visitor can see more on Sleep, Work and Live through clear, simple navigation (no fancy tricks, just tidy synergised design).

‘Share’ is a departure from the norm, replacing the Contact page with a platform to drive social networking, referral and Linen Backed Art ‘Friends’ interaction … creative sharing:

The Structure is simple (simplicity works). The Style follows and develops the creative opportunities offered to the affluent young family target market. The mechanics, package, content, function and message reflect the client’s developing business … because we listened.

To find out more about intime PROFIT:

our One-to-One,

our Seminars and

our Marketing support services –

write to intime@intimeprofit.com or

call us on 08456 437 497.

www.intimeprofit.com

 

 

Communication LOL – love or laughs?

Even the professional copy writer sometimes (often) sits and stares at the screen in utter frustration trying to extract the message from the keyboard in front of him or her. No matter how quickly you may dextrously skip across the keys, if you haven’t worked out:

 

a) what you want to say;

b) to whom you want to say it;

c) and through which medium you wish to deliver it 

…there really is no point even starting to say it.

 

Unless first you understand why, who and what your business is and how to articulate those key points; unless you really know and understand your key audience / market place and what they need to hear to confirm that you have what they need; and ultimately – unless you have a plan … you are frankly shouting in the wind LOL.

Many of us think we know what we want to say and just get on and say it. But, is our expression of our service proposition speaking the same language as that of our prospective customers. In many cases – particularly if our business is product led – we are so busy spouting the features of the XZ351 Colour Copy Printer, we forget to sell the benefits … it’s faster, quieter with easier ink changing access.

Are you so full of industry speak you miss what your audience wants to hear? And can you address their needs effectively through the media they’re most comfortable with and understand?

In short – is your LOL the same as their LOL?

Lots of Love – or laugh out loud.

Is the message representing your business in fact turning the road to corporate prosperity into a communications nightmare of orally challenged poverty? You may well be saying one thing when in fact what they hear is something quite different.

But, you don’t need to be a literary genius to get the corporate message right. Every singly person attending, enjoying, participating in and leaving intime PROFIT’s Dramatic Business Development Seminars is introduced to a series of simple, adaptable and deliverable techniques to Review, Plan and  Action a communication strategy that’s right for them.

It works – see what Steve has to say on the video: http://www.intimeprofit.com/seminars.php

Whether you are good with words or just good at what you do – we’ll help you build a series of presentational promises you will be so proud to deliver.

The Seminars also introduce the different platforms via which your brand new corporate benefits can be delivered to the future prosperity that is your prospect file. From the choices available to you we’ll help rationalise the opportunities and build an effective marketing and communications plan.

The Plan is crucial to any successful venture. To many of us, the confusion of opportunity is what stops us from moving forward … what to do first????

As an owner director of a business it’s very lonely at the top. Who do you turn to for feedback and advice? Where can you confidently put your hand up and ask for help and direction without losing face in front of your staff or being charged a fortune in front of your accountant?

If you want to know where to start, how to start, what to say and when … then join us and other like minded business owner directors on 14^th November in Maidstone. LOL!

YOUR FIRST SEMINAR EXPERIENCE IS FREE


To find out more about intime PROFIT:

our One-to-One,

our Seminars and

our Marketing support services –

write to intime@intimeprofit.com or

call us on 08456 437 497.

www.intimeprofit.com

 

The Changing Face of Business in Kent

Earlier this year the Kent Institute of Directors got a new Chairman in the face of Emma Liddiard who, like many business owners and managers in Kent wears two hats … at least.  By day, Emma is Managing Director of Heart FM (Kent), part of the Global Radio media business, which includes Classic FM, Capital and LBC; and by night, instead of just attending the many lively IoD events and functions across Kent, she chairs and heads responsibility for them.

When I spoke to Emma last week, her drive and passion for both hats was evident from the start.

Emma’s 17 years in the media have developed an enviable portfolio of experience and business contacts through Kent, the South East and beyond.

“As the MD of Heart Kent I have enjoyed growing my network of business colleagues throughout many businesses and organisations across the county. I lead by example, encouraging strong relationships both internally and externally whilst mentoring and coaching on a daily basis.”

 

Emma puts much of her success and responsibility for a £6 million turnover down to the strength of understanding of local and national corporate matters that she builds through networking – as well as the skill and enthusiasm of a great team.

Much of this corporate interaction was effected rubbing shoulders (and, indeed sharing a glass or two) with fellow members of the IoD. Now, she is Chairman of IoD Kent, which is one of the most active regions with over 1,500 members.

"Since becoming a member of the IoD, I have discovered many, many advantages of being part of this network and feel passionate about sharing these with more people in Kent. I am introducing many new people to the IoD and having a wonderful time doing it – it is a misunderstood and under rated organisation as far as I am concerned and Kent does it so well.”

I was keen to know just why nearly half of the membership was made up of Chairmen, CEOs and Managing Directors and Emma was equally keen to explain. Many enjoy the ‘national’ membership benefits including their fabulous Pall Mall address that’s available to members when in town, meeting and greeting clients and colleagues in central comfort.

Some of the smaller businesses (because 40% of members employ 25 or fewer staff) access the panel of business experts for advice and guidance on management, employment and financial matters.

But for the vast majority it’s the opportunity to meet and mix with like minded people at on or many of the 70 plus events hosted by IoD Kent each year.

As well as business forums covering subjects such as Finance, Charities and International Business there are many social gatherings which have recently included: the Built Kent Environment event; the AMM at Chatham Historic Dockyard; committee meetings; and the amazing Rochester Cathedral Event with the London Welsh Male Voice Choir.

 

I think that instead of the Institute of Directors perhaps IoD could stand for Ideas on Demand because there seems to me so many opportunities available for business owners and Directors to listen to and adopt fresh approaches to lead, manage and market their businesses.

And, of course, that’s one of the key benefits attributed to intime PROFIT. Whether a delegate at intime SEMINARS or a client using our One-to-One business development partnerships, there’s no shortage of fresh ideas to revitalise stale marketing activity, drive sales and build longer term profitability from relations with existing clients and prospects

 

Emma was particularly interested in intime PROFIT’s third service which turns ideas into action – intime

MARKETING. It’s one thing going away with lists of exciting new strategies in your notebook or tablet

and another to actually turn the thoughts into deeds, putting them to work for your business. It may be

that you don’t have time and it may be that you don’t have or have access to the marketing resources

needed to action them.

 

But this no longer matters. Intime PROFIT’s marketing services help turn your marketing strategy into a workable plan; detailing the action and budgets needed to deliver each element; then the exciting bit … we make it happen. With intime MARKETING, whatever size your business, you now have an instant Marketing Department with full on line and print design resources, copywriting, web design, mailing and e-mail management just one call away.

 

Thank you Emma, very much for your time and your interest and yes, the IoD may seem out of reach to many but it’s not - we recommend it to anyone who’s serious about business in Kent.

 

Call, mail, view and start making a difference today:

 

To find out more about intime PROFIT:

our One-to-One,

our Seminars and

our Marketing support services –

 

write to intime@intimeprofit.com or

call us on 08456 437 497.

www.intimeprofit.com

 

 

 

Back to School on September 12th

What a summer it’s been – the sun shone and temperatures soared in England; economies rallied in Europe; bad light stopped play with just 21 runs left to make; Kate & Wills had a baby; China’s under water, California’s on fire and Syria’s under siege. Phew what a scorcher!

 

 So now it’s back to normal, back to work and back to school as intime PROFIT’s Dramatic Business Growth Seminars begin again on 12^th September.

 

It has been a long summer and feels like a lifetime since we last gathered around our host’s boardroom table to listen to and share techniques and experiences to help our businesses grow.

Around the table on September 12th there will be some who have been to several intime Seminars and others who’ll be there for the first time. This doesn’t matter – in fact it’s a bonus as it refreshes the discussions and revitalises our opportunities to network with like-minded local business owners.

 

If you haven’t already received one of these (below), there’ll be one in your in tray very soon. This is your invitation to reserve one of just ten seats at the next intime PROFIT Seminar…

 

… What’s more, there are three (just 3) FREE places available at each Seminar and this is your invitation to secure one of those.

 

The Seminars are led by David Mack, though it is the delegates’ participation that really adds value to the debate as we share insight, experience and methodology that WILL help our businesses grow. As well as David, we hear from three keynote speakers. Matters Financial are introduced by Tim Levey of Reeves; Legal affairs are covered by sector specialists from Whitehead Monckton; and Sales & Marketing skills are presented by a Partner of intime PROFIT.

 

In this coming Seminar we will be looking at Sales. Not just how you can increase sales but how to increase the profitability, frequency and gross value of those sales. Many businesses think that once a new customer or client is ‘written up’ – that’s it, job done, move on to the next. By developing a fuller professional relationship with your customers (and prospects – don’t forget a prospect is simply a client in waiting) the value and reward from that relationship grows too.

 

For this to work we help you to improve your communication skills and introduce a suite of different methods of delivering the messages you’ll learn to write. We will show you how to turn your features into benefits and how to highlight and articulate those benefits to best effect.

 

Change is a great contributor to success.

Henry Ford said: “if you always do what you’ve always done – you get the results you’ve always got.”

If you are working in your business and it is not growing at the rate you feel it should and you are not enjoying the profits and financial benefits you feel you ought – then something has to change.

 

This is the ideal opportunity to take just a little time out from working IN your business to join others who will help you to work ON it.

The boardroom at Reeves in Chatham Maritime will be full of great ideas on 12^th September. Come along and take some of those ideas away with you. They will inspire you and help you to introduce even a few changes that really will make the difference to your business.

 

 

Ask yourself three questions:

 
Do I own or am I responsible for running a business in Kent?
Does the success of that business reflect in the quality of my life and livelihood?
Do I want to improve the quality of my life?

If the answer is YES to even one of those questions, then join us and a small group of others who’ve also said yes (particularly to the third one) and start changing your fortunes from 12^th September.

 

 

Call, mail, view and start making a difference today:

 

To find out more about intime PROFIT:

our One-to-One,

our Seminars and

our Marketing support services –

write to intime@intimeprofit.com or

call us on 08456 437 497.

www.intimeprofit.com