Please read this article discussing the results of a survey done by Marketing Sherpa about email marketing. It continues to be a very effective marketing tool. I think of one of the very best for small businesses.
How To Get Emails from Website Visitors
One of the most important things your website should be doing for you is growing your email list. Think about it! Someone found your website out of all the billions of sites out there. You have the start of a beautiful relationship!! Now you want to stay in touch and continue educating them about your company.
Offer them something in exchange for their email!
Here is a very nicely done example of a company offering an eBook in exchange for my email. They offered valuable information I wanted. A list of foods to increase metabolism. They made the process easy. I had to enter only my email. They made the offer appetizing. A nice photo in the background. A simple, easy to read offer.
You can offer something pertinent to your business.
- White paper or eBook of valuable information – “Resources To Save You Time and Money”
- Checklist of related information – “Checklist to Prepare Your Pool for Summer”
- Special offer – 30 minute, no charge, no obligation phone consultation or No charge service quote
- Discounts – 20% off your first pedicure
Your website should make you money! Email opt ins are a powerful option. Call Your Computer Lady for help on the offer or to update your website.
Where Is My Email Stored?
Here’s the scenario. You write an email in Outlook and send it to your best friend. Your friend then opens the email in her Gmail account.
Where is the email stored? In 4 places.
- Your Outlook (email management software) saves a copy in Sent Items.
- Your server (Cox, CenturyLink, Verizon, etc.) saves a copy in webmail Sent Items.
- Your friend’s server saves a copy in her webmail Inbox.
- Your friend’s Gmail (email management software) saves a copy in Inbox.
You can delete both of your copies if you want to. Delete from Outlook. Log into webmail and delete from webmail.
You can not delete your friend’s copies.
That’s why you always want to THINK before you hit SEND!
Viewing Images in Gmail
When you using Gmail, you have to tell it to display the images in your emails. Note below where there is a link under the email header asking to display. Once you display images from a particular sender, the images will show up in their future emails to you.
If you don’t display images, your emails can be pretty goofy looking since the spacing messing up.
A really good email marketer will put text with the images to tell you what the image is. That helps your viewer tell where the missing images are.
One reason Gmail doesn’t display images is to make messages load faster. If you send large image files, the email opens much slower.
So resize your photos before you use them in emails and use Alt Text to tell your viewers there are images to see!!
You Need a Domain Email To Ensure Success Sending Emails Through a Service Provider
One more reason to get a domain email instead of using @gmail or @aol or @anyone but you!
#1 reason
Why advertise for anyone but you?! Do you really think Google needs your assistance with a @gmail address? NO! So advertise yourself with a personalized email such as Pamela@YourComputerLady.com
#2 reason
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is a policy that tells a domain (or website) which email authentication methods were used by the sender, and what an ISP (Internet Service Provider) should do with a message if it fails those authentication methods. Possible actions include “do nothing”, “spam folder” or “bounce” the email, and includes contact information for how to notify the sender of failed messages.
Free email providers, like Yahoo!, AOL, and soon Google, have adopted strict DMARC policies to prevent email fraud – like spam and spoofing. If you use one of these free email providers as your ‘from’ address for your Constant Contact, MailChimp or other service provider emails, this will affect you.
The issue is that when you send email via a service provider the email looks like it came from your free email address, when you are really are sending from the provider’s servers.
A DMARC policy will tell receiving servers that incoming email with a free ‘from’ address should be rejected because it wasn’t sent through a Yahoo, or AOL, or Google server, which will result in an increased chance that emails will be delivered to a spam folder or get bounced. This policy is affecting all email service providers.
What Do I Need to Do?
To pass DMARC alignment while using a service provider, you need to use a custom domain email address to send your emails and self-publish for authentication. Here’s how:
- Register for a domain name if you don’t already have one, and have an email associated with it.
- Add your custom domain email to your email service provider account and verify it.
- Self-Publish for Authentication. This will take some assistance from your web site programmer or IT person.
- Once you’ve verified your custom domain email, remember to use it as your ‘from’ address when you send emails.
Your Computer Lady will register a domain for you and set up a domain email. I can assist you with the set up with your email service provider. I can even take care of self-authentication. (Don’t you just love that word?)
Call today! Don’t wait until your emails start bouncing!
Cornerstone Cabinet Company
Cornerstonecabco.com
New web site
Beautiful custom cabinets deserve a beautiful custom web site to show them off! The primary goal of the Cornerstone web site is to display the wonderful photos the company has of completed projects. YCL created portfolios by room and also by project to better fit the visitors’ needs. In addition, Cornerstone wanted to “brag” about the high quality manufacturers they work with. YCL developed pages for each manufacturer with photos, information and links to the manufacturers’ sites where necessary.
Social Media
There’s a lot to learn about cabinets! Owner, Chris Boulton, had written a series of articles titled Cabinets 101. YCL is adding to that knowledge base with articles about new counter-top surfaces, current trends in cabinets, colors, lighting, and even cabinet “jewelry!”
Email Marketing
A monthly email gets Cornerstone’s name in front of prospects to encourage purchase decisions. It also keeps Cornerstone top of mind with clients, designers and vendors who can give referrals.
Embracing Email Design
“For a small business, it’s a great tool. You’re landing in this personal world of your customers. They may not go to your Facebook page every day, but if you are sending them nicely-designed email that works for their device, then they are more likely to learn about your upcoming events or whatever promotion you’re selling. There is a lot of value in investing in nice email that works everywhere.”
Quote from Austin Woodall, Studio Science from MailChimp interview
Thank you, MailChimp, for an interesting article. Read the full article.
61 Ways to Grow Your Email List
I double dare you to go through this list and check off how many of these ideas you do consistently. Some are so simple but we forget or we put off.
Anyone who beats my total of 20 of the 61 gets 1 hour of free consultation on their social media program. We’ll expand it even more!
If you are doing less than 10, you better call me right now. We’re in an emergency situation! Let’s get you some new business.
Click here for the full list!
You Just Can’t Beat Email Marketing
One of my clients had a great story this week about email marketing.
She met a woman at a luncheon. They exchanged business cards and had a good talk. My client put the woman on her email list.
20 years went by!! TWENTY!
The woman signed up for an event my client was hosting last week. She said, “I’ve always read your newsletters but never had a need for your services until now. But I certainly knew who I was going to call for help! The expert!”
Keeping the woman on the email list for 20 years had a zero cost. My client has over 30
00 emails on her list. So there was no cost. No special effort. But the woman came to the event with a friend and both are planning purchases!
Review your office procedures to be sure you are gathering every email possible. Add them to your lists. Make your content valuable so people will stay on the list. Watch your traffic reports to be sure the content is working with your audience. Build long term relationships!
No Silver Bullets for Marketing. Consistent Engagement Works.
Excerpt from Constant Contact blog.
Consider these stats:
- Email is almost 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined in helping your business acquire new customers. (McKinsey, 2014)
- 66 percent of online consumers have made a purchase as a result of an email marketing message. (Direct Marketing Association, 2013)
- Small businesses that use multiple methods and channels in conjunction with email reported more customer engagement (73 percent), more new customers (57 percent), more website traffic (54 percent), more revenue (40 percent), and more referrals (39 percent). (Constant Contact, 2014)
You don’t have to be on every social channel. Pick one that makes sense for your customers and your time. Use that social channel to engage with your customers and prospects with the goal of getting them to subscribe to your email list so you can contact them more directly.
Send at least one email a month. Consistency builds trust and keeps your business top of mind without overwhelming your email contacts. You may have reasons to send more frequently, but once a month should be your minimum.
Read the full article here.
If you need assistance getting started with email marketing or social media, call Your Computer Lady today. I’ll help you create a simple, cost effective plan.
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