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How to Write a Welcome Email Sequence Your Subscribers Love

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 Woman checking her email welcome sequence on her iphone

by Laura Gatsos Young

You’ve heard all the noise around email lists. Maybe you’ve created a few freebies, set-up landing pages and even optimized your website to promote them. You’re probably feeling pretty good about that, and you should! But, are you using a welcome email sequence to seal the deal?

The stats of small business owners who prioritize social media (followers Facebook owns) over email list building (an engaged audience they own) are shocking.

The numbers prove the misguided notion that email is “dead.” SleekNote reports that a whopping 91% of shoppers want to hear from companies they do business with via email. Seventy-three percent of millennials, widely considered to prefer social media, like to communicate with brands over email. 

So, if you have a strategy to capture email addresses, you’re ahead of many of your competitors. Still, you can surpass them with a welcome email sequence that endears your audience to you.

A welcome sequence, also known as a nurture sequence or a funnel, is a short series of three to five emails automatically sent to a subscriber after opting into a lead magnet (freebie) or subscribing to your newsletter. 

In this post, I’ll explain why a nurture email sequence is essential, why it works and how to write one. 

Don’t worry if you have a list but have yet to nurture it. Talented copywriters can help you introduce sequences with little disruption. If you’re not list-building, you’ll learn how to do it right from the start.

Let’s get into it!

Why a Nurture Email Sequence is Important

There is absolutely no one in the world who wants to get another nameless, faceless email. People want to buy from people they know, like, and trust; a nurture sequence is a vital part of this process.

By opting into your lead magnet, your customer has volunteered to come on that journey with you. They like your stuff and are excited to hear more from you. As a result, it only makes sense to use a series of emails to engage with them further. 

The numbers indicate that it takes a person seven interactions with your brand to consider purchasing. Strategically written emails that speak to your audience at specific points in the customer journey can turn them from a casual observer into a client.

Moreover, by inviting them to engage with you, you’ll be better positioned to serve them. 

As part of my welcome sequence, I invite new subscribers to share their content challenges as solopreneurs. I write my emails and plan my products around their feedback. By consistently showing up for my subscribers, I create with intention because I know my audience will consume it.

Why a Welcome Email Sequence Works

Suppose you’re paying close attention to your email metrics. In that case, you’re concerned with deliverability, open-rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribes.

Although rates differ by industry, a healthy open rate hovers around 20%. When a person voluntarily gives up their email to receive the freebie you created, you can bet that they will open that email. In fact, according to GetResponse, welcome emails have an open rate of 82%! Now imagine they don’t hear from you for a month. What are the chances they’ll open your next email?

Smart marketing tactics keep people engaged, so it only makes sense that you consistently show up for them with email when they’re paying attention. If you continually show up to offer value, inspire, entertain or sell based on their needs, you’ll likely take them on the next step of the customer journey.

Some Email Content Ideas 

Are you convinced of the power of a welcome email sequence yet? Perhaps you’re eager to get started, but the thought of more content creation gives you pause. I hear you! 

Here are some simple welcome sequence ideas. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel! Repurpose content you’ve created for your website and social media accounts for the emails.

EMAIL #1 – Deliverable Email – deliver the freebie embedded as a link and introduce yourself. Explain why you created the offer and how they’ll benefit from it.

EMAIL #2 – Personal Email – share your business story and indicate how often they’ll hear from you and what to expect.

EMAIL #3 – Resource Email – share a bit more about your work and direct them to resources that align with the freebie you sent them. Host a podcast? Invite them to listen to a relevant episode or blog post. 

EMAIL #4 – Ask a Question – What are you interested in learning more about or struggle with when it comes to (term)? What product/service would make your life easier?

EMAIL #5 – Quiz – quizzes are a big trend in the marketing world. People love taking them, and marketers can glean a lot of information about their clients. Some examples might be: “What is your copywriting style?” “Find out what your morning routine says about your working style.” Participants receive the results via email, creating another communication opportunity.

Nurture Your People

Admittedly, email might is not as shiny and fun as IG Reels or TikTok. Still, it’s the only marketing tactic that delivers $1 in sales for every subscriber. That’s right; dancing on TikTok will not consistently produce that ROI.

If you’re looking to add to your email list (always!) or build one from scratch, a welcome sequence is the first step to make your subscribers fall in love with your brand. 

Do you have any tips for email list building? Share them in the comments!

11 Tips On How to Write the Best Converting Email by Helen Holovach of @snov_io

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by Helen Holovach

Email still remains the best option to reach out to people and convert them. Yet, not every email is converting. To compose emails like a pro, you don’t need to pay dozens of dollars or take courses. You only need to keep in mind 11 simple but working rules.

 

Tip 1. Use a Powerful Subject Line

The conversion rate depends on every detail and begins before the email is opened. To get the email opened, compose a short subject line (6-10 words or up to 32 characters), use power and emotional triggers, and personalize it. If appropriate, use emojis.

 

Tip 2. Check Your Sender’s Name

People have to know who is reaching out to them. Do not be an anonym or just Helen; be Helen from Snov.io. Show your professionalism and reliability.

 

Tip 3. Personalize Every Email

Dale Carnegie said, “A person’s name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.”

Stick to this golden rule to write the best converting emails. In marketing, personalization stands not only for the person’s name but also for other professional details: company, position, desires, needs, etc. Personalize every email you send to the fullest to get the best results.

 

Tip 4. Craft an Appealing Email Copy

It all depends on the niche you work in. Within the B2B niche, plain-text emails work best. They are simple, reserved, and look professional. Though if you still love bright HTML-emails or you work in the B2C niche, do not be too crazy about HTML formatting. Avoid bursts of colors, use many white spaces, use a single-column template, make the email minimalistic but informative.

 

Tip 5. Do Not Be a Spammer

This tip is composite. Keep in mind these points to not land in the spam folder:

  • Get the people’s consent to receive emails from you
  • One link, two fonts, three colors
  • Shortened links are a taboo
  • Text-to-picture ratio is 80-to-20
  • Test your emails before sending with a er tool
  • Avoid link tracking where possible

 

Tip 6. Be Short

Do you have time to read every email you receive? No, you just scan them through, delete, reply or mark spam within a few seconds. So do your email recipients, and if the email is too long, people delete it without actually reading. This is why, compose short emails (up to 200 words) and get to the point right away.

 

Tip 7. Design an Outstanding CTA

The call-to-action button or link is what will help you improve the email conversion rate. Make it bright and outstanding. If the email background is green, use the red color for the CTA.

 

Note: one CTA is enough for the whole email. Otherwise, your recipients will get confused about where to click and what to do.

 

Tip 8. Avoid Email Attachments

Email attachments have a negative impact on email deliverability. The heavier the message, the fewer chances it is delivered. The lower the delivery rate, the lower the conversion rate. Genius lies in simplicity.

 

Tip 9. Learn the Spam Words List by Heart

Spam trigger words are your enemies. Get sure you are not using words like money, now, off, free, discount or anything similar that activates spam filters and people’s anger. All your efforts of writing a converting email may go down the drain and your email will fly directly to the spam folder.

 

Tip 10. Give People the Right to Be Forgotten

Admit it: not everyone is crazy about your offer. People may just not be interested in your product.

 

I know, an unsubscribe link won’t directly improve the conversion rate, but at least it will reduce the spam complaint rate. That’s rather optimistic, isn’t it? 🙂

 

Tip 11. Send Emails on Time

To not turn into a complete spammer or get lost in the inboxes of your recipients, learn when they are most favorable to new emails. Also, find the time zones they live in. With this info, it will be super-easy to schedule personalized drip campaigns.

 

Extra tip

Email is a masterpiece and demands attention. If you concentrate on details and control, you will become a first-class copywriter. The most important thing to remember: double-check your emails to be sure they are professional and will convert every lead!

 

 

 

Helen Holovach is a dedicated copywriter for Snov.io blog. She’s passionate about email marketing, deep research, statistics, mobile games, and singing songs to a guitar.

 

 

 

 

3 Unique Ways to Make Money with Your Email List by @danafiddler

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by Dana Fiddler

Many people begin growing an email list because it’s something that everyone says you should be doing. But what exactly are you supposed to do with an email list? How can you monetize from one?

If you have an email list, no matter what the size is, you should be thinking of ways to monetize it!

Those subscribers signed up because they loved your message and wanted to hear from you. The easiest way to try and make money with your email list is to send out promotions, however, there are other strategies you can use as well.

Turn Your Thank You Page into a Sales Page

There are tons of various opt-ins that will help grow your list, but what happens after those subscribers opt-in? Are they sent to a generic “thank you” page? Are they directed back to your homepage?

When someone gives up their email address to download free content for you, consider directing them to a customized thank you page that contains a product or service they might be interested.

For example, if you had a free SEO checklist as your opt-in, you could feature an SEO ebook you wrote on the sales page.

In this example, your new email list subscriber has expressed interest in SEO, so why not show them a product you know they are already interested in?

Segment Your List and Develop a Product or Service

Segmented emails get 60% more clicks. These higher conversion rates should tell you something: segmenting your list is powerful.

What’s even more powerful?

Segmenting your list will allow you to see what specific groups of your email list are after.

You can segment your list based upon:

• Demographics
• Interests
• Behaviours

Once you are able to divide your email list up into different segments, start to develop a product or a service that you can offer to each segment.

Offer Coaching to Your Subscribers

If you are knowledgeable in a particular area, consider advertising coaching sessions to members of your email list.

As your subscribers have already developed a trust with you, they will be more willing to hire you for coaching services as opposed to someone who has never heard about your brand before!

If you are stuck on what you could possibly offer in terms of coaching, reach out to existing members of your list and see what areas they are struggling with and how you can help!

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Dana Nicole Fiddler is a designer and SEO strategist at Dana Nicole Designs. She enjoys helping creative business owners and bloggers stand out online through branding and online marketing. When Dana isn’t working, she is most likely spending the day watching re-runs of The Office with her husband and their pup.

9 Must Know Tips For Crafting A Client Attracting Newsletter by @toninelsonbiz

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9 Must Know Tips For Crafting A Client Attracting Newsletter

by Toni Nelson | Featured Contributor

Are you the type of person who can strike up a conversation in a crowded room?

Maybe that’s where you shine.

But what happens when you sit down to write your newsletters?

Knowing what to put in your email newsletter is as important as creating one. They say that the money is in your list, but if you don’t send out regular messages you’ll miss out on the additional income that an email newsletter can generate. It’s important not to over think each newsletter that you send out. Keep them simple, not too long, and always provide value.

1. Tips and Tricks

It’s great to include a list of tips and tricks for your readers in your email newsletter. If you send out a daily newsletter, you could make one a week that’s a list of ten tips or tricks to use that involves putting your services or products to their best use.

2. Special Offers

You don’t have to send out a special offer every newsletter but if once a month or so you offer your newsletter subscribers an offer that no one else is getting just for being a subscriber, you’ll make them feel special. People love the feeling of membership and exclusivity.

3. Engagement Opportunities

Give your newsletter subscribers an inside way to meet up with you, either through live meet-ups or online webinars. Having one webinar a quarter or more often is a great way to engage your newsletter subscribers. I love using Zoom to accomplish this. You can even offer Q&A’s.

4. Early Bird Notices

Tell your list subscribers about new products before you announce them to the world. Giving them a few days to purchase at a discounted “early bird” rate is a great thing to include in your email newsletters.

5. Feedback Questions

Using your email newsletter as a way to get feedback on potential new products or services is a great way to encourage engagement. You can do it via questionnaire or poll.

6. Testimonials

Including a section for customer testimonials is a great way to recognize your clients as well as to provide social proof to newsletter subscribers who have not purchased from you yet. Whenever possible I try to get a video testimonial which is extremely powerful.

7. Share Buttons

Inviting your newsletter subscribers to share certain newsletters that don’t have exclusive material is a great way to improve your subscription rate, and will also make your current members feel included in your community.

8. Legal Notifications

Every newsletter needs to include all legal notifications relevant to anti-spam laws. If you go with the most stringent laws, you’ll be sure to cover all your bases.

9. Opt-Out Information

While this could be covered under legal notifications, it’s important that you include opt-out information that is easy to find in every single newsletter that you send out. Don’t be worried about subscribers unsubscribing. It’s better to have a clean list of people who want to be there than a list full of people who resent getting your information.

Ensure that you include a variety of different things in your email newsletter that are designed to get a response and you won’t be disappointed in the results. In addition to the nine items above, never forget to include a call to action (CTA) in each newsletter that you send out. Without a CTA there is no point to the newsletter. So, be clear about that before you start.

Need more help crafting a client attracting newsletter?

Check out my awesome newsletter planner

Here’s what the newsletter planner will help you with:

Screen Shot 2017-01-31 at 7.03.47 AM

 

  • shield_check_mark_400_clr_8847Understanding who your newsletter is for
  • Why people will sign up for your newsletter
  • Creating the know, like and trust factor
  • Creating a mailing schedule
  • Content planning and your promotional calendar
  • Content planning and your editorial calendar
  • Deciding on what to include in your newsletter
  • Setting up your newsletter for the first time
  • Your weekly newsletter plan – yes you need a plan in order to have a successful newsletter
  • Where to find ideas

Keeping your commitment

 

This planner comes complete with worksheets so you have a step by step fill in the blank system. It couldn’t be any easier than that!

The best part? This newsletter planner normally sells for $37 but it’s on sale for just $19 this week. Don’t miss out on this planner!

Head on over and check it out the full details: Newsletter Planner

The bottom line is this: If you don’t communicate effectively with your subscribers, then someone else will.  Discover how to grow your community with your client attracting newsletter.

Be Savvy and Successful!

Toni Nelson

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Toni NelsonHello I’m Toni Nelson an Award winning Videographer/Photographer, Author, Speaker, Business Coach and Online Trainer.

I help entrepreneurs and service based businesses by creating videos, logos and other graphic elements to grow brand awareness so your message, your story, your statement is seen and heard locally, globally, 24/7.

Twitter | Facebook | Google+

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4 Proven Ways To Grow Your Email List Fast by @beautywithbrain

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4 Proven Ways To Grow Your Email List Fast

by Giorgia Guazzarotti

The money’s in the email list, they say.

Well, I didn’t make any money. Didn’t even reach 100 subscribers. I think I had a grand total of 36 when I called it quits in frustration a year later. But, I couldn’t let it go. Your email list is your golden goose. Here’s why:

You own it: Your email list is yours. Even if Google and FB change their algorithms every month, you’ll still have an email list full of fans who can’t wait to hear from you.

They want it: Your subscribers have given you permission to email them. They love what you’re doing and want more of it. That makes them far more likely to buy your products than any random followers you can attract on Instagram.

It’s unmissable: Sure, you should promote your offers on all your platforms, but it’s so easy to miss a FB update. An email lands directly in your inbox. Who doesn’t check that every day?

I knew I had to master the email list game. It took me a few years of trial and error, but I’ve finally found a few strategies that skyrocketed my email list. I know they can do the same for you:

1. Create An Awesome Incentive

This is the ABC of list building, but so many people get it wrong. I did, too. With my first newsletter, I offered the chance to win a random skincare product. Now, they get access to my free resource library, full of ebooks and cheat sheets to help them achieve flawless skin. That’s something they badly want and are willing to give me their email address for.

If you’re a coach or offer ecourses, create a 7-day challenge that gives them a hint of how good your work is. If you sell physical products, try a discount. The trick is to figure out what they TRULY want and fulfill their wish beyond their wildest expectations.

2. Get Creative With Opt-In Placement

Pop-ups are great. And you already have an opt-in form in your sidebar. But, that’s not enough. People are so used to them, they don’t even notice them anymore. Get creative and put your opt-in forms where they’re bound to get their attention. The sweetest spots are:

Your About page
In your post excerpts
Your “404 page”
Your navigation bar
Right under your headline

You don’t have to put a form in all of these spaces. But choose at least two or three. It does make a difference.

3. Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly

Yes, it’s 2017 and there are still websites out there that aren’t mobile-friendly. These days, half your traffic comes from mobile devices. Make it a pain to view your website on your phone and people will leave in frustration instead of signing up. And they won’t be that likely to come back, either. You get only one chance. Don’t blow it.

4. Run A Contest

This is tricky. You don’t want to attract freebie lovers who will never return to your site again. But, done the right way, one or two giveaway a year can give your email list a much-needed boost. First of all, make the prize so awesome people will want to go out of their way to get it. For example, if you teach people how to blog, put together the perfect toolkit complete with blogging courses, camera, stock photos and product discounts.

Then, get Gleam.io (Rafflecopter and KingSumo work, too). It’s an app that helps your giveaway go viral. Your readers get an extra entry for every friend they share it with. And another extra entry for signing up to your email list. See the power of it now?

Growing your email list doesn’t have to be hard. Add value, get noticed and watch your prospect sign up in spades!

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Giorgia GuazzarottiGiorgia Guazzarotti is a beauty blogger obsessed with skincare. She loves dissecting ingredient labels and debunking marketing claims to help women find the best products to achieve the beautiful and glowy skin of their dreams.

5 Email Essentials for Any Small Business By @bytracyj

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bytracyj woman at computer email essentials

by Tracy Jensen | Featured Contributor

Because most of us work at least partially in the online space, if not entirely, our emails are often the initial point of contact with a potential customer, and leave that critical first impression. It is how we conduct the majority of our communications, where we pitch new projects, and accordingly, where clients decide our value – both in services and how much we deserve to be paid.

Because of that, here are 5 non-negotiables for even the leanest businesses.

1. Have a professional email address.

Stop using free personal email platforms for work. Just as Steph Calvert commented about why investing in your website design matters, consider your competition. When others in your field are presenting a professional virtual storefront through their messaging, what impression does your business@comcast.net email address provide in comparison?

The financial investment is only a few dollars each month, which is much more affordable than losing business to someone who appears more on their game. Even better, you can still use your personal platforms to check these messages. I have five different email addresses from various platforms that all forward directly into my Gmail, and are tagged by account automatically.

2. Sign with style – and include a call to action.

Any time you send an email, you have the opportunity to drive action for your business. This can be anything:

  • Collect newsletter signups
  • Close new business through a promotional offer
  • Spotlight a social media platform

There are a number of websites you can use to build visually appealing templates that will render correctly across email providers. My personal preference is WiseStamp. The templates and optional fields offer plenty of versatility, and I can create multiple signatures – so I have a different one for each of those five email addresses I mentioned.

Here are a couple of ways that I use my signature. For my personal account, I have a note that asks people to keep me in mind if someone needs marketing services.

bytracyj email signature 1

In my business email signature, I include both an opportunity to sign up for my newsletter and a free product trial.

bytracyj email signature 2

3. Consider your customers’ questions first.

When you send marketing messages and newsletters to current and potential clients, consider why it matters to them. You may have a new product or service for which you are trying to gain visibility, but sending out information and a promotional offer is not enough. Always frame your messages from the viewpoint of your clients: Why do – or should – they care? What problem are you solving for them?

4. Keep it simple.

Constant Contact analyzed over 2 million customer emails and found that messages with 3 or fewer images and approximately 20 lines of text were most successful. Still sending out a lengthy eNewsletter? If your open and click-thru rates are faltering, it might be time to test more succinct, segmented messages.

5. Consider your platform.

If you’re sending marketing emails and/or newsletters to your customers on a consistent basis, you should absolutely be using a platform that can provide branded templates, include unsubscribe features (which are legally required) and include metrics to track how successful your efforts are.

There is a broad range of email platforms available for businesses of every size and budget. Not sure where to start looking? Two of the most common for small businesses are Constant Contact and MailChimp, depending on the services and integrations that you need.

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Tracy JensenTracy Jensen is Founder and CEO of Frizz Marketing, a Chicago-based marketing firm. Tracy has over 15 years of experience in communications, branding and community outreach. Through Frizz, her focus is helping small businesses and nonprofits extract their central identity and voice, cultivating compelling and authentic content. Her specialties are strategy, email marketing and content creation.

Equally content in front of a group as she is typing from her home office, Tracy has spoken on a variety of topics from social media to fundraising tactics. As a writer, she has contributed to a range of platforms, including BlogHer, EverydayFamily, Mamalode, Scary Mommy, and BonBon Break.

A single mother to two, Tracy believes the only limitations to success are the voices within our own heads. When in doubt, fresh air, a good cup of coffee and a book can cure just about anything.

Tracy loves talking with other entrepreneurs. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

5 Tactics To Best Promote Your Website by @successharbor

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by Monika Beck | Featured Contributor

Promote-Website-08-27-2015

Are you ever disappointed with the number of visitors your website gets?

With the right promotion tactics you will push your website ahead of your competition.

Here is what you must do:

STAY CONNECTED THROUGH EMAIL

Email marketing is still one of the most effective marketing tactics, yet most entrepreneurs ignore it or do it the wrong way. If you are not already – aggressively – collecting emails on your website try one of these tools: Hello Bar or PopUp Domination.

Here is how to do email marketing the right way:

  • At least once a month you should email your list.
  • Every time you send an email think value.
  • You job is to sell 10 percent of the time and offer value 90 percent of the time.
  • The less your email looks like a newsletter and the more it looks like a personal email the better.

TWEET THE SAME CONTENT MULTIPLE TIMES

It is not enough to tweet about a new blog post once. Your content lives. You have to keep pushing it out for the world to see it.

Here is how to tweet your content the right way:

  • Tweet your content on the day it was published.
  • Tweet the content a week later.
  • Then, tweet your content at least four more times per year.
  • Keep your content evergreen by updating it at least once a year. After you have updated it, tweet it out.
  • Most of your tweets should be about providing value instead of selling.
  • Use the appropriate hashtags #yourock

POST IN GOOGLE+ AND FACEBOOK

Always introduce your content with a one sentence summary. Get people interested, and ask people to “Please share” your content.

REACH OUT TO INFLUENCERS

If you don’t know any influencers in your industry, you haven’t done your homework. Make a list of blogs, organization, and websites of influencers. When you have some really awesome content reach out to them. Ask for their input on your content. Don’t be promotional. Try to build a relationship. Yes, it will take time, but it will make big difference. They might ignore you at first, but if you continue to create value you will get noticed.

Here is how to get the attention of influencers:

  • Create list of influencers within your industry. Collect email, name, website URL, social media profiles.
  • Make an effort to get to know them. If you just send them a broadcast email, they will ignore you. They get enough spam already.
  • Read their blog posts, and comment on them. Engage.
  • Connect with them through social media. Retweet their tweets.
  • Email them – it is important to be more helpful and much less salesy. Send one-to-one emails with some really valuable information.
  • Produce excellent work. Don’t waste their time with fluff.
  • Don’t expect quick results. They don’t owe you anything. Stick with your plan even if it takes a while to get there.

CREATE A “TOP 50” LIST

Start by identifying the top 50 blogs, forums, and websites relevant to your niche. Design a badge. Reach out to the list of websites and let them know that they have been selected. When you email people give the the URL to your “TOP 50” post. Creating such lists is very helpful to network, recognize others, and get recognize. Create a new list every year and repeat the process.

photo credit: Business Woman

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Savvy web designer with a twist – Monika Beck with Webene – San Diego, CA.

Monika-Beck-AuthorMonika Beck is passionate about website design, web programming, ecommerce, and building businesses. She is a serial entrepreneur and the cofounder of Success Harbor a website dedicated to help entrepreneurs succeed. Success Harbor interviews successful entrepreneurs and publishes topics relevant to business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. Monika started Success Harbor with her cofounder in order to ease the life of entrepreneurs through original research, tips and unique content. Monika is also cofounder of Webene, a website design and online marketing firm based in San Diego, CA. Webene specializes in mobile-friendly responsive websites built on the WordPress platform. Monika loves playing classical music on the piano.

Are You Using Potty Based Marketing? by @toninelsonbiz

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by Toni Nelson

This past weekend I attended an event at a convention center.

While there something really interesting happened and it didn’t have anything to do with the event itself.

As you can imagine with over 3500 people the line to the ladies room at times was a tad bit long. No big deal.

Even as I write this I know it’s really weird but stay with me because you are going to be glad you did.

As I closed the stall door right in front of me was a poster. All I remembered was seeing the word “strain” and I thought they must be advertising some kind of laxative so I ignored it.

The next day I went into a different stall and there it was again! A Poster that said something like: “Don’t strain we have your marketing solutions.” I told my husband Tom I thought that was pretty clever. They were using Potty Based Marketing.

On the second day I was directed to a different area of the convention center and once again as I closed the stall I saw a poster. Only this time the poster said, “Relieve yourself from bad advertising.” Ok, now I was really curious. Did the other stalls say something else? There were 5 stalls and one by one I went into each (that I could) to see what the poster said! You should have seen this one women watching me. She must have thought I was crazy!

Are You Using Potty Based Marketing?

The next stall said, “While your seated check out our website.”

FullSizeRender-4

Then…

IMG_4220

I love seeing innovative marketing strategies and If it wasn’t the end of the event I would have gone to every single stall in the place to see what else they said.

So what does this have to do with your business?

You never know where you need to “go” to market your business. Get it?

There are a number of ways to market your business but you need to be open to them.

Would you use Potty Based Marketing? The more I thought about it the more I realized that the people going to these events more than likely either worked for themselves or someone else and their companies were going to need marketing. What better way to get a captive audience!

So, maybe Potty Marketing isn’t for you but there are a few things we can learn from this company.

First – Know where your ideal customers are. Obviously this company has done the research and knows the type of events that are held at the arena. They know decision makers will be “visiting” the bathrooms and be a captive audience.

Second – Use the right words. Each of these signs had the main word in big bold letters so that your eye was drawn to it.

Third – Make sure your website is on your advertising. At the end of each poster the company had their website so that you could contact them. This is a valuable lesson. Don’t put any piece of advertising out there without your website information. That includes photos you put on Facebook.

The only thing these signs didn’t have was a QR code. That would have been perfect.

You’re probably thinking, “Who’s going to take out their phone and scan the QR Code?” Well, I would have. Let’s face ti I went from stall to stall taking photos of the posters!

Another marketing strategy is email marketing.  Join me for a FREE 6 week teleclass where I will dive into The Power of Email Marketing For Your Business.  Click on the image below to register for this free event.

Email Power Unleashed

 

Be Savvy and Successful!

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How to Keep Your eMail Marketing Legal by @deborahsweeney

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Photo Credit: Martin Bekkelund via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: Martin Bekkelund via Compfight cc

by Deborah Sweeney | Featured Contributor

Few small business owners willingly break the law, but making sure everything you do is completely legal can be tough. You may know what permits and licenses you need, but there are less-obvious ways you could be breaking the law – like in your email marketing. Commercial email is one of the most useful, and cost-effective, marketing tools for small businesses. But if you aren’t careful, you could be flouting an important law. In 2003, congress passed CAN-SPAM, establishing the national standards by which all commercial emails must adhere. And if yours don’t, you could face stiff penalties. So if you’re unsure whether or not your marketing meets regulations, take a look at a recent message, and make sure the following criteria are met:

It’s obvious who sent the e-mail

You are first required to clearly identify who sent the email. So your ‘From:,’ and ‘Reply to:,’ lines have to be filled out, and must include the originator’s domain. That means you can’t route your marketing through another service or hide your email address. All messages must also include the business’s name and a physical address at which the company can be reached. From what I’ve seen, a lot of small businesses do forget to include their address, so just make sure yours is in there.

Recipients can unsubscribe easily

Most small business owners know that they have to let people unsubscribe from their marketing, but the lack of an unsubscribe option is where most complaints originate, so its very important you follow all relevant rules. Any commercial email you send has to have an obvious and easy way for recipients to unsubscribe. You can include an ‘unsubscribe’ button, or ask them to simply email you if they wish to unsubscribe, as long as the average person can quickly figure out how to opt-out of future communication. Further, you must be able to process opt-out requests for up to thirty days after sending the original email, and you must honor any request within ten business days. You aren’t allowed to require that they tell you why they opted out or give you personal information beyond an email address. Make your opt-out process as easy and obvious as possible, and you should be okay.

Ads look like ads

This can be a bit hard since the law doesn’t say exactly how an ad is supposed to look. But, essentially, if you send out an advertisement for goods or services, you can’t use any sort of trickery to disguise your emails as something other than an ad. The most obvious violation of this I’ve seen was an e-mail I got from ‘an old friend’ talking about this great company they just found out about. You clicked a link in it, and it’d bring you to that company’s landing page. Obviously, this was an ill-guided attempt to trick people into clicking through. But there are less-obvious ways that small business owners violate this part of the law. For example, subject lines have to be relevant to the content – you can’t put ‘Hi.’ or ‘How are you?’ in the subject line, and then have the content be entirely about your upcoming blowout sale.

In the end, adhering to CAN-SPAM is just about not tricking people. I know opens and click throughs are important, but each separate email in violation of the law can be subject to penalties up to $16,000. Review your marketing campaign, ensure it’s all above board, and make sure anyone you have sending out emails on your behalf is following the law. Sticking to the letter of the law isn’t that hard, as long as you know what you have to do to comply.

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Deborah Sweeney – Legal Expert, CEO, MyCorporation.com – Calabasas, CA

Deborah Sweeney HeadshotAs CEO of MyCorporation Business Services, Inc. (MyCorporation.com), Deborah Sweeney is an advocate for protecting personal and business assets for business owners and entrepreneurs. With her experience in the fields of corporate and intellectual property law, Deborah has evolved from lawyer to business owner. She has extensive experience in the start-up and entrepreneurial industry as she has been involved in the formation of hundreds of thousands of businesses for MyCorporation.com’s customers.

Ms. Sweeney received her JD & MBA degrees from Pepperdine University. She is active in the community and loves working with students and aspiring entrepreneurs. She serves on the Board of Regents at California Lutheran University and is a founding member of Partners of Pepperdine. Deborah has served as an adjunct professor at the University of West Los Angeles and San Fernando School of Law in the areas of corporate and intellectual property law. Ms. Sweeney is also well-recognized for her written work online as a contributing writer with top business and entrepreneurial blogging sites.  She is a regular contributor on Forbes, American Express, Social Media Today, and BlogHer among many others.

In her ‘free’ time, Deborah enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, Benjamin (8) and Christopher (6). Deborah believes in the importance of family and credits the entrepreneurial business model for giving her the flexibility to enjoy both a career and motherhood. Follow her on Twitter @deborahsweeney and @mycorporation.