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In order to gain a clear shot at establishing business with
prospective customers, you need to acquire and maintain a strong line
of communication. These days, the telephone and snail mail are
pretty much out; e-mail is the way to go for getting your message
across in a clear and timely fashion. That being said, the key to
generating new business isn’t as simple as whipping off quick notes to
send out for mass mailing. There are some very definite tactics
which should be employed when designing your message so that would-be
patrons will stop and take notice of your message and read the content,
which should be inspiring enough to drive their business in your
direction.
The golden rule of the e-mail based marketing strategy is to present
your messages in such a way that consumers will actually open and read
them, rather than simply dismiss them as spam or, at the very least,
simply a nuisance. The first way to ensure that they’re read, of
course, is to provide a captivating subject line. Every bit as
much time should go into the development of a strong subject line as it
should to create an inspiring message. The best approach to take
is to generate around a half-dozen subject lines, and then sift through
them until you settle on the one that you feel is best suited for
enticing folks to read the message. Make it a point to use the
person’s first name in the subject line. This usually helps to
attract their attention enough to read the body of the message.
Tap into the natural curiosity that most people possess. By
including something with a bit of intrigue in the subject area, folks
will be more inclined to go on to the content of the message, rather
than chucking it into the recycle bin without paying any attention to
what you’re trying to convey. Of course, don’t forget to include
the mention of some sort of benefit to the potential customer, or they
may not take your message seriously.
Since the general idea is for the consumer to continue reading, you’ll
have to pepper the content of the message with further bits of
mystique, such as tapping into the “suspense” tool. When a
person’s curiosity has been piqued, they’ll typically want to continue
reading to get to what they feel is the “punch line”. It’s
generally accepted that, the longer someone reads, the more ensnared
they become in the sales technique. Therefore, the longer you
hold their attention, the more likely they are to become actual
customers.
Another technique is to weave a tale through the message. For
instance, if you’re marketing hand-knit sweaters, you might say
something to the effect of, “Margaret’s life has revolved around the
knitting of high-quality sweaters since she first learned the skill at
the hand of her mother when she was a young girl. As the years
went on, she learned to perfect these techniques and produce a
top-quality line of fashionable, customized garments that are unique in
design and unchallenged in craftsmanship.” Your title, then,
might be, “Tricks of the Knitting Trade”. This will entice
readers to read on much more than the title, “Hand-Knit
Sweaters”. Why? Simply because the first title arouses the
consumer’s curiosity enough to want to learn what those tricks
involve. The second is too generic and doesn’t inspire any
curiosity.
Use your e-mail as an educational forum. Quite often, people are
drawn into purchasing a particular product simply because it performs
better than what they already have, even though they weren’t in the
market for that particular product before reading the message.
For example, those who are interested in hair care products that are
specifically formulated to care for a certain type of hair (and they
happen to have that type) might also be inclined to buy a blow-dryer
that further enhances a positive effect on that particular quality of
hair. In their effort to find and purchase the hair care product,
they also end up making the commitment to buy the blow-dryer.
Offering free services such as tutorials or specialized courses
regarding the use of your product will further entice consumers to buy
what it is that you’re offering. This is simply because these
extras give them a comfortable cushion that they can use as a safety
net for learning how to use your product. They’ll, then, feel
more secure about making the decision to purchase it, knowing that they
have some back-up reference tools. In addition, this will show
your willingness to help, rather than giving the impression that you’re
simply a faceless manufacturer of some mass-produced commodity on the
internet. The human approach is always the most successful.
To further gain their trust, it’s best to shed light on any little
imperfections that may be intrinsic to the product that you’re
selling. That’s not to say that you should degrade its value or
usefulness, but simply pointing out a few minor downfalls will help
consumers to feel that you’re being honest in your approach and not
trying to pull the proverbial wool over their eyes – and you certainly
wouldn’t want any negative repercussions as a result of any minor
drawbacks, at any rate, so it’s best to pave the way for those from the
onset.
Including details, descriptions and other pertinent data within the
body of your message will further elicit trust among potential
customers. In addition to facing the many challenges of rival
businesses, you also face the test of convincing skeptical consumers
that your product is of value to them. Another way to drive this
home, of course, is to continue to send follow-up e-mails with
reminders and, perhaps, additional information. The average
person needs to be prompted up to nine times before making the
commitment to seriously pursue purchasing an item that they didn’t
original set out to buy.
Tap into the consumer’s natural aversion to missing out on something
special or significant in some way. For instance, if your message
cites a special sale that’s on for a certain period of time which
allows customers to save money or be the recipient of some extra
product, they’ll be more inclined to purchase the product. Don’t
make it sound “too good to be true,” however, since consumers tend to
look for “the catch” in the midst of any deal. Be candid about
why you’re offering the deal, and they’ll be more inclined to turn off
those internal alarms that warn them against such tactics.
When you consider all of the thought, work and details that must be
considered in the sending of a simple e-mail (much less, a series of
them), it sounds like a lot to have to do in order to advertise your
product. With so much involved in running a business, most people
don’t have the necessary time that it takes to compose, send and resend
these necessary tools of the trade. One very valuable option that
you might consider is the contracting of a reputable marketing firm to
take care of your advertising needs.
About the Author: Monique Danielle owns Portland Marketing Agency DivaDesignWorld.com,
a full service firm that offers web development, graphic design,
consulting, and a wide variety of creative services. She is also
the founder of divadirectories.com,
a free online resource designed to promote the growth and development
of female business owners throughout Oregon, Washington, and the
Northwest.
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