You Get What You Give: Give your prospects and customers something they value, want, need and desire. Do avoid fake discounts and ersatz gifts.
Challenge: Northeast Digital Imaging, LLC, of Methuen, Massachusetts, is a growing artisan-level, large-format digital printer and custom display craft shop with a blue chip list of national brands and clients across a wide range of vertical markets. They wanted to strengthen their relationship with their clients (the best source of additional business) and build their brand value as an entrusted marketing partner. Their email list was small, yet select. And their marketing budget was even smaller.
Solution:
1. Target and email monthly to creatives who are the primary buyers of Northeast Digital Imaging products and services.
2. Build the NDI brand as a consultative marketing partner that understands, and can take care of, the unique needs, wants and pain of creatives.
3. Provide creatives with something of value--a short list of links to the best and the brightest of creative inspiration sites.
Small Business CRM Email 101:
1.
Define email recipients and segment because different folks need
different strokes. For example, the CFO at ACME needs to receive a
different message than the Creative Director at ACME.
2. Create a relevant offer and message proposition for each segment.
Put
yourself in their shoes. Give them what they want or need, not what you
want or need. They are not waiting to see your newest banner stand,
cash in on your fake discounting and read your latest self-centered
monologue on why you and your company are so great.
3.
Write an enticing Subject Line and A/B test. Keep in mind that your
Subject Line may be the only thing your email-inundated recipient will
ever see.
4. Keep you masthead banner shallow and get your offer as close to the top as possible. Assume Your email will be viewed in nothing deeper than preview mode or on an i-Phone.
5. Use MailChimp. It's free for
smaller campaigns (Fewer than 2,000 monthly). It's loaded with features
that any direct marketer would want. It provides all the analytics
you'll ever need. It's also very easy to use. Best of all, it empowers
even the most design-challenged marketer to create decent-looking
emails.
6. Lower your expectations around email and social media convergence. Be wary of social media snow jobs from techno-jargon touting dweebs. Beware of getting trapped in the rat-maze of the latest technology. Marketing and sales success is still predicated on the same basics–frequent contact, probing for pain, relevant problem solving, relationships that resonate and proper timing Mail monthly, clean your list and call the folks you're mailing once a quarter. Give it a 12-month trial. . If you call, email, snail-mail and meet your customers on a regular basis, you will build more profitable relationships with a percentage of them. There is no magical marketing bullet. There is no magical technology. It is, as it always has been, a numbers game. And people, still buy from people. How are you communicating your brand personality?