Email marketing is a very effective tool and this has many benefits compared to other forms of marketing. Some of these include the following:

Familiarity – Email has now become “the norm” both in business and home. Most people use it on a regular basis to keep in contact with friends, family and colleagues. It has become an integral part of people’s daily routines, so much so that email is now the most popular online activity. In 2005, US users sent more that 5 billion emails.

Costs – Email marketing costs are much lower than their paper equivalent. An email can be sent for pennies. Depending on the service chosen for sending, the cost can be anything from nothing at all to a few cents per recipient.

Ease of setup – Even novice users can get into email marketing – anyone can send a text based email. If more sophisticated graphical content is required, this can be set up once and the same template used over and over substituting images if needed.

Faster – Email achieves results quickly. Most emails are read within a day or two, if not sooner. Plus instant delivery means it does not take weeks to measure the results.

Branding – Email marketing is an ideal opportunity to build brand recognition. Including your logo, tagline and other branding helps the recipient to become more familiar with your name. Permission based emails and newsletters are especially valuable for reinforcing your brand among customers who have voluntarily chosen to subscribe, indicating they clearly want your information.

It’s irresistible – A carefully chosen subject line causes people to feel the urge to open that message. It’s a push marketing strategy that is much more compelling than some of the more traditional internet advertising approaches such as banner ads and links which require the user to click for more information. The recipient may not read the entire message, but it is highly likely they will consume at least some of the message.

Some examples of how email marketing can be used:

• articles/datasheets about your products and/or services,
• customer profiles, testimonials and success stories,
• weekly, monthly, tips and tricks,
• newsletters,
• event announcements,
• advertisements about your company

We have heard it hundreds if not thousands of times at this stage. There would appear to be general consensus amongst experts that economic recovery is on the horizon and Ireland will finally pull out of recession (at least officially) in 2010. The only point is that there does not appear to be agreement on is when exactly this will happen. However, with regard to taking advantage from a sales perspective, the most critical factor is to be ready for it when it arrives. Laying the groundwork now means that when the time comes, you’re ready for it. While it’s often said that a rising tide lifts all boats, that’s not strictly true. The ones with the holes in them go under. So what can we do to ensure maximum advantage when the tide turns? Some useful tips below.

Make sure your market knows who you are
Sounds simple doesn’t it? But if your prospects and customers don’t know you exist, they can’t contact you. Advertising budgets have been slashed, sales teams reduced so it may not seem as easy as it once was to contact your market. However it is possible at a much lower cost using direct marketing techniques – email, or direct letter advertising and/or cold calls. Plus when done correctly it has a measurable return and much higher hit rate than media advertising.

Don’t forget Customer Service
Make no mistake, your customer list is your most important asset. Treat it as such and you will likely keep the majority. Now is the time to maintain regular contact – call them, talk to them, e-mail them, write to them. If a customer complains or raises an issue, ensure that it is dealt with efficiently and quickly. Customer Service was forgotten in place of more business by many companies during the boom. Many have since been unable to resurrect the art. Set yourself aside from your competition. As we emerge from recession, value is set to over-take price as the critical factor in business decsion making. FACT – you will be valued more highly if you are known to provide better customer service.

Follow up on old customers
It might sound simple, but many just don’t do it. You had a regular customer 12 or 18 months ago, but they’ve disappeared. Contact them! Maybe the went out of business, maybe the went to a competitor. You won’t know until you try to get in touch. Often a telephone campaign targetting older customers can dig up some new business.

Segment your customer/prospect list by industry/region
If your product offering appeals to a wide range of customer profiles you need to segment your target market and deliver a specific message to each industry. For example a packaging manufacturer needs a different campaign for healthcare businesses than for example for the food processing industry. Also location can be important. There might be a specific event in a county or country. The London Olympics 2012 is an example. There is a requirement for everything from construction supplies to sportswear, they’re even predicting a surge in sales of cheap sunglasses (or maybe umbrellas!)

As we prepare to emerge from the recession which has plagued business over the past two years, there are many opportunities to take advantage of the increase in activity. Instead of being dragged into day to day survival strategies, try to make time to explore some of the areas outlined above. Here’s to success in 2010!

Five Newsletter Marketing Ideas

Marketing materials are considered as a basic necessity for businesses. Business professionals rely on these materials for strengthening their promotions, creating visibility for their brand, and reaching out to customers. One good example of a reliable marketing tool is a newsletter. Company newsletters also serve as an effective communication medium. These printed materials keep readers updated with your company’s events and news stories. They also keep your name right in front of them so they are more likely to buy from you.

Newsletter marketing can produce beneficial results for your business with proper execution and professional printing. Creating an effective newsletter for your marketing campaign come easy with these newsletter marketing ideas:

1. How-To Articles: Readers look for articles that they can benefit from and offer entertainment at the same time. Providing readers with a step-by-step guide regarding topics that are relevant to them is very beneficial for your clients. A photography studio for instance, can write articles on “How to find your Right Angle”. Customers will certainly hold on to the newsletters, because of the useful information it provides.
    
2. Exclusive Interviews: Interviewing experts in your field is a great way of allowing readers to learn from their experiences. For example, a real estate newsletter can feature a real estate mogul to inspire its readers and share valuable information.
    
3. Guest Writer of the Month: Choose a person with an interesting story to tell and ask them to write articles for your newsletters. Having guest writers to contribute articles to your newsletters allows you to offer variety to your readers, because of their unique writing style. Give a little background about your guest writer for your reader’s knowledge.
    
4. Helpful Tips: Offer solutions to common problems encountered by clients, so you can position yourself as a reliable expert. Readers will be more engaged to read your newsletters if they can benefit from the articles you publish.
    
5. Vox-Pop: Allow reader interaction by asking their opinions on certain issues related to your business. Publish your questions on the newsletters and encourage readers to participate in the discussion by emailing their answers. Choose the best answers and publish them on the next issue of your newsletters.

Following these tips helps ensure that you will be able gain rewarding benefits from your newsletter marketing campaign. It would also be best to ask for your reader’s feedback in order to produce articles in line with their topic of interest. Online printers offer newsletter printing service that is very ideal for your marketing campaign. Their Newsletter print templates are very useful for designing your prints. Print templatescan be a good source of ideas for your newsletter design.