Using Newsletters in Email Marketing

September 15, 2011

Posted in Articles, Business Development/Planning, Sales & Marketing, E-mail Marketing Print By Hollie Clere

If you have a website, maybe a social media presence and the need to reach a large base of vendors, partners and customers, email marketing — and specifically email newsletters — are a great way to nurture those relationships. Sharing company blogs, links to company social media sites, company announcements and surveys are ideal for email distribution plus the cost for newsletter subscription services are low and the reach can be substantial.

So, where do you start?

Content. It all starts with content, including blogs, promotional pricing, links to specific sites and topics that could be of interest to the reader and are relevant to your company’s products/services. Remember to include only original information; do not plagiarize other sources. However, you may be able to secure permission from an author or publisher to use their work.

When developing your own content, think about every word as a driver for a specific goal. For example, if you are promoting a 10-day discount on widgets, you will want to specifically mention the widget, describe the details behind the discount, provide information on why the widget is a “hot" commodity, why the viewer should choose your widget and provide a link for the viewer to get more information about the widget.

It is also a good idea to embed images relative to your topic. Like articles, you need to have permission to use these images, so you should consider using your own photos/charts or subscribe to a stock photo service where you can purchase the rights to use the photos.

Length. The goal of the newsletter is to encourage the viewer to click through to a desired Web page with further information. Here is an example:

DISCOUNT ON SUPER FAST PINK WIDGETS
10% discount on our Super Fast Pink Widgets through October 21, 2011. Click here to receive your discount code.

or

5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS MAINTAIN YOUR WIDGET
It is a good idea to maintain your widget by cleaning the parts monthly. (Insert the URL LINK to the page that talks in more detail about this topic.)

What is the skill you value most in Telecom Back Office/Project Management Support?

In a small poll I conducted on LinkedIn, I asked the question, “What is the skill you value most in Back Office/Project Management Support?”

85% of the answers voted for Active Communication
14% Order Paperwork Efficiency

Not one voted for:
Thorough Documentation
Customer Experience
Timeliness of Deliverables



I think all 5 are important, and I must say that if I could only choose one, it would probably be Active Communication.

• What are your thoughts?
• Are there items that you feel should have been added to this list?
• What are the 5 top PM qualities you look for?

http://polls.linkedin.com/poll-results/47456/euylr

Please feel free to provide feedback through LinkedIn or this forum.

Telecom Challenge

In these uncertain economic times, Agents are challenged with how to bring in new business, maintain existing customer bases, and hit carrier commitment levels. The other challenge is the surge in Social Network Marketing, time and budgeting all of the above. How do you overcome these obstacles?

The Telecom Challenge

(1) Give a little to gain a lot - what does this look like? Giving that time is disappearing, bills are increasing and customers are thinning out, you need to invest in client management. Client management is constant contact with your customers assuring them that you are there for them during these economic times. Invite them to an account review to ensure that their services are up to date and contracts are under the best promotions. Contact them when new promotions are released, but involved in their day to day. Be an advocate on a higher level.

(2) How can someone achieve this when time is so thin and budget is low? Outsourcing this service will provide a great buffer for you & the client. By providing a team of people who are there to support you, your customers and their needs. In fact, we have an entire process dedicated to help you achieve this. If you haven't taken a look at our new support offerings, you should consider them.

(3) Flat rate packages keep you from questioning time vs reward. We have launched a few new plans that are offered on a flat rate basis that will help you budget long term your Client Management Services vs your Back Office/Pm Services. Contact a Representative today to see what this may look like for you. You will be pleased at the affordable package rates.

(4) Some Partners have gone back to the drawing board. When you consider your sales volume, your carrier contracts vs. time, some partners have gone back to project managing & placing their own orders. What they have not seen is the decrease in visibility in the marketplace. As they have been working on projects - they haven't been in the field managing customers, increasing sales and hitting carrier commitments. Press in & continue to allow your Back Office Support to provide those services for you. It will pay for its self in the long run. No matter how small or large the deal, if your core gifting is in sales - you will spend more time in paperwork and management then you would if you were in the field selling. We continue to offer support for Agents, Partners and Auditors. It is our core & what we pride our selves in.

Consider these as Challenges for your business. Do you have what it takes to give a little to gain all of the things your business is committed on providing for your Customer Support Experience? It isn't about just getting an order in the system, it is about long term relationship building and maintenance.

Additional Service Offerings

SOCIAL NETWORKING SUPPORTThere is a lot of buzz these days about social networking, connecting to your customers, vendors, providers and networks on a higher level. It is important to consider the tools and resources available to help grow your network and increase communication with your customers and service providers. Some of these sites may include LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, so on.

We can help with that.

We know time is important to you, so we are now offering a service to your company to help keep you in the field while managing your connections via the internet. We have a new package available to you for Social Networking. We will setup your profile for you, build, network & help market your company & promotions by managing your networking tools for you. You provide the content, logo & profile image & we do the rest. You will receive weekly notifications of inquiries, updates, discussion boards, you tell us how and if you would like to post carrier promotions, company discounts, new service offerings & promote your website. We can also help you manage a weekly blog. You provide the content & we will manage the hits, questions, comments, etc for you.

FUNNEL MANAGEMENTYou may be at a place where your funnel needs revamping. Maybe you don't have the time to connect with your customers on a quarterly basis. We can help with that. All you need to do is provide us with the information, what you would like for us to highlight with your customer, be it a friendly "hello - just wanted to see how everything is working for you" or a bi-annual acct review to validate billing & ensure expired agreements are not passed up. We don't do the sales piece, that is your gifting - but we can help ensure that your customers are regularly contacted by phone, email or blog updates.



Contact us today for more information on any of these options. We are a full back office provider, so if you have an idea of something we may be able to assist you with, please let us know & we will see how we can make it work for you.