Jumpstart_Your_Email_Campaign

Jump Start Your Email Campaign Email Marketing is Permission-Based Marketing Permission is a tremendous Gift. It is a measure of trust. When someone agrees to receive email from you regarding any type of interaction, they are essentially saying two things: 1. I may have an interest in working with you. 2. I trust you. You have my permission to send me your messages. So continue to build trust by rewarding it. Send them something valuable to them. They will reward you in kind by staying subscribed. Focus your marketing efforts on people who want to hear from you. This is the essence of permission-based email marketing. And who better to market to' These are the people who are far more likely – by an order of magnitude – to become actively involved with your business someday. Perhaps even more then once. Possibly even an evangelist, referring others to you. Jumpstarting Your Campaign Should you start now, or wait' The Catch 22 of When to Start Your Campaign One of the most common excuses for not having already begun an email marketing campaign is, “I don’t have a big enough list yet.” But this is the catch-22. How will you build your list if you don’t have anything to send' Moreover, when somebody asks you why you need their email address, what do you say' Start now. Then grow your list over time. The first step is to know what your going to send, and how often. Get your campaign squared away. Then you’ll have a compelling story to tell. You’ll have a great reason for requesting someone’s email address, and you’ll be able to articulate value. (See Extolling the Virtues in this paper.) Permission is fleeting. So be ready to publish soon. The time gap between opt-in and delivery – especially the first delivery – is crucial. Don’t wait until you’ve amassed a substantial list before you begin sending your email campaign. The longer you wait, the more likely your subscribers are to forget what they’ve subscribed to. If this happens, then when they do finally receive your message, they’ll be more likely to either opt-out or worse, report your email as spam. A new subscriber shouldn’t have to wait more than a few weeks before receiving your newsletter. Jumpstart Your Opt-in List Start Small Everybody Knows 50 People If you were to write a list of everyone you know, from memory, how many people would be on it' That’s probably 50 right there. But how about if you add all the contacts from your database' And then the people in your personal address book' Take a look at your past sent emails and you will be surprised at all the people in there. These are the people you have already been communicating with. If all these don’t add up to 50 people I would be shocked. The fact is, everybody knows at least 50 people. Most could count a hundred. This is the starting point for your list. Remember this is a communication tool to tell people about you and help support a positive message about who trial attorneys really are. That means sending to more then just past and present clients. Add Your Present and Past Clients Know it’s time to get all your clients on your list. If you have not been getting email address at the time you sign up a client, it’s time to start. Make this part of your practice. Engage your staff in the process. Everytime you talk to a client it’s a great time to ask about email. In this day and age you will be surprised how many clients actually want to be able to communicate with you by email. A postcard push for present and past clients that you have a mailing address is a thought for collecting addresses. Send them a card and tell them about your new campaign and ask for an address. If nothing else this will be one more opportunity for touch your client to keep that ever important Top of Mind Awareness. Continue Building Your List Various Ways to Get Opt-ins Extolling the Virtues People already get too much email. Competition for your readers attention is fierce. So incentive is a prerequisite. When talking to people about your email newsletter, give them some good reasons for opting in. Here are several you can use: • Great information that will be helpful to you. • Comes once per month like a magazine. • Email addresses are not shared with anyone. Ever. • Easy, single-click unsubscribe. All requests honored. Use Your Web Site Include a simple subscribe form on your web site. Make it easy. Ask only for name and email, and require the email. Your campaign will gather more information from each subscriber via surveys and other interactions. This is a where the power of permission email marketing really shines. Involve Your Staff As discussed, your staff provides a great opportunity for gathering email addresses. Remind them to ask clients and contacts for addresses as you move forward. If you don’t ask you will not receive. Who knows, some people may want email to be a way to communicate with your office as you move forward. What about inquiries for your services' We all get calls from people whom we cannot help. This is a great opportunity to get an email address and stay in touch. Getting long term value by staying in touch with someone we just couldn’t help at the time offers long term benefits. Speaking Engagements' Some people spend a great deal of time speaking to others. Whether it is a conference or some community opportunity, this is a perfect place to gather email addresses. At the end of your presentation ask people for addresses. Make Email Marketing Part of Your Business Culture Email marketing is here to stay. And thank goodness! There has never been a more effective and affordable method for nurturing relationships with clients and contacts. So embrace it. And make it a part of every business relationship. Practice your request for opt-ins. Every professional interaction is a potential subscriber. It is not necessary to be high pressure – some people simply don’t want more email. But for every person who does opt-in, you’ve got another potential client who is willing to listen to you. Opt-in Summary Let’s take a minute and summarize how to build that list. • Ask Present clients • Ask Past clients • Try a postcard campaign • Check your contact database • Check your address book • Look at your past sent emails • Look for old business cards collected from contacts • Ask for addresses at speaking engagements • Involve your staff • Use inquires for services • Add friends and family • And most important – Make email part of your ongoing business culture