What are your present ways for communicating information about your business? Are you using the phone book to express general information, such as your operating hours and contact information? Are you using a postal mail catalog to let your customers know what merchandise is available for sale through your business? Well, in today’s time with the availability of website promotion, you have a much easier alternative for conveying new information about your business.
What is website promotion? Website promotion is the process of advertising your business online. To get the process of website promotion going, you will have to create a website and subsequently market it. In fact, it’s the marketing element that makes website promotion truly website promotion. Your online marketing venues can be through search engines, email marketing, directories, (which oddly enough can include an online version of your local phone book) and pay-per-click listings, (the advertisements that appear next to search engine results). All of these can provide assistance in relaying information to your customers, but probably one of the most valuable is email marketing.
If you use the Internet a lot, you probably have already encountered email marketing through another company advertising their business. Basically, email marketing is simply when a company gets permission to send advertisements to a person’s email inbox. Email marketing can advertise through simple text-based emails or through more graphically elaborate HTML emails. Either way, email marketing is an excellent way to establish a more personal relationship with your customer.
How would you go about embarking on an email marketing campaign? The best method is to use what is known as incentive marketing, which is using a ‘draw’ to get customers to feel that it is worth their while to provide you their email address. Most marketers use newsletters, which are a series of emails that offer information relating to their website. Alternatively, you could also write an e-book and offer it for free for customers who decide to add themselves on your email list. Regardless, list what you are offering somewhere on your website. Then, ask your customer to give their first name and email address. Once you receive this, (the website will send you this information to your email), immediately send them their e-book or the first issue of your newsletter. With their email address, you can now use email marketing to inform them of any changes that are happening with your business. You could also use email marketing to inform them of merchandise that might be of interest.
