Five Ways to
Market Using Email - Internet Marketing the Home Business
March 3rd 2006
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There are many ways to market a home-based business. But one of the
simplest ways is to use an every day business tool email. By using
these five easy tips you’ll see how easily your business can grow
without much effort on your part.
1. Use a Professional Signature This is an important tip to use on
every email that you send. Even your friends may not always remember
your website address or business phone number and will quickly look to
an old e-mail to look it up.
When preparing an email signature it’s important to include Your Name,
Company Name, and your Physical Address or Website Address. You may
also include your phone number. Below is a sample Email signature:
Jill Hart
888-241-0990
Christian Work at Home Moms
http://www.cwahm.com
The signature is simple, easy to read and includes a link directly to my
website. It is very important to include the
http:// before the website address because many email programs will
not link the text to your website without this (it will appear as text
not a link).
Also, make sure that you double check that you have your website
correct. Often times I’ve found that people have their website wrong by
inverting a letter or two and aren’t aware of it. It cannot only lead
to a loss of a sale, but it shows less professionalism on your part.
You can also use a virtual business card as your signature. You can
design and purchase your own virtual business card at
http://www.vistaprint.com. There is a very small cost less than
$2.00 for this professional looking virtual signature file.
2. Find a “Signature Buddy” This is an easy and cost-free way to
spread the word about your business. Ask a colleague or friend if they
will “swap” a line of their signature with you. You will add a line at
the bottom of your signature with a link to their business and they will
do the same.
Jill Hart
888-241-0990
Christian Work at Home Moms
http://www.cwahm.com
Publishing and book marketing -
http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com/
The signature “swap” can be as simple as a line (as above) or as much as
a 2 3 line testimony of why you’re recommending this link. You can
find a permanent signature “buddy” or change it weekly or monthly.
3. Send Email Coupons This is a great way to network using email. Send
a special coupon by email that is available only for those that receive
your emails. You can also extend this to a newsletter if you have one.
Offer a special coupon for anyone who signs up for your newsletter!
You can send other specials by email as well special offers, free
gifts, ebooks, etc. There are many ways that you can utilize your email
to bless your customers and colleagues.
4. Create a Custom Background for your Email This is easier to do than
it sounds. If you are using Microsoft Outlook or a similar program, you
can find directions on creating your own custom signature online at
places like
http://www.mailmsg.com/outlookstationary.htm .
Custom email stationary can take a plain email and make it look
professional. I include my logo and my website name in my custom
background. Be sure to make the picture “light,” so that it does not
compete with the text of the emails you’ll be sending.
5. Send Thank You Emails In this day and age it is very acceptable to
send a Thank You card via email. This is an easy way to thank customers,
advertisers, and even newsletter subscribers.
You can create you own Thank You or use a program like Yahoo! Greetings.
Many of these programs have free e-cards that you can send as well as a
paid version with additional designs. Another great place is
Hallmark.com where you can get customized greeting e-cards for any
occasion, free. It’s a great way to remember your client’s birthdays or
perhaps a special day in their business.
You can even set up an auto-responder to send the Thank You
automatically. There are many auto-responder programs for you to choose
from and many website hosting companies will provide you with one,
you’ll just need to go in and set it up.
One great thing about an auto-responder is that you can set up when the
email will be sent, what will “trigger” the auto-responder and what the
email will say. This way, any time you receive an order, the customer
receives an email immediately, even if you’re not available.
One downfall to auto-responders is that they can seem impersonal.
However, you can overcome this by taking the time to write a personal
note to your customers and use this as the auto-responder email.
Can you see how beneficial e-mails can be for your business? When you
use a professional looking signature, find a “buddy” to swap lines in
your signature, personalize your email background, use auto-responders
and any other items that you are able to customize, you’ll never look at
email the same way again. Marketing can be inexpensive and effective
when you know the right ways to do it.
Jill Hart is the
author of the e-book, 2 Weeks Devotional Journey for Christian Work at
Home Moms, and the founder and editor of Christian Work at Home Moms,
CWAHM.com. This site is dedicated to providing work at home moms with
opportunities to promote their businesses while at the same time
providing them spiritual encouragement and articles. Jill's work has
been published across the internet, including DrLaura.com. She also has
work published in the Xulon Press book, I'll Be Home For Christmas.
Visit
http://www.CWAHM.com for additional information.
Keywords and misspellings: small Business
christian work-at-home
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