Publishing an email newsletter - or ezine - can help you, the owner of a small business by converting
* visitors into repeat visitors * repeat visitors into new customers * customers into loyal returning customers * loyal customers into evangelists for your business
Yes, creating an ezine for your business is as vital as any other promotion or marketing strategy. Indeed more so.
Think about it.
Let's say you run a major advertising campaign that brings in 5000 new visitors to your business website. Five hundred may be interested in what you're selling. Fifty of them may order your product or service straight away.
But what about the other 450 - or even the other 4950 ?
How can you keep in touch with them, offer them other products, impress them with your excellent quality and tempt them to order something from you - now or in the future? The simple answer - publish an email newsletter.
Here's the trick to make it work. In your ezine you must offer something of value to your visitors. It may be
* detailed information about your product or service * 'insider' information in your field of specialization * special discounts or offers * free samples or trial packs * troubleshooting tips or user guidance * reviews of related products
In short it should be something that
* is valuable to your potential customer * is not easily available elsewhere * is what your customer wants or is looking for
Then you tell your website visitor about your email newsletter and what you're offering in it. Invite them to sign up for it - for free.
Once your visitors have accepted your offer and handed over their email address, you have started establishing a relationship with them. By providing them with useful information, you will gain their trust and respect. By making special offers, you will tempt them to try out your product or service. By reminding them about your business and website, you will get them to keep coming back again and again.
And over time you will be able to convince them to order from you. To become your customer. One you would have lost forever if you didn't publish an ezine.
Your relationship doesn't end there. Indeed it's just beginning.
As a business-person you're already aware that it is easier - and costs less -
* to retain an existing customer than to find a new one * to sell again to someone who has bought once from you * to market more profitable products and services to previous customers
An ezine can be vital to this process. Since you continue to offer useful information in it, customers will keep receiving your ezine. You will stay in their mind, retain their interest and attention. When you offer a new product or upgrade to your service, they will know about it - and rush to order from you. And as your relationship grows, you will easily be able to sell them your top-end, profitable items.
It doesn't end there either!
When you continue to over-deliver on your promises, offer your customers exceptional quality and support, they will respond in kind - by telling their friends, their customers, their contacts about YOU.
Word of mouth promotion is the best kind ever. Wouldn't you rather take the word of a friend who has received excellent service from a business over an impersonal advertising brochure or website? Truly satisfied, ecstatic customers will become evangelists for your business, attracting new customers.
There are a few other ways an email newsletter can help your small business. Building brand awareness, delivering updates and announcements of new additions, creating opportunities for joint venture partnerships, attracting sponsors and advertisers - all can be done through your ezine.
But it requires repeated contact with customers over a period of time. A long time. It doesn't happen in a day or a week. As a small business working within a limited budget, you don't want to spend a fortune keeping in touch with your customer base.
An email newsletter is the answer to your dreams.
Fast, inexpensive, simple and professional, an ezine can act as the ultimate marketing vehicle for your small business.
So if you don't already, go on and start publishing one today.
