The Power of the Email Marketing Pivot

If you have an email address, you're probably very familiar with e newsletters. And, as we all know, familiarity can breed contempt, which is why so many of your email marketing missives are routed directly to the spam folder. Audiences are tired of seeing the same old thing presented in the same old way. Which is why we suggest pivoting away from the traditional "two column" format to a more accessible and easily digestible "links only" newsletter.

Most email marketing efforts involve a very traditional newsletter in the two-column format that allows you to tell a few brand stories, offer a content marketing resource, and maybe include one of your popular blog posts, space permitting. But, imagine if you radically overhauled your format, moving away from the standard design to what can best be described as a "links only" format.

5 Tips For Successful Email Marketing For Small Businesses

As the owner of a small business, it is extremely important to keep in touch with your clients. Email marketing is a great way to maintain a good relation with your customers and to build your business. Consider the following tips for successful email marketing:

1. KEEP A VERY DETAILED AND SEGMENTED LIST: 

Maintaining a proper list of all the email addresses is extremely important for your business. Email addresses can be key to the success of your business, losing them is the last thing you will want. If you are just starting out and new to email marketing, then it is advisable to maintain an Excel sheet. Also make some categories in the lists. Different kinds of customers may require different kind of emails. If you have some customers who have signed up for a free trail on any of your products, then they will need different messaging from the ones who have already purchased something from you.

2. WRITE A CONCISE AND ENGAGING CONTENT: 

7 Effective Strategies on Marketing Your Business Locally

When I was studying for my business degree and before my company was formed, I was in need of an outlet to be around other like-minded women. Years previous I was a member of the local Valley Women's Network so revisited their luncheons. Even though funds were very tight at the time, it was important for me to have some human interaction - even if only once a month. Little did I know, going to these meetings ended up being the catalyst for our birth.

During this time I connected with women entrepreneurs who were either eager to start a new business or take their business to the next level. Being the former webmaster for the Vancouver Sun and Province, it was a natural thing for them to ask me questions about branding and websites. I was more than happy to share my knowledge. Eventually conversations evolved into them hiring me so they could get the help they wanted with their marketing presence. The next thing I knew I was in business as a web developer!

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The 6 Step Marketing Campaign

Solopreneurs and Entrepreneurs are urged to periodically launch marketing campaigns designed to promote the products and services sold and the brand. The purpose of marketing is to drive sales and generate revenues and profits, the life -blood of every business. In support of that suggestion, presented here is a review of the core components of a successful marketing campaign.

Step 1: Identify your target audience

Understand who you want your campaign to reach and influence. List the industry categories (e.g., for-profit, not-for-profit, social services, IT, hospitals, banking, etc.) and the job titles of your most frequent clients and most promising prospective clients. Members of the target market groups must have the motive and money to use your products or services.

Step 2: Know the competition

Email Marketing: 7 Tips For Great Email Subject Lines

Writing relevant email headlines are crucial for getting people to read what you have to say. Get these wrong and your open rates will be very poor indeed. People need to open your emails to read and gain value from what's inside. So, here are seven tips to help you to come up with powerful and effective email headlines...

Tip #1: Keep the line length short. I've played around with subject line length and have concluded that the longer they are the less effective they become when it comes to email open rates.

Here's what I've found: the ideal subject line length is between two and five words. Five words are at the top end of subject line length. If at all possible, use four words rather than five as that tends to be more effective.

In fact, a subject line length of just two words is often the most effective in boosting email open rates.

Tip #2:

8 Golden Success Secrets for Small Businesses

Running a small business is as challenging as trekking to Mt. Everest without having oxygen cylinder, prior practice, and a valid map guide. The challenges are only because there are no authentic rules that can lead a small business towards success while other major obstacles comprise: low budget, limited manpower, and lack of efficient resources. But as a small business owner, you must delve into the pass-codes that help you decode the secret patterns of operating a successful startup or small business. It not only helps you to sustain your current growth but also excel your business planning's to achieve higher objectives. There are a few suggestions based on real-world experiences, which can assist you to hit the bull's eye.

1- Utilise the power of social media:

Nowadays, the entire world revolves around social media and if you are able to use its full potential, it can immediately help you increase your sales and brand reputation with very minimum resource and effort. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, help you connect with a large scale of users, where you can directly interact with them, thereby allowing you to convert them into your potential clients. It forms a two-way channel that not only allows you to put your message across but also, listen to what your targeted audience want, which eventually goes a long way in improving and growing your business.

2- Research and analyse your competition:

How To Future-Proof Your Small Business

According to Richard Branson CEO and Founder of Virgin "A business's long history is meaningless if it doesn't provide the best-designed, most reliable products or services at competitive prices and back up those offerings with the finest customer service". In these fast-moving times, longevity is more the exception than the rule. According to a 2012 study by Richard N. Foster of Yale University, the average lifespan of a company listed in the Standard & Poor's 500 index has decreased to just 18 years, from 61 years in 1958.

Are you becoming complacent?

Almost no products are so good that they cannot be constantly improved on. In the UK they have a great saying:  “like painting the Forth Bridge in Britain" which is an unending task. This is because the painters of this massive bridge in Edinburgh were never done - once they had finished painting it, they then were needed to immediately start again. The task came to an end in 2011, because workers had switched to a new kind of paint. This is a great example how your businesses product development should be a similarly endless quest for improvement.

According to Bluecorona Small Business Statistics for 2016/2017

• 66% of small business owners say that finding new customers is a top concern.
• 40% of small business owners say that retaining customers is a priority.
• 43% of SMBs says that improving customer experience and retention is their top strategy to improve revenue growth.
• 30% say that keeping up with technology advances is a major concern of small business owners.

What is Future Proofing?