A good buddy of mine came up to me recently and asked for advice on starting a business. He specifically wanted to know the one thing that would make the most difference in his bottom line.
Know what I said? (Hint: check the title)
E-mail marketing.
When you cultivate and grow a large e-mail list you are basically creating an eternal well of sales. For real.
Think about it….
You get people to sign up to hear what you have to say. By doing so they are saying that they like you and want to know more about what you do. They give you expert status. They trust you to lead them to products and content that will benefit them. To thank you for showing them all the right things, they buy from you and suggest you to their friends.
It’s easily the best marketing tool that entrepreneurs and small businesses have going for them these days… and it’s super easy to get the basics down.
My company has a basic list of 7 auto responders (e-mails that get sent out automatically to people) that will get any type small businesses e-mail marketing efforts going. Get these started and watch your bank balance rise.
7 Auto Responders Every Small Business Should Use
1. Thanks For Buying Follow Up. People want to be around people they like and the same goes for companies. Of course you should include a thank you when their order confirmation gets sent to them, but it never hurts to follow up the next day and say thanks one more time.
2. Thanks For Joining us. You’ve gone through all the work of getting people to sign up for your list so now its time to get them to stay on the list. Set up an auto responder to send out within 5 hours of them signing up and tell them a bit about what they can expect to receive from you. Keep it brief, but still leave them wanting more.
3. How Did We Do. After a customer buys from you, you need to check up with them and make sure everything went smoothly and that they enjoyed the product. Not everyone will be a loud complainer, so this is a great way to help the people who had a bad experience but weren’t planning on saying anything. It’s also a great way to get new testimonials, but more on that later.
4. Referral Letter. There is no better way to find new customers than to have your existing ones refer you. And there is no easier or cheaper way to get that done than by using e-mail responders. Set it up to send about 2 weeks after they buy a product and give an incentive for them to share with their friends. Pig of the Month gives Free Shipping off their next order if their friends end up buying from us.
5. Testimonial Trade. Another great way to boost your credibility and grow your business is by getting written testimonials from your customers to post on your website. Make it even easier for them by writing a fill in the blank template like “I Love so and so because they ______________ much better than ____________”. You get the idea.
6. Thanks for recommending us. Don’t forget to send a nice big thank you e-mail after you get that testimonial. If you haven’t noticed a trend here yet, the idea is to always be grateful and kind, while continuing to build a relationship with your customers.
7. You might also like… Send out a short and sweet e-mail about a month after someone buys from you recommending 2-3 other popular products that they might genuinely like. You’d be surprised how often people want to buy from you, they just need a reminder to do so.