There are three things that I believe companies need to do to stay ahead of the game in the current market place.

And sad to say, my experience is that most firms are not doing these things – even though they are not necessarily expensive.

Here they are:

1.  Build an email list of your own customers and enquirers, and make sure you can mail it in accordance with current guidelines.

I am getting to the point of thinking that the second part of that sentence is more important than the first – because time and again reps of companies that I am working with tell me that they have such a list, but when I ask questions about it, a certain vagueness (if not downright coolness) reaches the atmosphere.

Typically I am told that “yes we have one” and that a certain other member of staff deals with it.  It is only later that I find that there is no such list, or it is not up to date, or it is being sent out without a proper “unsubscribe” button, or it is just being sent via a normal email program, and so ending up being blocked at half the addresses it reaches.

The fact is, having an email list of recent enquirers and past buyers is the single best thing you can do in marketing terms.  It is not hard to do, and yet somehow it isn’t done.

2.  Look at the stats when you do email marketing, and compare the number of people hitting your web site, with the number who then go on to order.

When emailing potential customers you should be able to see how many click through from your email to your web site.  The key issue here is…

a) is the email working in delivering a good number of people on to your web site? (if not, change the email)

and

b) are those people buying? (if not, re-write the landing page)

The fact is that many companies with whom I speak can’t or won’t change their web site, either because I cannot make myself clear in my suggestion that just one page is changed, or because the web site designer is a part timer who is currently working for the Venezuelan government and won’t be back for three months.

The point is that getting this information (that it is the email that is at fault or the web site that is at fault) is wonderful – it really takes you a long way forward.  If you then do nothing with it, it is a dreadful waste.

Take this information and use it in the right way, and it can transform your business all by itself.

3.  Run a regular (at least weekly) commentary service via your email and/or blog (ideally “and blog”) which is not utterly sales based, but gives advice, guidance, or deals in a light-hearted way with the issues.

Blogs are not complex things to run, nor are email lists.  They are great at getting new customers, and at staying in touch with existing clients.  The only complexity comes with the writing – because a blog is only as good as the writing.  Screaming details about discounts doesn’t work – you have to talk with the recipient, and have an (admittedly one sided) conversation.

Blog writing is just about the fastest growing part of the Hamilton House workload at the moment, so I am more than happy to send on some samples to you if you want.

Finally, I am going to suggest a blog to read.  For several years I wrote occasional stories set in the Toppled Bollard public house – light hearted and silly tales about direct marketing.  I still get calls from people who remember them – to which I generally reply “do you get calls from people who can remember your promotions from two or more years ago?”

I am not in any way suggesting that you should write something as eccentric as the Toppled Bollard stories, but the fact is they are remembered by some of our potential customers, and that makes them read more.

If you never saw the stories, or if you remember them with a certain bizarre affection, a new series is appearing regularly at www.blog.toppled.info

Tony Attwood

01536 399 000