Diesel News

Super-Webs-Information Highway the Right Way

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

If the show Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader is any indication that we don’t effectively use the information that we obtain; then it may be possible that the information that you are gathering on your website might be going to waste. If you are collecting names, phone numbers and email addresses, are you using that data to keep your customers notified or is it sitting on your web server or in your inbox collecting dust?

The easiest way to start getting that data working for you is to create email lists. Those good old fashion newsletters that have been around since the time of Prodigy and CompuServe are still a great way to keep your clients updated about sales and promotions.

So, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about the production and distribution of your newsletter. K.I.S.S – Keep it simple silly. Filling up an email newsletter with too many pictures, and useless information is a surefire way to get a response asking you to stop sending the newsletter.

Start with a template. Using the same format for each release that is branded in line with your company image, will keep it professional and crisp looking. Consider what you want to tell your customer – do you want to be informative, educational, or just promotional? I personally love getting emails and newsletters that tell me when my favorite things cost less. Most people really appreciate that kind of heads up info. On the flipside I really hate getting emails that tell me things I don’t want to know, like anything sad in the news that day, or those emails that tell me I will die if I don’t pass it on. That tangent leads us to my next point.

It is very important to make sure that you have permission to send a newsletter or any kind of promotion to someone’s email. It can be considered quite rude and bordering on harassment if you don’t secure that permission upfront. This is normally done on your website by offering the opportunity to receive an email newsletter by clicking a yes box. It is also very important to offer the recipient a very easy way out of getting your newsletter. This is normally done with a link at the end that says - If you no longer wish to receive this….It’s just a way to protect you and be polite at the same time.

If you are not familiar with how to collect data from your website and store it in a database then contact your web developer. This is normally done through forms on your website that are connected to a database on the backend. It is an invaluable way to control your own advertising and keep a client list that can be updated and used for superior marketing methods like a newsletter or even a coupon code campaign.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent anyone other than myself. All material is copywritten and cannot be reprinted or copied without the owner's consent.

Michael Whitlatch

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