Customer relationship management applications like Sage Accpac CRM™ provide
a wealth of capabilities. Among them is the ability to utilize information
you track about companies, and the people associated
with them, to create personalized, targeted marketing messages.
These messages can be delivered via various methods including print,
fax and email. Email communications, the most recent of the
three, is also the least expensive, with the highest degree
of personalization. Some of the things you'll want to consider when
communicating via email are:
1. Make it worthwhile.
Always look at your content from the perspective of the value it brings
to the reader. In other words, why should they invest their valuable
time in what you have to say? Think about the newsletters and communications
that you read and what you find valuable. You shouldn't expect that
they will read every word or take advantage of every offer, but they
have to see value on a regular basis in order to open what you send.
2. Offer them something.
In addition to providing information on your products and services, consider
including special offers like price discounts, seminar invitations
or white papers. This is even better if you utilize the information
in your database to "match" the offer to the interests and
needs of the recipient.
3. Consider your subject line.
The subject line goes a long way in determining if your email gets
opened. For a communication on a single topic, make sure it is interesting
and shows why it will benefit them. Recurring communications like newsletters
should be consistent each time and include a time period. In any case,
stay away from using the word "free" and using exclamation points
(!) as they are more likely to inadvertently get caught in spam filters.
4. Think about timing.
When you send your email could have a dramatic effect on whether or
not your content gets read. If you were targeting accounting people,
you could guess that the first few days of the new month would not
be the best time to get their attention. The same thing applies to
time of day as well. You are probably better off sending to business
people in the morning and consumers in the afternoon or weekend. Of
course, the contrarian theory could also apply that this
is also the time to be different and get noticed.
5. Use your personality.
Have your content reflect your corporate personality. If you are the
type of business where your customers get to know your staff on a personal,
friendly level, you might want to create communications
that reflect that same spirit. Consider a monthly message from the
president, or a rotating message from department heads, giving insight
into how they make a difference with their customers.
6. Solicit feedback.
Make it easy for your readers to contact you with questions, comments
or feedback on what they would like to see more of. You don't care
if they send you an email, phone or respond to a survey. The important
point is that you engage them and respond to their requests.
7. Proof and proof again.
Make sure that the information is reviewed by people other than
the author before it is sent. Certainly take advantage of any spell-checker
capabilities to locate any spelling or grammatical mistakes. Also,
realize that not every email client presents information the same way.
Sign up for accounts with Hotmail®, Yahoo®, etc. so that you understand
how your message will be presented.
8. Remind them you are there.
Yes, you want to provide information that is valuable and important.
But one of the best reasons for staying in contact with your clients
and prospects is just to remind them that you are there. You will be
amazed at the amount of business that comes your way simply because
you got them to think about you.
Contact us to learn more about how Sage Accpac CRM
can help your business.
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