Has Anyone Tried Email Marketing to Customers?

[MrKent]

I'm trying to see if anyone has tried this kind of marketing. Apparently it works by putting together the emails of my customers and then adding to it as we go along. Then emails are sent to everyone on a regular basis about my business - sales, specials, how-to, birthday notices and stuff like that. It would be done automatically.

A company close to me is offering to do the work at a monthly cost.

Has anyone tried this? And does it work? It's similar to the kind of emails sent out by Staples and Macy's all the time. I admit I do open them. But a bit skeptical about it all fitting together for a small business. I have no emails right now, just street addresses. But I would have to pay the people a set-up fee to just get started.

We do landscaping and have quite a few customers & could eventually get the list. Not too worried about that I suppose.

More concerend about the probable success. Has anyone tried it?

[MrKent]

I did a search on here and found some info.

But should someone still want to shed light, please do.

Thanks.

[Patrysha]

Email lists are very effective as a sales and marketing tool when they are done well. The key is to mix information & entertainment with the sales message so that your customers look forward to receiving them (of course not all of them will, but that is the goal)

As long as the people you have chosen a good provider (to set up and write and distribute it) with a proven track record and an understanding of your sales goals and your target market - then you are likely to have a great experience with the effort.

I am biased - I do offer this service to my clients. It works.

[Steve B]

In your type of business it should be very effective. I was like you a couple years ago, with a lot of customers, but not a lot of e-mail addresses. I paid someone to call all of my old customers and get their e-mails. I now have a database of several hundred.

I keep in touch with them via e-mail about every 4-6 weeks. I personally write the e-mails and always have valuable tips in it for them. I also let them know about other services I perform (after the tips) and remind them how much we love referrals. This costs me nothing to do, so it is always a profitable effort.

When I first did this, I used a couple different companies that make the e-mails look really nice with graphics (Constant Contact and one of their competitors). I think the slick look of it was detrimental in my case. When I did that, not many opened the e-mails (they give you nice measurements like this as part of the service) and I always had a couple opt out of receiving future e-mails. Since I started sending them myself (from my personal e-mail) I've never had anyone opt out and it seems like more are reading and responding to the e-mails (although I no longer have a way to measure how many open them). The fancy stuff works well for Macy's, but for a local landscaper I would think it should be more personal.

I vote "Yes" to start doing this. It may even make sense to pay someone else to do it if you're not a good writer or don't have the time. I wouldn't do it too frequently and keep them short and always with some good info. In the landscaping world, it should be very easy to come up with some helpful tips. At the end of the tip, you can remind them that you do that kind of service for those that don't wish to do it themselves. For instance, this month you can send an e-mail about the importance of fall fertilizing. At the end, you can let them know that your company now provides that service for the low price of $XXX.

I can give you more details if you're interested, feel free to call me (number is on my website).

[greenoak]

ditto with steve b.... we do about the same schedule....and its does build business for us and pretty easy to do...and cheap.......
you would have all kinds of good info and seasonal info for your customers....
i would definitely do it....
we make ours thru constant contact...and i like having an attractive background and pictures..... etc, not just a letter..... but i try to write it like steve says....from us and real....we have a person on staff who can do the background and pictures...
.i think you need more than just words...you are selling art... ....women especially, are very visual and like pictures and they are probably the ones picking the landscaper........imho..
.i would be great to actually see your work... a yard you actually designed and did...as a buyer of the service, .that would tell me a lot..
ann

[MrKent]

In your type of business it should be very effective. I was like you a couple years ago, with a lot of customers, but not a lot of e-mail addresses. I paid someone to call all of my old customers and get their e-mails. I now have a database of several hundred.

I keep in touch with them via e-mail about every 4-6 weeks. I personally write the e-mails and always have valuable tips in it for them. I also let them know about other services I perform (after the tips) and remind them how much we love referrals. This costs me nothing to do, so it is always a profitable effort.

When I first did this, I used a couple different companies that make the e-mails look really nice with graphics (Constant Contact and one of their competitors). I think the slick look of it was detrimental in my case. When I did that, not many opened the e-mails (they give you nice measurements like this as part of the service) and I always had a couple opt out of receiving future e-mails. Since I started sending them myself (from my personal e-mail) I've never had anyone opt out and it seems like more are reading and responding to the e-mails (although I no longer have a way to measure how many open them). The fancy stuff works well for Macy's, but for a local landscaper I would think it should be more personal.

I vote "Yes" to start doing this. It may even make sense to pay someone else to do it if you're not a good writer or don't have the time. I wouldn't do it too frequently and keep them short and always with some good info. In the landscaping world, it should be very easy to come up with some helpful tips. At the end of the tip, you can remind them that you do that kind of service for those that don't wish to do it themselves. For instance, this month you can send an e-mail about the importance of fall fertilizing. At the end, you can let them know that your company now provides that service for the low price of $XXX.

I can give you more details if you're interested, feel free to call me (number is on my website).


Thanks for the response Steve. I slept on it last night and I think I will give it a shot. I didn't know about Constant Contact, but I looked them up just now and the emails the guy showed me don't look like that. And nothing like what I get from Macys and other big businesses. They were just ordinary emails with no pics - kinda like we're writing here. He said (as you did) that they will get opened and read more than fancy emails. Constant Contact looks great but I think I would prefer plain and shorter too.

I did notice the basic cost is must much cheaper if I do it myself with something like Constant Contact. But if I account for my time and the fact that I would have so much to learn, it probably isn't. Can't see myself doing it anyhow.

You mentioned about emails coming from your personal address. That's a good point. I didn't talk about this with the guy but I need to find out what will be the return address. I would like it to be from our business email.

His fees are a $495 setup fee and $225/month. For that, he manages the database and I get to send up to 3 emails/month to a list of 400 or less. I'll get reports each month about emails sent, who opened them and some other stuff I can't recall. Is this reasonable? I have nothing to compare it to.

Again, thanks for the tips. Much appreciated.

[MrKent]

ditto with steve b.... we do about the same schedule....and its does build business for us and pretty easy to do...and cheap.......
you would have all kinds of good info and seasonal info for your customers....
i would definitely do it....
we make ours thru constant contact...and i like having an attractive background and pictures..... etc, not just a letter..... but i try to write it like steve says....from us and real....we have a person on staff who can do the background and pictures...
.i think you need more than just words...you are selling art... ....women especially, are very visual and like pictures and they are probably the ones picking the landscaper........imho..
.i would be great to actually see your work... a yard you actually designed and did...as a buyer of the service, .that would tell me a lot..
ann


I agree about the pictures and we talked about that. The sales guy said there will always be a link to the website on every email and they can see pictures there. I remember he said something about some people might not open emails with photos or attachments.

Hate to sound dumb, but I am new here. How do I get my website link at the bottom of my responses?

[MrKent]

.......

Hate to sound dumb, but I am new here. How do I get my website link at the bottom of my responses?


Duh - I found it

[Patrysha]

His fees are a $495 setup fee and $225/month. For that, he manages the database and I get to send up to 3 emails/month to a list of 400 or less. I'll get reports each month about emails sent, who opened them and some other stuff I can't recall. Is this reasonable? I have nothing to compare it to.

Again, thanks for the tips. Much appreciated.

Pricing in this market is so subjective. It really comes down to whether it will be a good investment for you at the price they are providing the service at and whether you feel comfortable that they are giving you good value for the investment by delivering results.

The only thing I question is the limit of 400 ppl...I don't get that.

I do think that three times a month is likely high for your target market, but could come in handy when you are running time limited specials...I wouldn't be sending three a month out on a regular basis...

I would hope at the prices they are charging that they will be including offline techniques for you to build your list as well as the online options.

[MrKent]

Pricing in this market is so subjective. It really comes down to whether it will be a good investment for you at the price they are providing the service at and whether you feel comfortable that they are giving you good value for the investment by delivering results.

The only thing I question is the limit of 400 ppl...I don't get that.

I do think that three times a month is likely high for your target market, but could come in handy when you are running time limited specials...I wouldn't be sending three a month out on a regular basis...

I would hope at the prices they are charging that they will be including offline techniques for you to build your list as well as the online options.


I do know I can gain more than $225/month in sales - much more. In fact he discussed this with me. And I pay far more than that now for direct mail.

I'll find out about the 400 limit. Beats me. I did notice Constant Contact had huge limits.

Yes, he gave me a scope of services and a lot of what he will do involves working off line (meaning doing physical work with me?) to help get the list and build it up and help with writing. It was very detailed.

When I get to the office tomorrow, I will look at everything again. He left me feeling comfortable and I can discontinue the service at any time, so I'll probably give it a go.

Thanks Patrysha.

Kent

[greenoak]

i would think you would want your return address to be your business....if they know your business and not your name...
...we all get lots of spam from just normal sounding names......
heres what we just sent as our monthly mailer.... Holiday Open House (http://www.greenoakantiques.com/holidayopenhouse2009.htm)
its thru constant contact....
ann

[Steve B]

I can't remember what the e-mail address looks like when you get an e-mail from Constant Contact. But, I think you can make it what you want.

Most of their templates look like fancy newsletters with headers and graphics all over. It IS possible to have one that looks pretty plain - similar to a regular e-mail, so your guy is giving you good insight if he realizes that simpler is better. But, it still comes across as a graphic image (just a much simpler one) to the receiver. When I open one (even a plain one if it's from CC), it always has a dialog box asking if I want to open the images contained in the e-mail -(this is where a lot of people stop).

I think the price sounds incredibly high. Remember all the measurements come standard with Constant Contact - so that doesn't take any time for him or you to do at all. The measurements were great - it confirmed how many people never opened the e-mails and how many people requested to be taken off the list. This is what motivated me to send them myself from my personal e-mail. My results improved dramatically when I did them myself. If you have a nice website to link to and are capable of writing a short e-mail that doesn't have a lot grammatical errors in it - then I think you can save a lot of money AND get better results.

I think for Ann's business all the graphics make sense - and her e-mail list so big that she really needs it to come from a third party like CC (this prevents it from being flagged as Spam). My list only contains about 500 e-mails. She makes a good point about photos being important in your business. If you have a good website, perhaps a link is all you need to show off your service.

If you send me a PM with your e-mail, I'll send you one of my e-mails so you can see how I do it. Then you can get a sample sent to your inbox from CC and you can decide what makes sense for you. In some businesses - fancy would be better.

[phanio]

My question is are you past customers likely to be repeat customers? If so, then doing what you can to stay top of mind with them is a great thing and email maketing can work - people do open emails from people or companies they know and work with.

Further, retaining customers is nearly 10 times cheaper than acquiring new customers - plus you don't have to sell so hard to past customers - they already know your quality of service.

Emails are also a great way to offer tips - promote new products and services to existing customers as well as thank past customers for their support.

My suggestion to you - try it. If it works keep with it - if it doesn't try something else (seems simple yet very few follow it).

[KristineS]

One caveat on this, the best list to have is an opt in e-mail list, where people agree to receive your e-mails. It is also the only legal way to be able to e-mail people about your business. Building your own list is more likely to be considered spam. There are penalties in a lot of states for a business or a person who sends spam e-mail. They're pretty steep, so you may want to check that out before you move forward.

[Steve B]

Actually, that's not correct Kristine, you are allowed to send e-mails to your customers.

[greenoak]

good....we get ours from them signing up in the store...
one more thing on pictures on your email..... im thinking the advice to not use them comes from very good tekky type of guys ...who might see pictures and advertizing as fluff.......in other parts of the world...tv , papers, online ads..cd covers ....nobody uses just plain words.... its all about how it looks... from apples apple to whatever....
.and most of my customers have computers that can with stand lots of pictures....unless you are sending them in the giant size that sometimes get sent to us by customers who dont know how to shrink them up..that would be bad of course....
in making ads i go for making them attractive fast and easy...
i wouldnt put on attachments or count on them taking the time to go to the website....that would be nice if they did... ....people are so busy/lazy......
just some advertizing thoughts....
i totally agree that your ads should sound like you not a macys...
but if im picking a landscaper...an expensive purchase!! why not show me a georgous picture of his abilities....then maybe i would go to his website...the picture shouldnt be too hard to get in the email......
ann

[Steve B]

I thought the following might be helpful for anyone reading this thread.

This is from an FTC site on SPAM.

Each separate email in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act is subject to penalties of up to $16,000, so non-compliance can be costly. But following the law isn’t complicated. Here’s a rundown of CAN-SPAM’s main requirements:

1.Don’t use false or misleading header information. Your “From,” “To,” “Reply-To,” and routing information – including the originating domain name and email address – must be accurate and identify the person or business who initiated the message.
2.Don’t use deceptive subject lines. The subject line must accurately reflect the content of the message.
3.Identify the message as an ad. The law gives you a lot of leeway in how to do this, but you must disclose clearly and conspicuously that your message is an advertisement.
4.Tell recipients where you’re located. Your message must include your valid physical postal address. This can be your current street address, a post office box you’ve registered with the U.S. Postal Service, or a private mailbox you’ve registered with a commercial mail receiving agency established under Postal Service regulations.
5.Tell recipients how to opt out of receiving future email from you. Your message must include a clear and conspicuous explanation of how the recipient can opt out of getting email from you in the future. Craft the notice in a way that’s easy for an ordinary person to recognize, read, and understand. Creative use of type size, color, and location can improve clarity. Give a return email address or another easy Internet-based way to allow people to communicate their choice to you. You may create a menu to allow a recipient to opt out of certain types of messages, but you must include the option to stop all commercial messages from you. Make sure your spam filter doesn’t block these opt-out requests.
6.Honor opt-out requests promptly. Any opt-out mechanism you offer must be able to process opt-out requests for at least 30 days after you send your message. You must honor a recipient’s opt-out request within 10 business days. You can’t charge a fee, require the recipient to give you any personally identifying information beyond an email address, or make the recipient take any step other than sending a reply email or visiting a single page on an Internet website as a condition for honoring an opt-out request. Once people have told you they don’t want to receive more messages from you, you can’t sell or transfer their email addresses, even in the form of a mailing list. The only exception is that you may transfer the addresses to a company you’ve hired to help you comply with the CAN-SPAM Act.
7.Monitor what others are doing on your behalf. The law makes clear that even if you hire another company to handle your email marketing, you can’t contract away your legal responsibility to comply with the law. Both the company whose product is promoted in the message and the company that actually sends the message may be held legally responsible.

[MrKent]

I can't remember what the e-mail address looks like when you get an e-mail from Constant Contact. But, I think you can make it what you want.

Most of their templates look like fancy newsletters with headers and graphics all over. It IS possible to have one that looks pretty plain - similar to a regular e-mail, so your guy is giving you good insight if he realizes that simpler is better. But, it still comes across as a graphic image (just a much simpler one) to the receiver. When I open one (even a plain one if it's from CC), it always has a dialog box asking if I want to open the images contained in the e-mail -(this is where a lot of people stop).

I think the price sounds incredibly high. Remember all the measurements come standard with Constant Contact - so that doesn't take any time for him or you to do at all. The measurements were great - it confirmed how many people never opened the e-mails and how many people requested to be taken off the list. This is what motivated me to send them myself from my personal e-mail. My results improved dramatically when I did them myself. If you have a nice website to link to and are capable of writing a short e-mail that doesn't have a lot grammatical errors in it - then I think you can save a lot of money AND get better results.

I think for Ann's business all the graphics make sense - and her e-mail list so big that she really needs it to come from a third party like CC (this prevents it from being flagged as Spam). My list only contains about 500 e-mails. She makes a good point about photos being important in your business. If you have a good website, perhaps a link is all you need to show off your service.

If you send me a PM with your e-mail, I'll send you one of my e-mails so you can see how I do it. Then you can get a sample sent to your inbox from CC and you can decide what makes sense for you. In some businesses - fancy would be better.


Will send you a message.

Thanks Steve.

"Incredibly" high. Well, if it doesn't pay off, I won't continue. If payoff is there, I suppose the price was okay. But since you say it's "incredibly" high, I will try to bargain for something lower. No way I want to do this myself.

Can't wait til I get 500 emails.

[MrKent]

i would think you would want your return address to be your business....if they know your business and not your name...
...we all get lots of spam from just normal sounding names......
heres what we just sent as our monthly mailer.... Holiday Open House (http://www.greenoakantiques.com/holidayopenhouse2009.htm)
its thru constant contact....
ann


Nice. You do this yourself?

[MrKent]

My question is are you past customers likely to be repeat customers? If so, then doing what you can to stay top of mind with them is a great thing and email maketing can work - people do open emails from people or companies they know and work with.

Further, retaining customers is nearly 10 times cheaper than acquiring new customers - plus you don't have to sell so hard to past customers - they already know your quality of service.

Emails are also a great way to offer tips - promote new products and services to existing customers as well as thank past customers for their support.

My suggestion to you - try it. If it works keep with it - if it doesn't try something else (seems simple yet very few follow it).


Many past customers come back but many don't. I know that many will stray for a coupon or discount. Lots of competition in my area. Between seasons, we definitely lose more, so I especially want to use email to stay fresh in their minds during the winter.

[MrKent]

good....we get ours from them signing up in the store...
one more thing on pictures on your email..... im thinking the advice to not use them comes from very good tekky type of guys ...who might see pictures and advertizing as fluff.......in other parts of the world...tv , papers, online ads..cd covers ....nobody uses just plain words.... its all about how it looks... from apples apple to whatever....
.and most of my customers have computers that can with stand lots of pictures....unless you are sending them in the giant size that sometimes get sent to us by customers who dont know how to shrink them up..that would be bad of course....
in making ads i go for making them attractive fast and easy...
i wouldnt put on attachments or count on them taking the time to go to the website....that would be nice if they did... ....people are so busy/lazy......
just some advertizing thoughts....
i totally agree that your ads should sound like you not a macys...
but if im picking a landscaper...an expensive purchase!! why not show me a georgous picture of his abilities....then maybe i would go to his website...the picture shouldnt be too hard to get in the email......
ann


I'm tending to agree photos might be nice. I used to do a lot of split-testing with direct mail, so it might be a good idea to do the same with email. Another reason why I just don't want to do all this myself. Reading the comments here make me realize there are far too many variables.

Thanks greenoak.

[greenoak]

yes, in house.
...i lay it out and my worker does it in under an hour....
i critique ...but cant do the computer work....im very not tekkie.......
ann

[Patrysha]

Will send you a message.

Thanks Steve.

"Incredibly" high. Well, if it doesn't pay off, I won't continue. If payoff is there, I suppose the price was okay. But since you say it's "incredibly" high, I will try to bargain for something lower. No way I want to do this myself.

Can't wait til I get 500 emails.

Incredibly high is relative. That is around the going rate for a professional writer & distribution...some charge much more. There is a huge gulf between doing it yourself and hiring out...just as you could create your own website in WordPress or hire Van Gogh...