At my recent 1-day web marketing seminar, someone in the audience mentioned he’d added a “Join our email newsletter” box to his website… but quickly removed it when he realised it meant he’d have to start writing one!!
We all laughed, and I know it was said with tongue in cheek, but it did remind me how so many small business owners struggle to write for their web marketing.
The biggest challenge is lack of time, but for many, when they do find the time to sit down and write something, many of them “can’t think of anything interesting to write.”
That’s quite unfortunate, because if you don’t regularly communicate with your active customers and clients and prospects — in an interesting way — then you aren’t maximising your sales, and they’ll become lapsed customers and clients and prospects who your competitors may start mopping up.
Failing to communicate with email subscribers is a big mistake.
The other big mistake is failing to communicate regularly.
Once a week is great. I’d say once a month is the absolute minimum for most businesses.
I didn’t post any articles to my blog in May. That was a mistake, not something I’d recommend. It indicates my system for posting fresh content to my blog isn’t working, and needs improving.
One problem I don’t have is thinking what to write — but I think THAT is the most common reasons marketers fail to communicate with their email list… not knowing what to write about.
As a result any available time is spent trying to think of something to say, rather than simply typing the email, posting the blog article or recording the video.
The ability to create and send interesting communications is really important, not just in web marketing, but in any kind of marketing. Sometimes all you need is the right idea or concept, then the words start flowing.
So, without further ado here’s a list of over 70 ideas you can use to brainstorm interesting things to say about what you do.
(And by no means is this list exhaustive, but hopefully a quick glance at this list will help you ‘unlock some ideas’ and quickly start typing.)
Stimulating Sales / E-mails to prospects
- How to [achieve a great end result - be specific]
- How [customer] achieved [end result] (Compelling case study)
- Why I wrote/made/manufactured/built/designed/sell [product]
- Reason why [product] is/has feature/benefit
- What [third party] said about our [product]
- What do you want to know about [end result]?
- The secret to [end result]
- Reveal research & design efforts
- Unusual story (e.g. how customer uses it in a way we never thought of)
- Comment on third party results
- Behind the scenes at our office
- Introducing (office member they may speak with/hear from at some point)
- Comment on third party web site article, blog post or forum comment
- Link to YouTube (etc.) video or comment on other (social) website content
- Mention (and link ) to press coverage
- Publish & comment on your own in-house research or survey results
- Offer a contrarian opinion
- Announce survey (with link to survey on Surveymonkey.com or similar)
- Micro-survey "Simply hit reply to this email to send your answer"
- Tell a story or sequence of events that involves different products (with links)
- Video demonstration (Either ‘guerilla’ style or professionally produced)
- Book review from your industry
- Interview an industry expert
- Link to third party blog post with commentary
- Product being removed/deleted (last chance to buy- consider 24-hour special)
- Guide to achieving [end result] (a story-like description of how using two or more products in conjunction]
Events
1. General invitation to come and see us at [event]
2. Visit us at [event] and get gift/incentive ‘for coming to say hello at [event]‘
3. Quick reminder about [event] on [date]
4. Live from [event]
5. Thanks for coming to see us at [event] the other day
6. Results of competition held at [event]
Birthdays, Anniversaries & Seasonal
1. Happy Anniversary
2. Happy Birthday
3. Happy ______
4. Merry _____
General
1. Open floor question time (optional gift to best question)
2. Answer time (and announce winner if offered a gift)
3. Ask what people want to know more about (and list subject categories)
4. XX reasons to check out the company blog (short list of best blog posts)
5. Reward for opening e-mails - first XX people (NB: EMSP must be able to tell you this data)
6. Free gift to first person who comments on blog/asks question/ adds link from their site blog/does ‘X’ and sends evidence)
7. Mention number of blog readers and offer gratitude
8. Announce Blog Birthday (and do something special for readers?)
9. Open invitation for articles from other professionals.
10. Ask for links and optionally offer to link back/review or mention somehow in future
11. Reveal behind the scenes processes & procedures
12. Expert Interviews (audio/video with optional transcript) ending with call to action (aff.)
Competitions
1. Set task
2. Stimulate entries
3. Announce winner & comments
Affiliate Marketing
1. Recommend third party product/service or free gift
2. Review complementary third party product
3. Video review
4. Interview with the author
5. Announce teleseminar/webinar
Special Offers
1. Sell Super Package (multiple products)
1. First person to send £XXX via Paypal gets [special offer]
2. Extra item ‘added to box’
3. SOLD!
2. Act fast! Only X remaining…
3. I’ve reserved this especially for you
4. Price increase warning
1. Price increase announcement
Customers only
1. Congratulations on the purchase (remind them why they just made a good decision to buy)
2. Tip(s) on how to use product or service they just bough
3. Example of how customer/client/patient got specific results (step by step they can follow too)
4. Customers who bought this also bought [related product or service]
5. Would you like this (enhancement or upgrade)
6. Free gift - thank you for your business
7. Become an affiliate
8. Can we have a few minutes of your time (Send us some feedback/testimonial?)
9. Can I interview you for my next report/whitepaper/book?
10. Customer satisfaction survey (general)
11. Ask them to answer ‘x’ specific questions and provide a photo of themselves
12. Ask for feedback about [product]
13. Arranged for you to get this preferential customer-only discount from a preferred supplier (aff. link)
Product Launch E-Mail Sequences
Before…
* Coming soon
* Survey - what would you like to see in the product?
* Preview photos (’Spy photo’)
* Mention a feature and how it’ll be a big benefit
* Give a progress report/status update
* Launching next week
* Launching tomorrow for ‘xx’ hours only
During…
1. Announce XX Hour special
2. Only XX hours left
3. Only X hours left
4. Announce special has finished
After…
1. Thinking of updating - what do you want in next version?
2. Mention minor updates and new features
3. Mention new distribution outlet (e.g. Amazon)
Any of the above emails can and should be seeded with links to your products and services, or links to other comapanies products and services if you’re into affiliate marketing.
The key thing is this; aim for every email you send to be interesting, relevant, useful and informative for as many of your prospects and customers and clients as possible. That way, every email you send will demonstrate you care and want them to achieve great results, resulting in better, more profitable customer and client relationships and stand more chance of turning prospects into paying customers and clients.
We are an FSB Member and offer
