From the Desk of Dave Holtgrewe:
What would you think if your florist sent you email? Pretty cool, huh?
Instead of your florist putting all of their energy into developing the right head-turning, gasp-worthy ad to get your attention in the newspaper or radio, what if, instead, they e-mailed you a weekly or monthly message reminding you of special occasions or current promotions they have? Or, think about this…maybe they send your husband or boyfriend an e-mail about some gift that you picked out while you were at their shop. That sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? Perhaps they send you a newsletter about special decorating ideas for your home. You’d love it.
I guarantee that if the local florist did this, it would increase their business dramatically. It would also put people into their marketing plan because the florist could reward you for forwarding the e-mail to all your friends. Wow, what a concept.
Most businesses do what every other business does. They use and do what they have used and done for years. They put all their eggs in one or two media baskets and hope it works. They take a gamble that everyone will see their ad, and to no surprise, get discouraged that it falls short of their expectations. Every business does it, and some will continue.
I’m not suggesting you stop doing what you’re doing right now, but I challenge you to do something different in addition to what you’re doing. If you allocate or budget a certain amount of money to your current marketing campaign, take some of that money and add this new concept to your business. Think different. Be different. Dentists still advertise in the Yellow Pages, insurance companies use telemarketers, and hairdressers use the local newspaper. But the new guerilla marketers wanting to get the word out about their business have seen the power of Internet and e-mail marketing, and only use the other media for keeping their name out there.
Compared to other forms of media, such as newspaper, radio, direct, Val Pac, and television, the Internet is virtually free. There is a monthly administration fee, which is very low in cost. In most cases, the annual cost for your website is cheaper than one ad in your local newspaper. Talk about inexpensive advertising! After your site is set up, it’s time to gather e-mail addresses and send out e-mail blasts that cost NOTHING…
Think about the florist. What if we could communicate with our target customers and reward them for their e-mail address, then reward them again for forwarding the e-mail to their friends? This is network marketing at its best.
Newspaper and radio will always have their effectiveness, as they blanket the message hopefully all will see. It’s a great avenue to keep your name at the top of the mind among tanners. Statistics in the tanning industry show us that somewhere between 10% and 20% of the population are indoor tanners. Knowing that, are we spending our money wisely to advertise to approximately 85% of the people who don’t tan? It may bring in a few more tanners, but let’s do it this way. Make Sally happy and get her into our marketing program through e-mail. Sally talking to Mary about tanning and bringing her to your location is the best form of marketing. If we are using our salon software properly, and measuring ad effectiveness, we already know that word-of-mouth is the best form of marketing. So, reward Sally for bringing Mary, then reward Mary for bringing in _____. You get the picture.
Sally knows what’s going on at your location because she loves to receive your weekly promotions and monthly newsletters. You’re giving her tips on how to tan better, as well as offering her the latest in skin care essentials. Your e-mail may introduce new equipment or products that she can’t wait to try, and she really enjoys getting the bonus sessions or lotion samples when she prints out the coupons you send.
A marketing gambler is hoping that the dog hasn’t run off with the newspaper, and that everyone is tuned into that particular radio station at that particular time. Wow, scary huh? An e-mail marketer succeeds faster in the marketing and advertising arena by working smarter and thinking outside the marketing box. Advertising and marketing to your existing client base is your best source of untapped revenues. Again, getting your clients into your marketing program will be your future and additional success. Remember network marketing? Make Mary happy and grow your business…
