I'm coming up to the anniversary date of when I started my blog so this week I’m acknowledging my ‘Dream Team’. The professionals that helped launch my personal brand on the internet in 2008-09.
The first members of my Dream Team are Gail & Dave Watson with Extra Contact. They are a husband and wife team that specialize in Email Marketing. I met Gail at an eWomen’s networking luncheon (where she was the facilitator and leader of the Vancouver branch) and through getting to know her, she introduced me to Jane Atkinson’s book ‘The Wealthy Speaker’ (when she found out I was interesting in being a speaker).
‘All Roads Lead to Your Website’
‘One of the main reasons to have a website is to capture names and email addresses. How well is your site doing this?’
So I went to her website to see how she did it and this is what I found:
So I decided to do exactly the same thing (hey she’s the expert if it works for her, it’ll most likely work for me) and I asked Marvin my graphic designer to design a box for my home page:
Before I hooked up with emailing marketing experts, I used to have a blog mixed up with a newsletter. I thought, surely if I have a blog where I’m posting 4-5 times a week, that is enough to get new clients. A newsletter? How is that so different?
Well my lovelies, here’s the difference.
My newsletter header
1. My past clients (who receive my newsletter now) did not even know about my blog because I was doing zipola to keep in touch with them. This past summer when I called each one to ask if they’d like to subscribe, many said “We’ve moved since you were here last and we didn’t know how to reach you”. Hello? Missed opportunity!
2. Not everyone that reads my blog, is necessarily interested nor has the time to read every new post should they subscribe to my blog (if you want to though, the box is in the upper right sidebar). Some people prefer to get a monthly update with 5 of my top posts of that month, including one special article that does not get posted on my blog that they can read at their leisure. Like this month (below)
3. What do you do with the stack of business cards you collect at a luncheon or networking event? Mine would land up on my desk, where I would move them around until the pile got too big. Then occasionally I would sift through them and file the ones I might need and the rest were toast. Well, now you have somewhere to collect those important addresses that might lead to business at some point.
Dave (Extra Contact) called me one day (inside helping me with my first newsletter sent in September) and he said “I just sent out my newsletter and received 2 calls, the first from someone I met at a Board of Trade Luncheon 2 years ago, he’s now ready to do some business with me, as well as someone I met 3 months ago.” A friend of mine who had been saying ‘I never read the newsletters I get, I just delete them, they are a waste of time’ upon hearing this story, ran to her computer to start writing one!
In July, I started collecting email addresses. I now have over 1500 addresses in my database. And how much new wouldn’t-have-happened-without-it business have I booked? 6 colour consultations and a beautiful home I’m designing, new colours, furniture, window coverings, etc.
And I will quote again a comment I received when I wrote this post on Hiring a Designer; Luxury or Necessity. Hire a professional for everything you cannot do professionally yourself. Wise words to live by.
Thank you to Gail & Dave Watson, without your expertise and business strategy I wouldn’t even have a newsletter, and it certainly wouldn’t look as professional and be as effective as it is right now!
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