Succeed being Estimable

So far in the series weʼve talked about the importance of structure, usefulness, clarity and convenience. If youʼve spent any time focusing on these points while compiling your email marketing campaign and newsletters, youʼre ready to see some results of how youʼve made your material estimable.

The worthy goal of having your work be estimable is, simply put, to create something reputable or honorable.

Try this exercise. Think of some published works (anything in print) and identify whether they are worthy of respect. By way of natural deduction, youʼve probably already identified several that are not as well. Look over your list of those deemed honorable and those not. What separates the two? What identifiers stood out that caused judgement one way or the other? Your answers are your guide.

Let me add to your list of considerations the word charming. At first this may seem odd, perhaps even a bit quaint - a charming newsletter you may ask. But if you truly understand charm you canʼt help but make the association. You see, the simplest definition of charm is bringing out the best in others. And that is what your newsletterʼs end game should be.

Thinking of others and how to bring out the best in them
unlocks potential. It is the catalyst for action; the very
path to making something estimable.

Letʼs put this into a visual example. Picture in your mind a beautiful jewelry box, very ornate and detailed. It taunts you with the possibility of treasures within. You donʼt just want the box, you want whatʼs inside it too. Now think of your newsletter. It is the jewelry box. Youʼve spent a great deal of time creating it, detailing it and filling it with items of value for your recipient. But did you remember to give them a key to open it?

Charm is the key to your box. Thinking of others and how to bring out the best in them unlocks potential. It is the catalyst for action; the very path to making something estimable. It inspires one to reach new heights, to stretch abilities and expound on possibilities for growth.

Forget generals - general audiences, general topics, general mediocrity. Start thinking specifics. Think of individuals, their needs and their potential. This is the way to estimable success.

Other articles in this series:
Structured
Useful
Clear 
Convenient

Succeed being Convenient

In our succeed series thus far, weʼve covered the importance of being structured, useful and clear. Itʼs time to talk about the necessity of being convenient.
 
Sometimes looking at things backwards is a great way to define what you want. In determining how to make your email marketing convenient, letʼs start with a definition of the opposite; inconvenience.
 
When you think of the word inconvenience, a pretty clear image comes to mind. But take it one step further by adding these definitive words to your understanding: discomfort, nuisance, bother, trouble, annoy, disturb, harass.
 
That sounds far too familiar in the world of marketing. Just ask any person whoʼs received a couple solicitation phone calls. Sadly, itʼs far too likely that all of us have personal experience with the concept of being inconvenienced. These are definitely terms and feelings you want to avoid with your marketing. So letʼs look at this from your reader and customerʼs point of view.
 
To avoid bothering, annoying and harassing your clients, think for a moment on how to flip that. Your goal should be to find ways your message fits in well with a personʼs needs, activities or plans. It should involve little trouble or effort on their part. If youʼve been following the series, youʼre already on the right track because these are the very principles weʼve already discussed. Setting yourself a plan, determining how what you can provide is both useful and clear are the keys to making your message a convenient one. But thatʼs not enough. You must also consider other factors here, like frequency and length.

Dress up that bland dish with some spice!

How often will you be sending your marketing material? You may want to start by asking yourself how often you would want to receive the type of material you are sending. Finding a balance between too little and too much is critical. And what of length? Well, thereʼs an old adage for that: “Your material should be like a womanʼs skirt, long enough to cover the subject but short enough to be interesting.” If you find your content running long, consider breaking it up over several mailings. Another great option for adding variety and cutting down length is to diversify delivery. A simple coupon or thank you discount goes a long way. Think of these tactics as your seasoning in cooking. Dress up that bland dish with some spice!

Empower yourself and your business by taking time to think on making your email marketing a convenient one. A little consideration will do much for your campaign and your clients will appreciate your efforts.
 
Other articles in this series:
Structured
Useful
Clear

Succeed being Clear

In the continuation of our series on success, we add being clear to structured and useful.

The dictionary defines clear as being easy to perceive, understand or interpret. In sharing messages with your customers this is imperative.

This W. E. Hill image is widely known.
 

The question for the viewer is which image do you see first? The old woman or the young lady? There are pictures of both within the same image. 

These kinds of illusions and overlaid objects can be a fun distraction when it comes to art, but a most damaging element if your marketing messages follow the same pattern.

Take time to review your newsletter to ensure what you are sharing is clear and concise. Your message should be plain and bright, free of distractions and unfamiliar language. In short, think of this W. E. Hill image when you write and make sure your finished work is a single image easy to see and understand.
 
Hereʼs a few tips to consider:

1) Clear thoughts produce clear results. The key to clarity is to say what you mean in as few words as possible.

2) Read your message out loud. There is something about verbalizing your writing that simply canʼt be duplicated through any other means.

3) Review, revise, repeat. It takes work to be concise. It takes time and effort to make revisions until the work is satisfactory.
 
Consider this quote by F Scott Fitzgerald:

 “You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.”

That says it all. Write because you have something to say, something to share, something to market. Your efforts in presenting a clear message will provide you clear results.

Other articles in this series:
Structured
Useful

Succeed Being Useful

In the continuation of our series on success, we add to structure the importance of being useful.

It has been said that just because one can do something doesn’t necessarily mean one should. In the case of business marketing, this is too often the case. It could be that it is too painful to truly evaluate, or perhaps it seems too obvious to spend any time on. Whatever the reason, it can be a critical oversight.

Even if it feels obvious, take the time to ask what value exists in what you provide.  Does it provide meaning to someone? If so, who is that someone? This is how you identify your target audience. You can waste valuable resources trying to build interest in a general audience. To obtain meaningful response, you must first identify for whom your information has meaning. For example, if I sell pianos, the value I add is to the lives of musicians and those who appreciate music. After all, they are who will benefit from what I can share and thus they will have genuine interest in what I have to say. For me to share a newsletter on pianos to a group of car mechanics would provide less than desirable results. However, if I share that same newsletter with a group of music teachers I’ve drastically increased my potential for success. To come more to the point, I’ve just “tuned in” to my customer.

Find your Ferrari and you're on your way to a finish line of success.

Now, to maximize potential, you can take this exercise one step further. Be a specialist, or at least identify your specialty. This is where true power lies. Too often we are blinded by the size of potential. The wise man knows that more often than not, less is more. Take Gerald Roush; a man with a focused interest in a particular car, the Ferrari to be exact. He didn’t try to make money sharing his passion with all auto lovers. No, he focused his energies and thus his audience. Last year his bi-weekly published compilation of Ferrari information, the Ferrari Market Letter had 5,000 subscribers. Now, that may seem a low number, especially compared to the estimated *10.2 million readers of the leading auto magazine. But at the $130.00 per year subscription, 5,000 becomes a most meaningful number indeed. The reason for success is simple. Roush was sharing useful information to people who shared his passion, the information was relevant and desired; it was useful and therefore generated value.

So the real question to ask is if what you’re sharing is relevant, applicable and useful. Find your Ferrari and you’re on your way to a finish line of success.

*http://www.magsdirect.com/caranddriver-information.html

Other articles in this series:
Structured

Succeed with Structure

Everyone wants to succeed. The driving force of excellence, success is perhaps the most valuable ally one can obtain.

Great leaders understand the determination behind success. It doesn’t fall in your lap. It starts with one’s thought or conviction as Abraham Lincoln suggested:

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.” – Abraham Lincoln

While it's often easy to identify the leaf, the real value is
in being able to see and share the entire branch, tree and
root system that gives that leaf life.

Marketing is one of the more challenging aspects of any business. It often requires the most resources, effort and knowledge. However, success makes the investment worthwhile. The ability to correspond with your clients through email is a valuable tool and there are many things you can do to get the most out of your investment.

In the coming weeks we’ll define what it takes to succeed in email marketing. We’ll start with the need for structure. Thinking of your email marketing as a construction project will help you visualize the elements and organization required to meet your client’s needs.

Take the time to evaluate your business model. Determine the ways your service/product helps your customers or clients. Write these elements down so you can visually see the blueprint of your business. Then you can begin constructing the marketing bridges between your service/product to your consumer(s).

For example, if my business were a salon I’d start by identifying a list of services provided such as hair cuts, hair color, etc. Then I’d generate an accompanying list of benefits these services render. This allows me to see a clear connection between the two sides and provides me a foundation for information to include in my email marketing. If I can clearly define how a hair cut can generate a self esteem boost I’ve just identified a link I can write about in an email or newsletter to my customers. Remember to be specific in this exercise. This is more than just writing words and general results. Do you provide something exclusive? Can you do something for your client they cannot do for themselves? Really think about why what you offer is better than anything else and worthy of attention. Then call your readers to this.
 
The most important element of structure you should be getting out of this, is the value of preparing a plan - organizing a strategy. Don’t think of email marketing as a single event that repeats. Realize the potential of organizing an entire campaign where each mailing is part of sharing your message. While it’s often easy to identify the leaf, the real value is in being able to see and share the entire branch, tree and root system that gives that leaf life. When you can identify that structure, you’re on the path to success.