Check out this great post from small biz blogger extraordinairre, Starr Hall
As an entrepreneur there are a few critical tasks that you need to turn into a daily habit in order for your business to keep moving in a positive direction and to make you money.
Profile your customers before your daily deals campaign so you can make the most of the leads you generate.
We’re in the home stretch now just before the holidays, but it’s not too late to get an extra push out of your marketing. Those final few emails can make or break your holiday sales, so don’t overlook opportunities to grab the attention of last-minute shoppers. The beauty of email is that you can quickly create and distribute virtually any kind of message — be it promotions, customer service information, big news, useful insight, account reminders or a quick holiday message — and send it directly to your most valuable customers. Email marketing offers a variety of specialized uses that can be tailored to both your business and your customers. Here are five ways that email can help you boost your online marketing for the holidays: Increase sales conversions — Prospects may require up to nine “touches” before making a buying decision. Your last one or two emails before the holidays could be the extra incentive they need to make their purchases. Generate repeat sales — Finding and acquiring new customers can be expensive, anywhere from six to 12 times more expensive than selling to an existing one. Focus on emailing your big spenders and frequent buyers right now. To create urgency, be sure to tell customers there’s a limited number of days to shop with you before Christmas. Send these emails directly to the customers who are most likely to buy in order to generate the most sales. Up-sell and cross-sell your products — Email provides a great opportunity for you to help customers order “one more” product while they’re in the mood to buy. Experian’s email campaign builder makes it easy to create a series of email messages that are timed to follow up with offers of related interest. Drive Web users to offline purchases — Email marketing is often a catalyst for Web users to purchase offline. More than half of users in one survey had made a purchase offline after receiving an email promotion. Make it easy for customers to find you, see business hours and other essentials about your brand. Gain feedback from your visitors — Email gives your customers a chance to offer honest feedback so you can readily adapt to what your customer base wants. Their reviews will help you tailor your products and messaging for their needs as you head into the new year. Experian’s email campaign builder makes it easy to give your holiday sales a boost — and also create the kind of customer loyalty that will generate year-round returns. Check out a risk-free trial here.
