Stop Putting It Off

Fact: the cost in time of putting things off is far higher than simply getting them done. The more you keep adding to your to do list, the more you feel overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done, the more that you get stressed by it all. It doesn't take a scientist to know that isn't ideal!
There tends to be three reasons why we put things off.

• Complacency - thinking it'll only take us a few minutes to do, so it can wait
• Avoiding Discomfort - believing the task will cause us to experience a negative emotion
• Fear of Failure - believing we're likely to fail in the task, so why bother starting it

And here are some ways of overcoming these barriers and just getting it done!
Complacency - if you really believe it'll only take minutes to do, pick a time within the next 48 hours when you're going to get it done and do it!
Avoiding discomfort - the more you think about the negative feelings, the bigger and more severe they'll feel. If it involves someone else (you're scared of hurting their feelings) write down what you want to say, how you want to say it and the outcome you're looking for. This won't take away all the discomfort, but it'll certainly minimize it. If it's something you just don't like doing, set yourself a super fast time limit for getting it done and go for it. Racing through it faster will also keep discomfort to a minimum.
Fear of failure - if it's something you've done before and you failed last time, look at the reasons why you failed and build in some ways of avoiding those. If you haven't tackled this before but are still afraid of failing, find someone who has managed it successfully, or research what you need to do in order to increase your chances of success. Then allocate a time within the next three days to get the job done and strike while the iron is hot.
Stop Putting it Off - Start Getting it DONE!

7 Email Newsletters Tips

Here are 7 email newsletter tips that will boost readership and response. 

1. Don't send your email newsletter the same time every month.  Make it varied.  You don't want people getting into a routine where they know your sending something and they just delete it. 

2. Don't make it look exactly the same every time.  People like "What's New" not what's old and boring.  Bring something fresh to them or they won't pay attention. 

3. Don't make your newsletter about you!  Write your newsletter about them. The benefits to them of your product, service or content. 

4. Don't use technical jargon about you, your industry or your product. You care about that, not your customers. 

5. Make it fun to read.  Try different things each time, run contests, do give-a-ways, make offers.  Be entertaining. 

6. Don't use your company name as the title.  Company names, titles and logos are all about you.  People don't care about you (once you realize this your marketing becomes better and you actually start making money) they care about themselves.  Title your newsletter something your readers would care about. 

7. Don't always send the newsletter format.  Switch up what you send. Occasionally just send a coupon offer with a dotted line around it so it looks like an offer. That's what we are programmed to know is an offer when we see it.

Ezines - An Essential Business Tool

 

Remember the old marketing research about a person having to see your message at least seven times before they buy from you? Well today it is more like twelve times.

An Ezine (email newsletter) gives you an easy way to keep in touch with current, past and potential clients (creating Top of Mind awareness), share valuable information, special promotions and establish yourself as an expert in your field. An ezine will allow you to reach thousands or millions of customers locally and globally.

Anatomy of a good ezine -

1. Provider - Use a reputable service provider like Constant Contact, IContact or MailChimp. Make sure your provider has backend reporting so you can track your open rates and click throughs.  
2. Database - Make sure your list has "opted in"  
3. Layout - Pick a template that meets your needs and then have it customized with your business colors and graphics 
4. Name of ezine - Pick a catchy name so it is memorable and it stands out from the crowd in your recipients inboxes 
5. Keep it brief (one or two "pages"), most people "scan" through their emails, and you want yours to be read, make sure your content is worth reading.  
6. Send your ezine at least once a month but no more than once a week depending on your business and your readers.  
7. Consider Archiving your ezines and having a link to the archive on your website so potential subscribers can see if it's for them. Archives are also great for the press/media to learn more about your business. 
8. What to include -
   
   
   
   • Personal note from you, people do business with people they know, like & trust
   • Educational information, resources and links
   • A promotion about your product or service
   • Pictures with each article
   • Your social media and website links
   • An easy way for readers to forward your ezine to others
   • A simple way to unsubscribe
   • Your Company name, mailing address and phone number
     

How do you get more subscribers? Promote, promote, promote!! On your website, blog, social media, at business networking events... Having a sign-up box for your ezine in the upper right corner of your website will capture some of your one-time visitors. You can also have an ezine sign-up form on your Facebook business page and on your Blog.

 

  

What results can you expect? Depending on how your mailing list was collected, who's on it and how old the list is.. You can expect an "open" rate somewhere between 18% and 75%. About 50% of the people who are going to read it will open it within the first 48 hours. People will forward it to others and it will continue to be seen for several weeks/months after you send it. Converting readers to clients will depend on your business, your offers and timing. But over time it will definitely increase your business revenue.

Along with your website, blog, social media marketing and traditional marketing, an ezine is an important business tool in today's marketplace!

Contact us for an evaluation of how your business could benefit from adding an Ezine to your marketing system, or how you can improve what you may currently be doing in this area.

Questions? Email us