Just got off a conference call with Eric Lofholm and was impressed by his ideas about how to grow your business in this economy.
He said Collaboration is the #1 way and I totally agree.
The key is to look for strategic alliance partners - people who you can promote to your database, and who can promote you to their database. Then you create a win-win for each of you - and a win for the people on your list.
The cost? Zero.
The key to developing these relationships is to think like your prospective strategic alliances. What value can you bring tot hem to get access to their network?
Eric Lofholm calls collaboration his $250,000 Idea, and here's how he does it:
1) Make a list of all the people you would like to form strategic alliances with - his list was more than 120;
2)Decide how many relationships you can realistically keep going. For him it was 4 strategic alliances. I have heard 6-8 is the maximum;
3) From your list pick your top 4-8 potential strategic alliances; and
6) Take action to connect with them and create winning strategic alliances.
If you missed the call, there was lots of other great ideas about mindset, techniques and the importance of taking actions . . . on his website you can download 21 free sales training videos - just go to ERIC LOFHOLM FREE SALES TRAINING VIDEOS - it's on the right hand side.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
POWE BUSINESS WINNERS
Congratulations to all of this year's winners of POWE 2010-2011 Awards.
POWE - Power of Women Exchange - is a large women's business networking group with chapters in Ontario and Alberta Canada.
Here are the networking winners:
MARKHAM CHAPTER WINNERS
POWE Member of the Year
Erika Stevenson - EK Fasteners / It Works
POWE Spirit of POWE Award
Linda Cattelan - Results Catalyst
POWE Helping Hand Award
Ingrid Wolfert - Fifth Avenue Collection
THORNHILL/RICHMOND HILL CHAPTER WINNERS
POWE Member of the Year
Vanessa Vance - Maple Tree Hill
POWE Spirit of POWE Award
Marlene Gardiner - Arbonne Internatinal
POWE Helping Hand Award
Alina Spektor - Re/Max Premier Inc.
MISSISSAUGA CHAPTER WINNERS
POWE Member of the Year
Sandi Laing - Travel Only
POWE Spirit of POWE Award
Marishka Glynne - Marishka
Find out more about POWE at http://www.POWE.ca
POWE - Power of Women Exchange - is a large women's business networking group with chapters in Ontario and Alberta Canada.
Here are the networking winners:
MARKHAM CHAPTER WINNERS
POWE Member of the Year
Erika Stevenson - EK Fasteners / It Works
POWE Spirit of POWE Award
Linda Cattelan - Results Catalyst
POWE Helping Hand Award
Ingrid Wolfert - Fifth Avenue Collection
THORNHILL/RICHMOND HILL CHAPTER WINNERS
POWE Member of the Year
Vanessa Vance - Maple Tree Hill
POWE Spirit of POWE Award
Marlene Gardiner - Arbonne Internatinal
POWE Helping Hand Award
Alina Spektor - Re/Max Premier Inc.
MISSISSAUGA CHAPTER WINNERS
POWE Member of the Year
Sandi Laing - Travel Only
POWE Spirit of POWE Award
Marishka Glynne - Marishka
Find out more about POWE at http://www.POWE.ca
MEDIA OPP - GLOBE AND MAIL
The Globe and Mail will post photos of your business on its site no charge!
Email to: yourbusiness@globemail.com along with captions
Full details here: Click here for details
Email to: yourbusiness@globemail.com along with captions
Full details here: Click here for details
Win Business Package
Women's Post and Network Orange offer you a chance to win three months free to Network Orange’s Desker Package.
Package includes:
*Membership
*Up to 40 hours of desk space
*Up to 10 hours of meeting room space
*Access to Network Orange during normal business hours
*Member features and all-inclusive services
*Business newsletter
*Access to the member discount for networking programs and events
*Notification of events
*Access to the Network Orange mailing list
Contest closes Sunday April 17, 2011 at 11:59 PM.
Go to: http://womenspost.ca/node/10940
Package includes:
*Membership
*Up to 40 hours of desk space
*Up to 10 hours of meeting room space
*Access to Network Orange during normal business hours
*Member features and all-inclusive services
*Business newsletter
*Access to the member discount for networking programs and events
*Notification of events
*Access to the Network Orange mailing list
Contest closes Sunday April 17, 2011 at 11:59 PM.
Go to: http://womenspost.ca/node/10940
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Why Networking in Person still matters
With all the social media networking sites do you still need to meet in person?
Absolutely!
An article by Careerealism outlines why you need to invest face-to-face time with business people:
* The interaction will have you knowing more about someone in 10 minutes than six months online;
* You cannot beat a phone or in-person meeting to finding ways to work together - it's all in the energy that gets created in a verbal discussion; and
* Determining next steps can be done fast instead of through many emails or posts online where people may get distracted to something else and break the conversation.
Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/24678/20110310/why-networking-in-person-still-matters.htm#ixzz1GDBBmnE3
Absolutely!
An article by Careerealism outlines why you need to invest face-to-face time with business people:
* The interaction will have you knowing more about someone in 10 minutes than six months online;
* You cannot beat a phone or in-person meeting to finding ways to work together - it's all in the energy that gets created in a verbal discussion; and
* Determining next steps can be done fast instead of through many emails or posts online where people may get distracted to something else and break the conversation.
Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/24678/20110310/why-networking-in-person-still-matters.htm#ixzz1GDBBmnE3
Friday, November 6, 2009
Milestone for Entrepreneurs everywhere
Kiva.org hit a major milestone this week -- $100 million channeled to entrepreneurs in developing countries around the world through micro-loans. They now have more than 575,000 lenders loaning money through the site.
Micro-loans are one of the most powerful ways to alleviate poverty -- the adage teach a person to fish they eat for a lifetime comes true.
Kiva created the first online person-to-person micro-lending opportunity. When you visit their site you view requests from micro-lending organizations around the world with entrepreneurs requesting loans in many communities around the globe.
The great thing about lending through Kiva is when the borrower repays the loan you receive the money back. The repayment of micro-loans is +98% -- an incredible testimony to its effectiveness.
As well, PayPal is a supporter and they waive all service fees to transfer money from your account to the borrower via the micro-lending organization.
If you want to donate to entrepreneurs around the world and help alleviate poverty, join the Business With Purpose Network at http://www.kiva.org/team/business_with_purpose
To find out more about micro-loans visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcredit
Micro-loans are one of the most powerful ways to alleviate poverty -- the adage teach a person to fish they eat for a lifetime comes true.
Kiva created the first online person-to-person micro-lending opportunity. When you visit their site you view requests from micro-lending organizations around the world with entrepreneurs requesting loans in many communities around the globe.
The great thing about lending through Kiva is when the borrower repays the loan you receive the money back. The repayment of micro-loans is +98% -- an incredible testimony to its effectiveness.
As well, PayPal is a supporter and they waive all service fees to transfer money from your account to the borrower via the micro-lending organization.
If you want to donate to entrepreneurs around the world and help alleviate poverty, join the Business With Purpose Network at http://www.kiva.org/team/business_with_purpose
To find out more about micro-loans visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcredit
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Facebook hits 300 million users
This week Facebook hit two major milestones -- it topped 300 million users and became profitable for the first time. The company projects 380 million users by end of 2009.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Choose Facebook friends wisely
I'm sharing this article by Neil Seeman in the National Post today -- written for the medical community but something all business owners need to seriously consider when using social media in business.
Neil Seeman: Choose your Facebook friends wisely
Posted: September 15, 2009, 10:00 AM by NP Editor
facebook, Neil Seeman
With the emergence of the mega-social networking site Facebook, it seems everyone's "friends" with everyone else these days. A fascinating paper by Dr. Sachin H. Jain in the New England Journal of Medicine asks: Is it professionally acceptable for a physician to accept a "friend request" from his or her patient?
There is no consensus answer. In a Medscape discussion prompted by a blog post by Dr. Alok Khorana, one contributor says: "We have a practice page on Facebook that we use to communicate directly with our patients ... don't be scared to be a 'normal' person and talk to your patients."
A dermatologist takes a different view: "I strongly resent befriending patients or their relatives on Facebook or any other social network. Recently I curtly told one person to avoid this as it is unethical and against the norms of the oath."
Similar debates about the limits of friendships, and whether professional-client relationships should extend online, have surfaced in law and business and academe.
Should a senior executive "friend" a 25-year-old new employee? Is it rude to deny "friend requests" from casual acquaintances? And if I accept these people as my friends, must I be continually exposed to their beer-swilling college frat photos? And why do my supposedly mature friends send me juvenile "alerts" about their mundane musings (e. g. "Got a craving for pop tarts ... yummy!")? Or post mushy love-notes to their spouses on Facebook's public walls?
Putting aside the question of whether our online friendships are ruining our real-life ones, it's worth asking, "What is a friend?" This matters considerably in health care, where showing empathy toward one's patient can improve care; and where bonding with a burned-out co-worker, online or off, can improve workplace health.
DEFINING FRIENDSHIP DOWN
When introducing a real friend to a new acquaintance, I often feel the need to call my friend "a dear friend" or a "close friend." "Friend" requires an adjective these days, since otherwise it feels empty. We've dumbed adult friendships down.
In my three-year-old daughter's pre-school, everyone calls everyone in their class a "friend." This is blessed behaviour when seen in children: "Daddy, I need to say bye to all my friends before we go home." For adults, friendships enjoy special status. If you are very lucky, you will make one meaningful friendship for every year you live, and you may have only one or two or three who stay with you for a lifetime.
When we dumb friendship down, on Facebook or in everyday life, we risk confusing people who may misconstrue what is signified by that relationship. This, in my view, is the best reason not to friend your patient or your client. When in a trust relationship (what lawyers fancily call a "fiduciary duty"), your client or your patient may be vulnerable. He or she may consider a curt note from you on Facebook to be threatening. "What have I done to offend him?" they might be thinking. "Will he delay my appointment? Treat me rudely? Refuse to refill my prescription?"
All patients, all clients, are not the same. My mother (Mary Seeman), a physician, suggests that "a good rule to follow is for the doctor always to be 'abstinent' -- in other words, she should not be 'getting something' out of her relationship with her patient other than the satisfaction of doing as good a job as possible. Patients should not be sources of entertainment, information, news, stock market tips, romance, actual friendship or warm feelings."
My view is that professional codes for self-regulated professions forbidding romance with patients (or clients) aim to protect the most vulnerable among us. And vulnerability in affairs of the heart is not always self-evident. Hulking football linemen -- I knew at least two in university -- can cry over a woman who politely denies them a date. "Let's be friends" can be the cruelest of lines.
FREDDY'S FRIENDS
We first learn about the complexities of managing friendships as children. In Who Will Be My Friends?, a children's story by author-artist Syd Hoff (most famous for the 1958 classic, Danny and the Dinosaur), young Freddy arrives in a new neighbourbood and looks for friends. "Who will be my friends?" he wonders. He asks the policeman, the mailman and the street cleaner. But they are too busy working. Unfazed, Freddy saunters over to the playground and asks the boys playing ball if they will be his friend. They ignore him and keep playing.
Only when Freddy starts playing cheerfully by himself -- throwing the ball high and catching it --do the other boys notice him and invite him to be their friend. There are many popular children's books today with a similar plot. In Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, a beautiful fish is shunned until he begins to give away his glittering scales to other fish. I recommend Little Smudge by Lionel Le Neouanic, where a lonely black "little smudge" sulks when colourful squares and circles reject his friendship; yet when he dazzles everyone with his shape-shifting talents, he makes friends. The message: You have to work at starting, and nurturing, a friendship.
THE RULES DON'T CHANGE
The same rules of friendship should apply online and off. A friendship is not the same as a series of client meetings in a downtown office. The spirit, if not the letter, of most professional ethical codes would suggest that "friending" a patient or client on Facebook is inappropriate. I consider it inappropriate since it can invite miscommunication, disappointment and expectations of favouritism.
One never knows whether one of your patients or clients might harbour resentment or disappointment or fear or vulnerability if the online friendship crumbles. This may happen innocently: It takes time, which few professionals have much of, to stay on top of email and social networking correspondence. And to your client or patient, that fragile online friendship may mean much more than it does to you.
Neil Seeman is a writer, and director and primary investigator of the Health Strategy Innovation Cell at Massey College at the University of Toronto. Originally published by Longwoods Publishing ( Longwoods.com)
Neil Seeman: Choose your Facebook friends wisely
Posted: September 15, 2009, 10:00 AM by NP Editor
facebook, Neil Seeman
With the emergence of the mega-social networking site Facebook, it seems everyone's "friends" with everyone else these days. A fascinating paper by Dr. Sachin H. Jain in the New England Journal of Medicine asks: Is it professionally acceptable for a physician to accept a "friend request" from his or her patient?
There is no consensus answer. In a Medscape discussion prompted by a blog post by Dr. Alok Khorana, one contributor says: "We have a practice page on Facebook that we use to communicate directly with our patients ... don't be scared to be a 'normal' person and talk to your patients."
A dermatologist takes a different view: "I strongly resent befriending patients or their relatives on Facebook or any other social network. Recently I curtly told one person to avoid this as it is unethical and against the norms of the oath."
Similar debates about the limits of friendships, and whether professional-client relationships should extend online, have surfaced in law and business and academe.
Should a senior executive "friend" a 25-year-old new employee? Is it rude to deny "friend requests" from casual acquaintances? And if I accept these people as my friends, must I be continually exposed to their beer-swilling college frat photos? And why do my supposedly mature friends send me juvenile "alerts" about their mundane musings (e. g. "Got a craving for pop tarts ... yummy!")? Or post mushy love-notes to their spouses on Facebook's public walls?
Putting aside the question of whether our online friendships are ruining our real-life ones, it's worth asking, "What is a friend?" This matters considerably in health care, where showing empathy toward one's patient can improve care; and where bonding with a burned-out co-worker, online or off, can improve workplace health.
DEFINING FRIENDSHIP DOWN
When introducing a real friend to a new acquaintance, I often feel the need to call my friend "a dear friend" or a "close friend." "Friend" requires an adjective these days, since otherwise it feels empty. We've dumbed adult friendships down.
In my three-year-old daughter's pre-school, everyone calls everyone in their class a "friend." This is blessed behaviour when seen in children: "Daddy, I need to say bye to all my friends before we go home." For adults, friendships enjoy special status. If you are very lucky, you will make one meaningful friendship for every year you live, and you may have only one or two or three who stay with you for a lifetime.
When we dumb friendship down, on Facebook or in everyday life, we risk confusing people who may misconstrue what is signified by that relationship. This, in my view, is the best reason not to friend your patient or your client. When in a trust relationship (what lawyers fancily call a "fiduciary duty"), your client or your patient may be vulnerable. He or she may consider a curt note from you on Facebook to be threatening. "What have I done to offend him?" they might be thinking. "Will he delay my appointment? Treat me rudely? Refuse to refill my prescription?"
All patients, all clients, are not the same. My mother (Mary Seeman), a physician, suggests that "a good rule to follow is for the doctor always to be 'abstinent' -- in other words, she should not be 'getting something' out of her relationship with her patient other than the satisfaction of doing as good a job as possible. Patients should not be sources of entertainment, information, news, stock market tips, romance, actual friendship or warm feelings."
My view is that professional codes for self-regulated professions forbidding romance with patients (or clients) aim to protect the most vulnerable among us. And vulnerability in affairs of the heart is not always self-evident. Hulking football linemen -- I knew at least two in university -- can cry over a woman who politely denies them a date. "Let's be friends" can be the cruelest of lines.
FREDDY'S FRIENDS
We first learn about the complexities of managing friendships as children. In Who Will Be My Friends?, a children's story by author-artist Syd Hoff (most famous for the 1958 classic, Danny and the Dinosaur), young Freddy arrives in a new neighbourbood and looks for friends. "Who will be my friends?" he wonders. He asks the policeman, the mailman and the street cleaner. But they are too busy working. Unfazed, Freddy saunters over to the playground and asks the boys playing ball if they will be his friend. They ignore him and keep playing.
Only when Freddy starts playing cheerfully by himself -- throwing the ball high and catching it --do the other boys notice him and invite him to be their friend. There are many popular children's books today with a similar plot. In Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, a beautiful fish is shunned until he begins to give away his glittering scales to other fish. I recommend Little Smudge by Lionel Le Neouanic, where a lonely black "little smudge" sulks when colourful squares and circles reject his friendship; yet when he dazzles everyone with his shape-shifting talents, he makes friends. The message: You have to work at starting, and nurturing, a friendship.
THE RULES DON'T CHANGE
The same rules of friendship should apply online and off. A friendship is not the same as a series of client meetings in a downtown office. The spirit, if not the letter, of most professional ethical codes would suggest that "friending" a patient or client on Facebook is inappropriate. I consider it inappropriate since it can invite miscommunication, disappointment and expectations of favouritism.
One never knows whether one of your patients or clients might harbour resentment or disappointment or fear or vulnerability if the online friendship crumbles. This may happen innocently: It takes time, which few professionals have much of, to stay on top of email and social networking correspondence. And to your client or patient, that fragile online friendship may mean much more than it does to you.
Neil Seeman is a writer, and director and primary investigator of the Health Strategy Innovation Cell at Massey College at the University of Toronto. Originally published by Longwoods Publishing ( Longwoods.com)
Sunday, May 24, 2009
NOMINATE SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS WOMEN
RBC's Annual Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards is accepting nominations till June 29. I was nominated for 2003 and it was a tremendous honour to have a client think that highly about me and the work we do at unleash pr. So who do you know who is extraordinary -- a co-worker, business associate, friend, family member, client, supplier? Download a nomination form by clicking here completed.
ARTICLE OPPORTUNITY FOR BUSINESS WOMEN
WOMEN CAN DO ANYTHING accepts articles on the following topics: building wealth, health & wellness, internet marketing, and other business related topics. Send articles ideas and a writing sample to Tracy Matthewman Visit the WCDA website for writer's guidelines.
While you're there, list your business for free in THE DIRECTORY. The site ranks high in Google and receives hundreds of visitors each day.
While you're there, list your business for free in THE DIRECTORY. The site ranks high in Google and receives hundreds of visitors each day.
WINGS and HEROS has launched a new website - www.wingsandheros.com
The new site features a Forum, Marketplace, Profiles of Members, a Calendar of upcoming events. The next WINGS and HEROS meeting is Thursday, May 28, 2009 At 8:00 AM
in Thornhill. Contact Info: RSVP with Sharon 647-298-0112.
The new site features a Forum, Marketplace, Profiles of Members, a Calendar of upcoming events. The next WINGS and HEROS meeting is Thursday, May 28, 2009 At 8:00 AM
in Thornhill. Contact Info: RSVP with Sharon 647-298-0112.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
MAVEN BUSINESS NETWORK -- TORONTO is looking for experts... This is a new business networking group in Toronto. If you are an expert in your field and want to share your knowledge with others this group is accepting applications. You will meet with other experts in a non-competitive forum setting where you exchange knowledge. Full details are available at: http://www.womenspost.ca/mbn
Monday, February 23, 2009
PROSPECTING vs MARKETING DURING RECESSION
For the month of November 2008, the National Federation of Independent Business reported that the number one concern of small business owners is sales or lack of. Twenty-five percent of small business owners polled said poor sales was their main concern. This a 22-year high and is caused not by fear but by results.
Here are some suggestions on how to maintain and increase sales:
Prospect: Increase activities like business networking that get you in direct contact with your prospects. If you make any cuts to marketing dollars do so with marketing that attracts new buyers. Increase time and money for prospecting, though, which gets you face-to-face with people and turns them into business fast.
Increase market share: During a recession, many of your competitors fit into the 25 percent of small business owners who are concerned about sales. Many react by cutting back on prospecting and marketing activities. Knowing this you can capture market share from those willing to reconsider their current supplier.
Look for NOW sales: Flag people who may need your services sometime in the future. But spend your NOW time and money attracting and qualifying near-term buyers. Research how your prospects' needs may have shifted in the down market, and adjust your marketing messages to attract those who need you NOW.
HOW YOUR BUSINESS NETWORK CAN BE YOUR SOURCE OF HAPPINESS
Did you know that happiness is contagious? A recent study found when you surround yourself with happy people your happiness increases.
From 1983 to 2003, scientists from UC San Diego and Harvard University studied 4,739 people to identify happiness clusters within social groups. They found happiness flows through social networks up to three degrees of separation. Interesting, unhappiness does not spread through social networks to the same extent.
The researchers found distance and time influences happiness. When you becomes happy, a friend living within one mile has a 25 percent increased chance of becoming happy, your spouse an 8 percent increased chance, and a next door neighbor, 34 percent.
"But the real surprise came with indirect relationships. Again, while an individual becoming happy increases his friend’s chances, a friend of that friend experiences a nearly 10 percent chance of increased happiness, and a friend of *that* friend has a 5.6 percent increased chance—a three-degree cascade."
From 1983 to 2003, scientists from UC San Diego and Harvard University studied 4,739 people to identify happiness clusters within social groups. They found happiness flows through social networks up to three degrees of separation. Interesting, unhappiness does not spread through social networks to the same extent.
The researchers found distance and time influences happiness. When you becomes happy, a friend living within one mile has a 25 percent increased chance of becoming happy, your spouse an 8 percent increased chance, and a next door neighbor, 34 percent.
"But the real surprise came with indirect relationships. Again, while an individual becoming happy increases his friend’s chances, a friend of that friend experiences a nearly 10 percent chance of increased happiness, and a friend of *that* friend has a 5.6 percent increased chance—a three-degree cascade."
International Networking Day 2009 - Toronto
On Tues, Feb 3 it was International Networking Day 2009 - Toronto. And more than 250 small business owners and professionals gathered at Seneca Conference Centre for a day filled with learning, connections, and word-of-mouth referrals. You can view the expert speakers and more by CLICKING HERE
Monday, May 21, 2007
How to e-Mail Market
The e-Mail Marketing Campaign
You’ve got a list. You’ve written some great content. It’s designed and published. Before you click the send button, use this checklist to ensure you’re on target.
Are the sources of all e-mail addresses in your contact list apparent?
If you don't know where the contact information came from, how can you be sure that you have permission to market to the e-mail address? If your e-mail is reported as spam, you need to be able to defend yourself against accusations from federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
Does your list contain many duplicated e-mail addresses?
If so, you may be sending multiple messages to the same people, and destroying the trust and good will that e-mail marketing works so hard to build.
Are your messages CAN-SPAM and PIPEDA compliant?
If you are sending messages to US contacts, those messages must comply with the governing US legislation (CAN-SPAM). In Canada, your messages must comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). If you fail to do so, you risk the wrath of both federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
Do your messages look like advertising?
Traditional, one-to-may advertising is inappropriate in the one-to-one medium of e-Mail Marketing. e-Mail Marketing's purpose is to build on the initial relationship created when your prospects give you permission to market to them. Your e-mail messages should acknowledge this relationship and seek to build on it with each new communication.
Because people use the Internet to search out information actively, they tend to ignore what they perceive to be Marketing hype. Your e-mail messages should provide the information and references they are looking for, rather than pure advertising pitch.
Are your messages heavily laden with graphics?
If so, they might be causing your readers some frustration, or they might not even be getting through their spam filters. e-Mails that are constructed as one large image take more time to load than predominantly textual ones, which can be frustrating for the recipient. Since no text appears while the image is loading, your message may be reported as spam before the contact even sees it. Many spam filters, such as SpamAssassin, place a high spam score on e-mails that have a large image to text ratio. Therefore, the chance that the message will be trapped by a spam filter is increased.
In addition, text rendered in an image does not print as clearly as real text, and requires more memory.
Are your messages personally addressed?
Unlike traditional advertising, e-Mail Marketing is a one-to-one medium. The contact's Inbox is his or her private domain. Addressing contacts by name makes a message appear more personal, and contacts are less likely to report a message as spam if they believe there is a reason for them being on the list (i.e., if they are addressed personally, they will believe they must have subscribed at some point).
Take a free test drive of BetterMail.ca, a comprehensive, do-it-yourself e-marketing system. In addition to powerful e-mail sending capabilities and incredible ease of use, you get flexible site integration tools to make complex forms and surveys on your web site and in e-mails easily. Real time reporting, full customization and assurance that your e-mails are actually delivered through our relationships with major e-mail providers (AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) complete the solution to deliver e-mail marketing confidence and power.
You’ve got a list. You’ve written some great content. It’s designed and published. Before you click the send button, use this checklist to ensure you’re on target.
Are the sources of all e-mail addresses in your contact list apparent?
If you don't know where the contact information came from, how can you be sure that you have permission to market to the e-mail address? If your e-mail is reported as spam, you need to be able to defend yourself against accusations from federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
Does your list contain many duplicated e-mail addresses?
If so, you may be sending multiple messages to the same people, and destroying the trust and good will that e-mail marketing works so hard to build.
Are your messages CAN-SPAM and PIPEDA compliant?
If you are sending messages to US contacts, those messages must comply with the governing US legislation (CAN-SPAM). In Canada, your messages must comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). If you fail to do so, you risk the wrath of both federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
Do your messages look like advertising?
Traditional, one-to-may advertising is inappropriate in the one-to-one medium of e-Mail Marketing. e-Mail Marketing's purpose is to build on the initial relationship created when your prospects give you permission to market to them. Your e-mail messages should acknowledge this relationship and seek to build on it with each new communication.
Because people use the Internet to search out information actively, they tend to ignore what they perceive to be Marketing hype. Your e-mail messages should provide the information and references they are looking for, rather than pure advertising pitch.
Are your messages heavily laden with graphics?
If so, they might be causing your readers some frustration, or they might not even be getting through their spam filters. e-Mails that are constructed as one large image take more time to load than predominantly textual ones, which can be frustrating for the recipient. Since no text appears while the image is loading, your message may be reported as spam before the contact even sees it. Many spam filters, such as SpamAssassin, place a high spam score on e-mails that have a large image to text ratio. Therefore, the chance that the message will be trapped by a spam filter is increased.
In addition, text rendered in an image does not print as clearly as real text, and requires more memory.
Are your messages personally addressed?
Unlike traditional advertising, e-Mail Marketing is a one-to-one medium. The contact's Inbox is his or her private domain. Addressing contacts by name makes a message appear more personal, and contacts are less likely to report a message as spam if they believe there is a reason for them being on the list (i.e., if they are addressed personally, they will believe they must have subscribed at some point).
Take a free test drive of BetterMail.ca, a comprehensive, do-it-yourself e-marketing system. In addition to powerful e-mail sending capabilities and incredible ease of use, you get flexible site integration tools to make complex forms and surveys on your web site and in e-mails easily. Real time reporting, full customization and assurance that your e-mails are actually delivered through our relationships with major e-mail providers (AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) complete the solution to deliver e-mail marketing confidence and power.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
How to publish an e-Mail Campaign
PUBLISH YOUR E-MAIL CAMPAIGN
How do you publish an e-mail campaign that engages your prospects and pulls in sales?
You need two things: content and design.
CONTENT
Many business people don’t believe they are good writers or have anything important to say. For the first concern, you can hire a writer. For the second concern, you can do simple research and come up with great new ideas and produce a compelling e-newsletter.
1) Scour the Internet for ideas.
2) Ask your clients what matters most to them, what they read, and what topics they want to know more about.
3) Read relevant magazines to see what they are writing about.
Many believe educating their prospects will turn them into clients. Not so. In your e-newsletter you don’t have to do unpaid consulting. You must provide some good advice but just enough to tease them into wanting to know more. Teach them something new but don’t try and teach them everything. Be brief.
Here are some ideas to get you started on content:
· Articles on a topical item
· News
· Tips
· Best practices
· Regulations
· Links to articles
· Links to resources
DESIGN
You’ve got great content, now you need to package it with a great look. Should you, your web designer or an outside professional be creating your e-mails? Should you use e-mail templates? The answer depends on your budget.
BetterMail.ca is a comprehensive, do-it-yourself e-marketing solution. In addition to powerful e-mail sending capabilities and incredible ease of use, you get flexible site integration tools to make complex forms and surveys on your web site and in e-mails easily. Real time reporting, full customization and assurance that your e-mails are actually delivered through our relationships with major e-mail providers (AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) complete the solution to deliver e-mail marketing confidence and power.
How do you publish an e-mail campaign that engages your prospects and pulls in sales?
You need two things: content and design.
CONTENT
Many business people don’t believe they are good writers or have anything important to say. For the first concern, you can hire a writer. For the second concern, you can do simple research and come up with great new ideas and produce a compelling e-newsletter.
1) Scour the Internet for ideas.
2) Ask your clients what matters most to them, what they read, and what topics they want to know more about.
3) Read relevant magazines to see what they are writing about.
Many believe educating their prospects will turn them into clients. Not so. In your e-newsletter you don’t have to do unpaid consulting. You must provide some good advice but just enough to tease them into wanting to know more. Teach them something new but don’t try and teach them everything. Be brief.
Here are some ideas to get you started on content:
· Articles on a topical item
· News
· Tips
· Best practices
· Regulations
· Links to articles
· Links to resources
DESIGN
You’ve got great content, now you need to package it with a great look. Should you, your web designer or an outside professional be creating your e-mails? Should you use e-mail templates? The answer depends on your budget.
BetterMail.ca is a comprehensive, do-it-yourself e-marketing solution. In addition to powerful e-mail sending capabilities and incredible ease of use, you get flexible site integration tools to make complex forms and surveys on your web site and in e-mails easily. Real time reporting, full customization and assurance that your e-mails are actually delivered through our relationships with major e-mail providers (AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) complete the solution to deliver e-mail marketing confidence and power.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
CANADA: SPEAKER SEARCH
Speaker's Gold is looking for 3 of the most talented speakers to speak at its client appreciation event in October IN FRONT OF MEETING PLANNERS AND CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS.
TALENT SEARCH
DATE: June 21
TIME: 7 - 9 pm
LOCATION: Trinity St Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St W
CRITERIA:
1) No more than 10 paid speaking engagements (+$1,000) in past 12 months
2) Deliver a 3-minute motivational speech
3) 2 referrences/ testimonials
4) DVD or video is optional
Register at Speaker's Gold or call 416-532-9886
TALENT SEARCH
DATE: June 21
TIME: 7 - 9 pm
LOCATION: Trinity St Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St W
CRITERIA:
1) No more than 10 paid speaking engagements (+$1,000) in past 12 months
2) Deliver a 3-minute motivational speech
3) 2 referrences/ testimonials
4) DVD or video is optional
Register at Speaker's Gold or call 416-532-9886
Monday, May 7, 2007
Developing Your e-Mail Marketing Contact List
Developing Your e-Mail Marketing Contact List
What’s the best way to grow your e-mail contact list? If you attend business networking events, with all those business cards being handed out that’s probably the perfect place to get e-mail addresses, right?
Maybe. For your e-mail marketing message to work, it must be wanted. So “yes” you may add new contacts to your list but ONLY IF THEY FIRST GIVE YOU PERMISSION.
For e-mail marketing to work, it must be permission based.
How do you get permission?
The key to successful networking is to have a meaningful discussion about how each of you can help one another. Keep in mind, your e-mails may be a way you can help someone so ask if they would like to subscribe.
Whenever you receive a business card, ask permission to jot down some quick notes so when you get back to your office you remember what to do.
Back at the office, go through the cards and add new subscribers manually.
Here are some other great ways to add people to your lists:
1) For your first email, it’s acceptable to send out your e-mail to your existing contacts with a permission notice on top: "You received this e-mail because you're an associate of ABC Business. To unsubscribe, click here."
2) Call prospects lists and ask permission to add them to your list.
3) Automate the sign up process through your web site. e-Mail services make it easy to set this up on your web site.
Your e-mail list is gold.
To reach the full potential of e-mail marketing, you need to take good care of your list:
· Keep it up to date
· Ensure you have permission to send emails
· Grow your list
· Comply with Internet Marketing best practices
BetterMail.ca is a comprehensive, do-it-yourself e-marketing solution. In addition to powerful e-mail sending capabilities and incredible ease of use, you get flexible site integration tools to make complex forms and surveys on your web site and in e-mails easily. Real time reporting, full customization and assurance that your e-mails are actually delivered through our relationships with major e-mail providers (AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) complete the solution to deliver e-mail marketing confidence and power.
What’s the best way to grow your e-mail contact list? If you attend business networking events, with all those business cards being handed out that’s probably the perfect place to get e-mail addresses, right?
Maybe. For your e-mail marketing message to work, it must be wanted. So “yes” you may add new contacts to your list but ONLY IF THEY FIRST GIVE YOU PERMISSION.
For e-mail marketing to work, it must be permission based.
How do you get permission?
The key to successful networking is to have a meaningful discussion about how each of you can help one another. Keep in mind, your e-mails may be a way you can help someone so ask if they would like to subscribe.
Whenever you receive a business card, ask permission to jot down some quick notes so when you get back to your office you remember what to do.
Back at the office, go through the cards and add new subscribers manually.
Here are some other great ways to add people to your lists:
1) For your first email, it’s acceptable to send out your e-mail to your existing contacts with a permission notice on top: "You received this e-mail because you're an associate of ABC Business. To unsubscribe, click here."
2) Call prospects lists and ask permission to add them to your list.
3) Automate the sign up process through your web site. e-Mail services make it easy to set this up on your web site.
Your e-mail list is gold.
To reach the full potential of e-mail marketing, you need to take good care of your list:
· Keep it up to date
· Ensure you have permission to send emails
· Grow your list
· Comply with Internet Marketing best practices
BetterMail.ca is a comprehensive, do-it-yourself e-marketing solution. In addition to powerful e-mail sending capabilities and incredible ease of use, you get flexible site integration tools to make complex forms and surveys on your web site and in e-mails easily. Real time reporting, full customization and assurance that your e-mails are actually delivered through our relationships with major e-mail providers (AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) complete the solution to deliver e-mail marketing confidence and power.
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