Have you ever asked yourself, does the time of day matter when sending out an email campaign? Or even the day of the week? You were right to ask, because apparently it does. When I was researching this issue for myself, I came across some pretty helpful information, which ultimately changed my behaviors as far as email marketing. I want to share them with you.
People's routines drive these stats, which I found extremely interesting. When are people really focused on email? Mornings between 8am and 9am for opens and click-throughs. This is when people are just getting into work and settling in for their day. Afternoons 3pm to 8pm for opens & 3pm to 4pm for click-throughs. This is the after lunch time, when people are getting back into their afternoon routine. Almost 40% of all messages are sent between 6am and noon, creating inbox clutter. This is where your message can get lost. 23.63% of all email opens occur within the first hour after delivery. The results drop by half within the second hour after delivery. Within the 3rd hour, they drop another 30%. 5 hours after delivery, the results drop more than 90%. So you want to send your email to arrive at the recipients desk no later than 1 hour before top open times. Which are morning 8am to 9am and early afternoon 3pm to 4pm. Most emails are in your inbox in the morning, so the ones that get sent in the afternoon have more of a chance at being noticed, opened and clicked. Now, what day of the week for best effectiveness? Only Monday to Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are no go. You will not get the most out of your campaign. Other facts: 5:00 pm, most people are on their way home 6:00 pm, most people are eating 7:00 pm, most people are bathing children 8:00 pm, people to start reading email again So, don't send an email on Friday at 5pm. No one will hear it :)
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I want to share an event coming up. Come join us in a relaxed, casual environment and talk about your business. The event will be held at Downtown Melbourne's Debauchery, on November 7, 2012 from 5pm to 8pm. You can visit www.brevardconnections.com to learn more or to participate and promote your own venture. We look forward to seeing you there. The benefits of networking are huge. There is no better return on investment than a face to face meeting and exchange of information. You may give your card to someone that does not need your services, but they may meeting someone that does. They will then forward your card/info. Networking does not mean you have to sign up with a group, although it does help. Networking is keeping your eyes and ears open to whats going on around you and meeting as many people as you can. Think the girl at the cash register is just a cashier? Well, she might be in college right now and will need your services in the future or she might have a boyfriend that owns a sign company. Keep your mind and ears open. And connect others when you see a fit. They will return the favor. Know your competition
Something people seem to overlook is their business' competition. It's easy to get caught up in your own business, let alone try to figure out what's going on with your competition. The importance of knowing where your competition stands effects so many aspects of business. You want to know exactly what you're up against and how to gain your share of the market. How do you get the information? You talk to people and ask questions. You physically go to see your competition. You take a look at their website and other pages to see how they represent themselves. Know your market Every market has a different personality. In order to really understand your market, you have to not only participate in it, you have to understand buyer's behaviors in your market. Why and when do people buy? Is it price, is it service, is it selection? All important questions that you need to know in order to succeed in that market. Know your strengths/weaknesses Once you know the competition's weaknesses, you'll be able to find your strengths. Also, a great way to find your strengths is by talking to your existing customers. They will tell you why they do business with you. They want to. And they like to give feedback. You also need to know your weaknesses, because you'll want to try to eliminate those altogether. Those are good though, because they give you goals and things for your to do list. Here is an example of using your strengths (true story) . There is a new company offering IT services. Their competition is a big box store that has a similar service. The big box charges twice as much as the new company. The big box store has the dollars to market the service better than the new IT business, however, they are charging retail prices. The new business will use this to their advantage. With advertising that starts with "Don't pay retail for IT." They are able to offer better service with more offerings for a much smaller price. That is the big store's weakness, price. Basically, you are spotting a weakness and using it to your benefit by highlighting your strength. Other aspects that have just as much importance are quality merchandise, better service, selection, even turnaround times. Everyone who starts a business should know the value of a ribbon cutting. It's an opportunity that should be relished and fertilized so it will make your business grow. It is an occasion that you actually get to talk one on one with people. There is not better platform to talk about your business.
There are a few things to think about when preparing for one. Below is some basic information for how to prepare and what to do to make it a success. 1. Give yourself plenty of time to promote it. The suggestion is 6 to 8 weeks out. This will give you plenty of time to have stuff printed and organized for your event. 2. Scheduling can determine how many people actually show up. Try to schedule your event Monday through Friday and right at the end of the day. That way people can hit it on the way home from work. Also check your local city schedules and the local chamber groups to see if there are any other events scheduled on that day. You don't want to schedule your event in conflict with another event. 3. Happy Hour is always an attractive after work offer. Many people like wine or beer after work and what there is no better way to get people to stay a little longer. Also, it's called "happy" hour for a reason and you want your business to be associated with "happy." There are some exceptions. There are some businesses that would show bad etiquette for serving alcohol, so use your best judgement. 4. Food. Have food, any kind of food. Small bites, sandwiches, a dish or snacks. It doesn't matter. People want to eat with their happy hour. 5. Invite everyone & know who's there. Invite your friends, family, co-workers, competition, all the businesses around you, people you know, people you don't know....invite everyone. This is an event that will be more successful with more participants. Make sure you have a sign in sheet so that you know who attended. After the ribbon cutting you will want to thank everyone for coming. 6. Have giveaways. People want to be entertained. Give them something they can talk about. Give away something you offer. Have other businesses give away stuff so that they also get exposure. Partner with a non-profit and do a 50/50 raffle. 7. Have helpers. Make sure when you are inviting people you have you key spots filled. Who's going to bartend, who's going to handle the 50/50 drawing, who's going to make sure the food in replenished. Your job is to get to know everyone in a one on one environment. Don't waste it by not being available because you have to get more wine. 8. Make your business clear. Make sure you have signage and that people know what the name of your business is. Have samples of what you do or a way of presenting what you do. 9. Take pictures. Have someone take a few pictures. Make notes of who are in the pictures. That way when you send in your press release, you have pictures to accompany it. The articles submitted for publishing with pictures have more of a chance to get published than stories without. 10. Market your event. You can advertise your ribbon cutting in a print ad or on the radio. Also, print invitations and give them to everyone. People will only know to show up if you invite them. My business is dependent on other businesses to survive. And although there are many organizations in which to join to meet other business owners, your Local Chamber is one of the best. It depends on who runs it, how organized it may be and how many members are participating.
Most Chambers offer quite a lot of opportunities to meet other members. There are usually after hours mixers, leads groups, business development programs, breakfasts, and several other networking and advertising opportunities. But as a member it is up to you to participate. The more you participate, the more you'll get out of it. The Chamber will not only allow promotion through social networking, but it will give you a sense of the community and how people respond in your community. It is hard to know exactly who your customers are if you don't get out there and meet them. I was lucky, Digital Ink is located in the beautiful Melbourne, FL. Our Chamber here http://www.melbourneregionalchamber.com has a large membership and ample opportunities for business owners and leaders to share information. Chamber dues are relatively inexpensive. They have different levels, based on the size of your business. Which is great, for small business owners to really take advantage of what The Chamber has to offer. If there's one thing I've noticed lately, it's the lack of customer service. Something so simple, as being polite and courteous has become such a burden. Is it the fact that business has been so bad for so long that people are becoming complacent. I don't know what has caused the lack, but it needs to change. And if you own a business, you can take advantage of that and run with it. New customers cost 10 times more to acquire than keeping your current customers. So keep em. And be courteous to anyone that calls, even wrong numbers. You never know who your next customer will be.
I've put together a small list of ways to keep and acquire new customers through service. 1. Positive upbeat energy. If you answer your phone with a smile, the person on the other end will know. They will immediately be placed in a more positive state of mind. 2. Sense of urgency. Make sure when a customer calls to ask a question or to get information, make sure you understand that the faster you get the information into their mind, the more they will know that you care about their business. If you let your customer go for a few days and not get back with them, they will definitely already have someone else in mind to do the job. You cannot take your time these days to stay competitive. And it doesn't matter what you do, whether it's real estate or cashier, there are other people out there who will care about their needs. And you want to be that person. Your customer wants to feel that he is your only customer. So do your best to do so. 3. Listen & Follow-up. Listen and answer questions. Listening is the best way to get to know your customer. If you're too busy telling them what they need without listening to what they want, you have failed. And whatever you do, don't leave your customers hanging. They probably need the information to complete their project. Get them the information requested and in a timely manner. 4. Empathy. Most of the time when customers complain, they actually have something to complain about. And as a business owner, that is sometimes the most valuable information you can get. What you want to do is listen to their concern. You want to put yourself into their shoes and see what you would want to happen should the positions be reversed. Usually you will find a good compromise that will keep them as a customer. Make sure they know you understand how they feel. 9 times out of 10, they want someone to listen to the complaint so it can be avoided in the future. One of the best books I've seen on customer service is Customer Service For Dummies, Third Edition Karen Leland and Keith Bailey It can be purchased at the address below and is great for training others http://www.dummies.com/store/product/Customer-Service-For-Dummies-3rd-Edition.productCd-0471768693.html Networking is a very important part of getting your business going. One of the best ways to maximize your network is to volunteer. Not only is it the right thing to do, but people who belong to organizations look out for one another. It's a congregation of people who actually care about other people.
Right now is a great time. 'Tis the season for volunteering. But, don't make it a seasonal thing. Make sure you really get involved. Just paying yearly dues will not work. You have to actually get out and talk to those folks and spend time together. And what better way to do it than to help others. If you're a business genius and can help other people with their businesses, then maybe you should belong to the chamber of commerce in your area or an organization to help small businesses. There are many different types of charitable organizations for human services, environmental services, animal, arts, culture, religious, educational, the list goes on. Volunteer. It's good business. One of the most important parts of a business is gathering your customers contact information. The more you know about your customers, the easier it will be to provide them with a product or service they need when they need it. No matter how small your business is, gather the information. Gather it any way you can. It should be entered into a database and used regularly.
Even if you're a small boutique retail business, use creative ways to gather the information. A drawing for a gift certificate or other item is a wonderful way to get it. If you your customers are engaged in a questionaire you should take full advantage to get additional information you have always wanted to ask. It's important to know exactly where your customers live, work, lifestyle, etc. The more information you know about your customers, the easier it is to communicate with them. The basic information you want is: name address phone With this little bit of information, you will immediately know where most of your customers live, be able to do a direct mailing to them. You will be able to call specific customers when new product arrives. And finally an email marketing campaign with photos and a special offer that will remind them why they love doing business with you. Sure you can purchase lists. But the lists are not your customers. Having your customers information is more like having the true essence of your business. That is a concentrated list of people that already trust your business. People like to use a business they trust. |
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