Is it even worth having a successful business in Ireland?

anbrutog

Peterdalkey wrote: »

but no SME or even MNC has that amount of INTERESTING news or advice.

You know this for a fact, do you?

Peter . we live in a world of almost 7 billion people.
I dunno if you've noticed, but theres a lot of stuff going on out there.

There is no end of things for me to talk about in my daily emails.

I talk about politics , religion, my cat , the weather , GAA , anything and everything I can think of and tie it to my services.

There's no end of things to discuss, so long you make it interesting and relevant to your readers.

Note the last two underlined words. They'll distinguish it from 'High Quality Spam S**te' to stuff they actually want to read about.

Peterdalkey

anbrutog wrote: »

You know this for a fact, do you?

I guess all the clients I've managed to get through list building have just been figments of my imagination.

Ah well. I suppose I should just go back to being 'engaging' on Facebook and building my brand..

If I had what you claim to have, I would too.

anbrutog

Peterdalkey wrote: »

If I had what you claim to have, I would too.

Strange that I'm having to go to such lengths to defend something which in the rest of the world ( especially the States ) is such common practice.

Guess we've a long way to go here.

Peterdalkey

anbrutog wrote: »

Strange that I'm having to go to such lengths to defend something which in the rest of the world ( especially the States ) is such common practice.

Guess we've a long way to go here.

Just over 3000 miles!

seosamh1980

I would dislike a business immediately if they emailed me 3-5 times a week. Just like the friend on facebook who posts too many statuses in a week, doesn't take long to get sick of it.

anbrutog

seosamh1980 wrote: »

I would dislike a business immediately if they emailed me 3-5 times a week. Just like the friend on facebook who posts too many statuses in a week, doesn't take long to get sick of it.

Would you dislike a business who emailed you three to five times a week with information that was relevant and interesting to you , things that you wanted to hear about?

As opposed to nonsensical warblings on Facebook?

Therein lies the distinction that seems to evading most people.

seosamh1980

anbrutog wrote: »

Would you dislike a business who emailed you three to five times a week with information that was relevant and interesting to you , things that you wanted to hear about?

As opposed to nonsensical warblings on Facebook?

Therein lies the distinction that seems to evading most people.

Yes, I would. Nothing could be relevant and interesting enough that would require 3-5 separate emails. If I get more than one email every fortnight I unsubscribe from newsletters, quality not quantity is what I prefer, 3-5 a week goes in the nonsensical ramblings list regardless of content, because if I'm getting that many I would consider it spam. Forget about private profiles on facebook, business pages that post more than 2-3 times a week bother me just as much, as for ones that post 3+ times a day, instantly unliked.

anbrutog

seosamh1980 wrote: »

Yes, I would. Nothing could be relevant and interesting enough that would require 3-5 separate emails. If I get more than one email every fortnight I unsubscribe from newsletters, quality not quantity is what I prefer, 3-5 a week goes in the nonsensical ramblings list regardless of content, because if I'm getting that many I would consider it spam. Forget about private profiles on facebook, business pages that post more than 2-3 times a week bother me just as much, as for ones that post 3+ times a day, instantly unliked.

All depends on whats being said.
Believe me people will listen if its interesting to them.
Note the underlined word.

Will every last one? Of course not, and you're testament to that fact.

It's a numbers game. Its a bit like saying direct mail doesn't work as a marketing tool because you sent out 10 sales letters and got no replies.
Send out a thousand with a message that's of interest to a carefully chosen target market however, and it will be a different story.

Make your emails relevant and something they would want to read and enough people will open your emails, and respond positively.

Anyways, Ive said all I can say on the subject.

I would ask that people open to their mind to it, and do some research before deciding that it definitely doesn't work.

businessdit

anbrutog wrote: »

I talk about ......, ......, my cat, anything and everything I can think of and tie it to my services..

anbrutog wrote: »

...stuff they actually want to read about.

anbrutog wrote: »

so long you make it interesting and relevant to your readers.

Who wants to read about your cat..? I cant see how this is in any way interesting and relevant to your readers...

I look forward to receiving the emails anyway. Lets see how long I last!

anbrutog

businessdit wrote: »

Who wants to read about your cat..? I cant see how this is in any way interesting and relevant to your readers...

I look forward to receiving the emails anyway. Lets see how long I last!

Jesus H ...its an example.
In fact ,I've probably only mentioned the little fecker once in passing come to think of it.

It could be anything at all.

Take your pick.

Anything but the dry , boring , corporate nonsense you see peddled from big companies in their emails.

Just trying to prove the point you can take anything whatsover , deliver it in an entertaining and interesting way and tie it into the product or service you sell. It takes imagination but that's the gist..

Do you see what I'm getting at?

Guys, like I said there's a whole world of interesting stuff happening out there that you can use to market yourself.
The possibilities are endless.

Go forth and use your imagination.

jetsonx

Peterdalkey wrote: »

but no SME or even MNC has that amount of INTERESTING news or advice.

It does not have to be interesting news from an SME or MNC specifically. Along as your email informs, entertains and is relevant; that is the key.

Take Frank Rumbauskas, for example, he writes about sales. He does an email shot about once every 3-4 weeks. Almost everyone of his emails has a unique and interesting perspective on sales that gets me thinking "That is what I always thought at the back of my mind but never heard expressed in writing before" OR his emails will simply get me thinking "I never thought of it that way". His advice is down-to-earth, sometimes counter-intuitive and sometimes just entertaining. I have yet to unsubscribe.

So, here we have it. Somebody writing about one of the oldest professions in the world and is able to do it in a fresh and interesting way. AFAIK, his mailing list is huge and unsubscribe rate is low.

Big corporates and badly marketed SMEs give email marketing a very bad name sending out sales-driven dross.

As Anbrutog says, you just have to use your imagination.

anbrutog

jetsonx wrote: »

It does not have to be interesting news from an SME or MNC specifically. Along as your email informs, entertains and is relevant; that is the key.

Take Frank Rumbauskas, for example, he writes about sales. He does an email shot about once every 3-4 weeks. Almost everyone of his emails has a unique and interesting perspective on sales that gets me thinking "That is what I always thought at the back of my mind but never heard expressed in writing before" OR his emails will simply get me thinking "I never thought of it that way". His advice is down-to-earth, sometimes counter-intuitive and sometimes just entertaining. I have yet to unsubscribe.

So, here we have it. Somebody writing about one of the oldest professions in the world and is able to do it in a fresh and interesting way. AFAIK, his mailing list is huge and unsubscribe rate is low.

Big corporates and badly marketed SMEs give email marketing a very bad name sending out sales-driven dross.

As Anbrutog says, you just have to use your imagination.

Spot on.

Seth Godin is a great example of someone who emails daily yet always has something on point to deliver.

Yet no body considers him a spammer.

I wonder why?

jetsonx

Exactly, Seth Godin informs and entertains.

You never find Seth Godin emailing you a special offer on one of his books. Never.

Cianos

How sure are you that you're getting the response you think you are? An opened email doesn't mean that the mail is read, it could just mean they opened it to delete it (like I do on my phone) or their email client opens it by default.

If you're getting definite results from it then fair play. I personally don't like newsletters but I'm sure plenty of people out there are happy to read through a regular mail that they find entertaining.

I'd just encourage you to confirm for 100% certainty that you're getting the response you think you are, from as many people that you think you are.

anbrutog

Cianos wrote: »

How sure are you that you're getting the response you think you are? An opened email doesn't mean that the mail is read, it could just mean they opened it to delete it (like I do on my phone) or their email client opens it by default.

If you're getting definite results from it then fair play. I personally don't like newsletters but I'm sure plenty of people out there are happy to read through a regular mail that they find entertaining.

I'd just encourage you to confirm for 100% certainty that you're getting the response you think you are, from as many people that you think you are.

Very simple really.

The number of emails from people telling me they like what I write, and the number of clients I get via my list.

jetsonx

Cianos wrote: »

I'd just encourage you to confirm for 100% certainty that you're getting the response you think you are, from as many people that you think you are.

I hate this sort of short-term quick-win thinking.

Good marketing is a slow burn process. Nobody will ever know whether something like a newsletter converts immediately. The point is the person is already in your sales funnel.

If you send out a newsletter for candlesticks, for example, they might not need candlesticks...but when they do actually need them, your business will be top of their mind. They will most likely pick you because they feel they have an affinity for your business. There will even be cases where a consumer picks brand X because they have seen it mentioned somewhere before. Therefore, they choose your brand subconsciously.

Well managed brands like Lexus and Nespresso know how this process works.

Atomico

It's interesting as I only just signed up for a new newsletter this week, so far I have gotten three emails and I am enjoying them mainly because:

-I have a keen interest in the area (obviously).
-The emails are informal and while you can see the sales angle, it's not overly 'salesy'.
-They make you think and present information in an interesting way. It's not the same old stuff you see people going on about all the time. The mails strike the right tone and can be witty.
-There is a conversational tone and a casual feel, but the info is still good.

Email marketing can be hugely effective. If you build up a significant list and get a good response in terms of leads / inquiries / sales, then you can be sure you're doing something right. So I think the key takeaways are:

-Be interesting and informal.
-Use a conversational tone.
-Present solid info in an interesting way and inject it with some wit, and maybe some 'quirky' elements.

anbrutog

jetsonx wrote: »

I hate this sort of short-term quick-win thinking.

Good marketing is a slow burn process. Nobody will ever know whether something like a newsletter converts immediately. The point is the person is already in your sales funnel.

If you send out a newsletter for candlesticks, for example, they might not need candlesticks...but when they do actually need them, your business will be top of their mind. They will most likely pick you because they feel they have an affinity for your business. There will even be cases where a consumer picks brand X because they have seen it mentioned somewhere before. Therefore, they choose your brand subconsciously.

Well managed brands like Lexus and Nespresso know how this process works.

That's exactly what I'm trying to achieve.

To use an analogy, I'm in the business of building long term relationships, not a load of random one night stands.

Unfortunately most businesses don't make this distinction and never take the time to construct sales funnels that bring them leads over a long period of time, and as such they're constantly out there trying to get business using all sorts of woefully ineffective marketing media.

If you develop robust sales funnels and from them create solid relationships with these generated leads, you will be at that top of your mind when they do eventually need to buy the product you sell, as Jetsonx has so rightly pointed out.

Atomico

jetsonx wrote: »

If you send out a newsletter for candlesticks, for example, they might not need candlesticks...but when they do actually need them, your business will be top of their mind. They will most likely pick you because they feel they have an affinity for your business. There will even be cases where a consumer picks brand X because they have seen it mentioned somewhere before. Therefore, they choose your brand subconsciously.

Well managed brands like Lexus and Nespresso know how this process works.

This is so true, actually if I was buying a coffee machine it would probably be a Nespresso - I don't even know of any other brands!

The whole point is to build a positive relationship over time with those who are likely to need / want your products or services. If that relationship is there, when they need your services, how likely is it that they will choose a random competitor they don't really know, over you?

jetsonx

anbrutog wrote: »

Unfortunately most businesses don't make this distinction and never take the time to construct sales funnels that bring them leads over a long period of time, and as such they're constantly out there trying to get business using all sorts of woefully ineffective marketing media.

And these are the very business owners you will find interviewed on newspapers and radio grumbling about how bad the economy is. (Yes, the economy is bad, but have you noticed the amount of 2013 registered cars on the road?...hey guess what...people are still buying)

If you go into these businesses their marketing is, as you have rightfully pointed out, woeful. Most of it is ad-hoc. None of it is systematic. Most don't even know the meaning of term "sales funnel". Possibly, the most tragic thing of all is you have the owner of the business who are still clinging on to the very conceited notion that most of their business comes word-of-mouth. Word-of-mouth is great but it is never enough to sustain a viable business (that is not reliant on crony capitalism). Hence, these are the very business owners who will be twiddling their thumbs moaning and doing interviews in the media when they should really working on building effective and systematic marketing processes.