This is the third tip of our 5 part series - 5 ways to be successful online. Before we get into it, if you have any questions, please let us know - I'm sure we can be of assistance. Without further ado, let's get into the next of 5 things you should be doing to be successful online: staying in touch with your customers.

Keep In Touch!

In our previous tip we discussed how and why you should be building your customer database - because your current customers are a fertile source for recurring revenues and for spreading the word about your products.

One of the most effective ways to drive customers back to your website and keep them in the loop with your latest news is email marketing. Email marketing involves sending an email to your customer database, or a group of customers in your database. Remember this isn't like spam in the slightest - you only send to customers who have given you permission, and you're sending them useful information they actually want to receive!

 

But... What Do I Write?

Figuring out what to write in your emails to everyone is the hardest part. It needs to follow the golden rules of content: Be relevant, Be useful. Here's 4 tips to help you work out what to write.

1. A Newsletter? Every business can write a newsletter. It doesn't have to be a monthly newsletter, it can be bi-monthly or quarterly, but every business has news and information, promotions and announcements that can fill up a newsletter. And keep your customers in the loop.
2. Tips and Advice are very well received and happily read by your customers. If you are a service based business, such as an accountancy or lawyer this is probably the most suitable newsletter to run. That said, nearly every business has advice they can impart!
3. Promotions and Special Offers are another type of email well received by your customers. These don't need to be scheduled or regular, so you can send them whenever you have a special offer or promotion running. They suit online stores incredibly well.
4. Special announcements are another cause for an email campaign. Do you have some news that your customers would be interested in? If your announcements or interesting news aren't regular enough for a newsletter, there's no reason you can't send once off campaigns when they come up.
   
   

I hope you've found this tip useful! Next look out for tip #4: "Be Search Engine Friendly"