Positive Reinforcement Through E-mail

Email. It’s such a simple tool, yet many folks don’t seem to get how to use it. They’re either abusing it or under-utilizing it. Yet as an Internet marketer, it’s the one tool I could not live without, particularly for grassroots marketing efforts. You can get so far and accomplish so much if only you know how to grasp some fundamental concepts of marketing through email, so how about reviewing them now.

Courtesy

Ok. This might seem like a common sense piece of advice, but simple courtesy goes a LONG way when it comes to email. By courtesy, I don’t only mean how you respond. I mean how timely you respond, that you respond at all, that you remember to use words like “please” and “thank you,” and that you NEVER, EVER take advantage of knowing someone’s email address by sending them useless pieces of email.

And for all of you reading this who commonly forward on email jokes and anecdotes, I beg you: use the BCC (blind copy) function of your email program and don’t forward on an entire email that shows 12 previous forwards before you get to the body text! Not only do open addresses (choosing “To” instead of “BCC”) make all recipients prey to email harvesting programs which can then be used to spam, but multi-forwarded emails also make finding and reading the joke next to impossible, and quite frankly, downright annoying instead of fun. My advice is that instead of forwarding everything under the sun onto your nearest and dearest friends, ask them first if they even want to receive such tidbits. One man’s frolic is another man’s junk, if you know what I mean!

Networking Opportunities

Email is one of the most effective networking tools around. How you ask? Start with the obvious: use in-person interactions to help build your online ones. Follow up with meetings with a pleasant and quick email message, thanking the individual for his or her time. Then, when appropriate, email them from time to time with business leads, helpful information, or simply some news you think they might appreciate hearing.

You can do the same for folks you meet online. Email them back to find out more about them. If you have the capability, note this information in your email address book so you refer to it at a later date. Essentially, what you can think of this as doing is building up your own private database of resources (or the electronic version of that old-fashioned, treasured Rolodex) to which you can turn when you’re in need of information, a contact, some help, or just to say a friendly, “Hello, it’s been a while!”

Finally, you don’t have to know someone to email them. There’s no harm in contacting someone new to either introduce yourself, comment about something they did or said, or just to say, “Hey, I think we’ve got some synergy here.” It doesn’t work all of the time, but you’ll be surprised by the response you get.

Regardless, don’t forget to incorporate an email signature file. This is standard text, sort of like a “mini-billboard,” that appears at the bottom of every email you send out. Use this signature file to reinforce your credibility by telling your email recipients more about your company and your services without being too brazen or obtrusive. Most popular email programs today now allow you to automatically attach a signature file, so be sure to utilize this feature.

Give and You Shall Receive

The Internet was originally built so that organizations could easily share information, and I’m a firm believer in perpetuating that philosophy, even though the Internet has morphed from its original form. The more you help others, by answering questions, solving problems, contributing feedback - whatever — the more you’re actually helping yourself and your company. Although this kind of involvement can take up a good deal of time, the rewards for your company in terms of visibility and credibility can make this time investment extremely worthwhile.

How can you get started? To begin with, try participating in email discussion lists, forums, newsgroups, and the like. Identify those that you can relate to, and therefore feel comfortable answering questions or asking for help. Through this participation, you will “meet” individuals, and these individuals can also become part of your electronic Rolodex. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met this way and how important they’ve become to my business.

You can also help by volunteering your time as an online expert?and you don’t have to be an expert on the Internet to do this. Through sites such as AllExperts.com, Exp.com, or AskanExpert.com, you can select a category that matches your area of expertise and then, usually through email, answer questions posed to you.

Spread the Word through Words

Next to a personal recommendation, there’s hardly anything more effective than the written word, and using email to transmit your words is both powerful and effective.

As an example, you can use email to send letters to the editor of a publication, concurring with or opposing information they published. You can send email pitches to the press to try to generate a story about your company. You can write your own articles and market them via email. There are even sites, like iSyndicate.com or WritersMarkets.com, that can help you market and syndicate your writing.

Online Media Relations

Above I mentioned that you could use email to pitch a story to the press. Email can also be used to conduct full-fledged media relations, provided, that is, that the media contact is comfortable with this kind of dialogue. The last thing you want to do is to make an enemy of editors or reporters by improperly sending them email.

Sometimes I start by emailing a writer about a story s/he wrote that I read. I either give feedback or offer up an idea for a related story. When writing a journalist or an editor, I try to be even more diligent with my grammar and spelling - if you want to be taken seriously, after all.

If the author writes back, I engage them in a brief email dialogue - I try to be as conscious of his time constraints as possible. I probe to ask if he would not mind being added to my contact list and what is his preferred method of contact. If it’s email, I know that when it’s appropriate, I can then send him an email with a pitch or press release.

The really neat thing about using email as a media relations tool is that it’s fast, efficient, and makes tracking and follow-up easier than other traditional methods. As with all media relations, when you work well with them, you build mutual trust and respect, and you’re even more likely to generate a response and positive publicity. It’s truly a two-way street.

Don’t Abuse a Good Thing

Email can be one of the greatest tools to when used properly. Think of email as an extension of yourself, your salesforce, and your company at large — you’ll want each and every one that goes out to be something of which you can be proud. But if you abuse the system, you can lose the trust and appeal of personal relationships you’ve worked so hard to develop. Don’t risk a good thing — keep the momentum positive.

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