From the Desk of Janet Barclay

Email has really taken over as the #1 form of communication, to the point where it’s rare to receive anything significant by mail. As a result, when you do, it really stands out. That’s the principle behind companies like SendOutCards and Client Connections. And I have to admit that I love it when something unexpected shows up in my mailbox. Like a couple of weeks ago, I was puzzled to receive a large envelope from EzineArticles.com, but my confusion turned to delight when I opened it to find a mousepad with "Ezine Articles Expert Author" on it. That made me feel really good! (Now I just need a mouse to go with it.)

On the other hand, email is so easy and so affordable, that some people really abuse it. I recently heard through one of my online groups that a certain marketing expert was going to be offering her very last free teleclasses this week. I had heard of this person many times so I thought I should take advantage of this opportunity, and signed up for the teleclass. As expected, I received an email confirming my registration. That was fine. I also received a newsletter and a "special announcement", which was not fine, but I thought I’d better wait until after the teleclasses to remove myself from her mailing list to make sure I received the link to the recordings. Over the past week I have received at least 8 emails from her, including three "courtesy" messages reminding me about the call being "tomorrow," "today," and "in a few hours" PLUS a voicemail reminder. I haven’t looked up "courtesy" in the dictionary lately, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t mean the same as "harassment." This experience has made me question the value of the information being offered – is this the way she recommends people market their services? No thank you! And I will definitely not be purchasing or recommending any of her products or services either.

One last comment, before I get off my soapbox – back on the topic of paper mail. I received something in the mail from a supplier, who spelled both my business name and my last name wrong. That doesn’t endear me either.

What do these stories have in common?  They show the ways that your communications can influence your clients. So, remember these three things:

1. Show your clients you appreciate them by occasionally sending a card or small gift instead of an email.
2. Do NOT assume that potential clients have nothing more important to do with their time than read multiple messages from you containing the same information.
3. Make sure you spell their names correctly!

I recently attended a networking event called "Intimate Alliances" which was organized by Neworld Coaching. Since these are the same people who run the Beehive Game Online and The Beehive Game Live, I was sure it would be unlike any other event I’ve been to, and I was not disappointed. Instead of self-introductions and unstructured "mix and mingle" time, a specific amount of time was allotted to meet one-on-one with each and every other participant in order to explore the possibilities for forming joint ventures with that person.

As a result of one of those meetings, I’ve been invited to be a presenter at Small Business Marketing Make-over, a half-day workshop taking place at the Holiday Inn in Kitchener on Thursday, April 17^th. This workshop is being offered by Holibyte Online Solutions, who specialize in online marketing, and Trudezign Graphics & Marketing, who specialize in branding and print marketing, and my role is to give a short presentation on the ways a Virtual Assistant can help you to carry out your marketing strategies. Since it’s the same day as my teleclass on The Four Steps to Organization, I unfortunately won’t be able to participate, but I will be contributing helpful information to the workshop handout package.

I wish I could be there, not just for the speaking opportunity, but because I am sure Craig and Trudy’s marketing ideas will be quite valuable! If you’d like to learn how to get an advantage on your competition and achieve a stronger and more prosperous market presence on a limited budget, be sure to register soon –early bird pricing is available until March 31^st, and space is limited!

Last summer, Mitch Wagner wrote an interesting blog entry called What Does Your E-Mail Signature Say About You? which raises some really interesting questions. Just how much information should be in your email signature?

One of my colleagues asked me to add my telephone number to my email signature, as she didn’t want to have to look it up each time she wanted to call me. I think that’s why they invented speed dial, but I’m pretty accommodating, so I added it. I suppose it’s only common courtesy, and after all, I do want potential clients to be able to reach me, so if I can make it easier for them, I don’t have a problem with that. In most cases, your email signature should probably include your name, business name, and phone number, and your website address if you have one. But what else?

Many people say that your email signature is part of your marketing strategy and that you need to make sure it represents your business effectively. But what exactly does that mean? Should it include your logo? Your tagline? Announce recent achievements and/or current promotions? And how about a cute or clever quote that relates to what you do? Personally I think these are all acceptable, but they can certainly be overdone. I think when your email signature is longer than your message, it’s time to take something out.

Maybe the best solution is to have several different email signatures, perhaps one with simply basic contact information, some with various promotional messages, and some with various quotes, and rotate them regularly. If you email certain people on a regular basis, they don’t need or want to read that stuff over and over and over, and if it’s not always the same, they’re more likely to pay attention to it.

My current email signature reads simply:

Janet Barclay, MVA
Organized Assistant
Maximizing Your Time and Space
http://www.organizedassistant.com
Phone/Fax: (905) 538-1044

What do you think - not enough? Too much?

What’s included in YOUR email signature?

This past week I had the pleasure of participating in A Brand New You, a global telesummit on personal branding. I apologize for not posting any information about this conference, because it was excellent, and free of charge, thanks to the generosity of the Conference Calls Unlimited and the speakers, however, recordings of the 24 calls will be available from the website soon (also at no charge).

One of the sessions which I attended was How to Write a Great Business Blog with Debbie Weil.

I was pleased to learn that there are things I’m doing effectively:

• post personal news on occasion
• avoid politics
• post at least once a week
• use your name so your blog will come up first if someone Googles your name (at the moment, one item comes up before my blog, which is not about me, but my blog is second, and there’s only one other item on the first page that is not about me)
• publish an ezine as well as a blog to reach different audience

I also learned some things that I can work on (which is good, because otherwise it wouldn’t have been a good use of my time):

• "package" what I write, i.e. top ten lists, 7 tips on a topic, etc. with a synopsis at the top - creating a well defined resource that other bloggers will link to
• include at least one link in every post
• use specific and colourful titles that will attract both readers and search engine traffic
• occasionally email the link to an entry to someone and ask them to post a comment
• clearly post a comments policy

If you’d like to learn more about this topic, I encourage you to visit A Brand New You and listen to the podcast once it is available.

Many small businesses rely on email as a cost-effective means of marketing their products or services. This time of year, even those who don’t have a regular electronic newsletter often send out marketing emails to their contact list to let them know about their special holiday promotions. However, if it’s not done properly, your carefully crafted message may get caught in your recipient’s spam filter.

To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, take the time to download and read The Ultimate HTML Guide. For only $7.00, you can learn valuable strategies for making sure your emails are delivered, personalizing your messages, and maximizing your response rates.