What are your top tips for emailshots?

[Paul FilmMaker]

So I'm toying with the idea of another email campaign in September. The reason is I closed my first deal for three months straight off an incoming enquiry a month ago (during lockdown no less) and I'm seeing green shoots. Sure, it's still pretty bad out there but at least I'm seeing business picking up.

Before I do this, two questions:

1. If you're doing emailshots, what re your top 3 tips?
2. If you're doing emailshots, what do you think about restarting in September?

Thanks in advance...

 

[fisicx]

1. Personalise. Make sure you mention my name and my business in the email body
2. Make me an offer I want. Don't generalise, be specific
3. Show me you care. Invite me to pick up the phone and call you.

I expect by September we will be shutting down again. If that doesn't happen it almost certainly will once the flu season begins.

 

[Deleted member 59730]

1. If you're doing emailshots, what re your top 3 tips?
2. If you're doing emailshots, what do you think about restarting in September?

Thanks in advance...

Top tip 1 is don't take advice from me.

I disposed of a car 3 years ago and changed insurers from Saga at the same time. Today Saga sent me a renewal reminder in the post. Tip 2 is make sure your emails are sensible.

I once took advantage of a Royal Mail offer to do a cut price mailing which included free advice from them on how to do mailshots. They said my mailing was all wrong because I was willing to pay for negative results. It had a massive response rate. Tip 3 is don't be scared to welcome critical or negative feedback.

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

1. Personalise. Make sure you mention my name and my business in the email body
2. Make me an offer I want. Don't generalise, be specific
3. Show me you care. Invite me to pick up the phone and call you.

I expect by September we will be shutting down again. If that doesn't happen it almost certainly will once the flu season begins.

Good point about September (the other points are good, too). My partner's a nurse and her hospital told her they're gearing up for an October second wave. Unsure how I should proceed on my marketing at the moment. I have a video business, incidentally.

 

[fisicx]

Unsure how I should proceed on my marketing at the moment.

Is anyone going to be spending money on video considering the current uncertainty?

My wife works in business finance and they expect a lot of businesses to either fold or cut right back once the government money stops.

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

Is anyone going to be spending money on video considering the current uncertainty?

My wife works in business finance and they expect a lot of businesses to either fold or cut right back once the government money stops.

It's a good point and I agree with what you're saying. It's what I'm struggling with and puzzled about.

Just to give you context, I thought no-one would want video. However, straight out of lockdown, I won a piece of business from an entirely new customer which just floated in. From a UK Plc no less with seemingly no relationship to my existing customer base (lots of tech SMEs)! And I'm astonished because I think I'll win another piece of business from a really good prospect next week with a fantastic logo. Just superb. And again, no relationship at all with my existing customer base!

My existing customers want a bit here and there but it's the new business that's puzzling me.

Logically, I shouldn't be winning anything. I turned off my marketing, haven't approached these prospects / customers but somehow they're finding me and new business is wafting in through the door. Sure, I'm not in anywhere near the kind of shape I was in before Covid-19 but if I'm winning business without trying, are there possibilities if I pull the trigger on marketing campaigns?

And if you ask 'how did they come to you,' I'm embarrassed to say I didn't ask. Reason is I was so astonished that I just wanted to close and execute the biz. Close the business first and ask later. Also, weirdly, they didn't come in through the form on my website so probably need to do something about that.

I literally have no idea if I should pull the marketing trigger in Sept so your guess is as good as mine. What would you do?

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

Top tip 1 is don't take advice from me.

I disposed of a car 3 years ago and changed insurers from Saga at the same time. Today Saga sent me a renewal reminder in the post. Tip 2 is make sure your emails are sensible.

I once took advantage of a Royal Mail offer to do a cut price mailing which included free advice from them on how to do mailshots. They said my mailing was all wrong because I was willing to pay for negative results. It had a massive response rate. Tip 3 is don't be scared to welcome critical or negative feedback.

Critical feedback's always good. I'd like to do a mailshot but as a video business, mixing mail and video's tricky. I was thinking about putting a kid's toy that would play video in there. At the moment, execs seem to be working from home so could be tricky.

But I'm thinking about it. Don't know.

What happened with your m/shot? Why was it so good? And when was it?

 

[GraemeL]

A prospect becomes a customer only when you are paid

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

A prospect becomes a customer only when you are paid

Hence my distinction. I have a mixture of new customers and prospects. So what's your emailshot experience?

 

[Deleted member 59730]

I was thinking about putting a kid's toy that would play video in there.

A photographer friend specialising in agricultural subjects sent out a toy stuffed cow in a mailshot.

What happened with your m/shot? Why was it so good? And when was it?

It was a while back and it worked for some reason because I invited recipients to tick a box on the reply paid card if they didn't want to be pestered in future.

 

[fisicx]

I ignore pretty much all mailshots. The only ones I take notice of are those that engage with me and my business.

Consider also that businesses do not want a video. They want more profit. Your job is to demonstrate how a video will make me more money.

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

I ignore pretty much all mailshots. The only ones I take notice of are those that engage with me and my business.

Consider also that businesses do not want a video. They want more profit. Your job is to demonstrate how a video will make me more money.

We have branding and benefits in place. i.e. customer testimonials stating how the video we create wins them more business. One of them puts a number on it, i.e. 20% - 25% and wrote it on my personal, Linkedin page.

In addition, we (er, that's me really...) has / have three different video 'products' that customers use at three, different stages of the sales and marketing cycle. i.e. number one is used by our customers' salespeople to close more business, number two to turn leads (MQLs) into sales qualified leads and number three to generate leads. And on top of that, we have customers who say these do what it does on the tin.

But what I don't understand is whether to pull the trigger on emailshots, if so what the timing is etc... Cos this Covid-19 impact on business has confused the hell out of me.

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

A photographer friend specialising in agricultural subjects sent out a toy stuffed cow in a mailshot.

It was a while back and it worked for some reason because I invited recipients to tick a box on the reply paid card if they didn't want to be pestered in future.

Love the idea of sending out a stuffed cow but think my ex-wife's already busy. My focus is marketing so maybe something like... hmmm... what do marketing people like? I can't send them a lead (like a dog lead) because that's a bit too S&M, a sail (as in a boat sail) would be too big...

Hmm... thinking.

 

[fisicx]

But what I don't understand is whether to pull the trigger on emailshots, if so what the timing is etc... Cos this Covid-19 impact on business has confused the hell out of me.

Each email will be crafted to target a specific client. This means you can research which business are still trading and write to them individually.

All that stuff about winning more business with a video needs to be in the email not a link to the website. But it also need to be for similar clients. No point in telling a prospect about a 20% increase on a farm machinery business when the prospect is a golf course.

And have you considered an a letter not an email. Letters feel much more personal, especially if you include the free gift.

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

Each email will be crafted to target a specific client. This means you can research which business are still trading and write to them individually.

All that stuff about winning more business with a video needs to be in the email not a link to the website. But it also need to be for similar clients. No point in telling a prospect about a 20% increase on a farm machinery business when the prospect is a golf course.

And have you considered an a letter not an email. Letters feel much more personal, especially if you include the free gift.

Trading business is another good point. And the letter with a gift thing's good too. You've given me an idea...