How to Run a Business: Part 4

Well, one way to run a business at least.

Over the past 18 months or so, there have been some fairly significant changes to the way we conduct business at MonkeyPuzzle Computers. These have led to more efficient ways of working and a more complete service to our clients.

In a series of blog posts, I would like to explain which technologies have made the most impact and demonstrate how they have improved the way we work.

Email Newsletters

There are two things to note here, I feel;

• Email newsletters work - people respond.
• Someone once told that the most badly designed, poorly scripted, featureless email you send out will always outperform the one you don’t send out.

We have only recently begun to send out email newsletters on a regular. We send out a different one to each group of micro-business and SME clients, and also personal customers.

I’ll admit I am still getting to grips with format and design of the newsletter itself, where to pitch the content between informative and selling services, and how often to send the mailings out. But I can say, hand on heart, that every email campaign that has gone out has elicited a response. Someone has contacted us as a result of the newsletter they received. Every time.

In addition, I will quite often visit a client and they will mention having received the email, commenting on an aspect of it or asking some advice, prompted by some information it contained. In terms of opening a dialogue with clients and keeping your business name at the forefront of their minds, email newsletters are proving extremely useful.

Email marketing campaigns are easy. Sign up at www.mailchimp.com and get an account that allows you to store 1000 contacts and send 6000 emails per month for free.

And incidentally, Twitter is a great way of obtaining fresh content for newsletters. More on that next time.