Hello Geeks,
It is my job to help businesses with their marketing and communications needs. We are always on a quest to find cost-effective (with emphasis on effective) way to help businesses grow. Before you figure out what you marketing you need to first consider “who“ you wish to market to.  I read many articles discussing ”Customer Acquisition vs. Customer Retention” Or what does it cost to get a new customer compared to the cost to keep and current customer? My conclusion. The best potential customers to market to, are those that you have already done business with. ~:-)
I recently found the following stats from Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company to back this it up.

• Acquiring a new customer can cost 6 to 7 times more than retaining an existing customer.
• Businesses who boosted customer retention rates by as little as 5% saw increases in their profits ranging from 5% to a whopping 95%.

Now that we got the “who” to market to. What is the most cost-effective way to connect with our current customers. I found eMail to be the answer. Disclaimer: I know that not “Everyone” has an eMail account. But, I can’t think of a friend that I personally have that doesn’t have eMail. I Googled for some stats and according to Internet World Stats almost 80% of North American have internet access. http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats14.htm
Back to eMail. I’m not suggesting that you starting eMail everyone in the world. That is SPAM. I don’t believe that sending SPAM (Unsolicited eMail) benefits legitimate businesses. I’m saying eMailing can be a few very effective to nurture current customers and potential customer who opt-in or sign-up for your eMail Marketing list. But, no one was to joining one of those so we created “VIP eClubs” for businesses. The eClubs help them say, “Thanks” to their customers and deliver value to their inboxes. Many of our clients have us send coupons, tip & tricks or newsletters or articles like this <GeekSpeak>.
The key to eMail marketing is to deliver professional eMails, consistently and to offer a genuine value. We’ve had the opportunity to help business that on have a just a few eMail address to business that have collected thousands. Regardless of the size of your list, eMails can be sent for a fraction of the cost of postage from the USPS.
I love to harness the power the the Internet and eMail to help businesses. Here are just a few types of business that we’ve had the honor to setup and manage eClubs for; Nail studios, Chiropractors, Restaurants, Coffee Shops, Professional Services, HVAC, Car Washes, Non-Profits, Retail Stores & Automotive Repair. Regardless of your industry a professional eClub should be part of your marketing plan.  Want to see what one of these things look like? I thought you’d never ask. ~:-)
You can sign-up for GeekSpeak @ http://omoriginals.com/omoriginals/eclub
<GeekSpeak> delivers web + print marketing tips, tricks to your eMail inbox fresh each month.
To learn more about eClub for your business you can contact omOriginals and request a free 30 minute eClub consultation. omOriginals.com | 360.575.9839
Oscar Myre IV is the owner and creative director at the flourishing company, omOriginals Marketing! in Longview, WA. They’re local geeks and ad designers for this paper, who have esteemed clients from all over Cowlitz County (and the nation), and would be happy to chat with you about your own online marketing goals and thoughts. They can be reached at (360)575-9839 or online @ omOriginals.com

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy New Year! (I hope I didn’t miss another wonderful event this busy month).

With that said, I will keep this message short, since I know we are all very busy!

eMail Marketing! is a great way to reach your clients and remind them that you are here to help. I am happy to know that campaigns have been growing and several of our clients are reaching the 1000 client threshold. We have evaluated this service and created a breakdown that we invite you to look at. Please click on the small flyer to download the actual flyer.

omOriginals Marketing! hopes you have a great holiday season!

Please have your updates and changes to your Web Sites and/or eMail Marketing Campaigns to us by Monday December 20, 2010.

If you have any questions please Contact Us today!

If I stop and count my blessings I have to add our wonderful clients to my long list. You keep me busy, you keep me learning and as we support each other good things are happening for us all.

Saying Thank You is so easy, yet sometimes we forget in all the everyday tasks we undertake to realize that without our clients we have no reason to walk in the door.

So let me say it again! THANK YOU! As you allow us to market toward your success, you are making omOriginals Marketing! a success as well. We couldn’t do it without you.

That being said I would like to ask you 3 questions:

• What can I do to help you succeed that we are not already doing?
• Do you need eClub cards or return envelopes? (We need a couple weeks notice to get them to you so the sooner you tell me the sooner we can produce)
• Depending on the services we provide to you:
  • eMail Marketing - Have you prepared your Coupons/Offers or eMail Marketing Messages? Did you have a special idea in mind for the holidays?
  • Web Site Maintenance - Do you have any web updates we need to get on my work calendar?

Please have your updates and changes to us by Monday November 22, 2010. If you have any questions please Contact Us today!

The Clatskanie Arts Commission is a group of dedicated individuals who’s mission is to provide a variety of entertaining programs and events which enrich the lives of the people of the Lower Columbia River Region. The Commission Board is presently comprised of professional artists, teachers, mill workers, homemakers, musicians, business people and other community members from Clatskanie, Rainier and St. Helens, Oregon who all bring their special talents and enthusiasm in support of the arts.

Learn more about Clatskanie, Oregon Live Performances and Ordering Tickets.

Clatskanie Arts Commission

PO Box 1110
Clatskanie, OR 97016
Send an Email

www.clatskaniearts.org

Mesa Floor Coverings has been covering floors in New Mexico for over 50 years.  They have the knowhow & professionalism to exceed your expectations on your next project. Mesa Floor Coverings cater to the do-it-yourselfer as well as the large Commercial Projects.  They pride themselves on providing the highest quality service to every customer large or small. With their large Showroom Mesa Floor Coverings has the tools to make your next design idea a polished reality. Their showroom floor features various layouts to aid customers in possible design ideas. Everything installed on the floor is available to order, so if there is a design that you desire you can make it your own. They offer free local estimates to ensure the project to be done correctly & efficiently by measuring for the least amount of material waste. Request an Estimate

Mesa Floor Coverings also offers custom window fashions to complement any room in your home or business.

Mesa Floor Coverings
729 E. High Street
Grants, NM 87020
(505) 287-2631

Send an email

http://mesafloorcoverings.com

Longview Downtowners represents the Downtown Commercial District.  They encourage vital business activities and enrich business establishments by providing education and networking opportunities to their members.  Longview Downtowners also supports the community and Longview’s historical buildings by being an advocate for and supporting streetscape and beautification strategies downtown.

Downtown you will find beautifully restored historical buildings, streetside gardens, pedestrian friendly sidewalks and crossings, entertainment, art galleries, specialty shops, Charming Eateries…Find out Who’s Downtown.

Longview Downtowners
1339 Commerce Avenue, Suite 316
Longview, Washington 98632
(360) 423-1020
Send an Email

http://longviewdowntowners.org

Let’s start with the basics.

What is LinkedIn?

LinkedIn claims to be the the world’s largest professional network. They have over 65 million users. Not as large as Facebook’s 400 million, but 65 million members is very impressive. We are barely into the article and we are already talking about Facebook!

I thought this article was on LinkedIn…

Facebook has done a tremendous job to humanize technology. They have welcomed millions of people that wouldn’t consider themselves computer people or geeks to connect with others through their site. This is has transformed the way people look at their computers. ~:-)

Both FB and LI are social networking sites. The main difference is the intended audience where FB is aiming to be everything for everyone, LI’s focus is on business professionals. LinkedIn says it, “connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.” It is all networking without the anxiety of social networking.

Joining LinkedIn is easy but making it work for you requires some work and savvy. Here are 4 steps to success that I’ve got for you.

1) Establish your Profile

Take control of your online identity. LinkedIn’s profile is a glorified and modern resume, that includes a summary, specialties, experience and links to blogs and groups. The profile is public to the work and it invites people to add you to their network. Note: since this profile is public the major search engines with allow show this profile on the first page of results when people search for you.

2) Build and Maintain your Network.

As you keep your Profile updated, and people in your network do too, they claim your address book will never be out of date. This is a great tool to keep you current with their latest jobs, projects and contact info.
Build core network with people you know and trust. Note: I have had a number of my connections that I didn’t really know, send me spam. I had to disconnect with them to quit receiving the excessive advertisements. That being said, you can click on Add Connections to start sending out invitations your contacts.

3) Find Experts and Share Knowledge.

LinkedIn has a question and answer section similar to answers at yahoo.com. People post questions, people answer and you can determine who the expert is. This is an interesting place to learn and to share the knowledge that you have with the community. To paraphrase Ivan Misner, founder of Business Network International, ”Gives Gain, if you truly help others you to will reap the benefits.”

4) Recommend Others.

A powerful part of Linked In is the Recommendations. Seek out professionals that are worthy of your praises and write a thoughtful recommendation. Encourage others to do the same for you. Testimonials are invaluable.

How much does it cost? The basic account is free. They have paid upgrades that can allow you to send messages directly to people you don’t yet know, expanded searches & notes. Sound interesting?!

Check out my Profile:
www.linkedin.com/in/oscarmyre4 and get connected!!

~ Oscar & his hot wife Michelle are the Owners of omOriginals Marketing, located in Longview WA! On May 11th they are presenting a workshop teaching about Online Marketing. Don’t miss it. Learn more @ omOriginals.com or call (360)575-9839

The point is that eMail is old.

So why with all of the “new media” should you consider eMail marketing?

1. Inexpensive: The cost per message is very low.
2. Trackable: eMail marketing makes it easy to track the results of a campaign. You can tell who open the message and what links they clicked on.
3. Effective: With the low cost of entry and the ability to track results, businesses can continue to fine tune their offerings to a targeted audience. The end results can be powerful.

Ready to start? I like your enthusiasm, but first some eMail marketing tips.

Let’s determine your audience.

The best place to start is with current your current customers. You can export addresses and names from your computers address book, add a newsletter subscription link to you website and if you have a retail location you can have a box on your front desk inviting people to join your list. Don’t forget the social networks, be sure to put invites on these sites for your eMail offering.

Delivering Value. Before we get too far we should figure out what your eMail is going to offer. Most people think they need to write a elaborate newsletter. This can be a lot of work. These same “most people” don’t have a ton a free time to invest in this type of project. But, they do have something of value that they can share with their customers. Sometimes it is information (as I hope you find this article) it can also be savings or coupons. When I meet with clients we determine how to deliver the greatest value to the readers with the best ROI (Return on Investment) for the client.

SPAM

We can’t forget SPAM or unsolicited bulk eMail.  I strongly recommend that only send permission based-eMail, that is opt-in mail.  Sending SPAM will have a negative impact on any legitimate business. To learn more about SPAM and the whole eMail process I recommend that you read “Internet Marketing Best Practices.” See below under Speak with a Geek to see how to get a free copy.

Once you have an audience in mind and a plan for you offer please keep these 3 keys in mind.

1. Personalization: How valued do your customers feel if a marketing piece is addressed to “Valued Customer?” With a up-to-date client list you can address the message to “Mike.”
2. Branding: You want this eMail to clearly and consistently communicate your message.
3. Call to Action: The “call to action” is one of the most important concepts in marketing and promotion. Simply put, after you’ve established that you have something of value to offer and that you’re the perfect choice to deliver it, you want to ask your prospect to take the next step. You deliver a call to action.

Realistic Expectations: Don’t expect to sell a ton of stuff with your first newsletter. You need to be in it for the long run. Try out some ideas and continually improve on your offer. eMail marketing allows you to build a positive relationship with your readers.

The reason main reason that I write GeekSpeak is to open your eyes about web and geek stuff and to let you know when your business needs it – I’m here to help. ~:-)

Speak with the Geek! If you run a business and want to find more customers—or connect more powerfully with the customers you have, I offer a Free Initial Consultation for eMail marketing to identify needs, opportunities and present a clear plan of action to succeed!  I will also share with you a free report “eMail Marketing Best Practices.”  A good read and valuable tool to read before starting a campaign.

~ Oscar is the Creative Director for omOriginals Marketing! You can take him up on his offer of a free consultation by visiting omOriginals.com or calling 360.575.9839.

As a result of not being physically connected to our computers, it is not uncommon to have 2 or more inboxes for our mail. This might mean that you check at the office, at home, from a laptop & possibly from a smart phone. This can be a nightmare to admin all of these accounts. Warning: this is geek speak.

Should I used POP3 or IMAP for my mail? Here is a crash course in two most prevalent Internet standard protocols for eMail retrieval.

First is POP (Post Office Protocol) the other being IMAP (The Internet Message Access Protocol). Virtually all modern eMail clients and servers support both protocols as a means of transferring eMail messages from a server.

POP3 eMail

With traditional POP (or POP3) eMail the mail server stores the mail until it is checked by your eMail program.

The mail is then copied into your eMail program and deleted from the server. This works great if you have just one computer to check mail. When mail is checked you have a local copy (a message on your computer) without taking up too much space online.

But, what if you wish to check your mail on more than one device?

For the sake of simplicity, I’ve used a laptop as a portable way to have my mail with me. I’ve encouraged others to do the same, but some insist on having a home and and office computer to check their work eMail.

With POP3, people have to decide which was their primary computer to check mail. The secondary or slave would check messages, but not delete them from the server: so that when the user returned to the office the messages will be ready to download to the primary. This works, but it means that you must delete (or store) every message twice.

A hybrid approach is to use POP3 on your primary and Webmail on your secondary computer. This is an acceptable for solution for when you are infrequently away from your primary computer. In the past I’ve used this approach to stay in touch over our annual vacation. But, if you use it more often than a couple times a year, you still have to delete messages twice.

Some are advocates of saving the whales. That is commendable, but I’m a supporter of saving key strokes. Whenever possible I try to help people do the minimal amount of typing to get the job done.

Enter IMAP eMail.

In contrast to POP3, IMAP stores the messages on the mail server until you delete them. When messages are deleted via IMAP they are deleted simultaneously across all devices. This is a beautiful thing if you consistently use multiple devices. You essentially have the same inbox where ever you look. No more “Now which computer is that eMail on?” It is on all of them or none.

The draw back for IMAP is storage. Since all of the messages are stored on the server you can eat up some serious space pretty quickly. I see most POP users doing well with a 20MB box, in contrast IMAP users generally use at least 100MB. (Your favorite publisher uses about 300MB of space). Be sure to ask your service provider how much space you have available and at what cost you can get more. When it comes to storage: more is better!

POP3 or IMAP?

In conclusion, the protocol that you use to check your eMail is largely dependent on how many devices you need to check your mail on and by how much space available. If you use just one computer, that POP3 is where it’s at. But, if you are part of the increasingly connected and mobile users group, IMAP may best fit your needs.

fyi: I understand that a more common way way to write eMail (ok most everyone’s way) is e-mail. I just think eMail looks much cooler.

~ Oscar Myre IV, when not writing this column, checks his eMail on his MacBook Pro and on his iPhone 3G via IMAP.   omoriginals.com