Own Your Power

Holiday Party Planning tips, brought to you by Xceptional Events

LITTLE PEOPLE
Don’t just shut them away in another part of the house; enlist them as part of your entertainment. There is nothing adorable then a child singing a song, doing a dance , or telling some jokes. They will feel like part of the event and their parents will love the opportunity to show them off.

AS NOT TO OFFEND
When inviting a diverse group to your seasonal event, use words like holiday on your invites and decorations. Never assume everyone celebrates the same holidays.

CHEERS!!!
A house drink special can also set the mood for your holiday event, i.e. Cranberry Holiday Punch (2 Cups Vodka, 4 Cups Cranberry Juice, 1 1/2 Cups Rose’s Lime Juice, 2 Cups Water, 3 tbsp. Sugar) . Combine all ingredient s in a large punch bowl. Add a large block of ice to keep it all cool. Serves 20. Or you can also try 7-Up Holiday Bowl (20 ounces raspberries, frozen, in syrup, partially thawed, 12 ounces lemonade, frozen concentrate, thawed 46 ounces pineapple juice, 64 ounces) . Place raspberries and lemonade in blender, process till smooth. Strain into punch bowl. Discard seeds. Stir in pineapple juice. Just before serving, add 7-Up. 7-Up, chilled (Non alcoholic)

KEEPSAKE
Just a little something to let your guests know you appreciate them. It could be as personal as a ribbon trimmed photo card ( O on a heavy card stock frame, place a 4×6 print of you, the family your pet(s), your staff, etc. Get creative and put a ribbon around the frame or an original design of your own. Put a hole in the upper right hand corner of the card and add some string so the picture can be hung. This way, you have a Keepsake ornament for your guests.) If time doesn’t permit or you need something a little more business-like, compressed T has put a new spin on an old concept. Instead of giving away plain old t-shirts, why not give clients t-shirts in the shape of Christmas Trees, Stockings, Wreaths, Candles, or better yet, create your own unique shape.

THIS IS NOT A SHAMELESS PLUG, BUT…
If at all possible hire an event planner to host the day of. You plan every detail of your wonderful evening then bring in a planner to make sure the event runs smoothly. There is nothing worse than doing all the fabulous planning to end up sweating, tried and stressed when the doors open. You should be at your best to greet your guests.

Show your appreciation this Holiday Season!

The holidays are a great time to share your gratitude with those who have helped you in your career and/or business. Also, it’s a great way to stay in touch with those that you might not have spoken to in a while.

1. Remember your customers . :
Get holiday cards that are BRANDED with your company name. You can order them from almost any business supply store, such as Staples and Office Depot for a very reasonable pric e ing.

2. Spice u Up your gifts and be creative .

• : It can be something as simple as a Holiday card , but maybe it’s done with vellum paper and a two-color imprint or clear cellophane. Maybe it’s a tin of holiday candy with a coupon giving them 10% off their next order with you. I’m sure everyone has special clients—you know… the ones you really want to show how much you appreciate their consistency in supporting you.

Regardless of what you get, the goal is to make an impression and send the message that you thought about them and want them to think about you when they’re ready to do work.

3. Lastly, execute your plan on tim e.

• Who wants a Christmas card a week after Christmas? Don’t put yourself in a position where your paying rush charges , because you didn’t plan properly. Many of us do get lost in the holiday craze but in general, give yourself a 2-3 week production window for most products that you order.

Holiday Products that you can brand with your logo:
o Spa-Related gifts
o Thermos
o Mugs
o Picture Frames or Albums
o Holiday Bookmarks
o Tote Bags
o Snow Globes
o Hershey Kisses w/ Tin
o Chocolate Chip Cookies w/Tin

Don’t forget online holiday promotions:
o You can e -mail HTML coupons
o Send “custom” e-card s greetings online
o Decorate your website with holiday glitz, i.e.: a little Santa Hat on your logo.
o Throw contests/sweepstakes and have your sponsor donate a Gift Certificate , . i.e.: “Win a Winter Wonderland Escape to the Catskills!”
o Have a 2004 product sale, making room for 2005 items.
If you are interested in ordering any products, let us know. Own Your Power can help you brainstorm on creative ideas and process your orders for thousands of items.

Diane Tinsley, CEO
Xceptional Events, LLC.
917-573-2879
www.XceptionalEvents.com

I’d like to share a story with you about two interesting people that we ALL know…

Ms. Jane D. Acceptor thinks, “I got this dead-end job, I’m bored to tears, but hey — it pays my bills. It keeps a roof over my head. So what I hate what I do, and I’m not crazy about the people I work with…it’s a job. Aren’t you supposed to hate your job?”
Jane goes through life just accepting how it all turns out. But Mrs. Wendy Ago-Getter is a different animal. She used to be in Jane’s place, she actually worked in the cubicle right next to her. She and Jane used to complain, complain and complain about how their boss was an idiot, how management had no clue, and about how other co-workers got on their nerves. Sure they weren’t the nicest things to say about others but they had a roaring good time doing it!

They were bitter and thrived off of each other’s negative energy. They threw pity parties on a daily basis on instant messenger and on their lunch breaks.

But then…something changed. Wendy’s Husband, Mr. Getter introduced her to the law of attraction, because her bad attitude was bringing him down and causing their marriage to get a bit rocky. Once Wendy started to become aware of how she allowed her energy to flow, she also noticed how depression and unhappiness took control of her life. It seemed as if she WANTED this for herself. And it was at this moment when she realized she had the power to make a change. With this gradual mental shift she started to get to know herself a bit more. She started to dig deep for her inner power.

When Wendy had free time, she wrote children’s books and found pleasure in this craft. Whenever she got home, and after she put her five year old to bed, she wrote. She loved her newly discovered imagination where all her stories stemmed from. After all, it came natural to her. It was so easy to create fun characters. What she loved most was reading them to her daughter and seeing that smile on her face as she entered that imaginary land with Wendy.

Well, Jane thought what Wendy was doing was just ridiculous. Writing children’s books, COME ON, GET REAL! Jane became jealous when Wendy slowly started to pull away from her. The lunch breaks went down from two a week to none a week. Wendy enjoyed writing in the park on her break instead. Wendy felt alive again. She had so much fun writing.

One day Wendy’s daughter brought in one of Wendy’s book to school so that the teacher could read it to the class. The teacher was thoroughly impressed with her writing style. She was especially taken aback at the students’ reaction to the story. They LOVED it! Turns out the teacher’s brother was an agent for authors and the teacher didn’t hesitate to set up a meeting with him and Wendy.

Wendy couldn’t believe it. “My little old books? It was just a hobby. I would do it for free,” she raved. But then she started to accept her gift and realized that she did deserve whatever was coming to her. She started to picture her book on shelves of books stores, she imagined children in the park reading her books, she saw her daughter bragging about her mom — the author! Positive visualization became her daily habit. Her husband told her that her mental shift is what caused these changes in her life. There are NO COINCIDENCES.

A month later, her company downsized her department and of course that was no surprise. She received a pretty good severance and was actually thrilled for the opportunity to write more. Turns out, her new agent landed her a bidding war for her books. Simon & Schuster and Random House wanted a two-book deal from her. They were up to 50k for her advance; she hoped it would go even higher!

Could this be happening? Wendy and her husband were practically floating from the stream of good news. It was like a darn fairly tale in one of her books.

Funny enough, Jane D. Acceptor didn’t get laid off. She was transferred to another department and given even more work to cover all of the folks that left. Jane wasn’t happy about it but of course, what the heck could she do?

The fact is she could do a whole lot. We are all deliberate creators of our lives. Jane was just existing but not living.

News flash: Continue living your life as a victim and focusing on what’s wrong with everything and placing blame on everyone will only bring more of what you DON’T want into your life.

How ’bout looking in the mirror and starting there. Where we are right this very second is because of what we have done in our past. The fairy tale that Wendy is now living is very possible. You can do a 360 with your career, your business and your relationships when you are not sleep-walking through life.

It’s sad to say that we have all been brainwashed into thinking that most of our desires are not only self-serving egotistical no-no’s but absurdly impossible.

BEGIN THE REVOLUTION OF A NEW OUTLOOK ON YOUR FUTURE…

1. Spend time alone, get to know yourself. Journal your dreams, meditate, pray, read self-help books, do whatever works for you at your pace, but make time to do it. Have tons of people in the house? Go for a daily walk, go to the library, get a baby sitter. Just do it alone.

2. Find out what your true calling is. What are you really here to do?

3. Get rid of the “Jane’s” in your life. Do away with the toxic people, the emotional vampires that suck the life right out of you. These are the people who enjoy being depressed and want to take you along for the ride.

4. Surround yourself with go getters not accepters!

5. Say no to pity parties. The second you feel one coming on, switch it around and start thinking about what positive outcome you want. You know a pity party is on its way when you start thinking, “Why does this always have to happen to me? I’ll never be able to pay my bills! I’m such a loser I will never find the right mate, etc…”

Cut it out already! Stop whining and complaining and DO SOMETHING about it. Talk about your dreams and your future. Write about it and fantasize about it constantly.

Okay, some of you reading this might think…

“Simone has really lost it, this is silly, give me a freakin’ break! I don’t have any power to change my situation.”

You are SOOOO wrong, BECAUSE ANYTHING YOU WANT IS ATTAINABLE…you hear me? Anything you want.

So you make the choice. Let the revolution begin! If you want it, You GOTS TO HAVE IT!

Simone Kelly-Brown

Sticking to the tried and true marketing strategies of yesteryear are great, and yes, many of the proven strategies do work. However, let’s find out what happens when you get your feet wet and enter the land of the outrageous, wacky, daring and straight up OFF THA WALL!

Come along with me for the ride as I show you some interesting and creative ways companies have marketed themselves, so that they stand out and create a buzz.

COMMERCIALS

Hats off to Citibank for their campaign on Identity Theft!

My favorite commercials have to be the Citibank Identity Theft commercials. These spots have been out for over a year and because of the outrageous campaign, people have been talking about them so much that they even have fan sites popping up about the campaign.

In these commercials, we see the innocent victims consumed in some daily activity as a strange voice comes from their mouth — the voice of their thief talking about the shopping tirade he or she went on with this person’s credit card. Eye-opening to say the least!

The humor is exhibited through the facial expressions and environments of the customers while they take on the voice of the perpetrator.

If you have been locked in a closet for the last year or maybe you just don’t watch TV, you should check out what you have been missing by looking out for it.

SASQUATCH…BUSTED, BABY!

Cingular’s commercial for their picture phone is definitely a winner in the Off Tha Wall department in my book. The scene was of a camper in the woods who finally came in close quarters with the massive and mysterious Sasquatch.

Sasquatch wasn’t the wild animal we made him out to be; he was a cocky guy with a New York accent and joked around with the camper, saying something along the lines of, ” Oh what…are you gonna call someone and tell them? They aren’t gonna believe you!”

Then the wise camper snapped a shot with his camera phone and gave Big Foot a little smirk of satisfaction…BUSTED!

So clever, so funny!

WILD STUNTS

If you have been to Times Square in NY, there is a good chance you have encountered the popular NAKED Cowboy. This ex-Playgirl poster boy had the drive and bravery to get his name out there someway and somehow. Ever since he took his guitar and tighty-whities to the streets, his name has been in lights. Okay, that might be pushing it, but you gotta say the man has a lot of guts. His stunt has taken him on tour all across the globe.Take a look at his interview here: http://www.deansplanet.com/interviews_naked_cowboy.html

Naked Cowboy: ” I was following my dreams since I can at first remember. Doing what I loved most at all times. I was working out on Venice Beach in California, there while shooting for Playgirl Magazine (May ‘98). I decided to take my guitar, cowboy get up and play on the Boardwalk. I was ignored all day. The photographer suggested playing in my underwear to “try something different.” Next day, I was on the news, made over a hundred dollars and had chicks taking their pictures with me all day. The rest is history and will continue to be for all time.”

Janet Jackson Super Bowl Stunt?

Oh, you guys know…but alright Jackson fans, I am not even gonna touch that one. We really don’t have the proof! Or do we? LOL!

EVENTS

Where’s YOUR passport?:

Last year, I attended Don Pooh’s (Music Industry Producer) birthday party. Everyone from P. Diddy to Mary J. Blige were in attendance. The theme was FIRST CLASS and an all-exclusive invite only party. The invite was cleverly designed to resemble a passport. That was nothing. What did it for me is when I arrived at the party with my friends and noticed that on both corners of each block there were AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS. Not your typical Joe Schmoes that would flag a plane down, but sexy young women with the glow sticks and all! Talk about a great concept. All he needed was flight attendants to top it off when you entered the event to perhaps show the wallflowers to the dance floor!

What’s In The Bag?:

At our very first GIVE ‘N TAKE Membership Drive event last year, we advertised that the first 30 women to come to the event will receive a special gift bag full of “tantalizing surprises.” Well, surprise was an understatement, because “Tickling Your Fancy”, sensual products company was one of our sponsors. These ladies were very happy with their little stress-relieving treat. Let’s just say it was a silver massager. ~I’m cracking up. I hope my mom isn’t reading this~

Well, I know that word spread about those Give ‘N Take gift bags, because at the next event there were women lined up a half-hour earlier before we even opened the doors! Talk about word of mouth marketing! I thought it was definitely an Off Tha Wall gift, but hey, I didn’t hear any complaints ~a-hem~.

GET OFF THA WALL! IT’S YOUR TURN…

Now that you’ve seen a few Off Tha Wall ideas, let’s create a few of our own…

How can you develop a wild idea and get attention?

First think about the following:

What do you want people to say about you?

Make sure the idea attracts your target audience first!

How will you include your marketing message along with your crazy idea/stunt? It’s great to have a fun idea, but don’t let your branding get lost.

What’s your budget? Think of how you can make the most bang for your buck or better yet, do it for FREE!

Do you want to create publicity as well? What papers/magazine would be interested in this idea?

Blaire Allison of Metroplanners and Marry Blaire.com

2. What motivated you to start your business?
Hmm…there was never really a moment that I said, “Let me start my own business” or an exact time I can track down to when it happened. I guess you can say my Metro Event Planners company just evolved from a part-time business, into a full time corporate event-planning firm, into the niche market of Bachelorette Parties. One thing I learned is you definitely need to roll with the punches as to where your businesses take you! Also, I guess I’ve always seen myself as an Entrepreneur, and knew I’d be happiest actively making my dreams into a reality on a daily basis. Running your own business, in my eyes, is the only way to make this happen.

3. Well, you know we had to ask, since this issue is about being OFF THA WALL…what gave you the idea to develop www.marryblaire.com?
I’m a successful woman. I’m looking for a successful man. I’ve always been that girl who wanted to get married. I was never really into the whole ‘Let me go date and have a good time’ thing, although I did do that. For me, it was never about the many men, it was always about ‘The One.’I'm tired of being afraid of saying to a guy, ‘I want to get married.’ Women are told not to talk about commitment, because it will scare men away. I have a mission now, and it’s to tell women to break the rules. No, screw the rules! Be yourself. The universe really helps you. I think that my story will have a fairy-tale ending.”

4. Tell us about the media frenzy around your unique idea of marryblaire.com.
The media interest in my story has just been amazing. I do radio interviews almost everyday, as well as print and TV interviews. Everyone likes putting his or her own little twist on it, which makes me laugh. I put the site up because it was a fun, creative idea that I had–that was it! Everyone likes to read into it. Why the rush to get married? Is this a joke? Are you desperate? I did it because it made me laugh and I thought it was fun. I thought a few of my friends and family would look at it and think of some men for me that maybe they hadn’t before. The universe definitely had different plans for the site. The amazing part to me is that I did nothing to promote the site, nor do I have a publicist. It just got passed from one to the next, and even other countries! I’ve been written up in papers and on the web in Italy, Israel, China, Korea and Canada. The Internet is really an amazing tool!

5. With all the popularity you have now…how do you relax?
I love reading spiritual books, writing, meditating, going to the gym, taking walks, or hanging out with my dog. It’s very important to remain balanced and take plenty of time for yourself; otherwise you’ll lose your edge and excitement real quick!

6. What tips do you have for getting ahead and staying ahead?
Be dedicated to your vision. Be passionate. And of course work hard. Always have a vision.

The Sexy Side to Marketing

We all have a sexy side, no? Even some of our businesses reflect that side in the way we market them. Sometimes the most corporate businesses can find a way to make marketing sexy, and if used tastefully, it can definitely work. And why not, it ’s true, SEX SELLS.
It ’s ever so tempting to add some sexual spice to our visuals, voice, or vocabulary. Here in the United States, we see it on television advertisements for everything from beer to deodorant to gum. Some spare us the subtleties in letting us know:
If you by this product you ‘ll get ’some ‘.
Of course, some advertisers are slightly tasteful in their presentation.
Take Old Spice for example…their ads translate into:
Buy my product, get noticed, have women sniff you in a crowded party as you walk by, get a kiss and eventually…uh, yeah, you get some!

Sex in Advertising
Sex works best when the product or service can honestly promise increased sex appeal: perfume, apparel, and a fancy car or jewelry. Even such products like toothpaste can promise to make your breath fresher and your smile irresistibly kissable. With products like these, enhancing your sex appeal can be a persuasive product benefit, and therefore, it should be the focus of your ad.

For ads aimed at women, they can be successful for the most part with the romance approach through using the stereotypical images; roses, soft lights and music. One of my favorite warm and fuzzy commercials is the one when the couple looks like they are in the middle of Paris, when the boyfriend yells out, “I LOVE THIS WOMAN!” and the pigeons fly away as they giggle and spin around with stars in their eyes. How cute.I know the men reading this need a barf bag right about now. You ‘re excused fellas. Sorry, just had to share with my girls. LOL! That was a diamond commercial if memory serves me correctly.

Most diamond ads use the romantic approach. Although most men buy diamonds, they buy them for women who generally authorize the final purchase decision. So, it does make sense to aim the ads at women. If there are any sexual undertones, they are extremely subdued and done tastefully.
For many products, it ’s pretty easy to find or create a sexual connection. But the use of strong or mild sexuality can help attract and sustain attention, no matter the product or service. Some ads go from clever to shocking, to … “oh come on now, you know that ’s not EVEN right!” I’ll go over a few of my favorite examples of sex in advertising.

1. Take a look at this scenario for instance

You ‘re strolling through the mall and glance up at the store’s name, “Wait a minute did I read that right? (Only changing because it’s read not said.) You wipe your eyes and look again, oh…it’s FCUK, FRENCH CONNECTION, UK…but of course! Their online store even sounds a bit, well…see for yourself:

2. Or better yet, take a look at this charming ad I found.

She leans forward, exposing an eye popping view of her cleavage. The headline reads, “This is Debbie. She wants you to have this pair in your car.” The rest of the ad tries to convince consumers to buy the grease gun cartridges she holds in either hand. Riiiiiight…but what ’s even scarier is they have her number in the ad. She works for them! Hope you got a raise Debbie. Times musta been hard for her!

3. Tantalizing Event Promotions

The typical party promoter will send a big graphic of a sexy woman licking a cherry and then the promotion says, “Come out for a sophisticated evening,” Sophisticated? And you ‘re promoting it like that? It ’s getting a bit tired guys. That ’s why I actually look forward to Lucky You emails from Nicole Hill. Her personal introduction to promote her exclusive PASSWORD PARTIES is what makes her invitations unique. They are not over the top with a zillion graphics, nor do they have photos of sexy women; but her copy is very intriguing and makes you crack a smile at her wittiness.

She also sets herself apart from the rest by not calling herself a party promoter, she said in one invite, “I prefer to be called an event producer, a socialite, or a friend maker…” How ’s that for positioning?

Here ’s a sample of one of my favorites. Her stories usually clue you into the password to use for that evening, which will gain you entrance to the party.
You ‘ll see it ’s sexy and tasteful, and most importantly it works!

“last week, after the party, i received an email from a male friend who had been to the party. he asked if i could get him in touch with a ‘girl ‘ he had seen there; she was sitting in a corner section, toward the front, for most of the night. he asked in his email that i would not reveal his true identity. so i won ‘t. but i will say: to the young lady with dark hair, sitting toward the front with a group of friends…there ’s a really handsome guy that thinks you ‘re hot. (& he hopes he ‘ll get to see you tonight to tell you so personally.) is that discreet enough? true story.”
You can find Harlem ’s ‘only ‘ password party…. When you step to the rope, tell the lady what she wants to hear: “True Story”

And another of my favorites…

“last week i was on the A train heading downtown. being the “sexually challenged” young woman that I ‘ve (somehow) turned into recently, i started flirting with a less than average guy who sat down next to me. he sat down so close, i could feel his thigh and hip bone on me…why was i sooo turned on? i fumbled to write down my email addy right b4 i ran off the train. he was pretty shocked when i gave it to him! yeah…..it ’s sad, but true. i am now officially sexually challenged and desperate… ha!
but if you see me tonight, don ‘t even mention it. I ‘d rather talk about you and your exciting life.
You can find Harlem ’s ‘only ‘ password party…. When you step to the rope, tell the lady what she wants to hear: don ‘t mention it.”

4. Sexy and Funny Television Spots

One of my favorite commercials introduces AXE — a body spray deodorant —apparently a prime example of a metrosexual product. According to its maker, Unilever, “A stylish brand [that] boosts young men ’s confidence and attraction through the combination of a distinctive masculine fragrance and long-lasting deodorant protection.”

An early series of AXE ads featured an attractive blonde standing next to a mannequin in front of a red velvet curtain. Each spot began the same way: She would explain that AXE is a body spray for men, and she ‘d spray some on the dummy. Then the “AXE effect” would kick in. In one ad, looking instantly intoxicated, the woman says, “Hey sailor” to the mannequin, and suddenly her boyfriend bursts into the frame and punches its head off. (“Doug! We were just talking!”) In another, a second woman moves in closer to smell the alluring scent of AXE on the just-sprayed mannequin. This caused the spokeswoman to drop her smiley façade and yell in a “sistah-girl attitude”, “I KNOW YOU ‘RE NOT TOUCHING MY MANNEQUIN!” These are hilarious spots. And as you can see, humor and sexual undertones work well. AXE can also be interpreted as: it ’s so sensual, it can make any dummy seem attractive. LOL ~okay, so that ’s my interpretation, no offense to the AXE wearers out there! ~

Some more recent AXE ads are not subtle at all. In one, a handsome guy who hasn ‘t finished buttoning up his shirt strides into an elevator. He sprays on some AXE, exits, and another guy — who appears to be a less sexually appealing — gets on. Apparently the smell of AXE lingers in the air, because the attractive woman who steps in next finds herself drawn to his dorky charm. It ’s the Power of AXE! She presses the emergency stop button. In the next shot, the doors open and apparently she ’s mauled him in a quick make-out session. She ’s straightening her dress, his hair is wild and he looks dazed and confused.

I ‘ve got a question: anyone ever smell this stuff? Let me know if it ’s really that good!

5. Online Ads…Statistics Neva Lie

One thing I love about online advertising is that it ’s so trackable. When you have statistics at your fingertips you can see what ’s working and what ’s not.
SCOTTeVEST manufactures clothing for techies and those travelers who want “to carry and use their electronic gadgets without being burdened by wires and bags.” The brainchild of Scott Jordan, SCOTTeVEST makes jackets, baseball caps, and other gear with special pockets for multiple electronic devices, including cell phones, PDAs, and CD players.

Techie clothes with Inspector Gadget pockets, sexy? I think not. However, when Jordan brought a former Playboy Playmate Becca Scott for its marketing, a fleece pull over became a little sexier. To prove my point, we can compare their original online e-mail campaign without Becca versus the one with her.

FYI:
Open Rate=How many times the e-mail was even opened and read.
Click Thru Rate (CTR)=How many times a link was clicked.

WITHOUT PLAYMATE :
The March 2003 edition didn ‘t include Becca. It went to approximately 48,000 recipients. The open rate was 27 percent and CTR on opens about 31 percent.

WITH PLAYMATE

The following month ’s newsletter featured Becca. The open rate was about the same (26.22 percent), but the real difference was in click-throughs. The CTR on opens was 58 percent. Nearly half came from the Becca section of the newsletter.
Given the attention Becca generated, Jordan took the idea and ran with it. His company dedicated an entire section of its site to Becca. It even included free Becca Scott wallpaper for computer desktops. Jordan doesn ‘t have an exact count of how many copies of the program have been downloaded, but estimates it ’s in the hundreds of thousands.

It’s okay to keep it SEXY!

Simone

by Simone Kelly-Brown

E-mail is consistently rated as the number one online activity, next to search engines and electronic greeting cards. In the early days [in my Internet years that's about 93-97], we all couldn’t wait to get an e-mail. We’d brag to our friends that we are Internet savvy and give out our e-mail address to just about anyone else who knew what the Internet even was. Ok, I’ll admit it. I still get the shakes if I don’t check my e-mail daily! LOL!

Well, it’s 2004 and to be honest, I’m quite pleased that you made it this far in my newsletter! We all get e-mails from everyone now, people we don’t know and don’t care to know, advertisements for this credit card, that contest, a great new virus to crash your computer, and lets not forget the college girls who are live, nude, and waiting to talk to YOU! Ok,you get my drift. It’s outta control! Some e-mail marketers have taken advantage of this wonderful technology and sent you unwanted junk mail affectionately referred to as SPAM.

So, you say, “What’s your point, Simone?” My point is to let you know that it’s not all down hill with e-mail marketing. There is a bright side to it all, because e-mail is an excellent marketing tool when not abused.

Here are some pros and cons of e-mail marketing:
Do The Right Thing:
• Stay in contact with customers on a weekly, biweekly, or on a monthly basis. Hint: Less is more so set up a schedule. You’ll retain current customers and possibly gain new ones by referrals.
• Don’t just copy and paste the same old info each week. ~Yawn~ Get creative; come up with something valuable to your audience. Don’t know what they want? Ask them!
• Inform them on special promotions, contests, and events to drive repeat visits online and off.
• Add your own personal touch. If done correctly, you’ll stay on people’s minds, so even if they don’t need you today, they might need you soon.
• Can’t afford a website just yet? HTML emails are a simple solution for the time being! It’s also very affordable to do an HTML version letter that is not just plain boring text. The design aspect makes them highly effective, because you can reinforce your brand identity with your logo and colors.
• Use a professional newsletter program(Bcentral or Constant Contact are you going to link to their site?) to avoid mass e-mailing issues.. When you send a mass e-mail through a newsletter program you don’t have to show other people’s email addresses. You can check the statistics on how many bounced, how many people opened it, how many links they clicked, and also offer surveys and contests! Evaluating the success of your letter helps you make improvements for the next time around.

Definite No-No’s:
• Don’t spam folks, it’s annoying and just plain stupid.
• Stay away from boring subjects titles, no one will open it.
• Don’t steal e-mail addresses from others. People can usually figure out who on their list was stealing once they get a complaint. It’s quite tacky so don’t embarrass yourself!
• Use an e-mail newsletter service or BCC addresses if you have a smaller list to prevent e-mail address thieves.
• Let people know if you plan on sharing their info or if it’s private.
• Stay away from attachments. Due to all the virus scares, people don’t like opening them.

Just from doing the GTHI Marketing Tips newsletter, I’m proof that e-mail is a great way to stay in touch with clients or potential clients. I’ve met with people who might have not known who I was unless a friend forwarded my newsletter to them. Online newsletters could be one of the driving strategies to help build up YOUR company’s client base.