Small Business Owner – Why You Need a Permission Based Email List

Your website can be a business building tool if you let it. I already know that you don’t have the time, energy, or staff to try anything “new”. You already have a website, so why don’t you take maximum advantage of it? This article is a simple outline for what your website should be doing and how it helps build your business.

You must have a website. In today’s marketplace laptops are being given away for free and wi-fi access is the airport, coffee shop, and every location in-between. In addition there are Blackberries, iphones, and other smart devices that are giving consumers instant and constant access to the internet in ways we have never seen before. The internet is always on and your customers can find and interact with your business 24 hours a day 7 days a week. With all of these new outlets, having a website gives your potential consumers thousands of new opportunities to find and interact with your business. Not having a website is politely excusing yourself from all of these new revenue opportunities. Which business do you want to be?

If you already have a website, you’ve got to have a permission based email list. As a savvy business owner you know that it is rare for a potential customer to make a purchase the first time she sees your product or service. Let’s assume that your well developed website has all of the information she needs to know on its various pages. Still, it is silly to think that she is going to search your entire website in order to find what she needs. She is probably going to need multiple touch points to completely understand what your business offers. She may also need to see a list of the specific benefits of working with your business. Most importantly, she is going to need to be reminded about your product or service at the time when she needs it most. How are you going to deliver any of these communications if you don’t have her permission to follow-up via email?

If you have a permission based email list, you’ve got to run quality promotions to the list. Bad emails are forgotten, avoided, or unopened. Good emails are saved, printed out, or forwarded on. The difference between the email campaigns that are enjoyed and those that are ignored is the relationship you create with your treasured subscribers. Those who say “email doesn’t work” are those who use email campaigns as heavy-handed, poorly disguised sales pitches. Your successful email campaigns not only educate and inform, but also invoke emotion and conversation. When you have crafted your email campaign correctly, your customer will buy because she understands your product and is excited about her opportunity to consume it. Are you using your email campaigns to alienate or engage?

Can you see it? First, you have a website that allows people to find you. Second, you have a permission based email list that allows you to follow-up. Third, you run quality promotions that engage your prospective customers. When you look at it this way, your website isn’t just a website…it is a integral part of how you create revenue in your business. Review this process, tweak it for your situation, and allow it to build your business.