The aim of this article was to spread as much information on mail marketing as possible. We surely do hope that we have succeeded in it.

A mail marketing Artilce for Your Viewing
10 Benefits of B-to-B Email Marketing

If there is any single tool that we should be enthusiastically embracing as marketers, it is business to business email marketing.

There is simply no way to match the value that business to business email marketing provides for communicating with prospects and customers.

The amazing thing is most of us are not actively engaged in any form of email marketing yet. At best, we send an occasional email blast to our customer base to introduce a new product or announce an event.

Many of us have NEVER sent a single promotional email to a list of prospects or customers. So if you are among the few who have, reach right back and give yourself a hearty slap on the back.

I have my theories about why most of us do not use business to business email marketing to its greatest advantage, which I will not go into here, but I suspect it is heavily related to the following barriers:

1) We must frequently rely on IT and/or our Web team to provide the enabling infrastructure and we are low on their priority list.

2) We do not have direct access to the mailing and tracking tools and have to rely on outside resources to put our strategies into play.

3) We do not know exactly how to implement an effective business to business email marketing strategy.

4) We fear being branded as a spammer at the slightest indiscretion.

Regardless of why business to business email marketing is not more widely accepted, the fact remains that it is a marketing tool that we must have in our toolbox.

Those marketers who jump on the bandwagon now will have a decided advantage versus the competition when they deploy their 'secret weapon'.

Benefits of Business to Business Email Marketing

1) Low cost

Compared to any other form of direct marketing, business to business email marketing is fantastically cheap. When you cultivate and mail to your own opt-in email list, the cost per message is so low, you can almost call it free.

You do need to invest in some kind of infrastructure, but if you are smart and careful, you can keep your costs below $1,000 a year.

If you only send 10 messages to a list of 2,000 subscribers, your cost is just $.05 per message. You can see how a serious business to business email marketing program could cost just a fraction of a penny per message.

2) Metrics Galore

With business to business email marketing, almost every step in the buying process can be measured and tracked on an ongoing basis. You can easily track the total clicks on every link in each message, the conversion of clicks to sales or clicks to leads, and with some programs you can measure opens (how many people opened your message) and forwards (how many people forwarded your message) You can take what you learn from one campaign and apply it to future campaigns with a high degree of precision.

3) Permission based

Unless you are spamming (sending unsolicited emails), all effective business to business email marketing is conducted to an opt-in list. This means that every subscriber requested to be on your list, they want to receive emails from you. Because of this, business to business email marketing is one of the purest forms of permission-based direct marketing. Very few direct mail or telemarketing campaigns can claim the same.

4) Easy to implement

If you aren't implementing business to business email marketing in your business right now, it may seem a daunting technical challenge to build the infrastructure and tools required to pull it off. But rest assured that adding business to business email marketing to your mix is not as difficult as it sounds.

There are many great tools available on a subscription basis that allow you to outsource the complete infrastructure required for effective business to business email marketing. You will find two great tools listed at the bottom of this article.

5)A gile Marketing Tool

All marketers and business owners are painfully aware of the fact that the speed of doing business continues to steadily increase. This relentless acceleration drives the need to be supremely responsive to new trends and opportunities in your market.

There is no more responsive tool available to marketers than business to business email marketing. You can literally deploy the tactical elements of a campaign moments after the strategic and messaging elements have been developed. In other words, you can decide on a new strategic direction in the morning, develop your message and offer in the afternoon, and have a message waiting in your prospect's inbox the next morning.

That is rapid communication!

6) Highly Targeted

business to business email marketing is the only medium I can think of where you can not only easily segment your list based on demographic attributes, but also where you can segment your list based on the behavior of your prospect. With some of the simplest systems available, you can begin to develop a profile of your prospects based on the kinds of offers they respond to. With the more complex systems, you can track and store ALL of the actions individual prospects take as a result of your email efforts.

7) Can be Personalized

It is very easy to merge database fields in to email messages to add personalization. Simply adding your subscriber's first name to the subject link has been shown to increase readership dramatically.

The real power of personalization in email marketing comes when you can personalize an offer based on information you have added to your subscriber profiles based on their past behavior. Sending someone a personalized message like the following is a great way to leverage email marketing as a sales tool.

'Ted, I know you bought product x from us last month and I just wanted to check in to make sure it is working as well for you has it does for our other customers. I also wanted to let you know that we have replacement filters for product x available at a 30% discount for the remainder of this month. While you probably don't need filters yet, in a month or two you will. Why not buy now to take advantage the special price and make sure filters are on hand when you need them?'

8) Relationship Builder

Through frequency, personalization, and targeting, your marketing communications can be transformed from a traditional broadcast approach into a system that helps you build relationships with your subscribers.

Studies have shown that qualified prospects require 3-7 contacts from a company before they will respond with a purchase. The main driver of this need on the part of the prospect that they want to feel a level of trust in their relationship with the company.

business to business email marketing allows you to develop a personal presence with your subscribers and the low cost per contact makes it easy to contact subscribers frequently (within reason).

9) High Response Rates

There are many variables that contribute to response rates, but most direct marketing experts agree that email generally pulls a higher response than other direct marketing choices.

One of key reasons is that if you read a compelling offer in an email you can respond immediately by following a hyperlink to an order page or to get more information.

Responding to a direct mail piece requires one to pick up the phone and dial a number, a much more active response requirement.

10) Develops a Maturing Asset

The larger and more mature your list is, the more valuable it becomes. Your client database continues to be enriched with additional information about your subscribers and subscribers continue to develop a deeper and deeper relationship with the company.

Over a period of years, your opt-in database is likely to become your most valued marketing asset.

Ok, so there are a lot of compelling benefits...but what does one do to overcome the barriers I outlined at the beginning of this article?

The most important thing to do is to start doing something now, even the smallest steps will lead to big successes in the long run, just put some element of an business to business email marketing strategy into play within the next few weeks.

I've also listed some tips for overcoming the barriers below.

We must frequently rely on IT and/or our Web team to provide the enabling infrastructure and we are low on their priority list.

This one is easy. The best and fastest solution is to outsource. You can task a marketing communications agency with helping you set up a program, or you can subscribe to one of the hosted email solutions and do it yourself. I list some places to start investigating self-service solutions under point the next point.

We do not have direct access to our mailing and tracking tools and have to rely on outside resources to put our strategies into play.

This is why I prefer a do-it-yourself solution, at least in the beginning. Being able to touch and modify your campaigns directly is not only a great way to learn, it will save you a ton of money and help you ensure that your business to business email marketing strategy is truly a low-cost solution.

Here are a two popular tools you can look into...

1AutomationWiz:

This is the tool I use to publish this ezine and to automate all of the email follow-up on my site. I chose it because it provides the subscriber acquisition and database management tools I need, allows me to send text or HTML emails, doesn't restrict the number of emails I can send in any given month, and (most importantly) provides unlimited sequential autoresponders. The autoresponder feature is a must-have if you want to truly automate your program.

To learn more about 1AutomationWiz visit http://www.1AutomationWiz.com

Mailer Mailer

This is an excellent tool as well. Mailer Mailer provides a lot more HTML support than 1AutomationWiz (including complete, fill-in-the- blank templates). If your goal is to create good looking HTML messages, Mailer Mailer makes it really easy.

Another thing that this tool has that 1AutomationWiz does not is the ability to track opens (how many times your message was read). What it is lacking is unlimited sequential autoresponders.

To learn more about Mailer Mailer click visit http://www.mailermailer.com

We do not know exactly how to implement an effective business to business email marketing strategy.

There are a lot of resources on the Web to help get you started, but this is definitely an area of need. As I look around, I find that there aren't any great, step-by-step guides for setting up an business to business email marketing strategy within a business. In fact, I see such a need that I've started writing a book about it. I'll keep you posted about the progress, but if you have immediate questions, please email me and I'll try to include answers in the Subscriber Q&A in the next issue.

We fear being branded as a spammer at the slightest indiscretion.

Spam is an epidemic, but this concern is overblown when it comes to emailing your customers. If you send an unsolicited email to a customer with legitimate information that they are likely to want, you will not be accused of spamming. Be reasonable, provide an easy way to opt-out, and check your ethics, and you won't have a problem. The best rule of thumb is to give first...then ask. Provide excellent, useful information, and then make an offer.

Of course, if you are mailing (as you should be) to people who have opted-in to your mailing list (thorough a Web form or some other means) then you are in safe water.

Good luck in building your business to business email marketing program!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Doug Hudiburg is the founder and key contributor to Business-Marketing-Advisor.com a central source for marketing insight and resources for businesses of all sizes.

http://www.business-marketing-advisor.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Doug Hudiburg is the founder and key contributor to Business-Marketing-Advisor.com a central source for marketing insight and resources for businesses of all sizes.

DESIGNING THE RIGHT PRODUCT FOR YOUR MARKETPLACEJeff Williams

>From the end of World War II until the late 1970's most Americans spent the majority of their money on basic goods and services with little left for luxury type items. Giant factories turned out millions of products whose style, color and size were often determined by what made the machines work most efficiently. There wasn't much concern about what the customer really wanted.

Japanese auto producers forced reverberating changes in the way consumers went about considering their purchases. Suddenly in the mid-1970's a flood of cars hit America with features never before available at popular prices. Toyota and Honda revolutionized the concept of "user friendly" products - incorporating a high standard of quality with easy to use features,
all at affordable prices.

> Today's Customer Is Smart...And Demanding

Suddenly, consumers realized that someone did take their interests into consideration when designing products. In fact, a critical element in Japanese auto production since the late 1960's has been extensive consumer research and surveying, particularly in the area of durability and reliability needs.

The customer of the 21st Century has learned from buying user friendly products such as Sony televisions, Panasonic stereos, Apple computers and Honda autos that they can be demanding and that manufacturers will respond. This has produced a new brand of customer that is educated, very aware of prices and very demanding.

She wants quality, variety, durability, excellent service and a very good price all at the same time. She has a mind of her own and will talk about her interests and needs if you ask.

The process of asking customers what they want before you design your product or service is called being "market driven" because you are guided in your product development decisions by the customer's wishes.

Today the most successful new businesses are those that ask enough questions and listen carefully to the answers.

> Understand Basic People Needs

It is sometimes frustrating trying to get honest information out of people, because they can't always express why they buy the way they do. You can bet safely, however, that their need is one of several basic motivations of all people, such as:

Convenience
Comfort
Friendship
Security
Status
Health and Well-Being
Savings
Love
Style
Profit

When you are trying to figure out your desired customer, put yourself in their shoes and think about what needs would motivate you to buy your product or service. There are usually two or three primary needs your product or service can satisfy and several lesser needs. When starting your product/service design, it is critical that you use your market research to focus on the primary needs and wants of your prospective customers.

> The Product Description Worksheet

As we discussed earlier, the successful new business owner first surveys potential customers to identify their wants, needs and dissatisfactions. Questions about bow often they buy, how far they would travel to buy, how much they might spend for your type of product or service are also asked.

You then separate the facts gained into groups, such as: pricing, packaging, location, assortment, etc. to organize the information in preparation for beginning a custom design of your product or service. You will make assumptions about the potential customers behavior and come to some conclusions about how you can present yourself as someone who will respond to their needs and wants.

To help you put together your product design strategy, you can use the fill-in worksheet below.

* Instructions:

1. Learn in detail 5-6 wants/needs of your target customer.
2. Add information from library research, trade associations, etc. about customer demographics, location, buying behavior, etc..
3. Take the profile you are creating and decide what specific product/service features this leads to. Express each feature as a user benefit - you must satisfy the age-old demand of potential buyers: "What's In It For Me?"

Product/Service Description Worksheet

Customer Want/Need Product Feature User Benefit
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Jeff Williams worked for big business for years, until he decided to take his career in his own hands by establishing his practice as a small business trainer and coach. For those seriously considering self-employment, he is pleased to offer his free, monthly telegroup: "Are You Ready To Leave Your Job?". Register at: http://www.bizstarters.com/ready2leave.cfm
Jeff may be reached at 847-593-5305 or by e-mail at: jeff@bizstarters.com

A synopsis on mail marketing .
Tiffany Lamp - Crystal Table Lamp - GT60664


GT60664 Features: Handcut, 24% Lead Crystal Decorative Marble Base and Metal Trim 150 Watts 3 Way Switch Finish:
Antique Brass

Dimensions:
15"(W) x 30"(H) x 15"(D)


Price: 169.00



Table Lamp - Serena Table Lamp in Brown - LumiSource - HY-SERENA-BN


Finish:Brown Dimensions:12"(W) x 32"(H)


Price: 55.00



Pine Crest King Size Headboard with Frame - Hillsdale Furniture


Includes headboard and bed frame only. Mattress not included.

Rustic and calm, our Pine Crest Bed combines medium oak wood posts and textured black metal grills to create an effect that is simple and serene. This classic combination, paired with a sweeping headboard and footboard design, creates a haven of tranquility in your bedroom.

Features: Medium oak wood posts Black metal grills Finish:
Texture Black

Dimensions:
Headboard: 77.75"(W) x 3"(D) x 54.25"(H)
Headboard Frame: 83.5"(L) x 78"(W)


Price: 242.36



Dining Room Furniture Set 3 - Jamestown - Lifestyle California


Inspired by Northeastern Ivy League style, this collection brings a subtle intelligence to your home. Includes: 1 x 54 Inch Round Leg Table 4 x Side Chair with Mule Ear Back Features: Constructed from solid hardwoods Assembly required Dimensions: Table: 54" x 54" Chair: 23" x 24" x 43" Finish:Cherry/Antique Black


Price: 752.74



Bean Bag Chair Adult in Fawn Soft Suede LUXE - 30-1041-1001


Its comfort per-suede-ion beats new suede shoes. Our Urban Suede features all the richness and beauty of suede derived from the newest fiber technology, 100% pure microdenier polyester fiber. It is perfect for high traffic homes and apartments. It is simply warm and comfortable and creates a great look in any room decor.30-1041-1001 Features:Developed for easy spot cleaningAnti-sag, stiffening, pilling and shrink protectedEngineered for abrasion resistanceFiber Content: 100% PolyesterFinish:FawnDimensions:34"(L) x 34"(W) x 27"(H)


Price: 89.00



mail marketing Products we recommend
Cat Zipper Top Mini Tote Bag - Ebony

Cat Zipper Top Mini Tote Bag - Ebony

Creative Window Dressing (Butterfly Easy) Volume 1

Creative Window Dressing (Butterfly Easy) Volume 1
Using the Butterfly Ladder system, you can create beautiful window treatments for your home without sewing a stitch! This video gives step-by-step instructions to produce swags, balloons, valances and dozens of other designer window dressings with the Butterly Ladder.

New York Yankees 1977 World Series Collector's Edition

New York Yankees 1977 World Series Collector's Edition
It was one of the first signs of the modern era of baseball when New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner took advantage of new free-agency rules to restock his team. One of his acquisitions, outfielder Reggie Jackson, proved himself worthy of his self-label as "the straw that stirs the drink" by powering a record five home runs in the 1977 World Series, breaking a 15-year Yankee championship drought and branding him "Mr. October." The 1977 New York Yankees Collector's Edition set has all six games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, plus the clinching fifth game of the ALCS against the Kansas City Royals (featuring a late Yankee comeback and a brawl between third basemen Graig Nettles and George Brett). Also included are new interviews with a number of the players, including Reggie Jackson, Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry, Lou Piniella, Chris Chambliss, Mickey Rivers, Roy White, Dusty Baker, and Burt Hooton, and some footage of the memorable mid-season squabble between Jackson and manager Billy Martin, plus SleeveStats that print the box score, inning-by-inning summaries, and trivia on each DVD Thinpak case. As a time capsule, it's interesting to watch the players in action--not only future Hall of Famer Jackson (remember how in his three-homer effort in the clinching game, he actually started the Yankees comeback with a base on balls?), pre-Cy Young winner Guidry, and future managers Randolph, Piniella, and Baker. It's also instructive to watch a different era of the game, one that saw Yankees closer Sparky Lyle pitch 3-2/3 innnings for the game 1 win, and umpires who would watch pitches bounce in the dirt without batting an eye, rather than obsessively replacing anything with a hint of a scuff. And even though their team lost, longtime Dodger fans will enjoy watching the squad that boasted four 30-homer hitters, future Hall of Famer Don Sutton, and the record-setting infield of Garvey, Lopes, Russell, and Cey. --David Horiuchi

Customer Review: The Picture is Really Not that Bad....

Regarding the other numerous complaints about picture quality (widescreen format) on this DVD release.... I think that unless one is really OCD about these kind of things, it's not really that bad. Yes, a few of the primitive 1977 graphics get a -little bit- chopped off at the bottom (of game 1), but by game 2 the formatting is much better. One must remember that these game tapes are now 30 years old, and getting them in any format is better than nothing.



Unlike the 1975 World Series boxset, every minute of the games are here, and it's a delight for fans of classic baseball. I'm not even a Yankees or a Dodgers fan, and I'm having lots of fun going through the games here on this DVD set.

Customer Review: must buy

This is a must own for true Yankee fans. Having been at the game for Reggie's homers as an 11 year old with my Dad I never got to see the tv broadcast so this was special.



Granted it's a commitment to watch all the games, but to see our beloved Thurman stand behind the plate in full gear, to watch Mickey twirl his bat and limp around like a invalid, to see Nettles dive, Sparky chew, a young Guidry bounce, Reggie's unforgettable swing and trot, Billy's hand in back pocket walk and...ah, the list goes on and on. whatever you need is here so buy this for your archives - you owe it to yourself.



Besides the whole crew of Yankee greats, it's interesting to watch how tv used to be with single shot camera angles and lousy graphics and to listen to Howard Cosell's unique commentary. After a thesaurus fueled rant by Cosell, a bewildered Tom Seaver says "Uh...i think i speak for everybody when i say "Huh?"" - classic!



Another gem is in the 2nd game (i think) when Yeager goes to the screen on a foul pop and the mic picks up a fan yelling plain as a day "Hey Ump! You Suck!!"



this is a documentary to my childhood - a time so special to all who lived it. it will NEVER be like this again.

Dove Sucker Hard Candy Mold

Dove Sucker Hard Candy Mold
1 3/4" Dove Sucker Hard Candy Mold

"BUY 3 Get 1 FREE!!!"

Sing Dance 'n Sign

Sing Dance 'n Sign
Customer Review: Gaia's Sing Dance 'n Sign

The songs included in this video:

Handlandia, I love to sign, Hands dance, Look in a book, Numba rhumba, friends make the world go round, human rainbow, confidence.



The songs are cute and catchy (a little too catchy). The costumes and the camera work were a little hokey, but in the end it doesn't seem to matter to kids. They *love* it.



Here is an example from song "Confidence". First the words, and in brackets the ASL gloss:



A baby eagle tries, when he first leaves the nest

(baby eagle try leave home)

To head out toward the sky, and fly with all the rest

(go (point) sky fly, fly)

How can he dare to do

(how he dare do)

What he's never done before?

(he never do before)

He's got confidence, he's got confidence

(He have confidence, he have confidence)

--------------------------

Buy this! You won't regret it!

Customer Review: Dance and Sing Your Way To Sign Language

Outstanding production with bright costumes and sets. The music stimulated dancing and singing. Understanding and tolerance of others were generated in a positive and fun way. This is a great way to introduce sign-language. A study guide is included. Kids were enthusiastic and motivated even though they thought it was too fast. They commented: "I wanted it to slow down so I could practice." "I loved all the magic ribbons and the songs." "I want to learn the ABC's in sign language." "The elf made dancing fun." Best for ages 5 to 8.

Current mail marketing News
Windows Live voor adverteerders

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 06:41:07 GMT
… Mail Een tweede onderdeel van Windows Live is Windows Live Mail, een online e-mail service waarin de sterke punten van Microsoft Outlook en Hotmail worden gecombineerd. Precies een week geleden …

Jumping the shark?

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 22:33:15 GMT
Blockbuster Inc.'s attempt to buy Circuit City is baffling to many analysts, who think the video-rental chain needs more time to turn itself around before undertaking a costly acquisition.

Email Marketing Solutions for Your Business

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:17:20 -0700
Email Marketing Solutions are easy way of bringing a boost to your business. They are convenient and effective marketing and promotional tools. Emails I believe is the oldest internet service. It was initially the only means of communication through internet unless IM, blogs and community websites had not been invented. Online businesses too, have been using email marketing solutions for quite some time now. Infact, they use it as a form of official communication tool with their clients. Gr