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Email Newsletters

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  • 27-04-2009 2:00pm
    #1
    BigFish75
    Closed Accounts Posts: 59 ✭✭


    Hi all,

    I want to start marketing to the owners of small businesses via monthly email newsletter but am totally new to this form of marketing. I'm not interested in anyone other than the owners receiving the newsletter I want to send but don't want to be viewed as a spammer as that would undermine the image I want to portray. From my own research I'm gravitating towards using a service like circulator as it's Irish based and seems to be robust and professional. The main issue I have is getting a database of business owners to start off with. Is it possible to legitimately purchase such a database and if so can anyone give me some pointers either by response or PM?

    Any advice, positive or negative to what I want to do much appreciated.

    Fish


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    #2
    blue4ever
    Registered Users Posts: 1,255 ✭✭✭blue4ever


    For the database – have a look at http://www.kompass.ie/ and do a bit on Google. You would be surprised at what you can get for nothing.

    In terms of the email: If you send an unsolicited email to these people, it will be considered spam by the majority of them. In the ‘real world’ of you send a circular/brochure through the post its considered “direct mail” – and isn’t normally viewed as so offensive!

    So, it’s the rock and the hard place. You could consider the mail route first inviting them to sign up of the topical newsletter ar www. Example .com and take it from there


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    #3
    fiscalstudent
    Closed Accounts Posts: 64 ✭✭fiscalstudent


    hi, at the recent Bizcamp (http://www.bizcamp.ie/), which I think everyone on these boards should attend as they are really great places to network, motivate yourself, get ideas. There was a speaker on this exact topic, It wasn't to relevant to me but I did take a few notes. Number one was DO NOT buy a list of leads, you don't know how they were attained whether they are still live, and you newsletter will more than likely never be seen by anyone.

    Other tips to do with newsletters were

    make them interesting, what works bets in newsletters is top 10 lists and reviews. Basically don't just send them a newsletter with loads of info, make sure it has a direct purpose, so that they're more likely to read.

    this website helps you create a newsletter easily

    www.toddle.ie

    hope that helps

    ps. will try and find out who gave that speech to get you more info



    ______________________
    www.fiscalstudent.com


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    #4
    BigFish75
    Closed Accounts Posts: 59 ✭✭BigFish75


    Thanks fiscalstudent and blue4ever. Defenitely don't want to be perceived as a spammer but do want to get a decent database of business owners together ASAP and can't wait/rely on a voluntary website signup to do that. I looked at Kompass but they don't sell email addresses or to be more accurate you can't export the email addresses from their database.

    I will look at www.toddle.ie. Do either of you (or anyone else) have a strong opinion on Constant Contact. I've looked at a few similar providers some based here in Ireland but none seem to have the same functionality for the same price.

    Would very much like to get a copy of that presentation FiscalStudent if you get a chance to dig it out.

    Regards,

    Fish


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