March 10, 2010
Hi Everyone
I don’t know about you but every time I go into a Coles
or Woolworth these days I am reminded about Easter.
At the front of the store there are Hot Cross Buns, Easter Eggs
and displays of other assorted Easter goodies.
I’m not sure if it’s too early but I do know this; these supermarkets have
created the Easter theme and we can use it in our businesses and markets to
piggy back off to create customer awareness for our products and services.
So, “Easter is Fast Approaching – Are You Ready?”
Did you know Easter is the next big consumer buying time after
Christmas and the January sales?
And…
if you get yourself prepared you can take advantage of this.
Easter brings about a few immediate ideas for sales.
People will travel – so anything to do with car maintenance, holidays,
camping, clothing, food will be on their minds.
Some people will choose to stay at home – so anything to do with household
repairs, painting, cleaning, fixing, upgrading, entertaining will also be on their minds.
So again, “Easter is Fast Approaching – Are You Ready?”
Here are a few tips you could have as sales themes:
* “Easter Savings”
* “Hop into (the name of your store) this Easter”
* “Summer Close-Outs”
* “End of Summer Sales”
* “Next Seas.on Sales Now Here”
* “Easter Sellout”
* “Easter Egg Hunt Sale”
and I’m sure you could come up with many more like these.
Whatever you choose don’t miss out on this typical lucrative time in
sales.
Start YOUR Easter Sales campaign NOW.
This will give you a solid three weeks lead in time to get your customers’
juices flowing and their hands in their pockets.
And to help here is my Easter Savings special to you right now.
I’ll offer my fabulous and much used “5 x 5 x 5 email marketing
campaign” to you.
That is I’ll work with
* 5 businesses to send out
* 5 emails to their client lists for
* $550 total fee (each client).
Each time I offer this “5 x 5 x 5 email marketing campaign” people jump
on board and we get to create campaigns specifically for them.
So, don’t delay, this offer normally sells out really fast.
My “5 x 5 x 5 email marketing campaign” has become something of
a best seller for my clients lately.
Call me 0412 94 77 33 or email me kurt@johanseninternational.com.au
to take up one of these spots.
Cheers and Great Selling
Kurt
Email Mastery
PS: Not sure about if I can pull a marketing campaign off for you?
Go to the testimonial page above and check.
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March 9, 2010
Hi Everyone
‘Should I include images in my Email Marketing ?’ is a question I get asked regularly.
You see, most of the email marketers in the US suggest you send out emails only via text and people tend to read and take notice of this.
But…
if you only send emails via the TEXT format then images cannot be included.
I always recommend you send emails by both TEXT and HTML methods.
Why ???
Because simply…
99.9% of people on my list open their emails in HTML.
And why would you wish to halt the ability for them to see images.
Quite simply, images will lead to increase click through rates.
Not sure ???
My stats are always increasingly higher when I include an image
but don’t listen to me…
click here
to read an article from Email Worx
they have done the research and the results are in.
Cheers and Great Selling
Kurt
Email Mastery
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March 7, 2010
Hi Everyone
Do you need to know how to spell when it comes to getting your message across.
Not according to Cambridge University:
“I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg.
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid.
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.
The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.
Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt.”
So stop making excuses why you haven’t started with email marketing,
- Build your list
- Form the relationship and
- Make an Offer they can’t refuse.
Cheers and Great Selling
Kurt
Email Mastery
PS: Need help to get started – then give me a hoy.
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March 3, 2010
Hi Everyone
Large corporations engage in email marketing and I say it IS NOT.
It is all poppycock !!!
Let me explain.
Large Corporations are sending out lovely posters, flyers, with specially crafted images and pictures and call this email marketing because they use the medium ‘email’.
I find this is really nothing more than another form of billboard advertising, except it is being sent to someone whom may be interested. That is; they have given their email address somehow to the corporation.
There is nothing personal in this type of email marketing.
It’s simply an email blast and then ‘email marketers’ sit back and count the
open rates, the click rates and the conversion rates.
They report these to their marketing buffs and ‘high fives’ go off around a table about how successful the campaign was.
The graphics department gets congratulated and the marketing team survives another day.
This is not email marketing – this is using email to advertise.
And there is a difference.
Real Email Marketing is about providing personalised emails to your customers/clients.
It is about engaging your customers to respond positively to what you have in store for them.
Email Marketing is a skill, once learned, will catapult your sales and increase
your relationship with your clients.
Done correctly it will add dollars to your bottom line.
Done incorrectly it will hurt your self-esteem and your customers thinking of you.
The most productive form of email marketing methods is one which involves emotional direct response copy.
It is words crafted to entice a customer to act.
It is written in the first person and direct to a client using personalisation,
subject lines, and the skill of a copywriter.
This type of email content does not need a thumbs up as it is aimed directly at the recipient and they would not need to let anyone know it’s good or bad – just as they wouldn’t do this if they were in a shop.
Instead the thumbs up is the sale.
How many thumbs up are you intending to get this week ???
Cheers and Great Selling
Kurt
Email Mastery
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February 26, 2010
Hi Everyone
“Bali Reveals 3 Major Lessons”
But first…
For the past 12 days I have been a guest on the Isle of Bali.
Primarily, I was there to conduct a three-day email marketing program for
a number of switched on business owners.
I then relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the time with my family which included my
wife and sons numbered #1 – #4 and others who stayed on.
Yesterday after flying from Bali to Perth then back home to Adelaide for a 4 hour stopover, I took the
6.30 pm flight to Coolangatta and you wouldn’t believe what happened as I was disembarking.
An email recipient of mine, called David, stood up from his seat and said, “Kurt,
I was thinking of you yesterday. I hadn’t received an email for awhile.”
I said, “Spooky, it’s the ‘Secret’ at work.” I further said, “Look out in your email box. I
have 3 Bali Lessons to Reveal.”
So, this email is devoted to David, whom I hope slays them at his conference as a guest speaker
in Canada.
Bali Lesson One
After I completed a successful three-day marketing program in Bali, 19 people including family and friends
decided to seek a more athletic pursuit. A 40 kilometre bicycle ride down the side of a Balinese Volcano.
The bus trip to the summit took about 1 1/2 hours and when we arrived we were gobsmacked by
the sheer beauty and brilliance of the view. Smoke raising from two volcanic craters, surrounded by an
enormous picturesque lake.
The 40 klm bike ride is not your normal bike ride. It transgresses the steep-hilly countryside on minor
roads passing through luscious bush and forest.
For me a 40 klm bike ride had never been attempted. Especially one in a foreign country on dodgy narrow
roads with equally dodgy drivers and their apparent lack of road rules.
But what could I do…
Sons #2, #3, #4 aged 14, 13, 12 respectively were ‘biting at the bit’ without a care in the world.
I was more circumspect.
My wife just looked at me with that look only females can give; which sort of translates to “You WIMP !”
So, here we were. All nineteen of us. Equipped with bicycle gloves, helmets, water bottles and
a fairly modern mountain bike each.
After receiving the guides instructions we commenced the descent.
After a small flat 100 metre start we were directed right by a local policeman who held up traffic,
and who adorned a mighty grin.
Did he know what we were getting oursleves into ???
The road was bitumen, well prepared, but fast. We flew down the first 500 metres like Lance Armstrong
until…
I saw son #4 pull out to the middle of the road to catch up to his brothers.
And…
This line of rapid descent may have worked except for the truck carrying live chickens driving up
the mountain road.
This meant…
Son #4 had to weave back into the other bike riders and this is where he became a bit wobbly -
lost control and hit the fringe of the bitumen.
With all his strength he tried to keep the bike straight until his right fist disengaged from the handle bars
and was flung into the air like a rodeo rider.
Now with only his left hand steering, and still going at a speed which he couldn’t control; the bike careered
into the surrounding bush and until eventually both he and the bike lay motionless in the Baliness jungle.
Now, this event was witnessed by both his mother and me and a few people riding behind. His brothers and
other more adventurous riders kept descending.
His mother looked at me visibly shaken.
As we approached he hadn’t moved.
His mother called out his name, once, twice, three times. Still no repsonse.
Is he unconscious? Is he lascerated? Are there broken bones?
None of this could be seen as he was facing down in the lush greenery of Bali.
His mother called his name again and then from the mouth of a twelve year old came those words
which we knew he was alright.
He said…
“GET LOST !”
Yes, who would ever thought we would welcome those magic seven letters in that order.
“GET LOST !”
The ultimate response to having a bruised ego as apart from a bruised body.
The guides were quick to react to mend his bike but insisted he take a ride in their van to recover.
But son #4 had other ideas.
He told them, “I came here to ride down the mountain NOT to be driven down.”
And with those words he grabbed the bike and proceeded to ride after his brothers.
So Bali Lesson One for everyone today is to:
NEVER GIVE UP FOLLOWING YOUR DREAM.
If a twelve year can fly over the handle bars of his mountain bike and land in the Bali jungle,
get up shake himself off and continue to ride the 39.5 klm journey which remained then
you can continue to follow your dream too.
Bali Lesson Two
Around the ten kilometre mark of the descent we were ushered into the home of a guide.
It was a typical Balinese country home consisting of three or four small buildings each having only
one room within. There was the oligatatory Hindu temple and a small smoked laden room
which was the kitchen.
In the surrounding bush were two pigs. The largest was the sow who is the ‘breeder’ and the smaller
pig being fattened for an ucoming feast.
The home was void of a toilet and when asked about this we were pointed to the bush.
My sons grabbed me and ushered me into one of the rooms at the home. They laughed aloud
when we saw a dog asleep on bed in this mud hut. I then reminded them our Llasa Apso and
Golden Retriever do the same when we are not home. They just didn’t get the similarities but
it was pleasant for me to see them experiencing other cultures.
My wife was most interested in the cauldron cooking in the ‘kitchen’. The kitchen was a mud hut
with a thatched roof. Charcoal stuck to walls giving a musty, smoky aroma. The large cauldren or
pot hovered over fire consisting mainly of dried cow manure.
Inside the pot was a concoction of potato peels and other vegetable matters.
When my wife inquired into whose meal this was and was informed it was the pigs.
The family would ensure they fed the pigs to keep them fat and after that the family would eat from
the same cauldron. Not necessarily the same food but defintely from the same large pot.
It was right here Bali revealed its second lesson.
My wife turned to the other females in our groups and stated, “I’ll never complain about my kitchen
again !”
So, lesson two from Bali is:
SHOW GRATITUDE FOR WHAT YOU HAVE
Be thankful for what you own and possess because there is also someone who has less and
is joyful, happy, and peaceful.
Lesson Two reminds me of the line- “I was complained I had no shoes until met a man with no feet”
Bali Lesson Three
At the end of the arduous 40 kilometre descend from the Volcano all nineteen people were joyed and vibrant.
A few of us were tired, a few of us wanted to ride back up (only joking) but there was a common theme
for everyone.
And that was…
Everyone praised and congratulated each other.
All nineteen people applauded each others results and sat down to the feast which was prepared
for us.
For me and one other, we couldn’t eat after such a journey and instead settled for copious amounts of
cold water to rehydrate.
But that’s Ok because the Isle of Bali had just revealed its third lesson and that is:
PRAISE AND CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS WITH OTHERS.
The trip down the mountain was over. Sons #2, #3 and #4 made it down without anymore mishap.
My fingers are crossed my wife has forgotten about renovating the kitchen and for me another successful
adventure of my life has been achieved.
Bali and its wonderful people has brought to me three great lessons which when placed in numerical
order are so important to heed.
1. NEVER GIVE UP FOLLOWING YOUR DREAM;
2. SHOW GRATITUDE FOR WHAT YOU HAVE;
3. PRAISE AND CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS WITH OTHERS.
Until next week and enjoy the weekend.
Cheers and Great Selling
Kurt
Email Mastery
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February 7, 2010
Hey Kurt,
Thanks to you I am now creating my POSITIONING (think I got that right) in the industry, we have been working on my marketing material and attached our flyer with your testimonial on it.
So far I’ve made up 7 Hair Profile Packs and they went quickly as a result of my first ad in the local paper and the feed back has been unreal, nobody has heard of anyone doing this, or even the monthly newsletter where I answer their biggest hair problems and finally next year.
I’m hoping to start interviewing some big names in the hairdressing industry about trends and tips etc. and creating an information products around that as well as a continuality programe where they get monthly recordings from various stylist and Q and A calls as well.
I’m keeping all my material and records of the results in the hope to work towards creating a few mobile businesses complete with effective marketing strategies for them to build a business on and then a continuality programme with them too around marketing.
Anyway thank you again for your help.
Lisa Ford – Perth
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February 1, 2010
Hi Everyone
“How To Use Emails To Drive People To Your Website”
A sound tactic of any email campaign is to be very clear what you would like people to do after they have read it.
Your email should be written with an intent, a purpose of mind, a clear end result on how you would like the recipient to act.
In the copywriting business we call it a “Call to Action”.
I am not necessarily talking about a asking for a sale every time you email.
In fact, experience tells us this tactic simply will not be receptive with even your most ardent of followers.
What you must do though is to have a clear strategy.
For instance, one of my very good clients Victor, from Melbourne Australia, makes good use of his monthly newsletter.
Victor, engages his list by referring them to his website to click on a few links to gain access to the monthly newsletter which contains numerous specials inside.
Do you want to know the funny part.
Most of Victor’s clients receive a ‘hard copy’ of the monthly newsletter in the mail. It is the same one which is on the website and contains the same specials
but…
people go through the exercise of clicking the links.
Why ???
Because it is ‘front of mind.
And this is the POWER of email marketing.
You see Victor emails to his List ‘weekly’ and reminds them to take a look.
The email reminds them the newsletter is published and to take peak at the monthly specials.
And they do.
How do we know ?
Because we can trace their actions.
So whether you have a newsletter or not.
The combination of email marketing and driving prospects to your website works.
Still not sure ?
Let Victor tell you. http://www.kurtjohansen.com/testimonials/39000-in-3-days-using-kurts-system/
Cheers and Great Selling
Kurt
Email Mastery
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January 28, 2010
Valentine’s Day is almost upon us.
and…
Are you ready for it? I mean really ready?
Whether you personally view it as the most romantic day of the year,
surrounded with love and affection,
or…
a tacky, hyped-up-retail propaganda;
there’s no denying, Valentine’s Day can have a dramatic effect on
many small businesses.
And one of the best ways to take advantage of this
potential windfall is through email marketing.
Here are 1o breathtaking tips you should implement immediately
to make sure your Valentine’s Day doesn’t pass like “two ships in the night”.
1. Start now. It’s only a couple of weeks away.
Start writing your copy, collect images, create the offers, etc.
then…
Plan a schedule of when to send your emails:
Email 1: Tuesday, Feb. 2: “introduction and initial offer email”
Email 2: Thursday, Feb. 4: “offer reminder email” (let them know only 10 days to go)
Email 3: Thursday , Feb. 11: reminder two — “Valentine’s Day is on Sunday -
Are you prepared ?!”
Email 4: Wednesday, Feb. 17: “thank you” email stating how happy you
were to help many customers save their relationships and how you helped others start new ones.
Extend another offer for one more day/night/purchase etc..
2. Add a Valentine’s Day image in your email or use a Valentine’s Day template, if you have one available. A Valentine’s Day template works gangbusters to get people in the mood and thinking about the Day.
3. Offer Valentine’s ideas in your email. People often do not know what to get their partner on Valentine’s Day.
Give them suggestions.
How many times have you wondered what you’re going to do for your special loved-one?
Us fellas often have a hard time thinking of ideas.
Do the work for us by providing a list of the top 2-3 Valentine’s Day gifts or services you can provide. Don’t give too many choices, you will confuse people and then they won’t buy.
4. Can you break-up your list by gender?
Send the guys and the gals different messages. They will want different things.
But a common email will work as well.
5. Have compelling offers. Most people would have spent their holiday pay and would not be too flushed with disposable income. Make the offer so compelling they need to take advantage of it.
6. Partner with another business. Can you offer complementing products and services.
Can a dinner include a photograph?
Talk to the business beside you – can you share lists? i.e You offer their services to your list (must be introduced and sent by you).
Will they send out your Valentine’s Day offer to their list?
7. Do you remember who bought from you last Valentine’s Day?
Contact them. Remind them.
Offer them an even better deal this year.
If the offer is right, they’ll most likely buy from you again.
If you don’t know them, make sure you keep a record this year.
8. Add “forward-to-a-friend” in your email.
Encourage people to forward your email offer to their friends.
It’s a way to make more sales and gain another client.
9. Add testimonials to your email.
Many consumers will buy if they know another person has had
a positive buying experience with your product or service.
Let your prospects know you are honest and reliable.
and finally…
10. If you don’t have a list then now is the time to start building one.
Use an instore promotion to WIN a valuable gift basket.
Start collecting Names (first name crucial),
Email Addresses and even birthdays (you don’t have to collect the year of birth – the day and month will do).
Collect their postal address too.
(There’s many ways to market to them then – but that’s another message from me).
There you go….
“10 Breathtaking Valentine’s Day Tips To Thrust Cupid’s
Arrow Deep Into Your Customers’ Heart”
Cheers and Great Selling
Kurt
Email Mastery
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January 27, 2010
Hi Everyone
Research from Pure360 located in Brighton, England suggest email marketers should be choosy when sending emails.
They have broken down what times we should be sending marketing emails.
But before I talk about the research…
From my experience the best times have always been mid morning and you will discover this is not what Pure360 research suggests.
but the reality is…
I can see who has opened my emails and when (yes, if you have the right software this is possible) and have come to the conclusion an email opening lasts for about three days.
What I mean by this is once a marketing email is sent, it has a life-time of around 72 hours.
After 72 hours only a few people on my list will open it.
So, whilst a particular time of the day can be researched it will all depend on what message you are sending and to whom.
Here is an overview of what Pure360 discovered and my comments after each one in brackets:
1. “The Abyss” (10 p.m. to 9 a.m.)
Ineffective time to send email promotions. (Unless your list is to computer and social media people I would think.)
2. “Consumer AM” (9 a.m. to 10 a.m.)
Beginning of the workday, with consumers opening offers on clothes, live events, restaurants and consumer goods. (I believe you will be in ‘heavy traffic’ if it’s sitting there in their inbox when they get to work.)
3. “Do Not Disturb” (10 a.m. to noon)
Consumers don’t open marketing emails. (I disagree – I find this is a very good time to activate my lists. This time of day allows people to clear their inboxes which means your message will not compete with others.)
4. “The Lunchtime News” (Noon to 2 p.m.)
Consumers are unlikely to open marketing emails during this period, opting instead to read news and magazine alerts. (Maybe but if your email is from a trusted source – yourself – maybe they would want to open it.)
5. “In The Zone” (2 p.m. to 3 p.m.)
Consumers only respond to email offers relating to financial services during this period. (See my comments under Point 4.)
6. “A Life-Changing Afternoon” (3 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
More emails related to property and financial services are opened between these hours than any other type of promotion. (Again, See my comments under Point 4.)
7. “Working Late” (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
Holiday and B-to-B email promotions are more likely to be opened in these two hours. (I do see a reduce opening of my emails during this period.)
8. “Last Orders” (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.)
Consumer promotions focused on clothes, sports and gyms are more likely to be opened during this period. (I find Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter works better at this time of the day)
The real point about email marketing open times is to TEST.
All emails you send should be able to traced to whom opened, when they opened and what links they clicked on.
And if you cannot do this yet then…
You need to obtain a different email marketing sending program.
Plus…
Maybe your emails are not adhering to the 7 Killer Tips I have published over to the right???
The point of this post is to say – Make sure you TEST !
Don’t just believe a research company, if they didn’t include your list in their research.
Cheers and Great Selling
Kurt
Email Mastery
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January 18, 2010
Hi Everyone
The last couple of weeks have been somewhat hectic.
I have been putting together email campaigns for businessess and then all of a sudden the family’s 12 day beach holiday was upon me.
I was planning, organising and scheduling events so I could relax in style – that’s me doing nothing except lying around and watching the cricket.
It’s now Day 6 (Monday 18th) and I received a timely reminder this morning that life should be about contentment.
You see…
The kids disappeared somewhere…
It’s OK (somebody else can feed them today), and I was left to my own devices.
Well the T.V. went on but the cricket finished. Damn those Australians – too good again !
So, I have found the next most interesting thing for me to do and that is:
and for those who follow me it’s been a little while since I did this.
So, as I enjoy my life in contentment, let me leave you with a few words which I discovered last year during hundreds of email campaigns for businesses.
1. All businesses need to collect names and addresses of clients;
2.. All businesses need to inform customers about what’s happening inside the business;
3. All businesses have a story to tell their clients;
and there is no excuse NOT to do this.
Whether you use email, direct mail, telephone, flyers, newspaper ads, T.V., radio or a combination – if you wish to be in business then market.
It is not a person’s repsonsibility to find out what you do IT’S YOUR RESPONSIBLITY to let them know.
Bob Proctor says, “Success is a combination of Motivation and Education”
I can’t motivate you, you have to do that yourself.
but…
I can educate you if you wish to learn.
And as I said in my last post and in an email to my LISTS…
“Don’t make NewYear Resolutions MAKE New Year DECISIONS.”
So, as I contemplate what the next two hours will bring here at our Beach Holiday, I ask you what the next two hours will bring your business.
Are you ready to be educated about email marketing???
If so, send me an email and let’s get started.
Cheers and Great Selling
Kurt
Email Mastery
PS: I now know what I am doing – the kids are back – and we are going Jetty Jumping !
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