Using the net doesn't guarantee instant results. Research has shown the optimal number of times you need to email someone who is on your mailing list to get a response is six. I know six sounds like a lot, and you're probably asking yourself, "How did they arrive at that number?" Surveys of e-mail customers have uncovered many reasons why consumers may not respond to the first e-mail they receive, including:

• The e-mail didn't make it to its destination


• The message got lost in an e-mail-packed mailbox


• The recipient deleted it by accident


• Someone else using the computer deleted it


• The person was too busy to respond


• He was on vacation


• She had to discuss it with someone else


• He wanted to compare with other offers


• It just didn't "strike" the recipient in the right way


• She filed it for future review


• He simply forgot about it


• It was blocked by an ISP or user-installed software program
• So the conclusion is - email marketing is like any other marketing. To see results you need patience and persistence.

Setting up a newsletter within your business takes a bit of time and effort. So many people ask me - is it really worth this type of investment. Here's my answer.
Look at other ways you spend time marketing your business. You take clients to lunch, you send holiday cards, you attend trade shows, you ask for referrals, you make cold calls and you attend business meetings.
All of this you do with the hope of gaining visibility, meeting potential clients and reinforcing existing relationships.
It's a necessary part of running a small business, but if you think about it, it's very much a hit or miss approach.
An e-newsletter on the other hand, offers all the benefits of these other approaches, but in a much more cost effective and targeted way.
Why wander around business meetings hoping to stumble on a new client, when you've got existing relationships with customers and others that you're not really nurturing?
Taking one day per month to connect with your universe of contacts is well worth your time, and in terms of ROI, your e-newsletter may quickly become the most systematic, most effective marketing activity your small business is engaged in.
Talk to us about how you can get started