Face it.  You are a start-up.  You are a one man show.  You are in a cut-throat competitive spiritual environment that is under priced and over served.  That means that you don’t have any cash flow to waste on marketing and you have a ton of competition.  The key word here is “waste”  not “marketing.”  As previous discussed, 10% of your gross revenue is to be spent on marketing.  So how do you get the most bang for your buck?  You must become an expert at email marketing.

Now I do understand that everyone is abuzz about Social Media like facebook, twitter, Linked in and more.  Those are great, but know that only 7% of what you post is actually seen and just because it’s seen doesn’t mean it is read.  That’s pretty lousy for the time you have to invest in staying in the stream.  By “staying in the stream,” I mean that you have to be present and engaged in the conversation to have any effect at all.  Who has time for that?

Your best use of resources is email.  So here are some must haves:

  • You must have a subscription with a service that generates professional high quality emails.  I use Icontact.com.      I used to use Constant Contact, but I like Icontact much better and it integrates with autoresponders for shopping carts.  Do think long term because it is a total PAIN to transfer autoresponders which you will be using if you are getting a schtick. (you can’t transfer..you have to re-create.) LINK TO SIGN UP
  • You must have a means by which to gather emails to market to.
  • Your blog must have a subscription feed.
  • Your .com home page must have a call to action to collect a potential client’s email. This can look like “subscribe and receive free ________.”  Fill in the blank with a free class, free consultation, or free ebook.
  • Your cash wrap must have a call to action to subscribe to a monthly newsletter.
  • Your front door must have a call to action to subscribe to a monthly newsletter.
  • You must get in the Age of Aquarius and only email receipts to clients (double whammy is saving the planet and capturing email).
  • When you do events, always have a free give away to capture the person’s email.  If it’s a virtual gift or a first class free with sunk costs, make sure that everybody is the winner.  That means that every single person wins the “one” gift.
  • When you are out and about and meet people, collect business cards and always have a notebook in  your bag to write down people’s email.
  • For everything that YOU do, make it easy for people to email you.

Here’s something you might not realize.  Your email list has monetary value.  Let’s say you are an acupuncturist and you are going to sell your business.  What are you really selling given that your rent your space, lease your equipment, and probably have few assets?  Well, you are selling your client list and your potential client list. 

Once you have signed up for your subscription sit down with pen and paper and logically create email lists.  Here is the biggest email marketing tip:  SEGREGATION.  Targeted focused email to specific groups are the best for converting sales.  Examples from my business:

Newsletter…this goes weekly to a huge list.  Count on only 10% of people opening.  So, if you have a list of 1000, only 100 will open it.  This is the list where you are talking to everyone so it is most inefficient.  It’s a must though.  Lots of marketeers don’t want to “bug” their clients and fear losing subscriptions so they limit their blasts to once a month.  Don’t do that.  Even if the email is not opened, they are seeing your company name in their inbox once a week.  When they are ready, they will finally open one.

Programs.  I have list and sign ups separate for The Elemental Cleanse, Elemental OM School, Corporate Programs, and more.  When someone wants to know more about the Cleanse, they either sign up on landing page for it or they have sent me an email asking a question and I ask permission to put them on the informational mailing list. Open rates on these go much higher from 20 – 30%.

Autoresponders.  These are a LIFE SAVER.  When someone signs up for a first class free on my home page, an autoresponder sends them a gorgeous email welcoming them to EOM studios and introducing them to our Signature Programs and my book.  You can time follow up responders to go out as well automating this communication.

Personal Responders.  This is the golden touch.  When I can, I personally respond to sign ups with a quick thank you, a note, a pdf download with the current class schedule, or anything else I think of.  I can’t do it all the time, but when I do potential clients love it.  You will love it too.

Here’s something you might not realize…when you are working to partner with someone to promote your goods or services, they want to know how many people are on your email list.  The more you have, the more likely you are to receive their support.

How do you get potential clients to open your emails?

  • You have to be clever with the subject line.
  • Don’t use all caps.
  • Don’t use a bunch of exclamation marks.
  • Do use “special”, “exclusive”, “bonus”, and “vip”
  • Push the fear button.  An example would be, “There is mass murderer lose killing woman.”  this would be a newsletter about the sleeping killer, high blood pressure.
  • Be controversial.  I wrote a blog once called “Burn it all Pastor Terry Jones.”  You remember that guy who keeps getting our soldiers in trouble with his Koran burnings.  Readers went nuts opening it.

Your message in general whether it’s emailing, blogging, or 140 characters on twitter:

Short and sweet.  Let’s face it.  These business blogs are too long.  The only reason you keep reading is because I’m giving you valuable and really awesome information that you desire and sought out.  You can’t go this long on any written material before you have already engaged on a superficial way, caught their attention, and made them a fan.

Innovative.  You must share new information with your personal spin.  Be cutting edge.  Be fun.  and BE FUNNY.  People love to laugh and will share something that makes them laugh much more than anything else.  Oh yea, people love dogs and cats too so if you can weave a dog or cat story in, go for it.

Lastly

Do not be afraid to lose subscriptions.  I’ll be honest.  Every time someone unsubscribes from my email list I get sad.  I try to figure out who they are and then I think through if the content was appropriate, if I hurt their feelings, or if I offended them in some way.  Do not do this.  It’s insanity.  People simply move on, get sick of reading emails, or more to the point in my case (teaching health and wellness) they have fallen so far off the wagon, feel guilty, and must eliminate the constant reminder of what they perceive is a failure.

Treasure your email sign ups.  Provide beauty, quality, and inspiration in a person’s inbox.  Provide quality on all levels and respect that you are taking someone’s time.  It better be good if you are going to distract them from what they are focused on.

There are a lot of folks out there on the internet that will charge you anywhere from $25 – $1,000 to tell you how to email blast and convert sales.  I’ve taken the courses.  The bottom line is you are in a spiritually based industry that is NOT a hard sale.  Be genuine.  Be authentic.  Be yourself.  Be timely.  Be committed to helping and serving.  Be respectful.  Be clear.

Om, Pamela

*The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of ayurveda, yoga, and meditation. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern, please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively. Check with your doctor before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or nursing.