Insurance and Finance Marketing

With the credit crunch really starting to bite mortgage and insurance brokers, as well as IFAs, brokers are trying to diversify into other product areas in order to generate income.

One of the best ways to easily announce a new product range or service is via email. It is low cost, quick and can be very rewarding if the right message goes out.

But the best message in the world is worthless if you don’t have anyone to send it out too.

So do you have a database of client email addresses?

In fact I bet you do and I bet you have several spread across the office on different Computers or broker systems. Take some time out to look at what data you hold in different locations and try and build a single list of all your existing customers.

Create processes to start capturing the email addresses of everyone that contacts you via phone, email, post, or even walks in through the door.

Incentivise clients and prospects to give you their email address. This could in the form of a free gift:

• An email course
• A downloadable Guide
• A Free Web or Teleseminar

If you have an office, why not have a free prize, have small cards next to a fish bowl and get walk-ins to write their email address on a piece of card and drop it in the box.

Contact other partners you work with and see if they have a mailing list? Offer one off mailing to that list to attract them or offer them your free gift in exchange for their email address.

As business gets more and more difficult, using email and autoresponder technology to produce and operate low cost, automated systems is a great way to attract new business and to offer new products and services to your existing customers. This creates new revenue streams for your business with a small outlay.

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• July 18, 2008 -- Building your Email / Newsletter Contact List

If your business offers an online newsletter, one thing you want more than anything else is subscribers. But lots of small businesses have the mentality that “once you build it, they will come”. This is why most have mailing lists have single figure lists.

You need to promote your newsletter or email signup box to drive more subscribers. So how do you do it?

Here are some techniques that I have used to drive more subscribers to my email lists.

1. Add a subscription box to every page on your website and make it above the fold so as soon as they see your site they can signup. Remember not everyone will visit your site via the front door that is your homepage!

2. Add a link to a sample issue or your archive so potential subscribers can see what they are signing up to. This may reduce the number of signups but those that do will be more likely to open what you send them!

3. Make sure you clearly define your Privacy Policy - If you are going to send their details to third parties then tell them! Reassure them!

4. Contact other newsletter editors and offer a trade for advertising. They promote your newsletter and you do likewise. Make sure though that it is a relevant publication.

5. Register your Newletter with Newsletter (eZine) Directories such as www.jogena.com, www.directoryofezines.com. Carry out a search in Google for other Newsletter Directories.

6. Entice subscribers by giving them something of value in exchange for signing up. Write something original that they can’t get anywhere else, maybe a report or a Video.

7. Create an Image for your newsletter, give it a persona and use this image as part of your signup form.

8. Ask your current subscribers to pass on your email newsletter to others.

9. Promote it for free using Classified Ads Sites such as the marketplace on Ecademy, Gumtree, Craigslist, even eBay now offers a classified Ad format.

10. Use a co-registration process. Co-registration is a great way to build a list. Basically your newsletter advert will appear on other companies websites and their visitors will have the ability to add themselves to your list while signing up to others.

11. Use an Exit Window. An exit window usually pops up when visitors leave your site. Why not build a pop up window with a signup form to your newsletter. Maybe add some different text such as “Wait before you go…”. Yes, this could annoy some people but if pop ups annoy visitors they will have pop up blockers so they won’t even see them. Create different windows for different exit points on your site.

12. List Exchanges. There are websites you can signup to and promote that build a mailing list using MLM techniques. The more people that signup under you the bigger of a list you are building. Some of the best sites include www.yourluckylist.com and www.listinferno.com

13. Ask people that you network with. If you are a business card swapper and networker ask if you can add them to your list so they can receive your newsletter. Have a signup link to your newsletter on the back of your card. But keep the url simple!

14. Add a signup up advert or line to your email signature block and make sure it goes out on ALL your emails.

15. Use a Hover Ad or Pop Up ad on your sites homepage to collect email signups.

16. Make sure your newsletter has its own page on your site so visitors can read back issues or get more detailed information about what your newsletter will offer them.

17. Make sure you have a link to your newsletter page from your homepage and include it in your main site navigation.

18. Write and submit articles (like I have done below!) and include a signup link

19. Run a contest or quiz on your site to capture email addresses.

I think that this will be enough to be getting on with. There are hundreds of different techniques you can employ. I will be sharing more in my newsletter in the coming months. Why not sign up now and you will receive 5 reports aimed at helping you carry out your own Internet Marketing, subscribers will also receive our monthly newsletter, Insight. Send a blank email note to: speediesite@getresponse.com or visit http://www.speedieconsulting.co.uk

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• July 24, 2008 -- Do you have a customer email database?