I know that I have a great product. How do I get the word out to the customers who would buy?

Congratulations! You have done a great deal of work to make sure that your product is as good as it can be and that it fills a niche in your market. However, the rollout of the product is just as important: The first impression that you give will be the final impression is you do not create a compelling package that your initial contact list will want to follow up on.

The first mistake that people make is a psychological one. They feel as though emailing a contact list is an aggressive measure that will be frowned upon by contact base. You must change this mindset in order to follow through with the rest of your strategy. If you have something to offer your contact base, then you must first give yourself permission to create a marketing strategy without hiccups or hesitation. Here are the steps that you should take in order to make sure you create a good impression so that your contact list will stay with you throughout the entire marketing process.

First of all, be sure that you always give your contact list the ability to opt out at any time.

Many email marketers believe that the little line at the end of an email saying, “If you wish to unsubscribe, click here” sounds the death knell for any email campaign. As a matter of fact, this may actually be the line that saves it. If people know that they can opt out of an email list easily, they are actually much more likely to stay on it according to studies from Nielsen.

In countries such as Ireland, having this unsubscribe line in an email may also be the law. Even if it is not, it is in your best interest to always allow your contact list to opt out easily and automatically. Be sure to have a survey at the end of the unsubscribe page so that you can find out exactly why a customer would choose to opt out.

Second, be sure that your emails are short and to the point.

Your emails should be one of two types: informative or entertaining. Hopefully, all of your emails will be both. Do not worry about putting intense graphics or multimedia into your emails if you are not familiar with this type of marketing. Your main concern should be the information that is included.

Your customer base wants to know that they are dealing with an expert in your industry. Your information should be timely as well as verifiable.

Third, be sure that you format your email to put its best foot forward.

There are ways to format your email campaign so that your tagline shows up in the preview window of popular email clients such as Outlook. If you are unsure of how to do this, start a free Outlook account and email your newsletter to yourself until you get the formatting correct.

Some Email Templates to Help You Out

Keep the email short and sweet, but avoid having it come across sounding like a mass produced, spam email. If it’s a personal contact and you feel unsure about sending them the same email as you would a colleague, title the email “hello!” and give the message a more casual feel. Here’s an example:

Hi (Name),

It’s been a long time! I was just thinking of you. Hope you’re doing well. (Mention family or their job). I’ve been working on a new website and it just launched the other day. I thought you might want to check it out- (www.yoursite.com). Let me know what you think! I’m really excited to see where it goes.

If you’re in the area sometime, let’s get together and grab a cup of coffee?
Best,
(Your signature)

Title the email “Check out my new website!” if it’s a professional contact so they know what they’re getting into. In a world of promotional emails, give yours a bit of a human touch if it’s someone very special to you. For example, if your old boss has inspired you tremendously in your career, you might want to write something like this:

Dear (Name),

I think of you often and hope you’re doing well. I hope you know what an inspiration you have been in my life and I will always admire your (qualities they exemplify- tenaciousness, determination, positive attitude). I just launched a new website and wanted to get your feedback if you had a minute. You can check it out here-(www.yoursite.com).

Thank you for everything and talk to you soon.
Kind regards,
(Your signature)

The best part about emailing all your contacts is that it’s free! Why wouldn’t you take advantage of free marketing?

Although we have discussed ways to personalise emails, there is truly nothing wrong with sending everyone the same message if you are short on time. Something like this would work:

Hi (Name),

Just thought you could be interested in checking out my new website (www.yoursite.com) Any feedback is welcome and thank you so much!

Best always,
(Your signature)

Have you emailed your contacts and now want to take the next step? If you’re active in social media, then you already know the importance of having your site promoted by bloggers and other websites that are relevant to your company. For example, if you just launched an online boutique, you would want to reach out to fashion bloggers to wear and review some of your items, and include a link to the site in their post. If you’re a starting a new catering company, reach out to wedding sites that advertise different caterers to brides. You’ll want to start the relationship with an initial email that will go something like:

Hi (Name)

I’m a huge fan of your (name the blog/company/site) and think you have great (relevant trait- personal style, eye for graphic design, selection of wedding caterers, etc). I actually just opened up my own online (boutique/blog/company) and would love the opportunity to speak with you further about a possible collaboration. Let me know if it would be possible to arrange a phone call or meeting.

Best always,
(Your signature)

The most important thing to remember is to keep the email concise. You want to flatter them in some way of course but they truly don’t need, or have time to read, a full page on the professional relationship you hope you can build with them.

Take the time to look up their name. Do not address them by the name of their company or as “business manager” or “blogger.” This little detail makes a big difference in how they perceive you.

Fingers crossed!