Posted: 11th May 2015
Have you ever noticed how some people at a Farmers’ markets just have a knack of engaging your interest? Maybe they go through the best cooking method to get melt in the mouth duck breast, or maybe they tell you about a special heritage, variety of cherry tomato that is sweeter than all the supermarket varieties.
Why is this engaging?
They’re giving you information you want. You want to know how to cook a wonderful duck for your friends; you want to make your salad taste of summer. These masters and mistresses in the art of selling realize an important fact. Educating your customers on matters that interest them is a great way to set up a sale. He isn’t telling you about the regulations required to sell duck, he’s telling you how to make it taste fantastic. He’s giving you information you want. At the same time he is reassuring you about his produce, making the purchase easier.
Sending e-newsletters (i.e. a newsletter delivered electronically) is a great way to regularly educate your customers, build up relationships with them and so make selling easier. It is a chance for you to share your knowledge and expertise. Through newsletters your customers and potential customers get to know what kind of business you are and how you value your customers.
Save your customers the trouble of hunting for your contact details
Make sure you have your contact details on every newsletter or links to your website so it’s easy for customers to get in touch whenever they need or want what you offer.At the simplest level a regular, informative e-newsletter can bring your business, products and expertise, to the front of your customer’s mind. What you put in your newsletter can increase the chances of sales in the future
Informative content such as top tips, how to articles and analysis of either legislation or current trends in your industry will be useful for your customers if you can present it from your customers’ point of view.
How helpful content increases your expertise in the eyes of your customers?
Authoritative commentary also helps to establish you as an expert in your area. People usually underestimate how much knowledge they have acquired to create and run their businesses. By sharing that knowledge with your customers they learn more about the processes that create your products. You may be an artist. Once you start talking about how you achieve certain effects, people see very quickly that there is much more to it then a few brush strokes on a canvas. This puts you in a very good light as far as your customer is concerned.
It works because:-
people expect businesses to sell to them rather than educate them, so you pique their curiosity people can get the measure of your knowledge, passion or skills through what you write about if your information helps them make better decisions or gives them knowledge, you become valuable to them you show you value the customer’s interests and want to improve their experiences in your area.
A residential art school might send a series of e-newsletters on painting landscapes
An organic vegetable box scheme might send e-newsletters spotlighting different seasonal vegetable crops with advice on how to prepare, cook or pickle them.
A visitor attraction might offer tips on visiting the area with young children or dogs or disabled visitors
A restaurant might send articles on how to choose wine to go with your meal.
Distinctly different from an email marketing campaign focusing on short term promotions, an e-newsletter campaign can help build your reputation as an expert and educate your customers. People still buy from people and e-newsletters are a great way to let your personality show.
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