One of the best ways I have found to automate your marketing is through the use of auto-responders. An auto-responder is a system that automatically sends out “preset email messages and promotions” to your client list who has bought from you in the past, current customers, or opted in to your email list to get something for FREE.

These emails can be text based in nature or short little videos which ad more of an entertainment experience.

Just imagine pre-typing a well thought out email campaign (specifically for your customers) that was designed to educate and give back to your customers by giving them “special subscriber discounts”.  One of the many questions I get asked is….”Tony…do you mean to tell me I can “pre-program” my promotions and communications (to my customers) over a year in advance….and its all on autopilot?

To be honest…this is one of the true joys I personally get in consulting when I see my client’s eyes light up like Christmas Trees when they picture how they can implement this marketing strategy in their business. The next question is usually “Tony, can I implement this in my business”.  I always respond with an astounding “yes”… just let me know and when you want to get started.

If you’re doubting the legitimacy of email marketing’s current and future power, let me share some cutting-edge marketing stats that some research firms have found:

1. “More than one-third said they checked throughout the day.” - AOL/Beta Research Corporation (June 2008)
2. “More than seven out of 10 employed respondents also said they checked their personal email at work – and nearly one-third said they did so more than three times a day. - AOL/Beta Research Corp.(June 2008)
3. “Nearly 70% of respondents said they had multiple email accounts. – AOL/Beta Research Corporation(June 2008)
4. “75.8% said they are using more email than three years ago.” – Direct Marketing Association (2008)
5. “66% of those surveyed said they had made a purchase because of a marketing message received through email.” – ExactTarget, 2008 Channel Preference Survey (2008)
6. “ 2/3’s of US Internet users surveyed said email was their preferred channel for written communications between friends. – ExactTarget, 2008 Channel Preference Survey (2008)
7. “67% of respondents prefer email as a communications channel over other online vehicles and 65 percent believe this will continue to be the case in five years. “- Habeas (2008)

Can you start to see how you can gain an advantage against your completion? Do you think they even know this technology is even available…not unless they meet someone like me of course.

Can you see how this technology can make your business a lot of money by sending them promotions all on auto-pilot?

That as a foundation, I’ve also witnessed this behavioral pattern in a lot of my small business owner clientele.  They get into trouble “doing” the wrong marketing activities.  Specifically, marketing activities that were programmed into them since birth.  Most people think…well we need to market the business so let’s put $1,000 per month into Radio, Yellow Pages, or Newspaper Advertising (like most do) and they see if it generates any results.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for testing to see if different marketing may work.  However, the majority of business owners (I run into) follow the pattern of just seeing what marketing sticks in traditional popular marketing channels.  But that sad thing that I see is this type of business owner does not have any concrete basis (or statistics) for it.  If you want to “do” the right marketing activities the right way, you must start with a good marketing plan.

Definition of a marketing plan is as follows:

A marketing plan is a written document that is an organized set of activities that is designed to promote your product, service and/or company.  A marketing plan is designed to increase customers and company profits and usually “planned out” between one and five years in the future.

CAUTION ALERT: Solid marketing strategy is “the foundation” of a well-written marketing plan.

While a marketing plan contains a list of actions, a marketing plan ( without a sound strategic foundation) is of very little use to businesses.

Elements of a good marketing plan

Wisdom: “focus your efforts on a few BIG things”

1. Conduct quality research as the foundation to build your marketing plan
2. Business & Marketing Mission Statements (they should be different but connected)
3. Determine specific goals and time frames to reach these goals
4. Determine what your effective “marketing channels” are
5. Determine your marketing budget (do steps 1-3 first)
6. Delegate responsibility to carry out each segment of your plan
7. Measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaign and re-valuate