This week’s “Help This Hound” question is from Dr. Robert Kotler of Beverly Hills, Calif., author of Secrets of a Beverly Hills Cosmetic Surgeon:
“We are eager to increase the number of email addresses to which we send our ‘Tip of the Month’—short, snappy tidbits about looking good and younger.
“It’s not a solicitation for patients, just honest advice from an expert. Our target for the newsletter is women, 20s to 60s. The list is compiled from patients who have had surgery with us, prospective patients who have inquired about our services but have yet to come, and then a group that consulted with us but never proceeded to have our services. Also, patients give us the emails of friends.
“Currently, our list is over 4,000 and includes out-of-town people. Any ideas how we can ethically and without cost, grow our in-house email list?”
(If you have your own “Help This Hound” question, email it to me and include your city, state and website address.)
The Publicity Hound says:
OK, Hounds, I see one problem with how Dr. Kotler is publishing the tips. Let’s see who else can spot it. What should he be doing differently, and what else can he be doing to build his email list? Hi Joan,
Buckeye V.A. thinks:
1. He could grow his list by actively being present on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
2. Have an email signup sheet in his office(s)
3. Is he being to vague about the topics will be sharing with his readers?
4. Is it ethical to send unsolicited emails to the contacts he was given by others?
He should segment his list. If he could obtain ages, send different tips because tips for 20 year olds may not be of interest or value to 60 year olds.
This is excellent advice.
I recently started launching research on my own members who are business owners who are building teams of employees that love the company as much as they do.
I have asked them specifically what they want and I am giving it to them in the form of articles, tips, team building activities and video.
It has made a huge difference. And you are right, people who are in their 20’s and seeing the first facial line will want information that is different from a woman my age. Great advice.
Dianne Crampton, Founder
TIGERS Success Series
http://www.teambuildingsuccessnow.com
Even if the information is valuable and the intentions are good, if the people on the email list didn’t explicitly ask for and/or agree to receive the emailed tips, the messages are spam. Rather than mass-mailings to a compiled list, the ideal would be to mail only to people who have deliberately opted in to the mailing list.
He could expand his target audience to include men. I’m sure there are plenty of men in his area who are interested in how to look good and younger.
“Tip of the Month” doesn’t tell the prospective subscriber what it’s about.
I don’t see much effort to spread the word to people who haven’t been in contact with his office, which is the group where it’d probably do the most good.
Hmm. I just realized I need to take my own advice. 🙂
Host a Patient Appreciation day in-office. Invite clients to attend and bring a guest. Have snacks, a few email sign-up sheets around the lobby and a 5-10 minute “quick tips” presentation. At the end of the presentation, invite people to sign up (don’t rely on them seeing it) and offer a free consultation to all sign-ups.
His tips should be at the top, more visible where he can capture name/addresses. You have to scroll and bother to read (dig) to see it.
Dr. Kotler, you need to mail more frequently. If you mail once every other week, you’re in front of your readers 26 times a year instead of only 12 times a year.
Mail once a week and, well, do the math.
Also, make sure everyone on your list has given you permission to send the newsletter.
I suggest you include a box at your website that drops down from the top of the screen and tells visitors about the emailed tips, and asks for their name and email address. When I added this to my website at PublicityHound.com, it at last tripled the number of opt-ins.
How do you do that Joan? Is it a drop down box or like you say, one that floats? If it floats, what is the technology you need to do that?
Great idea.
Dianne Crampton
http://www.teambuildingsuccessnow.com
Dianne, I bought HTML coding at http://www.marketingtips.com/hover/t/827664 (affiliate link) and inserted it onto the home page of my website.
I agree with Kerry Nesbit, where she says, “rather than mass-mailings to a compiled list, the ideal would be to mail only to people who have deliberately opted in to the mailing list.”
With billions of websites and blogs out there wanting a person to sign-up, its hard and takes long to build a list of people who asked to be on it.
Its getting harder and harder to get rich quick, unless you have a really good idea AND a tremendous amount of luck, you have got to be in it for the long haul.