By Angie Kilbourne
Shop Site of the Month
Strictly BMW Independent Service - Bellevue, Wash.
www.strictlybmw.com
This specialty shop delivers online with a clean design, extremely functional navigation and lots of good information. Taking the road to be all things to only BMW owners, Strictly strives to set itself apart as an expert in BMW service - from publishing vehicle service schedules to a pricing menu that offers a "full meal deal" of maintenance packages. Kudos are due for marketing to the racing community, too; not many shops will dare to offer race setup services for their customers.
Nominate your shop's site for a Net Worth profile.
E-mail your Web site address to angiek@asashop.org.
Dirty Words
Marketing Profs recently published a list of 100 phrases you should never use in the subject line of your e-mail marketing efforts, lest you end up on your customers' "blocked" list forever. We don't have the room for 100, but here are 10 that you should avoid:
- Starting your subject line with "ADV:" or "Advertisement"
- Subject lines with the word "free;" in addition, never use FREE
(in all caps) within the body of the message either.
- All words related to sex or pornography.
- All words related to cures or medication.
- SUBJECT LINES IN ALL CAPS.
- Excessive use of exclamation points!!!!
- "Extra income"
- E x t r a spaces within your text.
- Misspellings or per.iods in the middle of your text.
- Numeric digits at the end of the subject line.
Web Wise
Bringing Home the 'Bacn'
According to Wikipedia, bacn (pronounced "bacon") is a term describing "electronic messages that have been subscribed to and are therefore not unsolicited, but are often unread by the recipient for a long period of time, if at all. Bacn has been described as 'e-mail you want, but not right now.'"
But how do you know if your message will ever be read? According to Marketing Profs, by ensuring it contains information that is relevant to your subscribers. How do you know if it's relevant? By listening to subscriber feedback, both from direct messages and those reports you receive on campaign opens and clickthroughs.
There are other ways to ensure your "bacn" doesn't end up in someone's spam folder. Experts, including Mailchimp, Miva Central, Frugal Marketing and CRM magazine, advise to always make a great first impression. That includes only adding addresses of people who actually ask to be included on your list, and in your first message to them, send them an introductory message that outlines what kind of content you will be sending and includes a link to an online archival of past newsletters, your contact information, and a request to add you to their address book or trusted senders list.
Some final pointers from the professionals:
- Don't send attachments with your newsletters.
- Provide a way for subscribers to easily update their information with you and opt-out if they decide your message isn't what they want.
- Avoid e-mailing too frequently. Carefully determine how many messages a month your clients will really want from you. Over-mailing could result in your messages ending up in the trash bin.
Net Numbers
The largest portion (31.9 percent) of search engine inquiries worldwide uses two words. A single word accounts for 15.2 percent.
Source: searchenginewatch.com / OneStat.com
ASA Web Ways
Visit the ASA Online Store
ASA's Online Store at www.ASAstore.com includes both educational and promotional items for ASA member shops and their customers. If you're looking to stay warm this winter while remaining stylish and professional, check out the selection of parkas, fleece jackets and fleece pullovers - all proudly displaying the ASA logo. And if you're looking to dress up your shop, visit the Insignia section for a collection of signs and window decals. Happy shopping!
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