More Catalogs Added, and More Coming - July, 2009

Just like the one you are reading right now, email newsletters are a prime way to keep in touch with your customers. There are so many ways you can use your email newsletter, including:

• Announcing sales, specials and coupons
• Introducing new products
• Sharing company news and developments
• Updating industry news (ex. New gun laws to security personnel)
• Sharing personal notes and seasonal greetings

You e-newsletter need not be fancy to get the message across. Use a version of your UMSS header to maintain your branding. Then just create a few text areas to fill in and drop in some photos or icons. Have you seen what's available out there on free clip art sites? It's amazing what you can find for free!

There are some important key points to generating an email newsletter through. First, make a schedule and stick to it. The regular contact will help keep your brand on their minds, and the readers may even start to look forward to your communication. Second, keep it simple. We're talking about an e-newsletter, not a novel or something that should take more than 10 minutes to read. You'll notice our formula of a quick personal note, an article, and a reminder of upcoming webinar dates. Third, use it sparingly. One email every two weeks or once a month has been found to be the preferred level by most readers. Don't use your newsletter for every single change in your store. Skip the little things, and focus on the big news.

You likely already get a few email newsletters in your inbox. Take a look at those that you read and compare them to those that you immediately delete. Compare the format, content, and design. You can also look at the printed newsletters you get (even the things you get at home for completely unrelated industries) to get a few ideas of what others are doing.

UniformMarket has a PostOffice system available that can help you create and send email newsletters and messages to your customers. There are also lots of other email programs available, like Constant Contact and others. These will help you manage your subscriber lists and send email in larger volume than from your work email account.

Even if you aren't writing regular email newsletters, you can still use email create follow-up messages. Two weeks after a customer's order, send a message asking if they are satisfied. You can even solicit their testimonials about your company, which are always helpful for promotional materials in the future. It's also a way to keep up the high customer service you offer in your brick-and-mortar stores.

As always, UniformMarket is ready with our staff to help you develop a newsletter template. We may even be able to connect you with writers to help with the content. Just pick up the phone and call 877-415-3300 ext. 203, or email Dave at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Next month, we'll look at some other ways to keep in touch with your customers. We'd love to hear your input if you're blogging, tweeting, or using Facebook with your customers. Just write to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your input!

 

The UniformMarket staff is now offering FREE UMSS training during our weekly webinars. Each week a topic is explored to help UMSS users better use the system, market their companies and sell more uniforms!

Webinars are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. CST. We will email notices of future webinars, or you can check here for a current webinar schedule.

UPCOMING FREE WEBINARS:

July 28, 2009 (Today!)
Advanced Online Product Display Techniques
Click Here to Register

July 30, 2009
The Top 10 Things you can do NOW to Improve Your Online Store and Increase Sales
Click Here to Register