A lot of changes have occurred in online sales and marketing over the past five or six years and one area that has seen particular growth has been the field of email marketing. I had the good fortune to sit in on email marketing expert Vrinda Normand’s presentation on the topic at the eWomen Network conference in Dallas at the end of the summer and she gave some superb advice for entrepreneurs.

She demonstrated how it was possible for her to grow her business from less than six figures in 2008 to $1.5 million last year by strategically growing her database and the products and services she provides to clients.

Her system, like most marketing systems, is a funnel that starts with online emails and referral emailing techniques, as well as videos, articles and advertisements. They all flow prospective clients to an opt-in page where they’re offered an irresistible gift and an offer for the next step.

The potential results with email marketing are staggering. If you have a $1,000 offer and you enroll five out of 10 conversations in a week, you generate $5,000. Do that every week and you generate $20,000 a month. Vrinda Normand’s system is straightforward, direct and built around ensuring value for clients and customers at all steps in the process.

I’ve heard some entrepreneurs voice the concern that sales and marketing don’t feel comfortable to them, that somehow in the process of selling what they have to offer they are forcing themselves on people. In my experience, it’s the focus on service that helps us stay out of that trap: if we genuinely believe that what we offer is valuable and will truly help our customers and clients, then we are doing them a service by telling them about what we do. They are not obliged to take advantage of our services or products but if there is a fit, then we’ve made the world a better place.

And so it is with email marketing: as long as we are focused on providing value in the material we make available, I believe we are helping people meet their goals, improve their relationships, make more money, and generate the change they are here to make on the planet, where applicable.

And email marketing can be a wildly successful way of doing business: the Direct Marketing Association estimates that the Return on Investment (ROI) for email marketing is 4,300%.

Vrinda Normand stresses that positioning is key. You need to match your message to your market and that message needs to be so clear that people know immediately that you have what they want. Before any of that can happen, however, you need to know what problem you solve for people.

What pain are they in that you can eliminate? And what specific results can you deliver that will take them out of their pain? What pleasure do they crave that you can help deliver? The answers to those questions are key and you want to express the information in specific terms using vivid words.

I came up with this for my editing services:

“How to perfect your story and finish your book so you can get published, change lives and finally transform your career.”

I was so impressed with Vrinda’s program that I signed up for her “Irresistible Marketing System.” Language use is key to success in this area and I’m looking forward to learning what I need to know so that I can, in turn, help my clients position themselves for success in their prospective fields. Stay tuned to hear about what I learn!

If you would like some help with your marketing materials, why not give me a call? I’m always interested in being of assistance and with nearly 20 years as a writer in the marketing field, I am standing by to put my experience to work for your goals and objectives. You can contact me here.