Like many small businesses, we were late to the game when it came to developing an email list so we’re doing it now.
Sure we had lists. Several lists. A list of emails in our accounting. A list of emails in our old Outlook database. A list of emails in Gmail. A list of emails on rosters from various organizations. Probably a lot of emails in file folders from customers and prospects. It’s a daunting task to organize that information, and as we’ve talked to other businesses, they experience this challenge too.
You used to be able to throw people on a big email list and send away, but with spam laws, this is no longer acceptable. That’s a good thing, but it doesn’t always make sense. You know that many of your customers who like the work you’ve done want to hear from you. They gave you that address during the sales process. They corresponded with you many times from that address. Same goes for friends, family, and associates who wouldn’t care if you signed them right up. Technically though, they didn’t opt in and give you permission to send them an e-newsletter.
So that brings us to the point of this blog post. We have sent some invitations out via email to those who have corresponded with us recently. Many of you opted in, and we are very grateful for your attention. We know how precious attention is in this information-driven world. To sweeten the pot, we are running a contest for the first 100 subscribers—we’re half way there by the way. After we reach 100, we will draw two names who will win home improvement gift cards from Lowe’s and/or Home Depot.
So here is yet another chance to register. It’s a simple process. Put your name in the box, add your email, click submit. Then go to your inbox (check your spam folder if you didn’t get one immediately) and click the confirmation link. You’re done. We plan to start with a monthly update, but we may work in some other key messages here and there. You can unsubscribe at any time.
P.S. This is different from getting blog posts via email. That option has been on the site since the beginning. Sign up for that too while you’re at it.
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