I recently got an e-blast from a men’s clothier offering me expert advice to help me in my career as a businessman. The headline was “How to Dress For a Job Interview.”
This was just one in a series of email blasts that have come to me in the past few months.
In this email blast, it tells me what type of suit to wear (micro-pattern or subtle pinstripe), what type of shirt to choose (white or blue with a spread collar or point collar), a silk tie (not too loud), and what type of shoes to wear (black when wearing a navy blue or dark grey suit with a matching belt).
The company wished me the best of luck and asked me to consider them in the future if I should have any apparel needs. Done.
In a one-to-two-minute read, they’d provided all the information a man would need to dress in a standard, appropriate way for a job interview.
If I am inspired to act based on the information, there are buttons where I can forward it to a friend and locate a store near me. And, that’s the idea.
If you want to create a campaign that provides top-of-mind awareness and presents your latest products to your customers, you should consider writing a column regularly and distributing it through email blasts. You will become a valued resource to your clients and stay in front of them with trends.
You are shaping yourself as an expert with your deep knowledge of your field. Tell your current clients and future ones information that relates to your field and that will help them do their business or even give them an advantage over the competition. Your thoughts will help them make decisions. Then, when it comes time to enter a contract or make a purchase, they will more than likely come to you or your business, because they view you as an expert in your field.
Make sure to choose relevant topics for your recipients. They need to be topics that they will care about, and the advice has to be something they truly can use.
It’s a soft sell, but another touch point in your overall marketing strategy. Through these email blasts, you’re letting your potential customer know what you are about and that you are there for them when they need you.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a leading Hudson Valley advertising and public relations agency. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 294-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at www.adverxtisingandpr.com. His column appears Fridays.
