Internet Marketer

Internet Marketer

Pam Gaylor, who opened a franchise of TruePresence late last year, isn't new to the industry. She has more than 20 years marketing experience in the Tampa Bay area.

If you want to grow your business through the Internet, one marketing director holds up a national company as an example of how to do it right.

Pam Gaylor says you should look for inspiration to Scott's Lawn Service, the maker of Miracle Gro and other garden products.

Gaylor, who worked for more than 10 years at ValPak, a division of Cox Target Media, as a regional director for the franchise network, opened a TruePresence franchise in St. Petersburg in September. She spoke to the International Association of Business Communicators, Tampa Bay at an April 11 luncheon at the Tampa Club.

Scott's Lawn Service, a national company that isn't affiliated with Gaylor or TruePresence, only sends e-mails to those who sign up for free, customized advice on maintaining their yard, she says. Scott's relies on the zip code and type of grass a customer is growing to offer tips via e-mail, telling them when to fertilize (it varies according to where a person lives) or if there's a bug infestation in the area.

Subscribers, people who have opted in, apply 16% more fertilizer per year than others, and are twice as likely to buy Scott's products, Gaylor says. The company now has more than one million opt-in customers.

"They've been very successful," she says. "They've done a lot of things right."

As for spam, Scott's doesn't bombard customers with daily e-mails and it doesn't use the hard sell to get people to buy its products.

In fact, one of Gaylor's biggest don'ts relates to spam. Most everyone hates it and deletes it without reading it, she says.

The dos seem fairly simple:

• Have a communications plan.

• Give would-be customers a compelling reason to opt-in (like Scott's).

• Give information specifically related to the customer's preferences.

• Design e-mails for optimum display and performance.

• Ask colleagues or friends for input and get help with proof-checking prior to sending out e-mails.

• Continuously monitor and update e-mail list.

Information overload

Internet users are overwhelmed with information thrown at them throughout the day, she says. Keep e-mails concise and don't send them out too often.

"It takes three to six seconds to grab someone on the Internet," Gaylor says. "They'll open a page or e-mail and make a decision to continue or delete it that quickly."

Too often, companies have the attitude "Build it and they will come," she says. And it's more complicated than that when it comes to Web sites.

A site has to be designed the right way so that it comes up among the top few sites on an Internet search. Key words are important and the only way to get to the top even when you pay for surfers to be directed your way.

As far as the cost of having searchers directed to your site, she says, "It's all over the board. It depends on the time of day, what your market is. If you have a lot of competition, it cost more."

For instance, financial institutions and real estate companies, which are plentiful, pay more.

Studies show that most people skim the Internet. In fact, they also tend to skim print publications, such as newspapers and magazines. She cites a study that shows only about 11% of all people say they read traditional advertising vehicles, including newspapers and magazines, from end to end. They're too busy, with too little time.

In 2006, Internet advertising grew 29% versus traditional advertising's single-digit growth, she says.

Gaylor recommends that companies should use software to optimize e-mail performance if they don't outsource the work. Find out which e-mails bounce back and delete those addresses. If a program shows an e-mail is opened, call the customer to follow up.

Retailers with a storefront can entice customers to sign up for e-mail by asking them to join the birthday club where they receive a gift, such as a discount or present, once a year. Restaurants can offer a free meal or desert on one's birthday via e-mail.

If a company sells cruises, it should obtain e-mail addresses at the time the cruise is bought, she says.

Then it might send an e-mail asking the traveler if they've considered buying cruise protection insurance.

A little later, not the next day, send an e-mail telling about excursions available for purchase in addition to the cruise.

The e-mails should also be helpful, not just a way to make money, she says, adding, "Right before they depart, send a checklist of what they should take with them. Remember the passport, the camera, etc."

After they get back home, send a welcome home e-mail, with a customer survey.

"You don't want to do it every week because people get anesthesized," she says. "They will open your e-mails if they're helpful."

-Janet Leiser