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JUNE 2007
Issue: 2
Greetings!

Remember when summer meant you could play outside for two whole months? When you have your own business, you can't just hang out, but you can still have fun.

That's why I'm letting you know about upcoming workshops, a way to meet new people, and how to time emails just right. Okay, it's not the kind of play you were thinking of, but it might get you some new business. And that's fun in a whole different way.
 
When the sun shines in Seattle, everyone knows where I'll be. Outside. Not sitting in front of the computer (well, that's only partially true). And you should too --  even if you bring that business best seller you've been meaning to read.

Robbin Block
Tools You Can Use
Step Away from the Computer

I went to the BizJam evening networking event hosted by BizNik last Saturday night. Some of you may have heard me talking about it as a local place for small business networking - both on and offline. Check it out if you're not signed up yet -- the basic service is free.

One of the presenters was from NoonHat. I'm not sure about their business model, but it could be fun for those of you working at home and needing a real person to speak to once in a while.  According to the founder, it's an experiment in meeting new people - and you get to eat lunch too. Something we all should take time out for.
BizNikNoonhat
Robbin's Upcoming Workshops Robbin Block

June 29th: Using the Web for Marketing

As part of a week long SBA event called Jump Start Your Business, I'm giving a FREE workshop. It's about getting your site up fast using those cool online website builders. Even if you have a site, if you have friends thinking about taking the entrepreneurial plunge, tell them to sign up.

In the afternoon, I'll be giving the first part of a Triple Play for Seattle SCORE about driving traffic to your website. First base is about getting other sites to link to you. Second is all about publishing content, and third is about advertising.
Get a Life(cycle)
Q: How often should I send email to my customers?

I get asked this question a lot. Before I get to the answer, I'd love to hear about other burning questions you've got on your mind. Let me know

A: Mail once a month, or some other arbitrary rule of thumb, can work -- depending on your business. But it can backfire as well.

Here's a true story. I was getting an email from a well-known lamp retailer just about every week. Not only did I opt out, it's left a bad impression of the company. How often do I need to buy a lamp?

Let me introduce you to the concept of lifecycle communication -- the idea is to make the timing of your email relevant to the recipient, and therefore more effective. Begin with a trigger event and follow through. For example, tie your mailing to a purchase cycle. If you're selling ink cartridges, start with the date of the person's last order, and time your email to when you anticipate they'll run out of ink -- say 6 weeks later (depending on the size of their last order perhaps). You'll be top-of-mind just when they're ready to place a new order. 

There are all sorts of ways to apply this concept. You just need to really understand your customer. And that's a subject for another time.
 
In This Issue
Tools You Can Use
Upcoming Workshops
Get a Life(cycle)

We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.

 -- Charles Kingsley (1819-1875), Victorian clergyman, novelist and social reformer



CLIENT NEWS
 
The Grand Opening of Heather Quintans' new, shared photography studio in SODO was on June 9th. Her speciality is not getting kids to smile.

On the same day, Pat Fay was interviewed by the Seattle Times about his book, "The Pat Fay Method." Visits to his website increased by 72 on that day alone!
Robbin Block
Blockbeta Marketing
info@blockbeta.com
206.335.5929

© Blockbeta Marketing 2007