I spent the Fall attending many conferences and seminars that provided lots of great marketing information, and the opportunity to meet new people! In the next few months, I'll be sharing new ideas and research from the sessions I attended.

In addition to attending seminars, I love to present lectures and workshops for organizations and associations too! Contact us to find out how a presentation can be crafted for your team.

At Richard Associates, we work with businesses to analyze and improve the customer experience. Our goal is to make your business as successful as it can be.

We are currently booking January and February one-on-one strategic session appointments. Contact us today to reserve your spot!

Creating email offers that get response requires a few key elements. Read more about them in "Jumpstart Your Business" below. There's also a list of local networking events, a networking tip, and links to articles I think you will find interesting.

Best regards,

Susan Richard

P.S. It's the end of the year. Start planning now for success in 2014. Contact us today!

Email Offers

Email offers work best when you capture the attention of your ideal audience, AND get them to respond. Here are a few tips presented at the DMA Conference in Chicago this Fall.

Celebration

Celebration emails are effective at providing a reason to visit your store or website. They can increase your open rate by over 20%. By using a subject line and tone that indicate your company is celebrating a special time, the reader picks up on your enthusiasm. Try Anniversary Special, Holiday Offer, Happy First Day of Spring, We're Celebrating...you can make it work.

Exclusivity

People like to be in on a secret, as if they and only a few others know what's happening. Develop exclusivity by using key words in your subject line and message. Using a person's first name in the subject line can increase your open rate by over 10%. Just for You may increase your open rate by almost 30%. Key words that create an air of exclusivity are: Secret, Free, Shhhh, Exclusive, Private, Preview.

Urgency

Be sure to include an expiration date to create a sense of urgency in your offer. People want to get the deal. A message with some form of date can increase open rates by 30%. Try using Offer Available Only Until, Purchase By, Today Only.

Want to see how effective your subject line is? Go to subjectline.com from Worldata. Put in your subject line and get your score for free.

Source: DMA13 presentation by Jay Schwedelson, Worldata

Look Up!

Take a moment and look around. See who you can meet. Instead of saying "hello" to a stranger, many people bury their noses in their smartphones. Maybe it's nerves?

In all of my travels, I've found that most people are friendly, kind, helpful, and interesting. Your next "hello" could result in a new client, a great business connection, or a meaningful friendship.

Who could you meet if you weren't looking down?

Seminar Series

We are excited to present engaging information for new and experienced business people. We're developing new presentations for the "Marketing Matters" series which covers networking, customer service, marketing and other business topics to help you and your business perform at the highest level. Our goal is to improve the customer experience!

The Right Stuff

Hiring the right people is important to your productivity, and your bottom line. Find out the 8 signs of hiring the wrong person in this article from OpenForum.com.

Attitude of Gratitude

Create a company culture based on gratitude. See how it's done in this article from Entrepreneur.com.

Richard Associates...Your Marketing Partner

At Richard Associates, we provide customized marketing services to help you succeed. From advertising that works to seminars designed to enhance your professional skills to business consulting that focuses on your goals, our services are developed with your needs in mind.

We understand that marketing is an investment in your business. And, you'd like a return on that investment. That's why we focus on results-oriented efforts that measure your success.

We build client relationships into marketing partnerships. Working with you.

Call 215-595-8959 � Website www.richardassociates.net