Sure, if all they give you is a name and email, you’re stuck. However, if you want to know more and it will bring them value, make that information required to signup. For example, let’s say you’re the a shop or a winery that does local events. You can require them to specify answer a question like "Occasionally we put on events at the shop/winery. Would you like emails about these? (yes/no) and simply require that.
Every bit of extra information will reduce your signup rate… but if you don’t have more than an email address you’re more limited in what you can do in emails. What the right thing to do is will vary by each case but what you definitely want to do is to think it through a bit and consider how you might use the newsletter, then make sure you’re gathering the information to support those goals.
Then there’s the theory that, if it is well written and even funny, people will read beyond their current interests or needs and, the best part, FORWARD it to their friends. Pulitzer Prize winning media critic David Shaw once said that our newsletters were so fun that “you should read them even if you don’t like wine…”. Having said that, keep it manageable in length.
Roberto - absolutely personality should shine through. It shouldn’t be forced - if you’re naturally offbeat let that show, if not, don’t be someone you’re not. Ideally, for small shops and wineries, if someone met you after reading some issues of your newsletter, they’d think “yeah, they’re like they sounded in their emails.”
Of course there’s also the sales letter approach that some take. Although the style irritates the hell out of me it is, when done well, stupidly effective and closing sales. What it doesn’t do is develop a relationship - it’s a style meant to close a deal, not cultivate a long term customer.
Oh, we are all about relationships: the very first customer here 17 years ago was also here yesterday.
Funny thing, after 15 years with the same email address, I dropped my old carrier and had to get a new email address. It was a hassell at first, because I had to do a lot to make sure the right people got my email. The good part was I stopped receiving the blasts.
To the point here. Seems when you first sign up with the LWS, they know you and know what you want and send you the appropriate emails. After several years and several owners/wine mgrs, lists start to get melded together. Suddenly, your getting blast emails for $4 Schwarze Kats and $7 gallon jugs of Gallo Chablis, when in the beginning you got emails on when the new vintage CdPs and BdMs came in. Then getting off the “list” becomes almost impossible, regardless of what you do, even move States.
I heard a number quoted by a winery on WS a couple of years ago concerning wine club sign ups. The number of people, especially on tour buses that sign up for the wine club and call back within a week, 3 months, 6 months, etc, and cancel their membership. The number that cancel before wine is every shipped is huge. These people have provided all types of info for the wine club, but actually have no interest to participate.
I probably get about a dozen a day, all from places that have delivered to me. Frankly, if you’ve got a deal on a wine I want that’s better than I’ve been able to find elsewhere, I’m extremely interested, even if you’re sending an email every day, so I don’t mind sifting through deals I’m not interested in (I will only read them if I already know I’m interested in the wine). Some places rarely have things I’m interested in, but I can always unsubscribe selectively. I’ve actually developed good relationships with several out-of-state retailers because of the additional business I did through the mailing list and I look forward to them more than any other emails I get. If nothing else, they help keep me apprised of the general market as I begin to see similar types of items get discounted at various retailers (can’t even count how many Scarecrow discount offers I’ve seen.)
While my retail business is not wine related it is still sales and relationship related. I call on my customers weekly or bi-weekly depending on where they are located. 90% of the time when I show up the first thing out of their mouth is, “What’s new?”. People want to know what’s new because they want to buy something. It’s up to me to show them what’s new so they can make an informed decision.
I’ve done email blasts with new products with a varying degree of success. Since my customers see me every week they feel like they can wait. Once they wait then the excitement has subsided. Since many of your customers are internet based the idea creating some excitement with the email blast of “What’s new?” is a great marketing tool. Not saying you should replace your quarterly personalized messages, but every time you get something in and they don’t know about it they will surely not buy it. When I walk up and answer the question “What’s new?” with a new product it keeps it a sales call and not a personal visit to just shoot the shit. More often than not it turns into a transaction as well.
Keep the relationship thing going strong. That’s HUGE in my business. When you have your customers trust you also have a portion of their income.
Carrie, I would appreciate an e-mail when you get new ![[worship.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/9/99a8907a1d5b3c023582052741dc72dc9823c044.gif "worship")
SQN in. I get 5-6 e-mails from retailers a day, and yes I open them all. I have bought probably 10-15% of the time based on e-mails (Damn you Garagiste!). I wouldnt mind weekly e-mails, let alone qaurterly blasts. But thats just me.
I think “it depends.” If you can separate the casual customer from the best customers/wine club members then you could hit up the best ones a bit more often, but probably not more than quarterly for the casual ones.
What do you have to offer? If it’s just a blast saying “Please buy some wine” then don’t bother. If it’s an interesting article from the winemaker on how he sees the harvest progressing with an offer for dollar shipping on cases or something then it’s worth receiving.
Besides having a way to separate customers you should also be able to drop them if you don’t hear anything back in a year or two.
Also, it’s good to understand spam filters so your emails don’t all wind up stuck in pergatgory. You know, don’t make your subject line, “Viagra, 50% off.” LOL
You can hire a company to do all this for you. Not sure on the cost to do this and how big you have to be to make this worth it.