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Make an effective online newsletter to market sold and unsold prospects

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DanMorgan

DanMorgan

4 Pounder
Nov 13, 2009
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#1
So I'm thinking of a low or no cost option to make a newsletter that I can send to my sold and unsold customers. I've made newsletters before so I have an idea of content and such to use, though I'll have to change up some ideas for my Luxury customers.

Just for the sake of ease I'd like to be able to mass email the newsletters out to my customers through my CRM.

My first thought is a Blog on Blogger that I can update monthly with the content and then email everyone about the updates.

Help me out with some other ideas. I could even do an online press release or something to that effect as well??
 
#3
I would use wordpress on your own domain instead of using google's blogger.

Godaddy usually has those .99 cent .com sale every so often.

DanMorgan said:
I failed to add; is there a way that I can mirror (could be the wrong term but I can't remember) the Blog, press release, etc into an email frame to send out?
Click to expand...

Do you mean iframe?

If I'm understanding correctly, you would like your website/blog embedded on the email you send out?

I don't know if it's possible but you will definitely be triggering the spam filters. I suggest you resort to text only emails to prevent your emails from hitting the spam box. You can add graphics but bare in mind that there are a few things you must go through in order to inbox. Just adding an image and such will definitely hit the spam box (90% of the time - give or take) if you don't know what you're doing.
 
#4
Have you considered looking into some RSS options?

Also take a look at some options using Feed43 : Convert any web page to news feed on the fly.

At the very least it might allow you to quickly copy and past your content into a formatted newsletter.

You might want to consider an email/newsletter service such as MailChimp, ConstantContact, Aweber - there are a few others out there. This would allow you to hit the inbox and stay on par with the CAN SPAM act. There would be cost associated but it would be a minimum.
 
#6
If you need to learn Wordpress, this is a great place to start. I got this book on a Friday and then had my website up and running a few days later.

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/WordPress-24-Hour-Trainer-Create-Customize/dp/0470554584/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285330682&sr=1-7[/ame]
 
#7
Jerry Thibeau said:
If you need to learn Wordpress, this is a great place to start. I got this book on a Friday and then had my website up and running a few days later.

Amazon.com: WordPress 24-Hour Trainer: Watch, Read, and Learn How to Create and Customize WordPress Sites (Book & DVD) (9780470554586): George Plumley: Books
Click to expand...


ahem... :poke:

Careful JT. You need to tell our peeps all the work and cash you put into your site to get it to where you are today. Your site maybe homebrew, but, you kept working and working and working to make it better (and your still not done... its NEVER done;-)


A business card is NOT a business plan (although both are printed on paper)
 
#8
Hi Dan,

If you're thinking no cost or low cost then you'll probably get no return or little ROI.

The fact that blogs are so easy and cheap to launch means that the differentiation resides in the content.

[shameless plug]Chicago Lexus and Reno Lexus blogs are two examples of what I do.[/shameless plug]

There are tons of email templates and blog templates out there that you can have something up before the end of the day but if you didn't invest in it then it probably won't be taken seriously - not the image customers want to see.

I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, just be very clear about what you expect to gain. If it's to generate 1000 unique visitors per month then make that your goal. Having blog after your dealership name is absolutely critical so at the least buy that and hold onto it.
 
#9
Thanks guys. That's why I love this forum/site.

This is not for the dealership but for my customers only. The E-commerce director for the dealer group is working on some possibly Blog/Newsletter things for the store itself.

A blog or Wordpress is probably the better way to go for updating purposes and then I can just put email text into a Mass email that will link people to the online site where the content is, though I know I'd have to keep an eye on the Spam and such. ImagicLab's Spam Assassin might help me out as to if the content is Spam worthy or not.
 
#10
I'm having an impromptu webinar tomorrow on "Dealer Blogging 101 - Best Practices"

goo.gl/tEYm

Its tomorrow at 1pm PST, hope you can make it. If not, a recorded version will be available shortly after, but of course you won't be able to ask questions.

Anyone here on Dealer Refresh is welcome, I'll be sharing some of the basics involved in blogging and will open it up at 1:30pm for questions.
 
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