By now you’ve sent enough in the way of Newsletters and Custom Promotions to know the basics. Here are a few tips on how to supercharge your Newsletters and Custom Promotions to get what you really want from email marketing – more business:

Tweak your subject lines so your customers are enticed to want more.

The subject line is the awesome new sign you put outside your business so people walking across the street are curious enough to walk in and check things out. Here are some tips to make your Email Subject Line pop and increase open rate:

1. Keep your subject line under 45-50 characters. Many email clients cut you off right around there.
2. Segmentation is important here – you can have a friendlier tone with customers who’ve been in more recently, but perhaps you want to be more formal with your inactive customer base.
3. If you have an incentive in your email, try to include it in your subject line message.

Here are some great enticing subject lines from my inbox just today:

• Refer a friend in Feb for 3x reward points
• This Valentine’s, let us sweep her off her feet
• Valentine’s – 10 Dos and Don’ts
• Safety first – say no to donuts and skidding this winter
• Valentine’s Day – It’s not just for the ladies
• Nourish your skin and enjoy a complimentary peel
• 5 ways to rock your winter hairstyle
• Make your valentine melt with 15% off any spa kit
• Spoil your valentine for half the price

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to try your hand at a subject line that raises the eyebrow and causes your readers to say “hmm, I wonder what this is?”

Content is king!

A good subject line gets you through the door, but in the end, content is what convinces your readers to click on the “Request Appointment” button.

Demandforce includes with subscription standard content templates that are ready to go so you don’t have to think about how to be extra witty in this month’s newsletter. If you haven’t sent a many newsletters yet or simply don’t have time, I suggest starting there.

Here are a few tips on how to write “wow” content that generates results:

• How much? For Newsletters, have between 1-3 topics – no more. Each topic should be at most 3 short paragraphs so you can keep your readers engaged enough to click “Request an Appointment” at the end of it all.
• What to say? Here are some questions you can ask yourself when you sit down to write:
• Did I just have a great conversation with one of my customers that others can benefit from?
• Did one of my associations or partner programs recently let me know of a promotion I was entitled to pass on?
• Am I seeing a spike or decline in sales for a specific product or service?
• Do I have extra inventory that I need to move?
• Are my neighboring businesses running promotions that my customers could benefit from?
• Is there a community event or cause that I think is worth promoting? (make sure it’s a good one, and don’t do this too frequently!)
• Did a relevant article recently get published (Consumer Reports, NYTimes article, industry blog, etc.) that I can repurpose and add to?

On the flip side, here are some big Don’ts:

• Don’t make your entire email one single image. Internet Service Providers like Gmail and Hotmail look at the ratio between images and text as a way to flag your message as spam.
• Avoid making your text more than two colors – another spam flag, and it’s hard on the eyes.
• Don’t send your email without sending a test or having someone else read it. This is a quick and easy way of gut checking your message.

My personal tip for writing great content is this: ideas always seem to spark when it’s most inconvenient to hunker down in front of a computer to write. I always have my phone with me, so I send myself a text message with the idea. Capture your ideas as soon as you have them in a way that works for you, because more likely than not, you won’t remember them later. You’ll also have a bank of ideas that you can draw from for months to come, which is the icing on the cake.

Include a promotion every time, even if it’s free to you.

Different people will be drawn to different incentives. Several of your customers also don’t realize all the wonderful services you provide as standard. Here are some thought starters by industry:

Automotive:

• Customers with older cars - This segment has a significantly higher chance of costly service orders (which can occur any time), so it’s important to send an email to this segment once a quarter to stay top-of-mind. These customers are typically more interested in % discounts on labor since the nature and cost of their services can vary widely.
• Customers with newer cars - You’re going to increase your average revenue per customer by doing two things here. First, increase the add-on purchase opportunity when cars come in for standard service by including free xx-point inspections. Second, increase your average service order by including or discounting accessories or ancillary services like windshield wiper replacement, car detailing, rotating tires, etc. The car is already there, so why not get it all done at once.

Chiropractic:  Because this industry already offers compelling complimentary services, it’s important to be unique with your offer.

• Transfer the discount to increase perceived value & uniqueness - For instance, if you have an in-house massage therapist, you may be able to offer a complimentary 20 minute massage after your second visit. If you offer lifestyle products for sale, give all new customers on a treatment plan a sample pack of the latest and greatest in homeopathic remedies.

Dental:

• Easy freebies – Your patients might not remember that you make a point to give patients a great travel toothbrush kit with each cleaning. Remind them how much you care!
• Gift With Purchase - Offer a complimentary service that is an add-on to one of your services.

Optometry:

• Highlight the experience - Let your patients know if you provide complimentary eyewear design consultations with every exam to make sure that they are looking their absolute best with this new accessory.
• Low cost, high impact – Optometric accessories like glass cleaner, wipes, eye drops, and cases represent low cost investments for the practice, but can be very meaningful to your patients.

Spa & Salon: Highlight all of those amazing things you do to go above and beyond in addition to or instead of discounting a service.

• Easy freebies – Do you offer free bang trims or color consults? Let them know.
• Extra awesome services – In-chair massages while you perm? The most comprehensive selection of magazines east of the Mississippi? Do you serve champagne during happy hour (when you also happen to be slowest)? Remind your guests and potential referrals what an amazing experience they will receive when they click “Request an Appointment”.

Veterinary: Show your customers that you love their pets as much as they do.

• Low cost, high impact: Do you give every visiting pet a sample size of some deliciously super healthy food? How about a 15% off coupon to be used on any grooming tools or accessories they purchase during a visit? If pet owners can use you as a one-stop shop and save a few dollars while they do it, there’s extra value there.

One last thing… businesses are even more successful when they work together. If you recently ran a promotion that resonated with your customers, let the community know by commenting below!

Where to Get Started?

Being “online” simply isn’t enough these days; businesses need to establish an active and unified brand across a variety of channels that often cater to a spectrum of consumers. The first thing you can do is explore all of your options and lay claim to your corner of the internet. Let’s look at those options:

Aside from the obvious Facebook, Twitter and Google+ options there is also Yelp, LinkedIn, Google Places, You Tube, Tumblr (the list goes on and on).

Head spinning yet? Let’s start by taking a look at a few things our most successful DemandForce customers do and see if we can break this down:

1. Understand the platform you are using. Many times we feel the urge to dive into social media because it’s popular and our competitors are using it. But if we don’t understand it and don’t use it properly, it just becomes a waste of our precious time. Want a viral video campaign to get millions of views? Go with YouTube. Want to provide a minute-by-minute update of a live event? Announce those with Twitter. Eager to be known all across your city? Build your reputation on Yelp. Be sure to mix and match the ones you know you will use to strengthen your business.
2. Understand your audience. Every social media platform has a different audience, so you have to understand who is on what in order to target customers effectively. Everyone is on Facebook, most people are on Yelp and some people use Twitter. Talk to your customers, think about their demographics and give it a try. Here is a good article from Mashable that breaks down different sites.
3. Stick with ONE consistent and UNIQUE business name. Inconsistency with your business name and info will confuse your customers and lose business. Be sure that all your vital information (business name, address, e-mail, phone, and external links) is identical across what’s in your D3 Portal, website, and Google Places Page.
4. Make it easy to find! Put your links to Facebook, Google Places, photo/video galleries, and whatever else you have available in one area. Here’s an example from my own website.

Get Comfortable

Unfortunately, many businesses only choose to do the bare minimum, setting up skeletal profiles and half-functional platforms that are left to rust. Choose what is comfortable to you and your staff that you can maintain regularly (even if it’s only one thing). Demandforce offers an abundance of resources and support regarding these features, like Timely, so there should be little preventing your business from getting up and running!

So don’t sweat it and have fun – isn’t that what social media should be about anyway? While it can seem daunting for some, a little research and familiarization of what’s out there can really do wonders for your business. We have a great team ready to help answer your questions. Find out more in the Help Center or leave a comment below.

FACT.  Emails fuel your business.

We asked the Demandforce Customer Success managers how they measured the potential of ongoing revenue growth for a particular business. Response: “The ratio of emails a business has compared to the amount customers – the higher the amount of emails the better off the business.”

Are you surprised by this answer? One of the greatest features about Demandforce is that we automate your communications (using such tools as email) so confirmations, promotions, surveys and reviews can be sent and tracked in ways that help you grow your revenue.

Does This Really Affect Me?

Let’s start by taking a look at Arizona Dental, an actual Demandforce business whose name has been changed. Their practice had only collected 118 email addresses out of 6571 patients. This translates to only being able to communicate with 1.7% of their patients via email. This also means that they had to use the phone to communicate with 98% of their patients.

After a call for help, our Success Team suggested the office push up their sleeves and start getting emails. After a few days of asking patients on their own, they decided to enable the Email Finder feature for a little extra help. Within 17 months, Arizona Dental watched their patient email database grow from 118 to over 2,000!

Utilize Email as Your Greatest Marketing Tool.

If you have not already, check out your email-to-customer ratio on your Demandforce Dashboard in the Communications box on your dashboard.

Next, assess whether you need to put a little more love into your email collecting. Remember: Whether you elect to utilize Demandforce’s Email Finder feature or collect the emails manually, we’re here to help you get started with a solid foundation.

DIY

If you prefer to collect the email addresses yourself, be sure to provide your staff with the proper tools to facilitate email acquisition.

• Identify a time and place to prompt your customers for their emails (like while they are checking in our out).
• Have a form handy and in the right spot to catch your customers.
• Communicate your plan to the rest of the staff and set goals.
• Demandforce has a sign available for you to use in your office, simply download it here – Join Our Community
• Make a point to follow up if customers happen to leave the field blank and explain what it will be used for to put them at ease (i.e. never spam).

Get a Little Help From Your Friends

The above suggestions are a great DIY plan, but we’ve found the results can be minimal for the amount of effort and time put in. Here is where Demandforce shines. Our Email Finder feature can do all of this work for you and within days, you can have a robust list of emails with little effort. Read more about this feature here.

If you elect to use email finder, an email communication is sent letting the matched customer know you offer this new service which allows them to request appointments, confirm appointments, and refer their friends and family online and receive special offers. The customer can opt-out from the service at any time.  We deliver the list to you via your Demandforce system on a monthly basis and notify you when it’s time to verify and import those email addresses into your account.

Wondering How Much Revenue is Possible for Your Own Business?

You can find the Email Finder Revenue Tracking in your Results tab and see the results immediately. Because Email Finder typically finds about 25% of your customer’s records each time it goes out, we have already done all the calculations for you in order to display how much revenue you are missing out on.

Maybe you said you’d turn on email finder after you had an established understanding of the Demandforce system. Now’s the time to do it – these emails will forever be a part of your growing database that can potentially bring in years of revenue.

In Arizona Dental’s case, the amount of email addresses they acquired allowed them to further boost their revenue by sending out various Campaigns and Promotions. This action resulted in $60,000 in revenue!

Help us help you make the most out of your system. Check out our blog post on Getting To Know Your Campaigns Tab by our Customer Success Manager, Tiana, to get started on a Promotion today. Also consider using referral emails to publicize incentives to potential customers as a great way to attract more customers!

If you’d like more advice, feel free to give us a call at 1.800.220.1136 or email support@demandforce.com.  Our Customer Care representatives would be happy to get you started.

How to Turn on Email Finder Today:

1. Log into Demandforce D3
2. Click in the “Setup” (upper right hand corner)
3. Click on “Email Finder” (lower left hand side)
4. Select the “On” radio button, initial, and “Save”

Check out the Help Center for even more helpful information on Email Finder.

This a two-part series created to help our Demandforce customers utilize the most important, yet sometimes overlooked, features of their Demandforce D3. Part I dives into the 5 initial steps for success while Part II focuses on the next 5 steps.  

Make Sure Demandforce Is Working For You

2012 has arrived, and with the advent of the New Year comes good intentions to work on areas in your life that may have gone unattended. Most of our resolutions tend to be around appearance, money and family. While those are worthy subjects, why not add your business to the mix?

As a Demandforce user, one of the most effective ways to help your business succeed in 2012 is to take the time getting to know your Demandforce D3. The best thing about Demandforce is that its entire job is to work for you. But that means doing a few things upfront on your end to ensure that you are getting the most out of the system. To make this as easy and painless as possible, we’ve identified the top 5 areas to focus on and tips to getting started.

Resolution #1: Get Your Own User ID

A large number of Demandforce customers don’t have a unique User ID, meaning that an entire office is sharing one log-in ID when using Demandforce. So, why is it important to get your own User ID? Each unique user can have different levels of access and functions. Only want the Office Manager to have Admin rights? You can assign specific roles to each of the staff.

Just as important, depending on how you assign each user, they will get tailored Demandforce communication, knowledge and resources that are relevant to each person, so they don’t feel like they have to sort through anything to find the most relevant information for them.

How To:

To create your own User ID, log-in to Demandforce and click on “set-up” | “Manage” | “Users” and then “Add User” in the main section. Fill out the form and choose the Communication Preference based on what types of communication you want each user to receive. A “Restricted User” cannot access Setup, Campaigns, and Reviews.

Resolution #2: Finish Your Basic Training

Along with having a role comes the responsibility to learn the system. Did you know we have basic training for various roles? Meaning the front desk staff doesn’t have to take all of the same training as the office manager or the IT person, making training more streamlined and relevant to each user.

Finishing your basic training is an incredibly important step on your road to success and we want to make sure it’s easy for every person to understand and use Demandforce to help your business grow.

How To:

To sign up for training, log-in to Demandforce and click on the “Training” link at the top right hand corner of the page. Look at the grid to see what training you should sign-up up for based on your user type. When you are ready to sign up, click on the “Live Training” icon and find the online classes that best fit your schedule.

Resolution #3: Make Sure Your Business Information Is Up-To-Date

Demandforce streams your business information to over 140 websites and directories, ensuring that you have a solid online presence so that your existing, and potential new customers, can easily find you. You can see the importance of making sure your business info is current and consistent.

It’s important to also make sure your links in the “Local Business Settings” are correct, as they connect back to your campaigns building reviews on FaceBook, Google Places, Yelp, Yahoo, and more. If you have your Facebook and Twitter information set, you will automatically have thumbnail icons on your communication templates, linking back to those pages.

How To:

To access your Business Information, log-in to Demandforce and click on the “Set-Up” | “Contact Information” | “Business Information” and scroll through the page to make sure everything is correct. If not, you can update right on the page in real-time.

Resolution #4: Check Out The Help Center

We know you’re busy and want to make sure that you can have all of your questions answered in a way most convenient to you. Sometimes that means you only have a few minutes between customers, or when you are finishing up some work after business hours.

Our Help Center, which can be accessed on the top right hand corner of your portal, is there to help you 24/7. Full of answers and good tips, we made sure this resource can help answer the toughest of questions and is literally at your fingertips, so no more trying to fit in a call or waiting for a response.

How To:

To access the Help Center, log-in to Demandforce and click on the “Help Center” link at the top right hand corner of the page. Type in a question in the search bar or check the Trending Topics or Resource Guides for good tips and tools.

Resolution #5: Make It a Habit To Read and Respond To Your Reviews

We cannot stress this enough – an online reputation can make or break a business so it’s important to keep a close eye on what people are saying about you. Not only should you know what is being said, but there is great value added when you show that you care enough to respond.

The best way to turn a negative review around is to acknowledge the reviewer’s concerns, publicly, and vow to make their next visit perfect. And for all those other glowing reviews, saying “Thanks for coming in!” or similar goes a long way.

How To:

To access your reviews, log-in to Demandforce and click on the “Review” tab. Hit “reply” next to the review you would like to respond to and type in your comment in the “Business Comments” box and click “Submit”.

Tell Us What Is Most Important To You

Let us know if these tips and suggestions were helpful for you. Did you take the time to follow our advice? Do you have any good advice of your own to share with other Demandforce customers? We want to hear from you!

Check out our blog post on 5 Technologies To Automate Your Small Business for some more great tips to manage your business and time effectively.

You may remember the video contest Demandforce hosted last month, calling for fun and helpful stories from our customers to share with the rest of the Demandforce community. We received some awesome submissions and can’t wait to share what we learned with you.

Recently we interviewed Sylvia and Kathy from Hernando Dental Group Family Dentistry, the winners for Most Dramatic Video in the Demandforce Tuned-In Video Contest.  Below is some great insight and feedback that may help you with your practice, shop or salon.

I’m going to go ahead and spoil the moral of this story – Working out of the smaller community of Hernando, Mississippi, Sylvia and Kathy shared their experience with Demandforce, and how they use a smaller market to their advantage.

DF:  The video shows what the office was like before you had Demandforce.  How has your practice changed now that you’ve had Demandforce?

HDGFD: “Demandforce has significantly altered the way our practice is run.  Because of the smaller nature of our community, we never had a problem calling our patients, but that was back in November of 2009.  For instance, April, our Finance Manager, spent an entire day reaching out to a patient.  After numerous unanswered calls, April noticed that the patient was text-message opted-in through Demandforce and immediately texted the patient.  Within minutes, the patient responded, and later explained that she found it convenient and technologically-sound to book appointments through text messages.  Even with a smaller community, we can use Demandforce efficiently to communicate with our patients.  Communication is key, and Demandforce has made word-of-mouth electronic and even easier to spread through one click.

DF: As a scheduling coordinator, Sylvia, how have you used Demandforce to be more efficient at scheduling, confirming and recalling patients?  What is your favorite feature?

HDGFD: “My favorite features, by far, are Demandforce’s campaigns and revenue tracking.  I created a simple Thank You newsletter to show patient appreciation. The most responsive patients from the email were not our current patients – but actually those that we haven’t seen in a while.  Above all, I feel it is important to always make our newsletters from scratch.  Customizing and personalizing newsletters allow us to speak directly to our patients and further build personal relationships.

DF: Please share some tips for other small businesses on how they can get engaged with their community and how it can really increase brand awareness.

HDGFD: “Being in a smaller community certainly has its perks!  Every May, Hernando holds their Annual A-Fair, and we sponsor a booth to distribute dental information, give out toothbrushes, and, most importantly, show we are much more than just a dental practice.  We aim to be an active participant in the community!   At Christmas time, we step it up a notch and sponsor the Christmas Tree Lighting of Hernando, and even build a float for the Annual Hernando Christmas Parade!

In any sized market, we feel it is important to not always focus on sales.  When you set expectations around relationships built, instead of revenue generated, community outreach can do wonders.  If possible, get involved with as many community events as you can.  Be creative and have fun when creating your marketing strategy too – think unconventionally!”

DF:  Last, but not least, how does it feel to be a winner in our 1st annual video contest?

HDGFD: “It feels fabulous!  This was our first foray into film making, and our entire staff was really into the idea.  This contest definitely showed that video marketing has a lot of value – both for our patients and us!   The video only took three tries, and a total of 15 minutes to complete with Kathy’s iPhone 4.  Special thanks to Cynthia for her lead role in the video!”

With over 14,000 customers, Demandforce is constantly used by all types of business in all different types of markets – and I felt that Hernando Dental Group Family Dentistry was a perfect example of a business maximizing Demandforce within a smaller market.

Special thanks to Sylvia, Kathy, and the entire staff at Hernando Dental Group Family Dentistry for their creativity, passion, and willingness to share! We want to hear from you. Do you have any great tips to share with us?

With only 24 hours in a day, wouldn’t it be great if you could automate some of the minute-munching business work and take back that time to reinvest in your business, your family or your hobby? Good news–there are some excellent tools available today that can help you do exactly that. If you own an appointment-based business like a dental office, auto shop, spa or salon, this article is dedicated to helping you get back your time.

1. inDinero – Automate your bookkeeping

What Mint does for your personal finances, inDinero does for your business finances. It allows you to spend less time with bookkeeping and more time running your business. This tool automatically download your transactions and balances from all of your business’ financial accounts and then categorizes them into the right buckets. Instead of contacting your accountant and waiting for a response, you can simply log in to your inDinero account to view all the metrics that matter to you. Like a superhuman accountant, inDinero also monitors any irregular account activities, 24/7.

2. Demandforce D3 – Automate your customer communication

If you are already a Demandforce customer, you know how easy it is to use D3 to manage customer interactions automatically. Scheduling and canceling appointments, sending reminders, and even collecting feedback and feeding them to Google on your behalf. If you’re a business that takes appointments, D3 can help you significantly reduce your front desk workload.

3. Goappstack – Automate your mobile customer acquisition

I met Goappstack’s founder Steve Espinosa at a San Francisco event recently, and his 30-second demo convinced me that there is a cheap & easy solution for SMBs to go mobile in under one minute.

Goappstack automatically syncs with your Google Places or Facebook profile (if you don’t have one of these, you need to read this article) and creates a mobile app with all your information preloaded. Your potential customers can then find you through mobile searches, browse your services or call to make an appointment.

According to Google’s Marissa Mayer, local searches constitute 40% of all mobile searches (Microsoft has said this number is 53%). With mobile device usage increasing rapidly, you don’t want to miss this opportunity to attract new customers.

How Necessary Is Twitter For My Business?

Start by taking a look at your customer base. Are your clients personally using Twitter? Ask your customers for some feedback to gauge whether or not this would be a valuable tool. If your customers are not active users,  they won’t be able to benefit from all your tweets.  Be aware that in order to have a successful Twitter account, you are going to have to commit some time into it. Plan on checking up on your Twitter account a few times daily. You may opt to use a social media management system like Hootsuite to monitor all of your social media pages from one easy place.

If you want to tweet, but may be a bit confused about all the @’s, #’s, and RT’s, here is Twitter’s 101 page to help get you started. You’ll be a pro in no time!

Simplifying Twitter With Timely

Timely is a helpful tool if you have limited resources when it comes to maintaining your page. If you don’t have a ton of time on your hands to manage tweets, this feature is great for scheduling your posts ahead of time.  However, you should still have an assigned employee to monitor feedback. You may set up email notifications so your office can manage these tasks with ease. Check out our blogpost on Social Media Made Easy for more information on Timely.

The Facebook Solution

Obviously, we can’t have a discussion on social media without mentioning Facebook. Do you prefer Facebook but still feel pressured to tweet? If so, you can link up these accounts and every status will automatically post to Twitter too! To do this visit, http://www.facebook.com/twitter/ and click on the “link to Twitter” button.  Just be sure to monitor those responses. Remember, you can’t exactly be part of the conversation if you’re not responding to your customers.