Part 2: Newsletter campaigns and good marketing strategies

In your work with InternetVIZ clients, what have you found are their biggest challenges?
I'd say that there are three main challenges for companies initiating a newsletter campaign. They are: they either only have experience with direct mail, they don't possess any email addresses or they only have a limited number (interestingly, the definition of limited can range from a few dozen to a few thousand) or they are only interested in sending vanity information.

The companies that only have a direct mail experience are challenged by a sense of how things should be written and the appropriate calls to action. Oftentimes these companies aren't aware of the true power of Internet marketing and how to use the Internet to develop a really powerful relationship with customers.

Companies that don't have any email addresses tend to know that now is the time to start using email marketing, but are very resistant to the idea of starting without names. We try to explain that newsletters are a great way to get started, because as people receive them and become more comfortable with them, they get passed on to friends and colleagues.

We use the analogy of a locomotive that's chugging up a hill. It may take a while to get going, but once the momentum is there it just can't be stopped.

The final group consists of companies interested in sending out newsletters but can only imagine a newsletter populated with stories about themselves. These companies do not understand that people outside the company don't really care about company developments. They have their own worries, problems and issues to deal with. What they want from a newsletter is answers to their problems.

They want to come in contact with stories that are going to make their lives better, easier and more profitable. Telling them that your CEO shook hands with another CEO doesn't satisfy these goals.

What top marketing strategies do you believe work for Internet-based businesses?
This is going to sound like shameless self-promotion, but I firmly believe that Internet newsletters are by far the best way to go. One-time email ads are next, followed by highly targeted newsletter or portal site sponsorships.

Newsletters are far more effective than the others because they both enable and encourage the company to maintain persistent contact with prospects and customers. I am just amazed at how many sites I see every day that do nothing to capture visitors. What a waste of money and effort! They've built these sites, I've come by to visit, I've become interested, and then I leave never to return.

If they had an opt-in box, I would have left my email address and then they could market to me forever. I may not have purchased anything today or tomorrow or even the next day, but it wouldn't matter because I would be locked in (unless they sent me useless material and encouraged me to leave) and would have been a prospect to buy eventually.

Finally, what lessons have you learned from your past eclectic work that you apply today?
Create a big picture goal at the outset then focus on the little, individual items that need to be completed to make that goal a reality. Be persistent and celebrate every success. Find a good business partner and be open, honest and trusting with him. Follow your instincts.

Always seek to deepen relationships. When someone successful agrees to give you his time, use it wisely. Listen as much as possible and ask questions. Be aware of new opportunities. Know when it is time to change course. Work hard, then work a little harder. Take long walks. Read good books. Read more books. Read still more books. Paint a picture every now and then. Avoid alcohol and drugs. Try not to eat fast food.

If you run for Congress, be a member of Jesse Ventura's party.