Now Web Development, and site management is a service business. There should be no confusion about this. You aren’t doing your clients a favor by building and/or managing a website. They are paying you and therefore deserve every consideration. You MUST do everything you can do to please your clients.
In fact, in my opinion, many of the no-win situations are the fault of the developer/designer and not the client.
To try and assist both sides, here are some ideas both from the development side and from the client side. Hopefully this will help you with your next web project.
Web Designers/Developers/Website Managers
Contract: The best thing you can do is have a contract which spells out exactly what you are going to do, what it will cost and what will happen if you build things not in scope. So for instance if you have a contract to build a 10 page website and it grows to 20 pages, what are the additional costs?
Phases: Break your project up into phases. Then have your client sign off on each phase. So for instance if you are designing a site have the client sign off on the design. This way they can’t come back and want to blow up what you have done.
The never ending project: Now one of the trickiest problems web developers run into is the site that never gets finished. We have all had these projects and they are bottom line killers. We have to pay our team members, but don’t get final payment until the site launches. This too can be solved by a good contract which spells out that final payment will come due x days after all the work has been done (whether or not the client sends content).
Clients:
Misunderstanding of requirements: Now many times the issue is a a developer just doesn’t get what you are looking for. You can do yourself a favor and save yourself headaches by having a requirements list which spells out exactly what you need. Make sure your designer/developer understands exactly what you need.
Contract: Insist on a contract, and make sure your developer clearly states exactly what your project entails. Make sure you own your code and that the contract spells out what happens when the relationship ends. This will save you angst and money if the relationship goes south.
Sign-off: Make sure you can sign off at different steps along the way. So you don’t get a site delivered not living up to your needs.
Bottom Line:: Notice how similar the ideas for the 2 sides are? Both want a quality product, completed in a reasonable amount of time. While Kirk beat the Kobayashi Maru by cheating, If you take steps in advance of a web project, both can be satisfied and head off any problems.
My answer: Yes and No. Pretty vague, right? I know, but I will explain when to say yes, and when you should say no to email marketing.
Email Marketing is a fabulous way to reach out and communicate with your clients/customers. If used properly it is a great tool, and a reminder to your clients, hey remember me? You can talk about latest company news, new products, sales, and anything you feel relevant to your audience.
Email Marketing is especially good for:
eCommerce Websites: You can talk about new products of course, but talking about sales is great. EVERYONE likes to save money. So when you have a good deal, talk about it.
Coupons: Again, everyone likes to save money so sending a coupon to your list is a no-brainer. And the best part? You know exactly how many people use the coupon, metrics like that, are crucial.
How often should we send?
We live in the age of spam, so this is so important. If you abuse the privilege of sending emails to your list, you will pay the price in the form of unsubscribing and worse, being marked as spam.
So, here is my opinion:
For eCommerce sites I recommend no more than once a week. Personally I think companies that send those daily emails end up deleted without being read quite often. I think once a week is enough, and only if you have something your audience will enjoy and hopefully purchase. Now, if you are an Amazon, the rules are different as they have millions of products so their frequency is different. (But as a consumer I still hate daily emails).
For the rest of us: If you aren’t selling online, or sending coupons, then the rules change dramatically. I personally think quarterly is enough, but if you feel the need and have a lot to say, monthly is fine.
How do I know if I have sent too often?
Metrics: What is your open rate? How many people are sharing on social media? How often are people un-subscribing and worse, marked as spam. I know at RooSites we are on target as we are at nearly 100% for our open rate.
Don’t send for the sake of sending. If you don’t have anything interesting, wait until you do.
DON’T SEND CANNED GARBAGE!!! (All caps and bold, you know this is serious)
I have a certain mortgage pro I know that subscribes to a service that sends these weekly emails. This same email goes out to thousands, and my guess is their unsubscribe link is the most popular in the email. When I asked him about it, he answered he didn’t have time to write the emails and this is better than nothing. I disagree, sometimes NOT doing something is a better business decision.
Don’t send if you don’t have an email marketing service. Don’t send an email with 200 people in the “To” field. People hate seeing their email address exposed to strangers. And the giant list in the BCC field? This is a red flag that you are sending spam, and often never make it to most of your list.
Ok, so which email service should I use?
There are a lot of players in the email marketing business. For me it is about simplicity, cost and metrics. While I have used Constant Contact, and many others, I use MadMimi for myself and most of my clients. It is easy to use, they have good support and you can sign up for free and decide if you like it. They have great metrics and less expensive than some of the larger services that spend oodles on advertising.
Bottom Line: Email marketing is a great way to communicate with your clients/customers. Tread lightly and don’t spam the people who support you and keep you in business. Be aware of your metrics and adjust your strategy when needed. Lastly, as I advise on social media, only send what you find interesting. If you don’t think your email is interesting, then your audience probably won’t enjoy it either!
