2/28/03

This is a Green Products Alliance Quick Tip - all the info without the rant.

The most valuable thing you can do to grow your business RIGHT NOW is to save those email addresses. Not just addresses of your customers (wholesale and retail), but, just as important, the addresses of those that inquire yet never buy. Targeting this group with occasional emails and specials is a nearly no cost way to guerilla market new customers.

Targeting your customers with occasional discounts, tips humor and updates is a smart way to slow customer attrition and develop a solid relationship with a far flung customer base. You bet we want to see a picture of the new plant, machine, employee, mascot etc.

At Vermont Soap we save our addresses, 100 in a group, in Outlook. During an eblast, we send them out every half hour to keep our internet provider happy. (too many at once gets them all riled up). There are more sophisticated programs out there, perhaps we will upgrade as this grows, but it is easy, and we always see results after an Emailing. We never sell names and put this in writing in our catalog and website. Don't forget to collect names off your website for an opt in special offers mailing you do from time to time. And don't forget to delete names as requested. That's it! Opt in Email.

Those email addresses will come in handy for the next Green Guide we circulate. The GPA Green Guide for our new members, is an emailed "brochure" with links to all member companies. Each member sends the guide to their own list, with their message, and their company listing in the top position. It is estimated that 20,000 green buyers received our guide 3 weeks before Xmas. Now that we have the bugs out of the system, we can do this 2X a year, and build our collective data base in between.

Typo Correction: David Bronner needs those Organic Standards petitions THIS WEEK. Please fax them to his office by Tuesday if you can.

Best Wishes To All,

Soapman