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23 Replies Last post: May 14, 2008 3:18 PM by SBOCTeam

Jan 8, 2009 10:19 AM

SBOCTeam 194 posts since
Jul 27, 2007

Community Members,

Please join us in welcoming Steve Farbman to your Small Business Online Community. Steve is here to answer questions on how to develop your own newsletter or how to effectively use content to deepen existing relationships or acquire new customers. Today, Steve will be using the screen name tpmtps

About Steve Farbman
Steve Farbman is CEO of Touchpoint Media and Touchpoint Sports, Inc. Touchpoint Sports, based in Minneapolis is primarily a publisher of custom magazines for amateur sports associations. Touchpoint Media, based in White Plains, New York, was created to focus on custom publishing in areas outside of sports. Touchpoint Media has developed an expertise in small business, having published small business magazines for several Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies. The company also develops customized content for small business web sites and email newsletters.

Farbman has over 20 years experience in the publishing industry, working for such communications titans as Bruce Wasserstein and Warner Communications before acquiring Touchpoint Sports.

To all Community Members
If you have questions for Steve, post it here by simply hitting reply and then refresh your browsers often to view Steve's responses. Steve will try to answer as many of your questions as possible.

Tags: touchpoint_media, steve_farbman, publishing, newsletter, acquire_customers, relationships, content, advertising, best_technique, ecommerce, entrepreneur, home_based_business, internet_commerce, marketing, small_business, tips, web, deepening_relationships, acquire_new_customers, customer_retention Report as inappropriate

SBOCTeam 194 posts since
Jul 27, 2007

1. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 1:59 PM

Alright, let's get things started.

The first question comes from Bluesuit:

I actually have a question for a friend of mine. She recently paid several hundred dollars to advertise her yoga studio in a local magazine. I was surprised at the cost. What advice can you provide to someone with limited dollars but would like to advertise their business in print? Newspapers vs. magazines vs. taking an ad out in the yellow pages? What's working these days? And how do you get the most out of your dollar? Also, would my friend of paid less if she called the publication at the very last minute vs. securing her ad space well in advance?

Remember to refresh your browsers often.

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tpmtps 10 posts since
Sep 27, 2007

2. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 2:02 PM

in response to: SBOCTeam

Since she has a limited budget, advertising in the yellow pages (in print and online) is a good place to start. Next I would research the local newspapers and magazines to find out if any of the publications have any special sections or special issues that would have editorial geared to fitness and health or skew towards a female audience. Since your budget may only allow for a few ads, this would create a better target audience. In terms of price, newspapers will always tend to be less expensive on a per insertion basis, but readers tend to spend more time with a magazine so you may need more exposure in a newspaper. In the current economic environment many media companies are willing to negotiate ad rates, but you would have to investigate that on a case by case basis.

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SBOCTeam 194 posts since
Jul 27, 2007

3. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 2:05 PM

in response to: tpmtps

Great answer Steve!!

Next question comes from FCPaintrer, they write:

If you are a business that only sporadically serves a customer (e.g. as a housepainter, we might do a house once every 5 years) would you still use a newsletter or would you recommend against it. Currently, we send out a mailing right before Christmas offering to collect coats for the salvation army. We feel like that is a nice way to stay in touch, do some good, and also visit their homes. What would you do if you ran a house painting company. I like the idea of a newsletter, but don't think homeowners want to hear from me every month.

Remember to refresh your browsers

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tpmtps 10 posts since
Sep 27, 2007

4. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 2:08 PM

in response to: SBOCTeam

As a house painter you may not think you have much in common with a dentist, but I think the use of a postcard could be effective. Since your services are not needed on a regular basis I would recommend developing a series of creative postcards that coincide with the seasonal aspects of home painting maintenance; i.e exterior painting, interior touch-up and repainting. I like the idea of a postcard because it does not require the recipient to open an envelop and the right photo image or illustration can make your selling point with great impact. I also think you make a great point about how often the homeowner wants to hear from you. As one of many vendors vying for the homeowners' attention it is important to find the right balance - I think quarterly would make the most sense.

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SBOCTeam 194 posts since
Jul 27, 2007

5. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 2:18 PM

in response to: tpmtps

Perfect!! Great job Steve!

Ok, just want to take a second to see if the community has any questions? Feel free to reply, your questions will be answered in order it was received. Thanks!

Again, refresh your browser.

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SBOCTeam 194 posts since
Jul 27, 2007

6. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 2:20 PM

in response to: tpmtps

Now we're cooking with gas!

Next up, we have bearla asking:

I run a relatively young company selling shoes. We have a lot of online sales and a database of nearly 40K customers, as well as active Myspace and Facebook pages. What should I be considering when deciding about the frequency of a newsletter?

And once you've decided on the interval, how would you choose between 1) emailing a newsletter vs. 2) emailing a link to new content on our website vs. 3) mailing a hard-copy newsletter?

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tpmtps 10 posts since
Sep 27, 2007

7. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 2:24 PM

in response to: SBOCTeam

I like the idea of a weekly email newsletter or enewsletter. To me, an enewsletter is an email that links to content on your web site. The email can be designed like a newsletter, but you only include a headline and one or two sentences. This should give the reader enough information so that even if they don't click on the link they feel like they have learned something, but just aren't interested enough to go further; or if it is an area of interest to them they will follow the link back to your site. Ideally you have three or four items in the email that will target particular sub groups of your customer base. Remember, no one will be interested in every topic that you have on your site. The goal of the email is to get them to get back to your site, once there; you have the opportunity to generate revenue.

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SBOCTeam 194 posts since
Jul 27, 2007

8. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 2:29 PM

in response to: tpmtps

Community, keep those questions coming. We love the submissions so far!

User caffeinated wants to know:

Newsletters tend to be informational only. To make them more impactful, what sort of calls-to-action should a newsletter contain, if any?

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tpmtps 10 posts since
Sep 27, 2007

9. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 2:32 PM

in response to: SBOCTeam

There is a certain expectation on the part of the recipient that a newsletter will not be overly commercial. In print you will want to limit your marketing efforts to including a buck slip promoting a product or service in the envelop or using a portion of the newsletter for some advertorial content. In some cases, depending on the subject of the newsletter, advertising could also be appropriate. I am a big believer in email newsletters that tease the reader with some good content but then drive the reader back to the sponsor's web site.

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SBOCTeam 194 posts since
Jul 27, 2007

10. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 2:37 PM

in response to: tpmtps

Excellent!

We have a question from clnshirtz, I believe he is in the laundry/drycleaning business:

STeve, Thanks for doing this. A question, I am trying to decide between making my yellow pages listing into an ad or investing in sponsoring a newsletter for the strip mall we are located in. In your experience, what would be a better investment for a business like mine.

Refresh, Refresh, Refresh!!!

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tpmtps 10 posts since
Sep 27, 2007

11. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 2:41 PM

in response to: SBOCTeam

It sounds like you already have a yellow pages listing so I would try to assess how that is working for you. I like the idea of the strip mall newsletter but I would really want to know the answers to the following questions:

How many copies will they be distributing?

Where and how they will distribute the copies?

How often they would be publishing?

What will be the content of this newsletter?

If the answers to these questions matched your ideal in terms of attracting new customers then I would give the newsletter a try. Remember, in marketing you always want to test new ideas and this sounds like a pretty good opportunity for a test.

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SBOCTeam 194 posts since
Jul 27, 2007

12. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 2:45 PM

in response to: tpmtps

We're getting sad as we pass the last half of the hour, so get those questions in!

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tpmtps 10 posts since
Sep 27, 2007

13. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 2:50 PM

in response to: SBOCTeam

It really depends on how often you are mailing to the list or how active the list is, but its good practice to purge the list at least once per year. As for your question about technology changing the way we communicate, I think the answer is a resounding yes. Think of your email subject line as a headline: short, descriptive and interesting. With direct mail the first object is to get the recipient to open the envelop, and with email you have to get them to open the email.

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SBOCTeam 194 posts since
Jul 27, 2007

14. Re: Live Q&A with Steve Farbman from 2-3PM EST Going On Now! May 14, 2008 2:54 PM

in response to: tpmtps

The seventh question comes from akgold, he wants to know:

What are some future trends that you see for how the landscape of marketing is going to change in the future?

Also, in looking back 20 years, what were the major stages and trends that will help connect the dots to the future?

Thanks!

AKGold

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