How to Get Leads for your Newsletter

By Lanee’ Bunt

Make it easy for people to sign
up for your newsletter--
Sqback

Keep your business name infront of your prospects. As a small business you also have to get formercustomers to use your business again and give you repeat business. Although coldcalling is an effective way: by calling the prospect and asking if they areready to buy—it is not for everyone. If you don’t like cold calling there areother alternatives like sending prospects your newsletter.

Buy or rent a mailing List. Makesure that all of the subscribers on your mailing list have opt-in to receive anewsletter from you.  You must havegained their email address by their permission or by signing up for yournewsletter, or subscribing to receive updated information, and they have takensome kind of action to indicate they’d want to receive information fromyou.  Provide a way for recipients tounsubscribe to your email, so make it easy for them to opt-out from your emailprogram.

Make your website easy foryour prospects to sign up for your email newsletter.  Create a way to capture the email addresseson your website. Make sure that all of the subscribers on your list have opt-into receive an email newsletter from you. “The most important thing to rememberis that all subscribers on your list must take some type of action to indicatethey would like to receive email communications from your company,” accordingto Simms Jenkins, in his book, The Truthabout Email Marketing, (FT Press, 2009). You can sign up for anautoresponder service. This service will collect subscriber’s email addressesfrom your website, manage your newsletter account by sending it to people thatrequested it.

Give your prospects anincentive for signing up for your newsletter by giving them a special gift. Forexample, free downloads of your ebook.

Reference:

SimmsJenkins; The Truth about Email Marketing;FT Press; 2009

How to Create a Basic Company Brochure

By Lanee’ Blunt

Compete with a company brochure--
Aperfect1

Creating a company brochure doesn’thave to be difficult. Brochures are not just for large corporations, but forsmall businesses and consultants also. It can be a sales tool for your smallbusiness that might help you get your foot in the door, or help you sell yourbusiness product.

Audience

Before you begin thebrochure think about who your audience is. Are you creating a brochure for aspecial client, B2B, engineers, or insurance companies? Your brochure must fitinto the information needs of your audience. For example, engineers may be interested in the performancespecifications of your product.

Writing

This is the perfectadvantage to tell the customer everything in detail about your small business.This may sound obvious but there are many small business brochures that I haveread that are merely just a long list of items, giving no details about thecompany, the service, or how it works. Tell the customer everything that they need to know about your product,write about the features, what is included—hours range of products or services,the specifications and the performance. Give facts.

Sections

There are many sections thatyou can use in the brochure. Sections can include information about product,service, price, ordering, and information on the owners or management. Useheadings and subheads with bullets. Keep it simple by breaking large text intoeasy to read sections.

Desktop Publishing

A desktop publishing programwill make your brochure look professional. Organize it with headings andsubheads which make it easy to read. Save your brochure in a PDF file if youwant to put it online.  You can use agood laser or an ink jet printer to print as many or as few brochures as youneed.

Reference:

Kenneth Roman, Jane Mass& Martin Nisenholtz; How to Advertise; Thomas Dunne Books

How to Start a Construction Business

By Lanee’ Blunt

Start your own construction business--
Hbrinkman

Starting a constructioncompany can be a profitable business if you have experience and can fix orremodel residential or commercial properties. You must understand contractdocumentation and must know your area of expertise, for example utilities,heavy grading, and site development. You can go to school for constructionmanagement or you can learn from experience, or you can start with another firmas an intern with 3 or more years experience before starting your own company.

You must set up yourbusiness as a legal entity. Decide which form of ownership is best for yourparticular business: sole proprietorship, partnership, Limited LiabilityCompany (LLC), corporation, or S corporation.

Apply for an employee identification number (EIN) with the federal government. Fill-out the necessaryforms and send them back to the federal government and they will return it toyou with your EIN number.

Get the licenses and permitsthat you need to run your business. Most small businesses will need a generalbusiness license or specific operating permits from your state and localgovernment. Get insurance for your business to insure you and your companyagainst claims of personal injury and property damage.

Draw up a contract for yourcompany to use for clients. Define the scope of work, payment, and workschedule. Do not rely on a verbal contract and make sure that you geteverything in writing before you begin.

Reference:

Small Business BC:Considerations for Starting Your Construction Company; Candice Macalino; 2010

Entrepreneur; Starting aBusiness as a Remodeling Contractor; Paul and Sarah Edwards; 2004