As I noted in my previous email, I’m pleased to bring you the first edition of the official Brainwrap Newsletter to go along with the all-new Brainwrap website. I haven’t really decided whether this will be monthly or quarterly, or more of a whenever-it-seems-right sort of thing. I can assure you that it won’t be sent more than once a month, unless there’s some sort of emergency development that you need to know about immediately.
Why am I doing this? Simple: If you know more about what’s happening here at Brainwrap, it should make it easier to keep abreast of developments at your end. I also want to keep you up to date about some of the new (or updated) services and features available that you may be interested in adding to your own websites.
I’d appreciate any feedback you can offer as well.
In addition, I’d like to start promoting your businesses as well by featuring one of my clients with each newsletter, starting with...
FEATURED CLIENT: ADYA HEALTH PRODUCTS
"Quench more than your thirst! Our passion is to restore Earths water to its most pristine natural state and return its original abilities to sustain healthy life. ADYA products are sourced from the best mines around the world. The result is something unmistakably unique, it’s not just water, it’s science in harmony with nature.
“There are hundreds, if not thousands of people dying everyday from not having access to clean drinking water. It is ADYA’s dedication to make a substantial difference on a global scale."
Adya Health Products features the Miva Merchant 5.5® ecommerce / shopping cart system, a Flash®-animated header banner and a basic information request form. You can visit them at http://www.adyahealthproducts.com.
FEATURED SERVICE: EMAIL NEWSLETTERS
Since this is the first issue of the Brainwrap Newsletter, it seems appropriate that the first service feature to discuss be...how to add an email newsletter like this one to your own website!
Why would I want to add a mailing list/newsletter?
Focus on your customers: Well, first of all, let’s call it what it really is: Targeted email marketing. Unlike spam, which is sent in carpet-bomb fashion to millions of people whether they want to receive it or not (and usually offering spurious products or services that the recipient has little or no desire to purchase), targeted email newsletters are sent only to existing clients or others who have expressed an interest in receiving occasional information from the sender. In other words, you’re sending your newsletter only to those who have either been customers of yours in the past, or who have expressed interest in possibly becoming one in the future. Using professional-looking newsletters to stay in touch with your clients helps build stronger customer relationships, and keeps them in the loop for future developments.
Customize the look and feel: You spent a lot of time getting your logo, color scheme and site layout looking the way you want. With rich-text newsletters, you can include photos, graphics and embedded links to jazz it up and call attention to the information you want your customers to know about.
Expand your potential market: Email newsletters are inexpensive, so you can prepare and send them more regularly and for far less expense than printed versions. You can create multiple sub-lists for even greater control over which clients receive which mailings, allowing you to target your messages with more detail. It allows your customers to forward the newsletter to others, broadening your pool of potential business. Adding the “Subscribe” button to your website lets anyone who’s interested in learning more about your business do so easily, without needing any additional sales pitches on your part.
Track your results: With built-in tracking reports, you can see instantly who’s received your newsletter, who’s opened it, and which links they’ve clicked. This helps you modify your website and product & service offerings to get the most effective business response.
Know who’s on the move: In addition to keeping track of who’s receiving your mailings, you’ll also know when your customers have changed their email address with “bounce” reports. This gives you a heads-up on making sure that your contact information is up to date, helping prevent communication misunderstandings in the future.
Save on printing and postage: No stamps, no printing, no ink or toner needed. No extra charges for altering text, changing fonts or colors. No wasted paper or paying extra for unsent copies. Oh, and one more thing: Unlike third-party mailing list services which can charge up to $150 per month, there are no monthly fees! Once the mailing list database and script are set up, you can send practically as many newsletters as you want to as large of a permission-based* list as you need for no extra fees.
Give me a call at 248 545-7570 or email me at cgaba@brainwrap.com for more information about adding a Rich-Text Mailing List/Newsletter solution to your website!
FEATURED WEBSITE Q & A:
Question: What's the difference between a .COM, .NET and .ORG domain name?
Answer: Each of these is what's called a Top Level Domain, or TLD. Domains ending with .COM are generally intended to be used for commercial businesses, which is why they're the most commonly seen domains in the United States. Domains ending with .NET are usually intended for networking services and internet service providers such as Comcast or AT&T's residential email addresses. For instance, an AT&T employee who also used AT&T for their home service would use name@att.com for their business email, but name@att.net for their residential address. .ORG domains are usually intended for non-profit organizations.
However, there's nothing legally preventing anyone from using a .ORG domain for a for-profit business, or a .NET domain for a nonprofit group. Many companies snap up all three variants in order to help protect their branding.
Now, there are other TLD's which are restricted to certain entities. For example, .GOV can only be used by divisions of the federal, state or local government (Whitehouse.gov or Michigan.gov, for instance). .EDU is restricted to public universities and other educational institutes, and .MIL is restricted to divisions of the U.S. military.
However, in addition to the "big three" (.COM, .NET and .ORG), there are several other TLDs which are available for just about anyone to use, including .BIZ, .INFO. .US and .TV, as well as a whole host of other, more exotic international TLDs which are rarely used in the United States (and which tend to cost considerably more).
So, that wraps up this pilot edition. I welcome your feedback and, as always, appreciate your continuing business.
*Note: “Permission-based” means that everyone on the list has given you permission to contact them. In the case of this particular newsletter, as an existing client of mine, there’s an inherent understanding that I’ll need to contact you from time to time with information directly relevant to your website or hosting. Vital or emergency notices are obviously sent out to every Brainwrap client. However, if you’d prefer not to receive these occasional newsletter mailings, click the “Unsubscribe” link below...although, of course, I hope you won’t!
