Shaun Buck on Newsletter Marketing
Newsletter Marketing
Summary:
Shaun has a unique story. He had his first son at just 16 years of age and made the life-changing decision to raise him on his own. This choice both inspired and motivated him to become the successful man he is today.
Shaun Buck has been a serial entrepreneur for over 15 years, and currently owns and operates The Newsletter Pro, based out of Boise, Idaho. Although The Newsletter Pro has only been operating for 6 years, Shaun and his 60+ member team have grown the company into the nation’s largest custom print newsletter company—printing and mailing millions of newsletters annually for diverse industries spread across four countries.
In 2015, Shaun and The Newsletter Pro landed at No. 120 on the Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies list with a shocking growth rate of 2,975%, and No. 343 in 2016. Shaun is a regular contributor to Entrepreneur.com and has both published his own book, The Ultimate Guide To Newsletters (the second edition of Amazon bestseller, Newsletter Marketing), as well as collaborating with marketing guru, Dan Kennedy, to co-write the No B.S Guide to Maximum Referrals and Customer Retention.
Main Questions Asked:
- What is your response to people who view printed newsletters as old school or outdated?
- What are the benefits of newsletter marketing?
- Are there guidelines to creating an effective newsletter?
- Do you have some customers that use paid subscriptions models?
- What recommendations do you give on what kind of content to include?
- What is the value of getting a mailing address vs getting an email address?
- How can we get newsletters or direct mail to compliment our online marketing?
- What are some of the biggest mistakes you find people make with newsletter marketing?
Key Lessons Learned:
Newsletter Marketing
- It doesn’t matter if the method is old or new. It’s whether it works, or doesn’t work.
- There are almost infinite choices for customers but the thing that makes you unique is your relationship with them.
- Prospects are ready to buy when they are ready to buy. Not when you are ready to sell to them.
- Rule number 1 in marketing is don’t be boring. It’s hard to get people’s attention these days so wow and connect with them.
- People prefer to do business with people they know, like, and trust. It is up to you to build those relationships.
- Be relentless as children are. Don’t be afraid of getting a no.
- Everything you should be doing is multimedia. When generating a lead online your goal should be to take it offline asap and vice versa.
- Mailing any less than monthly doesn’t nurture your relationship.
- Relationships are give and take. If you’re the business that only calls/emails etc when they want something people will start to avoid you.
- Relying solely on “last touch” to track your data doesn’t give you a realistic or full picture of the steps people are taking before they buy from you.
Final Tips
- Utilize all the different mediums available for marketing and bring customers across platforms to maximize their reach and potential.
- When writing to your customers avoid being boring or pushy. Build a relationship with them and show them what you have to offer.
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