Permission Marketing Case Study: Marcia Yudkin's "Marketing Minute" Newsletter

In my opinion, the very best permission-based, email marketing campaign I have ever seen is Marcia Yudkin's Marketing Minute.

Every Wednesday, Marcia sends out a short email newsletter that is the best of both worlds - informative AND brief. It lives up to its name because it takes about a minute to read, yet each week she shares valuable tips and insights that anyone in business can learn and benefit from.

Moreover, her strategy is something that anyone can adopt. I've never asked her, but I strongly suspect that her email list is one of her most valuable business assets that produces income for her week after week.

Yet she follows an uncomplicated game plan that could work for any business person if they simply put in the thought and effort to make it work.

Let's take a look at what she does to make her Marketing Minute so successful:

It is strictly permission based. She doesn't spam, she doesn't cut ethical corners, and she plays by the rules of permission marketing. You must opt in to receive her newsletter and she provides a link on each email for her readers to unsubscribe if they choose.
She over-delivers valuable content. Marcia knows who her subscribers are and why they opted in. She keeps her information relevant to her audience and focuses on the marketing problems they wish to solve. It is clear that her motive to add value is stronger than her motive to sell something. There is nothing wrong with selling, but she always gives more value than she asks from her readers.
What she sells is also relevant. Yes, Marcia has one or more sales messages at the bottom of her newsletters, but there is a definite tie-in to the people who opted in. She avoids a big mistake I see a lot of other marketers making. They have not taken the time to understand their audience and ask what this audience wants. Their product offerings often bear no correlation to that audience's wants and needs.
She is consistent. The Marketing Minute comes out every Wednesday morning without fail. Her subscribers expect it and this boosts her "open rate" (the number of people actually open the email). A big problem with email marketing is the fact that a lot of subscribers don't actually read the emails before deleting them.
Perfect frequency. Based on all of my research, I am convinced that most email newsletters should come out once a week. That is not so frequently to cause people to unsubscribe in droves, but it is just often enough to keep Marcia's name and business on people's minds. I advise a lot of my clients to send out "Tip of the Week" newsletters because that conveys value in their subscribers' minds.
Focus on benefits. Marcia has a great way of telling her readers "whats in it for them." But she is careful not to overwhelm them with too much information at one time.

Permission marketing is, in my opinion, the most effective marketing strategy available. It is easy to implement and it is very inexpensive. But the return on investment can be spectacular.

If you are interested in learning more about email marketing, I suggest that you do two things:

First, subscribe to Marcia Yudkin's Marketing Minute and study what she does and how she does it.

Second, give me a call at 817-501-6892. I would be more than happy to give you some guidance to help you set up an email marketing campaign for your own business.

If you like this article: