Financial Times

E-mail for small businesses
By Nilooka Dissanayake
A lot of you take time to email me … to ask me questions. Among the most popular are (1) Would I care to come to Nigeria to collect my $28.5 million from the heirs of a hereditary chieftain who was killed by the current regime; (2) Would I care to be made larger or smaller in some fundamental way; and (3) How does one get ahead in this crazy, hazy world?

The first one is easy to answer because in the first place I am too busy to go to Nigeria to be killed, and in the second, not to be too specific about it, no.
I do, however, have a reply to the third inquiry. The best way to get ahead in this supercharged cosmos is to pursue a strategy of calm, resolute, and shameless self-promotion.

Oh, before you call me by so many uncomplimentary names, I am quoting above the latest issue of my favourite magazine column, While You Were Out by Stanley Bing in the Fortune. Why quote this? To demonstrate the widespread use of email for marketing. Besides, for a small business, that advice on getting ahead is also useful, regardless of whether you agree with the ethics of it.

In all three questions Stanley is referring to emails which keep flooding his email box. I can truly relate to all this because here in little Sri Lanka my email also bring the same messages.

So, when anyone talks about Sri Lankan small businesses using the Internet, they could simply be talking of nothing more than email. This simple and relatively cost free tool can be made use of to promote your business whether you are a multinational, or a one-man show operating from a home office.

There are a few points to remember in using email for marketing purposes. Firstly, use email with responsibility. Don't send emails to everyone. Be discerning. Give the choice to your recipients to opt out of your list, if they so wish. Otherwise, your company image will suffer as people get annoyed.

Study email marketing. All the information you need is right there in the Internet.
Secondly, be very careful with your messages. Make them interesting and easy to read. Heavy messages which go into hundreds of kilo bytes are taboo and are certain to annoy your recipients. Keep things light and KISS-Keep It Short and Sweet. And, may I recommend perusing our last week's column about use of signatures.

If you are already in business, collect emails of your contacts in your email address book. Consider whether it is possible to keep in touch with them via email. It is an option worthwhile considering because as opposed to a letter or telephone call, you can save costs in this way. But, before that, make sure that they are comfortable with using email. Personal contact cannot always be replaced with email or anything else.

When urgent documents need to be sent, check with the other party if email is okay by them. Send it as a nicely tailored letter and post the document later. Many people these days prefer email to faxes. They are cheaper for you and the other party (saves his fax paper) and the other party can take a print out if they wish so.

Try never to send attachments to others unless you have spoken to them or they are expecting it or know you. This is a good policy to avoid email viruses. Make sure your computer has updated antivirus software. This way you can be safe and make sure you do not send viruses to your contacts.

Whether use of email for marketing purposes is valid or not depends upon what your business is all about. Who are you trying to talk to? Do they have email? Do you have a better way of talking to them as opposed to email? Then go for that. However, regardless of industry, you can certainly begin to use email for talking to many suppliers and business associates. But there will still be people who are not on email. Bear with them too.

We welcome your comments about how you are using the Internet. You can reach us on ft@sundaytimes.wnl.lk or call on 075-552524. The writer is the Managing Editor of Athwela Vyaparika Sangarawa (Athwela Business Journal), the only Sinhala management monthly targeting the small and medium sized business operators and its English version, Small Business International magazine.

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