What, exactly, is fun shopping? Well, let’s take a look at the local clothing stores-Old Navy, for instance, has mastered attraction marketing. The store is well-lit and comfortably air-conditioned or heated; it has clean floors, many different sizes for each piece of clothing, and even soft music playing in the background. But there are no nosy salespeople trying to push you to buy; nobody objects when you just don’t want to have that sweater that’s on sale today. Instead, they thank you when you leave the store and say they hope you’ll come back. Which you will, because the shopping experience was enjoyable. Old Navy stores do not focus on getting sales in the moment-they try to get customers for life. That is the essence of attraction marketing. Online, Amazon.com does the same thing-they personalize their website, remembering what books you visit so that you have personalized advice when you come back to visit, and so you go back again and again because of their brilliant attraction marketing. Even if some books are rated poorly, they still tell you the reviews, because they are there to help you, not to convince you to buy.

Your aim in attraction marketing should not be to sell whatever service or products you offer, but to educate the buyer, share your knowledge, and tell them all you know about the industry and its products. Try to find their frustrations and alleviate them by describing your experiences and your ideas. Have an online website that is clean, organized, and clear. Make the shopping experience pleasurable-that is attraction marketing, and it works.

2. Build Your Own E-mail List
Permission-based e-mail builds the value of your brands, increases sales and builds relationships with your current and prospective customers. You can build your list by talking to people, adding a sign-up form to your Web site and by providing something of value in exchange for their e-mail address – a newsletter, a discount coupon or other incentive, or more information about your products and services.

3. Segment: Divide and Conquer
You have different relationships with your customers, so there’s no point in sending the same e-mail to all of them. Personalize your message based on who they are. Segment based on the information that you have through previous interactions: what they’ve purchased or info they’ve requested.

4. Be Aware of Regulations
You need to know about and comply with regulations such as Can-Spam, or face financial penalties. For example, if someone opts out of your e-mail newsletter, you have to remove that person from your list within 10 days. Also keep in mind that f you’re e-mailing outside the U.S., it’s important to be aware of laws in those countries, too

5. Frequency and Length are Inversely Proportional
If you e-mail your customers frequently, you need to keep the communication short and to the point. Limit a daily e-mail to a page or less and a weekly to five pages or less. You can go longer with a monthly, but only if your news is really exciting.

6. Build Loyalty Through E-mail
Your e-mail list is your most precious asset. Reward the customers who let you e-mail them with discounts and other offers. Make them VIPs, and let them know they get this info because they’re apart of the VIP list. People enjoy feeling special, and that they’re getting something extra.

7. Use Your Metrics
Measuring your results lets you know if what you’re trying is effective. Are your customers opening and reading your e-mails? Are they clicking through to your site? It’s crucial for you to understand what works and what doesn’t. Apply what you learn from trial-and-error testing.

8. Holidays All Year ‘Round
Holidays are more than Christmas. Leverage all of them – Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, Halloween and create specific promotions around them.

9. Automate Your Campaigns
You can automate key messaging or even reward customers. For example, you can set up a campaign that sends a greeting – and a 15 percent off their next purchase coupon to your customers on their birthdays.

10. Give Your E-mail Personality
own voice. Your customers want to hear from you. A nice, conversational tone lets you reach out on a personal level and build rapport with your customers

To your massive Success:
Johnnie Tan