However, if they are not done right, they can actually hurt the company. In this blog, I’ll address some of the things that people do wrong and then what to do right. First, let’s talk about the wrong way to present an e-mail.

1.      Too many e-mails. There are several companies who think it is OK to send an e-mail multiple times a day. There is one that sends three e-mails per day at the same time every day. I unsubscribed after deleting them all the time.

2.      Too much sales. Quite frankly, I don’t want to know your special of the month. I will read an e-mail that provides something useful for me or my business.

3.      Too much information. An e-mail newsletter should be quick and to the point. If you put a long article in the e-mail, most people will not read it.

4.      Doesn’t link to the Website. An e-mail newsletter should be a gateway to getting people to look at your Website and take action.

5.      Hard to navigate. A reader should be able to easily find information that is useful to them.

6.      Only send it to people you have met or have asked for a newsletter. Spam is still spam.

Now, here are five tips to do an e-mail newsletter right.

1.      Provide something that makes your e-mail useful, like a tip for business or a case study your prospect can learn from.

2.      Highlight news in your company that reinforces what you do in business, but also highlight your customers. A story on a new client or project is a great reminder of what you do and makes people want to buy.

3.      An article in a newsletter should be no longer than two paragraphs, with an occasional three paragraphs. A link should be provided to your Website with the full story.

4.      Create something fun. Make sure that people look forward to your newsletter.

5.      Include a table of contents at the top of the page, something that someone can scan to find out what is included in the e-mail.

6.      It’s ok to send out a sample newsletter, but if they don’t opt-in, don’t resend it.

There are some easy – and cheap – ways to design and implement an e-mail newsletter. Make it fun, make it memorable and enjoy the results of your drip marketing campaign.

Fact is, I don't have a brochure and I don't plan to make one anytime soon.

In most cases, companies spend too much money on brochures because they feel they just have to have one. So they pay for design, they pay to print, they love it and they give it to the client. What happens next is the client glances at it, puts in a file and then throws it away when they go through a spring cleaning. A brochure will not bring in revenue and will not serve as a reminder of the company.

Instead of going through the effort of putting together a big company brochure that duplicates what's on your Web site, try developing targeted collateral which serves a unique purpose of attracting targeted clients. The best thing to do is start out with a "collateral development form." This helps put the reason for the collateral, the target audience, how it will be used, the budget, the expected return and the message in one place. You can use it for any time of printed material and it really helps form great ideas.

For instance, one client wanted to a company brochure. After filling out the form, we came up with a unique piece that drives traffic to the Web site and will be used in a very unique style that guarantees people will pick up the collateral and at least look at it. The best thing is that we will have designed and printed the piece for significantly less than what we would have spent on a major piece that would have simply been thrown away or filed by a potential target.

We know what the response should be. I can't wait to track the results!

As to the referral, the potential client hopefully visited my Web site which is printed on my business card. There is where you can find all the information on Alan Byrd & Associates in a format that I can change in minutes without spending a dime.

We had made the appointment a few weeks ago. I remember making the appointment, but for some reason it wasn't on my calendar and I completely missed the confirmation e-mail an hour before the appointment. (How I did that in today's wired world is another story).

I know how my lunch date felt. You sit at the table reading your blackberry waiting for the person to come. You might order an appetizer around 15 minutes into the wait. At 30 minutes, you give up, apologize to the server for taking the table up and then eat alone thinking of all the better things you could be doing then sitting alone at the table.

So, how do you avoid this and what do you do after it happens? Here's my game plan in the future:

1. Send an Outlook appointment. Almost everyone uses Outlook, but we - me included - don't utilize the tool for anyone not in your immediate business.

2. Include a cell phone number. Even though we think we have someone's contact information, I've often found myself searching for a phone number at the table.

3. Always send a confirmation email. The day before would be best, but first thing in the morning is fine as well.

And if you miss an appointment?

1. Call immediately after you figure it out.

2. Apologize profusely

3. Reschedule

4. Pick up the tab!

If only I had followed these rules, I wouldn't be stuck with the "Oh my" look on my face when I realized seven hours after the appointment I had missed my meeting!

Unfortunately, I have to go through my Twitter account daily and make sure I don't have spammers, pornography or attackers as a follower. And nearly every day, I block at least a half dozen people from following me because they too closely resemble those groups.

In my opinion, the objective in Twitter is to be able to spread your knowledge to a vast audience that is receptive to your knowledge. You must be receptive to others and be yourself, but at the end of the day, twitter is about information.

In order to do that, you have to make sure you follow some guidelines, because with more than 2,000 followers and growing by 25-50 followers a day, I don't have time to really check out everyone of my new followers. So, if you don't want to get arbitrarily blocked by me, here are some tips:

• Include a real picture that is conservative. Many of the bad twirps try and entice people into following them by putting a scantily dressed or really attractive woman as their profile picture.
• Be original in your profile. You have 140 characters; don't sound too much like you are going to sell me something.
• Use an actual Website in your profile, not a tiny url or the such. Those are great in tweets, but in the profile it tells me you're trying to cover something up.
• Retweet someone. Or reply to someone. It shows me that you're a real person not just an automated machine.
• Don't include a link in every post. Find something original to write, not just a link to the think you're going to sell me.
• Don't ever tweet: "Make money from Twitter" or "I gained 1,000 followers in a day, so can you." That's an automatic block in my book.

1. Find your passion: You should be involved in something if it doesn't really interest you.
2. Aim for the top: Don't join an organization unless you have an interest in becoming its top volunteer.
3. Look at the board of directors: Are there people on the board who you would like to do business with?
4. Ask board members to meet: Find out why they are involved, what you can do to help and establish a relationship with them.
5. Step up to the plate: Volunteer for at least one committee, perhaps two.
6. Track your leads: This way you can continually reassess the successes.
7. Be open and honest about business: You want to do business with other people in the organization.
8. Don't give your product away: Except in small quantities to showcase your skills or product to the organization
9. Don't send out mass letters: See the other blog on direct mail to new members
10. Target members: Go through the membership directory and find 10 people who you want to meet and make it a goal to meet them.

For example, in my mail the last few days were several marketing pieces - mostly from companies in one of the chambers above. Now, I've been on the board of this chamber for the past few years, but no one has taken the time to research this or do any research on who I am. Instead, it's simply a standard form letter sent to my address. I skimmed over them, but despite opening each one, I can't tell you the name of the person who sent it to me.

One of the more interesting ones came from Costco. It had three flyers folded over with absolutely no call to action except an envelope with Costco's address on it. You'd expect more from a national giant in retail.

Right up there was the e-mail - which I read and then responded to. Of course, I never got a reply to my e-mail.

The only one that hit the mark was from Monica Leibacher, a massage therapist in Celebration. She sent me a small card in a green envelope, which stood out from the other clutter. Inside the card was a hand written note from Monica welcoming me to the chamber, which started out with the line "Do you suffer from daily stress or have a pain in the neck?" Who's going to say no to that? She then went on to offer a 10% discount for my first treatment. I may take her up on it.

Welcoming a new member is a great marketing tool, but here's what I suggest:

1. Instead of mass marketing, pick out the people who you think might be the best clients and spend five minutes looking at their website.
2. Use Monica's idea and write a hand-written note, but personalize it to their needs.
3. Offer to meet up with them at an upcoming event and introduce them to other members.
4. Offer to take them for a cup of coffee.
5. Always ask them who their ideal client is and try to make an introduction to someone who fits their description.

People love it when you take an interest in their business and they love it even more when you bring them business. Often, if you bring them business, you'll get a client in return and develop a long-term relationship, and not watch your postage go in the garbage.

I’m pretty sure they thought I would start listing off all the advertisements I wanted them to buy, since I have a print media background.

Advertising is a tricky game; it’s not for everyone and not for the weak at heart. So, here are my four general rules on advertising:

1. Don’t go into it unless you are committed to spend money. Advertising only works with repetition and size. Placing one ad will NEVER work.
2. Don’t spend a dime on advertising until you know exactly who your potential customers are. If you advertise without knowing this, you are throwing money out the window.
3. Have a plan for your entire marketing goals. Advertising can only work as part of a plan, not a spontaneous decision.
4. Target your publications. In this age of media, there are niches for every type of customer out there. Find the ones that fit your niche and run with it.

There’s obviously a lot more that goes into a proper advertising plan, but remember, it doesn’t make sense for everyone.