New Uses for a Web Site

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the redo on my Monarch Tree Publishing Web site. I mentioned that the new site opened up new selling opportunities. One of those opportunities was to link to the site in e-mails. With the rising costs of mailing, I have increasingly been using my Web site in combination with an e-mail to give more information.

We just released a new book, Jesse and Cash and The Fool's Gold, which I am promoting to the stores or interpretive centers at national forests and national parks. I am sending them an e-mail with a link to the Web site. When they click on the link, they can see the book's cover, hear the author reading the first chapter of the book, and find out more about the book. If they want to see a review copy of the book before they buy, they can order one at that point.

In the past, I called businesses which might have an interest in a book, told them about the book, and offered to mail them a review copy. This was a time-consuming process. Assembling the mailing packages of the book along with a letter took me an enormous amount of time. Frustratingly, I suspect most of the books never were read. How do I know? I know from the comments that I received in my follow-up calls and also from the lack of orders from these mailings. I think that I gave them too much information before they were ready to receive it.

Disseminating information is the beauty of a Web site. A Web site allows you to pique interest in what you are offering and direct that interest to your site to find out more. I did that just this morning while talking to a bookstore. The lady at the bookstore, Leslie, said, "I'm online right now, what is your Web site?"

She clicked on the site, looked at the books that I had suggested, and asked me questions about them. This was a very quick and easy way for her to find out more. Additionally, I saved a great deal of time and money by not sending her books which would not have interested her. The Web site enabled me to create a circle of information. Whether by phone or e-mail, my initial contact could be more concise because I could direct the person to the Web site for more information. Those who are interested can find out more at the site and decide how they want to proceed.

I often see long letters, print ads that are jam-packed, and mailings with just too much printed on them. The sender is packing ten pounds of information into a five-pound bag. The sender appears to think that this is the one chance to talk to the receiver. Therefore, the sender throws everything possible into the message so that nothing important is missed.

With a Web site, that is no longer necessary.

Use your Web site as a place to get more information. Rather than packing too much into your e-mail, direct mail, or telephone conversation, pique interest with your message. Link your e-mail to your Web site. Direct the reader of a mailing to your Web site. Ask the person on the telephone to go to your Web site. Your Web site is a handy electronic brochure immediately available to all. Employ it wisely.

If you would like to see my e-mail to the interpretive centers, go here.