As someone I know posted on their status update on Facebook recently, if someone hasn't actually opted in to your newsletter, you're spamming them. I hate Spam and I'm not overly fond of spam either so it's the last thing I want to do to others. Most people on this list are someone I know personally, are a client or other kind of business associate, and some are people I've encountered at large networking events. If you want to continue receiving the monthly e-news, do nothing. If you don't have the few minutes a month for it or just aren't interested, unsubscribe. If you don't want it, please don't report it as spam. After this issue goes out, I'll look to see who has opened it and I'll unsubscribe anyone who hasn't. No More Spam.

Marketing 101— The Art of Saying Thank You

When you were little, your parents probably had to remind you to say thank you, but as we get older, we sometimes forget. I'm pretty good about saying it, but I get so caught up in other things and I'm not so good about showing it. No more!

This is the idea behind Appreciation Marketing. Business is almost exclusively about building relationships; let your clients know how much you appreciate them AND their business. The truth is, NOT saying thank you can do more damage than you realize.

Ask yourself these questions: How often do you say thank you? Sometimes? Once in awhile? When it's convenient? Always? Here are some ideas, from least personal and least expensive to more personal (though not necessarily most expensive):

• Send an e-mail after a meet-up over coffee to thank them for taking the time out of their schedule to hook up with you.
• Get some inexpensive Thank You cards and send one to all new clients to thank them for choosing you. It's not particularly personal, they've probably seen the exact same box of cards at Target, but it also doesn't cost that much.
• Spend some time in the greeting card aisle, choose something personal but also be willing to pay that $3-4 price tag (plus stamp!) for your handwritten message.
• Check out the services of Send Out Cards. Caroline Robbins at Send Out Cards can give you the best of both worlds, right at your computer. You can upload your business and personal contact list, choose one of their postcard or greeting card styles, add your personal message inside, and for less than the price of a greeting card from the store, it will be printed on demand, placed in an envelope, stamped and mailed for you. You can even add your own artwork or scan your business card and use it in their image templates for something truly original that looks amazing, like you spent a fortune having cards printed. Contact Caroline to get started with your account today, 733.3509.

New!

Remember back in the day when you'd take a test and then you were a nervous wreck till you got your grade? I'll bet most of you are happy you're well past that. But wait! Don't stop taking tests just yet, and I'm not talking about those weird quizzes on Facebook. HubSpot is offering a Web site Grader tool to see how effective your site is. You simply enter in your URL and if you want, that of competing companies and the tool will crawl through your site and give you a full report, all for free. If your score isn't quite where you want it to be, let me know and we can go over the report together to see what we can do to get those numbers up.

Welcome New Clients!

AlephMEDIA welcomes Now This Is Toffee! of Shelbyville, IN and Celtic and Companies of Westfield. Look for updates on both companies in future issues.

UPDATE! Maybe you have been doing the online dating thing for a while and haven't found or been found by your future wife or husband? Maybe you have lost the love of your life through a divorce or bereaved? Or maybe you have tried all the other options known to you and have hit a dead end? Indy Great Dates! looks forward to guiding you along in finding and being found by your future spouse here in the Greater Indianapolis Area. Indy Great Dates! is now a live site. Congratulations to Tod Esquivel on his newest venture. They're giving away 30 days right now to try it out.

AlephMEDIA Recommends...

...Smith's Garage Doors. Smith's is based in Seymour but they'll travel from Louisville to Indianapolis and they're worth it. My garage door had been having problems for over a year and I just kept putting off a repair because I assumed it would end up in a huge bill. Smith's fixed the wiring short, moved the eyes so they were better aligned, and adjusted and lubricated the entire door, hinges and the spring, and the bill was less than $90.

Upcoming Networking Events

• Cup of Coffee Networkers — Every Tuesday at 1 p.m., LePeep, 8487 Union Chapel Rd.
• Affiliated Women International West Neighborhood Meeting — Tuesday, February 2 at 9 a.m., IHOP, 10143 Rockville Rd.
• Rainmakers Incubator LAUNCH — Tuesday, February 2 at 7:30 a.m., Loon Lake Lodge, 6880 E. 82nd St.
• Rainmakers Young Entrepreneurs & Professionals After Hours — Thursday, February 4 at 5:30 p.m., The Ram, 140 S. Illinois St.
• Rainmakers Transitions LAUNCH — Monday, February 8, 5:30 p.m., Junior Achievement of Central Indiana, 7435 N. Keystone Ave.
  
• Affiliated Women International North Neighborhood Meeting — Thursday, February 11 at 11:15 a.m., Bravo!, 8651 Castlecreek Parkway East Drive
• Network of Women in Business Northside Lunch — Thursday, February 11 at 11:30 a.m., Chili's, 3960 E. 82nd Street
• Smaller Indiana's Hole in the Wall Lunch — Friday, February 19 at 1 p.m., Maxine's Chicken & Waffles, 132 N. East Street
• Rainmakers Main Event — Tuesday, February 23 at 5:30 p.m., Junior Achievement of Central Indiana, 7435 N. Keystone Ave.
• At the Top Networking — Thursday, February 25 at 4:30 p.m., The Skyline Club, One America Square
• JCC Business Network — Thursday, February 25 at 6:30 p.m., Arthur M. Glick JCC, 6701 Hoover Road
  

This is a far from exhaustive list of networking events in the area. If you'd like your organization's events listed, please send me an e-mail.