Best months to email market?

[Riverblossom]

Okay, I am a counselor and I recently opened a private practice. I have been trying to get some more clients and outside of the the traditional give my card to other professionals and a website, I have tried the following: targeted Facebook ad, ad in the appropriate classified section of the paper and they have not been generating too many calls or emails. I can also offer seminars for companies and I want to do some email marketing via Constant Contact or iContact.

I am THINKING (remember I am not hip with the marketing yet!) that perhaps companies may not invest in seminars in the next 3 months - as Xmas is coming up, the New Year and everyone needs to recover financially. I may be wrong.

So when would be the best months to target companies to hire me for seminars?

[Jax]

Your product, counseling, is not time specific. Anytime would be good. Shoot for times when hiring is elevated. The end of the year may be slower due to making budgets, but I doubt xmas and holidays will affect it.

[MarketingRox]

Companies budgets don't necessarily match up with end of year. Fiscal year and Calendar year are two different things and are seldom the same. So any time is a good time.

However, if you do not have a strong presence (i.e. well known to the companies you are mailing to), email marketing is not a wise move at the start. Also, make sure you are using a reputable company that is going to give you advise on making it through spam blockers and company firewalls. Business emarketing is NOT the same as consumer emarketing.

I would suggest that you stick with targeted postal mailings until you get your brand out there. Get the postcard/piece into their hands, not the email (sitting right next to the delete button). Or get your phone call through to the right person. Call a company like Acxiom to get a list of the proper companies that may need your services. Then send that list to a company like Vista Print or Postcard Mania to have it printed and mailed. Easy, inexpensive, targeted and right to their desk instead of off in email limbo.