Do you have a customer e-mail list? If you have installed a quality jewelry store software program, the answer is probably yes.

But are you using your jewelry store software effectively? If not, you could be missing some important sales and profits.

Jewelry store software: An e-mail campaign begins with your personnel.

A quality jewelry store software program makes it easy to create and maintain a customer e-mail list. But if your store personnel have not been trained to ask for e-mails, you are probably missing a lot of names. Both training and incentives can help change that.

When requesting an e-mail address, always ask permission to use it for promotional purposes. For example, you might say something like, From time to time we send out exclusive sales offers and information to our e-mail customers. Would you like to be included? Emphasizing the word exclusive will make it extra appealing.

If the customer says no but will allow the e-mail address to be stored for personal contact use, your jewelry store software should create a separate file for such email addresses.

Jewelry store software facilitates the creation of e-mails worth reading.

Every e-mail you send should earn readership for your next e-mail. Here are some ways to build value into your e-mails and make certain they are consistently read.

Use your jewelry store software to identify items in your inventory that have overstayed their welcome. Offer them to e-mail customers at a special clearance price, particularly if you have only a few in inventory. Or, give them as a gift for a purchase. Build in a note of urgency by commenting that only a limited number are available and when they are gone the offer will be withdrawn.

Your jewelry store software will also provide a comprehensive product sales history. When a holiday or gift-giving season is approaching, use your jewelry store software to pinpoint what items will probably be most popular. Promote one of these items as a loss leader in an e-mail mailing to draw traffic into your store.

Be single-minded

Confine your e-mails to just one promotion or item. Trying to sell too much will result in your selling too little. Even if several items are pin-pointed by your jewelry store software as being popular for a certain promotion, use just one.

Be brief

The attention span for e-mail is limited. So keep your e-mails brief. A few short paragraphs will do the job. And write them as you would to a friend. In fact, it often helps to visualize a customer and write the e-mail to that one person.

Incorporating e-mail into your promotional mix, with the help of a quality jewelry store software program, may well become one of your most effective advertising tools. If you dont have a customer e-mail list, start one today. If you already have such a list sitting idle in your jewelry store software program, put it to frequent use. This form of advertising involves little outlay of cash and, when properly used, will add important dollars to your bottom line.