The 
Happy Times
An advertising program with a twist
for businesses and professionals

Delivering your eagerly anticipated reminder message or special offer along with an entertaining, original, short story, twice a month directly to your client's email in-box

Designed to stir your current customers/patients to use your services more regularly
Very low cost
Extremely high 'open and read' percentage *
Eagerly anticipated and appreciated by your clients
Brings joy and entertainment to your clients
Makes them value you even more through this effort on their behalf
 [ * On five trial mailings the open and read rate was determined to be from 67% to 93%.]

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> As you already understand, No client/customer/patient is more important than a current
  client/customer/patient.
 In advertising terms, “A bird in the hand is worth a thousand in the bush.” Encouraging current clients to return to you is many, many, times more cost effective than laying out advertising dollars to find new ones. If you can even get them to read your message! Typical readership of mailings and brochures is seldom more than 5%, with a 1% actual response rate being considered high. You can do the cost-per-response math.  (Direct Mail Advertising Council)

> Satisfied and comfortable clients/customers/patients are your best source of quality referrals.
It is one thing to have built a client base that depends on you, and respects you and your service. It is quite another for them to keep your service in mind and talk about it with others when they aren't, themselves, in immediate need of it. (Receiving this twice monthly nudge goes a long way toward solving this problem.)

>  Clients/customers/patients who see you going the 'extra mile' for them become your most loyal and vocal advocates.
Receiving your gift of The Happy Times twice a month builds your friendly, helpful, image and keeps you in their minds. (The Happy Times delivers, by email, a new, original, family friendly, short story – 5 to 25 pages – every two weeks and conveys your thoughtfulness as it tweaks their memory about your services.) [Representative stories can be read at www.TomsBookNook.com]

> With the Happy Times advertising approach, each reader must go through your current Reminder/ Information Sheet ('ad' if you like) before arriving at the story.
With this advertising approach you are not competing with others in your field for increased client flow. You are energizing your own client/customer pool to return again and again. (As they pass on their 'new free story' to friends and relatives, your name and current Information Sheet ride along – just in case you may be also searching for new clients/customers/patients.) [To view a sample email simulating how it will appear when your clients/patients/shoppers receive it, go to www.tomsbooknook.com/HT.html, and clickon green button on the top right.] 

>To those who sell books:
The stories shared in The HAPPY TIMES are original works of the long time, successful, author Tom Gnagey (7 pen names). As lone-standing, short stories, they pose no competition with your book sales. (Hopefully they will remind folks how rewarding and pleasant reading can be and encourage return trips to your store. Your Information Sheet will, of course, highlight your authors and present your special incentives to come and see you.)

> As you know from personal experience, no advertising or reminder service works immediate wonders.
Commit to sticking with the program for a period of 3 to 6 of months. A feedback arrangement is built into the program to help you determine how well it's working. Then, you can make informed, longer term, decisions. 

> Here's what you do.

1- Assemble an email list. You may already have this or you may quickly create one over a few weeks by asking visitors to your establishment to leave it with you so you can send them an entertaining, free, twice monthly newsletter - THE HAPPY TIMES, which contains an enjoyable, original, short story in each edition. They can opt out at any time if it is not to their liking. (Below, see sample hand out and email you may want to use to announce the program to your current customers and email list.)

2- Email your 'email list' as an attachment to tom.gnagey@att.net . Periodically, depending on your 'people flow', email us additions (and deletions if any come to your attention). Use the following comma separated list form for original list and additions:  
      drwriterguy@netscape.net,
                  tom.gnagey@aol.com,
      joe.blow@josephblow.org, and so on.  
End each address with a comma and do not add a space before shifting to next line. If you have an up to date list in some other form we will try to work with it, but that may result in a short delay.

3- Create your Personal Sheet. It can contain reminders, information, special offers such as sales, ads, etc. You will create it in good taste, of course. Create it as a text or word processing file (MS word, Open Office, etc.) Brief messages tend to be read. Long messages tend to be skipped. We suggest something under 15, six inch, lines. (The final decision is yours.) Start with a catchy headline and stay away from exotic and unfamiliar fonts since many email servers will make confusing substitutions. Times New Roman, Courier, and Helvetica tend to work universally. Email it to us as an attachment at least ten days before your emailing date. Change the sheet as frequently as you like.

> Contract?
NO contract is necessary. Complete an Application, hand it to our agent or send it via snail mail*  along with the first month's fee** (see below), and email us your email list as detailed above. The six month option (see application form) saves 15 cents on each email we send above 100 and reduces the cost of the first 100 by $5.00. (The fees and your participation are both locked in for the duration of a six month commitment.)

> Fee Schedule (for every two week mailing)
Month to Month: $35 for the first 100 emails (1 through 100) and 35 cents for each additional email.
Six Month: $30 for the first 100 emails ( through 100) and 20 cents for each additional email.
(As your list size changes, we will adjust the fees accordingly to your monthly invoice.) May upgrade to Six Month plan at any time.  [Larger volume discounts may be possible.]

>Mailing Schedule:
You will be assigned two mailing dates per month, approximately two weeks apart.

>Proof of Service
Embed a personal (disguised) email address in your list ('Aunt Sally'). When the HAPPY TIMES arrives in that in-box you will know your list has been serviced.

We believe this is the most cost effective 
(information read /per notice sent or posted)
advertising program you will find.
___
*  Tom Gnagey – HT, 1 N School Ave, #306, Fayetteville, AR 72701}
** Make payable to the owner, Tom Gnagey. You will pay by check or money order via snail mail monthly (one check for the 2 mailings a month) from the invoice we will email to you. Agents are not authorized to take payment. You will need to immediately make our 2 e-mail addresses 'friendly' to your incoming e-mail service. (tom.gnagey@att.net and happytimes@tomsbooknook.com) {Phone: 479-304-0168}

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Sample 'WELCOME E-MAIL' 
that you might want to send to your email list ahead of time.
(Modify to meet your situation)

In appreciation,
(Name of business or professional person) has a gift for you that we/I /he/she believe(s) you will enjoy.  
THE HAPPY TIMES is a twice monthly email.
It contains an enjoyable original short story by the well known author
Tom Gnagey (He writes under 7 pen names).
When I/we have important information, a special offer, or brief reminder for you,
that will also be included.
I/We hope you will enjoy this gift.  
Feel free to forward the issues to your friends, if you want.
Set your email in-box to accept happytimes@tomsbooknook.com so you won't miss a single issue.
(You may easily opt out of this mailing at any time if you decide it's not for you.) 

(YOUR NAME)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



Sample 'WELCOME HAND-OUT' you may want to provide to 'walk-ins'.
(Modify to meet your situation)

We/I want you receive a free gift,
THE HAPPPY TIMES,
a twice monthly email. 
It contains an enjoyable original short story by the well known author
Tom Gnagey (He writes under 7 pen names).
When I/we have important information, a special discount offer, or brief reminder for you,
that will also be included.
I/We believe you will enjoy these family friendly stories.  
Feel free to forward the issues to your family and friends, if you want.
Set your email in-box to accept happytimes@tomsbooknook.com so you won't miss a single issue.
(You may easily opt out of this mailing at any time if you decide it's not for you.) 
Make certain we have your current email address before you leave today.

Thanks again for coming in.

(YOUR NAME)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Leave your information with us today!
"Sure. Sign me up for the free issues of The HAPPY TIMES, which includes a new short story every two weeks as well as news from you.
I understand I can opt out at any time if it does not meet meet my needs."
[Please Print]

My name is:____________________________________________

My email is: __________________________________________
<<<<<<<< COPY AND
     USE AS HANDOUT