About Abigail_S

Social media platforms allow their users to generate content and engage in peer-to-peer conversations. These days, creating a social media presence for your business is practically required to reach new and existing customers where they already are. Understanding the most common social media terms is crucial!   Ad targeting - The process of selecting a specific audience who will see your ad. You can target based on demographic information, like age, gender, location, and interests.   Application or app - Software that you download and install to perform a basic task or function on your computer or mobile device. Example: You use Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn through the browser on your computer, but you install the Facebook App, Instagram App, or LinkedIn App on your phone.   Archive - Outdated content from a social media platform, webpage, or blog, that's indexed and often organized by category or date, to save "as-is" for future reference. Example: Federal, state, and municipal governments have open meeting, public records, and ethics laws that require agencies to archive their social media activity without alteration. Different industries, like financial services, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals, can also have archiving requirements.   Audience - The group of specific people who actively view and engage with your content on social media. Your audience can see your posts because they actively follow your social profile, or you can target your audience through advertising based on the demographics that make the most sense for your organization.   Blog - A website where the writer can share personal, diary-style, entries relevant to their life and times, or share knowledge and expertise that's relevant for their readers. Chronologically, the newest posts are always at the top, while older posts fall to the bottom, and may also be archived. Example: The Constant Contact Blog offers weekly post content for our customers on a variety of topics relevant to email, event, and social media marketing, contact management, ecommerce, advertising, and building a web presence.    Comment - Messages that people leave in response to a post made on social media.   Connections - People that follow a profile on LinkedIn.   Demographics - The age, location, and gender statistics, and share interest information that are common to an audience. Knowing the demographics of your audience helps you write better post content and created targeted ads to reach the right people with your message.   Direct message - (DM) Social media platforms provide a way for their users to communicate privately by sending messages through a private chat or inbox. It's common to see "DM me" on a public post to let the commenter know you want to move to a private channel.   Emoji - A standard set of pictorial representations of objects, emotions, and actions, that everyone can universally understand. The name "emoji" literally means "a picture character." These are used in posts on social media to add humor or give a better idea of the tone of a post.   Engagement rate by impressions - (ER Impressions) The measure of how well your social post performs relative to the number of times it's been presented to social media users. This is calculated by dividing the the total number of impressions for a post by your total number of engagements, and multiplying the results by 100.   Engagement rate by post - (ER Post) The measure of how well your social post performs relative to the total number of followers you have. This is calculated by dividing the total number of engagements for a post by your total followers, and then multiplying the result by 100. The ER Post can be found in the List View on the Campaigns tab for each individual Social Post.    Engagement rate by reach - (ERR) The measure of how well your social post performs relative to the number of people that interacted with it. This is calculated by dividing the total number of engagements for a post by the reach per post, and then multiplying the result by 100.   Facebook - A social networking website where users create their own profile, add friends or fans, and share content with them.   Facebook Business Page - A profile created on Facebook that acts as the official page for an organization, a brand, a charity or cause, or celebrities that want to keep their personal and public lives separated. The Constant Contact Facebook Business Page is used to engage with customers and share marketing tips, best practices, and customer success stories.   Facebook Personal Profile - A profile created on Facebook for individual to share information about themselves and connect with friends who are also using Facebook.   Fan - People that like a Facebook Business Page.   Feed or newsfeed - The place to view the posts that are created and shared by the people, groups, or pages you follow on social media. The feed also includes ads from organizations that you may not be actively engaged with. Instagram, and LinkedIn refer to it as a feed, while Facebook uses "news feed."   Follower - Instagram users tap the Follow button on the profile of another Instagram user when they want to receive their tweets/posts in their own feed.   Friend - People that follow a personal profile on Facebook.   Handle - The username used on a social media platform, usually preceded by an @ symbol. It makes it easy for people to tag your organization in a post without having to visit your specific social media profile. Constant Contact uses @constantcontact across multiple social media platforms.   Hashtag (#)- A hashtag is used to add keywords or topics to a post on social media to help you relate your post to a larger discussion. Anyone who searches for a specific hashtag sees a list of all the posts that include the hashtag - usually the most popular posts appear at the top of the list. You can create a hashtag that is unique to your organization, or use hashtags related to current events, social movements, and pop culture. Example: Constant Contact uses #ctctlife specifically for employees to share experiences they are having while working.   Impressions - The number of times social media users are presented with your post or ad.   Instagram - A social media platform for sharing photos and videos as posts. Instagram offers many fun filters to apply to your photos before posting. Example: The Constant Contact Instagram page has content to help inspire our customers through customers success stories and live, virtual events.   Like - Social media users can like a post by clicking the thumbs up symbol (Facebook or LinkedIn), or the heart symbol (Instagram). Likes are a way for users to acknowledge that they read your post without having to leave a comment. Both Facebook and LinkedIn also give the option to give more nuanced feedback on your post with additional symbols.   Link or hyperlink (also see URL) - Clickable text that brings you to another web page or document when you click on it. On a regular webpage, the text of the link doesn't need to match the URL that it is pointing to, but in a social media post, links are either the URL or a shortened URL for the new webpage.   LinkedIn - A social networking site designed specifically for the business community to connect with other business professionals. Create a business profile to let other LinkedIn users know who you are and what you do.   LinkedIn Company Page - A profile created on LinkedIn that acts as the official page for an organization, a brand, a charity or cause. Example: The Constant Contact LinkedIn Page is used to share industry knowledge, network with other industry professionals, and connect with employees.   Organic post - Posts that created and shared without any sort of payment involved, and rely on a poster's existing audience to comment, like, or share them. Ads can look like regular posts, but they target a specific audience through a paid service.   Pinterest - A social platform where members share and categorize images. "Pinning" an image or video to a "board" allows you to keep track of items you like. Create boards to collect items by subject or areas of interest. Boards can be public, and other Pinterest members can see your items, or private, and you decide who sees your board.   Post (also see tweet) - Content shared on social media through a user's profile. It can be as simple as a blurb of text, but can also include images, videos, and links to other content. Other users of the social network can like, comment, and share the post.   Profile picture - A picture uploaded to your social media profile to indicate who you are. Sometimes your profile picture is used without your name to show you posted a comment. Depending on the social media platform, you'll decide what kind of image to use for your Profile Picture. Example: Constant Contact uses our official logo as the profile picture across all of our social media profiles for easy recognition.   Reach - The total number of unique people who have seen your post, including your immediate audience and anyone they've shared it with.   Reaction - The thumbs up, hearts, hugging faces, sad faces, angry faces, crying faces, or laughing faces given by the people reading your post on Facebook.   Replies - Messages left in response to comments left on a social media post.    RSS feed - (Rich Site Summary) is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Many news-related sites, weblogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it.   Saves - Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn users can save posts to easily find them again later.   Shares - Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn users can share posts with people in their network.    Social media - Collectively it's all the platforms (blogs, wikis, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) that allow users to connect with other users online. Content is published by one user and engaged with by other users in the form of impressions, likes, and comments.    Social media marketing - Advertising products, services, and causes to a targeted audience on social media networks. Marketing can be done through organic posts or paid advertisements. Organizations have the added benefit of being able to start a conversation with post, or be part of a conversation when users comment on a post.   Social networking - The act of sharing content and engaging with others online for a social or business purpose. Subscriber - This is similar to a follower, except that it applies to YouTube and Facebook. On YouTube, users click the Subscribe button for a channel to see that channel's videos in their feed. In addition, users can subscribe to a Facebook page in order to see public updates without actually becoming Facebook "friends" with the owner of the page.   Tag or label - Using keywords, hashtags, or social media names to let a person, subject, or idea know that you're talking about them, with them, or to them. If you want your post to show up on another user's feed, you write their social media name with an @ symbol ahead of it so they become "tagged." If you're using hashtags, incorporate the hashtag in your post.   Thread - A series of comments and replies related to an individual post on social media.   Timeline - A list of posts that you created and shared on social media. Generally your timeline is visible from your home profile page and can be accessed by clicking your profile picture, wherever you see it in.   URL (also see link) - (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of for a webpage (also called a web address). You can find the URL of a web page at the top of your browser. URLs can be shared in social media posts on Facebook, and LinkedIn, but not on Instagram.   URL shortener - A tool that truncates a URL to fewer characters. By sharing a shortened URL you have more room for other content, like text and hashtags.   Yelp - A social media site where businesses are reviewed and rated on a 1-5 star system by people (called Yelpers). Users can upload images to add to their review, and rate other reviews in terms of their helpfulness. Businesses can claim their page to add more detailed information, and monitor and respond to reviews.   YouTube - A social media platform for sharing and viewing video content. You can create a "channel" to share your videos publicly or privately. You can also create an account to track the videos you watch, "subscribe" to YouTube channels that interest you, and leave likes and comments on individual videos. Example: The Constant Contact YouTube channel has playlists to share webinars and advice, how-to tutorials, customer testimonials, and our commercials. ... View more

Social media is a great resource when it comes to marketing your business. If you're a current customer, I would love to know how you utilize Constant Contact's social media management tools. If you aren't utilizing social media marketing, share why!  ... View more

One of the greatest advantages of having a community space like this is one is connecting likeminded individuals. It's a space to share ideas, get involved, and spark conversation. On this thread, I would love for you all to post your social media platforms for your small business and then tell us a little about what your business is and why you started it!    Let's follow each other and get connected!    Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Linkedin!  ... View more

Customer name: Wellness Extract   How long they've been a customer: 1 year   Fun fact: Based in Canada, Wellness Extract has a global reach that extends to Europe, New Zealand, and Africa.   Where you can find them: Wellness Extract Website, Facebook, Instagram   Wellness Extract was founded by Virender Dass in 2017, emerging from his desire to create a health supplement company after his mother's cancer diagnosis. While his background was in the film industry, Dass turned his focus to the behind-the-scenes work of researching and developing high-quality, affordable supplements, launching the products in 2019. The company's mission focuses on enhancing health and wellness through natural supplements.    To connect with consumers and grow its market presence, Wellness Extract has utilized various strategies including trade shows, webinars, public relations, and content marketing. A significant part of their strategy involves digital marketing, particularly through email marketing facilitated by Constant Contact. Khushi Verma, the Marketing Manager, chose  Constant Contact for its comprehensive features and user-friendly interface, which she was familiar with from a previous internship.   “We started with the tool because email marketing was something we wanted to really dive into,” said Khushi.    The company started with promotional emails and newsletters, and with the help of Constant Contact's advanced reporting tools, they gained insights into customer preferences. This data allowed them to implement effective list management and segmentation, delivering personalized content to their audience. The integration with Shopify has been crucial, enabling the seamless import of customer lists and the creation of automated workflows, such as emails for abandoned carts.   AI marketing features are also employed to craft precise email content, which saves time and ensures each message is tailored to the audience. The use of reporting dashboards and heat maps helps the team to analyze engagement and fine-tune their marketing strategies.   “[The heat map] really tells you what part of your email is working — where your buttons should be, what kind of graphics you should be using,” said Khushi.    Within the first seven months of using Constant Contact, Wellness Extract saw a 42.5% return on their initial investment. “Constant Contact helped us to hear our customers."    Want to build a healthy digital marketing strategy like Wellness Extract? Here’s how they do it:    Email marketing. Promotional emails and newsletters make up the foundation of Wellness Extract’s strategy. List management and segmentation. Because their audience ranges from direct buyers to wholesalers and beyond, reaching the right people at the right time is crucial. Shopify integration. “Integrating both platforms really made it seamless for us to import customer lists into Constant Contact.” AI content generator. Wellness Extract personalizes and tweaks the content they get from the AI content generator to make it their own. Reporting dashboard and heat maps. By tracking their engagement metrics and digging deep into user interaction with heat maps, Wellness Extract is able to better tailor their marketing to their customers.   ... View more

This episode is a little different! Kelsi Carter, the team’s brand production coordinator, puts our very own Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, in the hot seat for a change! Tune in to hear Dave share his unique journey, from his experiences with theater (and a short-lived but not forgotten time as a bass player) to marketing and his passion for helping small businesses succeed.    👉 Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.   Resources: Constant Contact New Customer Hub Small Business Hub Constant Contact Blog New Marketer Experienced Marketer If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

Want to dive down a rabbit hole of information and feel empowered as a marketer? Well- good news! We launched a new Learn section in our top navigation for you to always have resources right at your fingertips. We encourage you to use this section as a way to expand your knowledge, try something new, and ask questions. We hope you find value and we encourage you to get out of your comfort zone. Don’t worry, we’re here for you every step of the way.      So what kind of resources are available?  Community Blog: This is a space for you to check out marketing advice, tips, and tricks. You can learn right from our Constant Contact experts who just so happen to love to respond to comments on their posts!     Contact Management & List Growth: Your contact list is one of your business’ most valuable assets. It's how you stay top of mind with customers, build relationships, and drive more sales. This section allows you to discover new ways to look at your contact list and understand how to manage, maintain, and grow your audience.   Broaden Your Marketing Mix: You may love email marketing, but not use event marketing or SMS because you don’t know where to start. Well, let’s broaden your horizons and teach you how you can market using other marketing techniques!    Learn how to use: SMS Event Social Media marketing   Getting Started with SMS: Learn how to optimize SMS and uplevel your marketing. If you’re looking to increase your marketing reach, and engage your contacts in more than one channel, consider SMS in your next marketing campaign!    TL;DR   In summary, we have included a new section in the community dedicated to improving your marketing skills. ... View more

As small business owners, you are the greatest contenders to play around with different digital marketing strategies and see which ones work best for you! This way, you can learn new strategies to reach new customers, build your brand, create customer loyalty, and ultimately increase your conversion rates.    Here are some helpful strategist to get the ball rolling on all things digital marketing:    Search engine optimization (SEO) This helps drive traffic to your website and allows search engines to rank your website higher in search results like Google. Social media marketing: This can help your businesses reach new audiences quickly, open direct communication with customers, and allow you to get creative! Email marketing: This is Constant Contact’s holy grail, but emails help build brand loyalty once you've established your audience. Automation tools: These tools can boost productivity and conversion rates for tasks like email marketing, social media management, and content publishing. This also allows you to get some time back as you can schedule ahead of time and leaves you with more hours in a day! If you're new to the small business world, check out our onboarding hub to learn some helpful tips and tricks to get you off and running.  ... View more

How can you amplify your marketing plan? Start by looking at what’s worked in the past.   Rich Cruz consults for Greater Chicago Consulting, Inc., a prominent management consulting firm in the Midwest. He helps his clients improve their performance by conducting job analysis, training, and development.   “It's a people-first approach. Get to know the person that you're going after and create those personas based on that,” Rich says. “What would your ideal customer look like? What's their communication style? Where are they hanging out? What do they like?”   For Rich’s clients, he ensures their email list has integrity, meaning customers have really opted in. From there, it’s all a matter of analyzing what works and replicating those results.    On this episode of the Constant Contact podcast, Be a Marketer, Rich and hosts Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, and Kelsi Carter, Brand Production Coordinator at Constant Contact, share the marketing strategies that have worked well for him over the years.   👉 Need a Constant Contact Certified Partner to help you out? Check out this directory to find a partner near you.   👉 Are you with an agency that frequently provides Constant Contact as a solution? Learn how to become a Certified Partner here and unlock exclusive benefits.    Additional Resources: Constant Contact Professional Services, including template design services The Ultimate Guide to Constant Contact Integrations Using Constant Contact SEO tools Create and activate an event in ​​Constant Contact   Meet Today’s Guest: Rich Cruz with Greater Chicago Consulting ☕ What he does: Rich is a consultant helping companies improve their marketing strategy. He looks at historical data, Google Analytics, and customer demographics to figure out how to best promote products. He uses Constant Contact for email marketing and SMS campaigns.    💡 Key quote: “The [email] list is critical. That’s what drives a lot of our commerce. We just get a lot of direct hits from the email. People look forward to it, and boom, they go right into it. We've also segmented out to like some of our best customers, and some people who haven't bought it for a while and try to regenerate sales from them.”   👋 Where to find him: Website | LinkedIn If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

Now that we’re in the Dog Days of Summer (July 3rd – August 11th), temperatures are rising, and tempers often rise as well. It seems like everyone gets a little irritable during the hottest days of the summer.       That’s why I think of August as the month to take care — take care of myself, my family, and my community. As well as be sensitive to those around me and take care in how I interact with them.   Of course, I can’t take care of anyone else if I’m not taking care of myself first. And, since August is American Adventures Month, I plan to get out there and try something new. Maybe I’ll explore a new hiking trail or grab a bite at a restaurant I haven’t tried yet.   Of course, it’s also American Artist Appreciation Month, so perhaps I’ll take some time to visit a local art gallery or take a painting class from a local artist. That way, I can take care of my community while taking care of myself, by supporting small business owners in my area.   Honestly, though, I’ll probably start the month by organizing something simple on each day of National Simplify Your Life Week (August 5th – 11th). It could be my household toolbox that’s in disarray or the plethora of sticky notes I have all over my desk. Whatever it is, it’s got to be quick and simple, so I don’t get overwhelmed or frustrated. And at the end of the week, I should be relieved of some clutter and have a great sense of accomplishment.   And, while there are a lot of other designated holidays for August, I’ve picked a few that I feel are worth mentioning. Take a look through the following August holidays and newsletter ideas and see what resonates with you. Then think about how you might be able to share that holiday with your readers — in a caring way.   August holidays — 2024 August 1st — DOGust 1st: Universal Birthday for Shelter Dogs. August 2nd — National Coloring Book Day and National Water Balloon Day.    Download and share these great coloring pages from the Smithsonian. August 4th — Assistance Dog Day. August 6th — Farmworker Appreciation Day. If your community doesn’t already have an event for this day, think about getting together with other local businesses and starting one. August 6th — American Family Day and National Friendship Day. August 10th — Garage Sale Day. One of my favorite ways to take care of myself, my neighbors, and my community — upcycling opportunities abound! August 12th-13th — Annual Perseid Meteor Shower Peak Night. August 14th — Navajo Code Talkers Day. August 17th — International Geocaching Day. If you like to hunt for treasure, you have got to try this! Better yet, set up a geocache at your location or get together with other businesses in the area and create a story or series of caches for people to find. August 19th — World Humanitarian Day and World Photography Day. Aug. 20th — National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day. August 22nd — Be an Angel Day. Be gentle. Be kind. Take care. August 25th — National Park Service Founders Day. #FindYourPark. August 29th — According to Hoyle Day and More Herbs, Less Salt Day. I’m certain these go together… somehow. August 31st — Eat Outside Day. Anyone up for a picnic? I’ll bring the pie!   August newsletter ideas As I mentioned previously, to me, August is about taking care… of myself, my family and my community. And, taking care includes everything from being aware and staying safe to showing appreciation for one another  —  even sharing great recipes that you can make and share with one another. August newsletter ideas for awareness and safety So often, those who bring awareness to health issues are those who have been affected by them. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Show your community that you care about them, and that you want them to be safe, stay healthy, and be sensitive to each other and what others may be going through.   August is the month for: Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month MedicAlert Awareness Month National Eye Exam Month National Hair Loss Awareness Month National Traffic Awareness Month Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month Summer Sun Safety Month   Awareness and safety newsletter and online marketing ideas  If you’re not an expert in the field, the best way to share awareness and safety issues with your readers is to curate content from healthcare professionals and other trusted resources.    Once you learn how to curate content correctly, you can: Republish blog and print articles on your own site and then share a snippet of their article in your newsletter  —  making sure to include a link back to the article on your website. Share tips for summer safety and traffic awareness on social media. Create and include gifs in your newsletter that introduce and link to videos on a subject that resonates with your business or your community. Go a step further to take care of your community. Partner with a related nonprofit to host or sponsor a fundraising event to help those in your community. Then let your readers know how they can contribute to it.   August newsletter ideas for showing appreciation While health and safety are important, part of taking care of one another is showing appreciation.   Show your appreciation by: Saying thank you. Start this month’s newsletter by saying thank you, or better yet, send a special thank you email to your readers that includes a special offer or leads to a blog article that explains why you’re thankful for them. For National Farmers Market Week (Aug. 4th-10th), add a section that thanks the local farmers. And provide a schedule of area farmer’s markets so your readers can thank the farmers personally by purchasing their fresh goods. For National Health Center Week (Aug. 4th-10th), give healthcare workers a special discount if they show their health center ID when they checkout at your store. And make sure to announce what you’re doing in your newsletter. While I’ve listed a couple of special “week” holidays in the list above, that’s just to get you thinking about what you’d like to do to show your customers and community that you appreciate them.   Ideas for sharing recipes in online marketing Of course, every month has a plethora of food celebrations. But rather than trying to give you a list of foods and dates to celebrate, I think we should talk about ways to share recipes with your audience even if you’re not in the restaurant industry. Take advantage of storytelling marketing. If you have a favorite food that’s being celebrated this month, show a little of your personal side in your newsletter by sharing a story about what makes it your favorite food. When was the first time you had it? Is there a special memory associated with it? Does it tie back to your business in some way? Then, Build upon your food story by moving it to social media. Share a snippet of your story and lead back to the original article on your blog or in your newsletter. Create a social media contest by asking followers to share their favorite version by posting their recipe on their social media pages and tagging your business in the post. A winner could be determined by the most likes, comments, or even random selection. Incentivize people to participate by giving the “winner” a callout in your next newsletter, on your social media page, and/or a special discount, service, or opportunity that is rarely offered or otherwise unavailable. Use food to build customer relationships. If food is a passion of yours and can be linked to your business in some way, think about creating a private Facebook page where members can swap recipes and share food-related stories. Maintain an active presence in the group and ask your employees or volunteers to join and participate as well.   Whatever holiday you highlight in your newsletter this month, whether you issue a challenge, offer advice, or ask your readers to share, include a custom hashtag — along with a corresponding post on social media — so you can easily find and like what they post!   August newsletter subject lines “You’re going to want a piece of this pie” — Homemade Pie Day (Aug. 1st). This is great for offering a limited-time opportunity. “[name], is your Spidey-sense tingling?” Preheader: It should be. — Spider-Man Day (Aug. 1st). Good for letting your readers know what’s new. “Come to our side. We’ve got cookies.” Preheader: Okay, not really, but… — National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (Aug. 4th). “Stop! In the name of… “ — Stop on Red Week (August 4th – 10th). Finish the sentence with your newsletter headline. It can be whatever fits your newsletter focus — from “love” to “great shopping” or “traffic awareness” and “back-to-school safety.” “Aw, Shucks!” National Oyster Day (Aug. 5th). “Have you been working like a dog?” — Work Like a Dog Day (Aug. 5th). Great for sharing information about self-care. Or for sharing an article about working dogs. “This is simply genius” — National Simplify Your Life Week (August 5th – 11th). Perfect for announcing a new product or service  —  especially if it will simplify things for your customers. “It’s not laziness. It’s self-care.” — National Lazy Day (Aug. 10th). Perfect for spas, salons, massage therapists, and any other business that provides self-care services. “We’re having a garage sale!” — Garage Sale Day (Aug. 10th). Great for having a blowout sale of old stock. “Hey, Kool-Aid! I mean [name]” — Kool-Aid Day (Aug. 16th). Be sure to personalize this one.     For more August holidays and ideas on what you can do to share them with your customers, download the graphic below. Or plan out the rest of your year with our Online Marketing Calendar, complete with a free template and a list of holidays you can use to make the second half of the year a complete success. ... View more

With summer in full swing comes backyard BBQs on repeat.    The nice weather is a great excuse to fire up the grill and invite your closest friends and family over. It's the perfect time to bust out your cornhole skills and get overly competitive for a few hours! Cookouts are a great time to kickback, get together, and eat some good food. As much as I love to devour the plethora of pasta salad, I am the one who brings the homemade chocolate chip cookies to the BBQ.    What's your go-to food is that you're bringing to the next cookout?  ... View more

Volunteers are at the heart of non-profits. I want to hear from YOU! You guys are the experts. How do you get volunteers to engage? How do you keep them coming back? How do you ensure they have a good experience?    I believe building a community is one of the best things you can do to create an impact. Volunteers are key leaders in making that community thrive.    Shoutout to all our volunteers out there!  ... View more

Running a business is one thing- but having your customer service running smoothly is a whole other ballgame. There are many different ways to incorporate support in your business. Especially with today's technology, there are many forms of communication to chat with your customers and ensure they are getting the best experience. So, how do you incorporate customer service and support in your retail/ecommerce business? How has your customer support changed over the years with technology?  ... View more

A lot of business owners get stumped when it comes to posting on social media. It's also hard to keep up with the trends as they seem to evolve every week! So what can you do to get inspired?    One thing I like to do is obviously see what's out there- What are the trends for the week? Can you somehow recreate the trend to align with your business?    When all else fails, I turn to Pinterest and use it as my way to create a vision board. It helps me get inspired and opens my perspectives of what is out there. You can create a board of how you see your business evolving and capture images of where you want to go. This way, you can open your creativity and perhaps get inspired visually before turning to posting on social media.    What are some ideas you use to get inspiration for posting your own social media content?  ... View more

It can be daunting to start a business. That's where Constant Contact can help! It's common that customers ask, how can I grow my business once I start? I want to hear from you- what are some tips and tricks you've learned to grow your business?  ... View more

How long they’ve been a customer:  2 years   Fun fact: Sky Candle Co. offers the ability to create your own signature candle scent for large events.   Where you can find them: Website, Facebook, Instagram   Owners of Sky Candle Co.   Sky Candle Co., founded by Albert Feldman and Greg Dekermenjian, is a shining example of how a small business can  illuminate its path to success even during challenging times. The company, which specializes in clean, vegan, non-toxic candles, diffusers, and room sprays, began as a side hustle. Named after the owners' beloved dog, Sky, the business took off during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when the world seemed to pause, and many small businesses faced uncertainty.   Albert and Greg's journey wasn't just about selling candles; it was about creating an experience and a community around their products. When the pandemic hit shortly after their launch, they quickly pivoted from their original plan of opening a retail space to focusing on online sales and pop-up markets. This shift was crucial, but it presented a new challenge: how to maintain and grow customer relationships without the benefit of face-to-face interactions.    This is where Constant Contact came into play. Albert and Greg turned to this powerful tool to build and nurture their email list, which became a lifeline for their business. Through carefully crafted emails, they kept their customers informed about new scents, exclusive promotions, and important announcements. Albert emphasized the importance of this tool, saying, “Without Constant Contact, we really wouldn’t have a means for reaching out to people. We could leverage Instagram, but in my opinion, it is really great for only conveying visuals. Without Constant Contact, I don’t think we’d be able to get our verbal message out there.”    Inside at Sky Candle Co.   The effectiveness of their strategy became even more apparent when they opened their first brick-and-mortar store on Labor Day in 2023. Their robust email list allowed them to drive foot traffic from day one. In-store, they continued to encourage customers to sign up for emails, effectively bridging their online presence with their new physical location.   Sky Candle Co. also leverages AI tools within Constant Contact to streamline their content creation. This technology helps them craft concise, engaging content that resonates with their audience, saving them precious time. Albert shared a specific instance, saying, “The last time we were doing a big sale on puzzles, I just logged on, used the AI feature, said ‘write email sale puzzle’ and generated something. Then I changed a few images and a few lines and sent it out to our customer base.”   In addition to their marketing efforts, community engagement remains at the heart of Sky Candle Co. As a proud LGBTQIA+ run business, they actively support local animal rescues and LGBTQIA+ causes. Their commitment to these values is woven into every aspect of their business, from the products they create to the events they host. Each year during Pride month, they launch a special Pride candle line and transform their store into a celebration of Pride with vibrant decorations.   The story of Sky Candle Co. is a testament to the power of resilience, community, and strategic use of digital tools. With Constant Contact at their side, Albert and Greg have not only navigated the challenges of a global pandemic but have also laid a strong foundation for continued growth and success.   Looking to light a fire under your own digital marketing efforts? Here’s how Sky Candle Co. does it: Email marketing and list growth tools: Building and maintaining an engaged email list  saves Sky Candle Co. time and keeps their marketing going. AI Content Generator: The business stays creative by using Constant Contact’s AI tools to create succinct, impactful email content quickly. Shopify integration: Creating a shoppable experience with integrated customer data is critical for ecommerce success. Canva integration: Using Canva and Constant Contact together allows Sky Candle Co to harness the power of imagery to build their brand. ... View more