About ACTIVATE

ACTIVATE · ‎08-07-2024

@ChrisB80179 Right out of the gate I like what I see. Even thought it's a "newsletter" it's not long or cumbersome. And it pops with bright images and pictures. You also have easy action buttons for them to use. I might consider swapping that section to be lower, though, maybe swap with the article about donations. (still leave your pennant flag a the top, though). This opens the newsletter up with a lead story or piece of content that is feel good and not sales focused while allowing you to still get that section in very early in the scroll by having it second or middle. Love the traffic tips - quality content right there! Love the ice cream favorite flavor requests... what do you dow with that data? have it ready to give them a bowl when they close on their new ride? sooo curious. Great job featuring your reviews, that is one of the surest sales tools there is. Kudos on having an app, that's a great value add and I'm sure lead generator. And one final kudos on branded wallpaper. Nice work!

ACTIVATE · ‎08-07-2024

@CPortanova You are welcome, I'm always happy to help - Aaron @ ACTIVATEbiz.com

ACTIVATE · ‎08-03-2024

Awesome direction from the folks in the previous answers! I'd like to address length in more detail. Clients always want to know "what's most effective?" The answer is that different lengths of video work best for different goals. Here are some general guidelines I use: 15 seconds to 60 seconds - Awareness (first time they are seeing you) or teaser video 1-2 minutes - Short form sale videos leading them into the sales funnel 2-5 minutes - Informational, how-to, Q&A, unboxing 5+ minutes - Content-centric. They know they are watching a longer video and it's on purpose. You are providing great value by giving them in depth content.

ACTIVATE · ‎08-01-2024

In addition to the spot on comments above, my favorite features of the Constant Contact Social Media Tool are 1. The ability to monitor and engage with your posts from the dashboard (not just making a post, but managing it and the ongoing engagement. When you have more than one channel this becomes even more awesome because you have that central feed of updates to your posts across all channels to work with in one place. 2. The AI-assistant - and not just that the AI Content Generator is right there to help, but that out of the gate it drafts 3 separate post ideas to choose from and edit from there!

ACTIVATE · ‎08-01-2024

@RealtaSnap I concur with Chris and Nick above - to me your email hits so many great "notes": - big beautiful awesome photos - a clear brand theme of colors and styles - not to mention a clear explanation of what your business is and what you provide! Many times I have to work with clients to get all of the above into play. Often we assume folks know who we are, what we do, and we just go straight for the sale, but your visual-centric approach with clear and easy wording and icons are an A+ in my book.

ACTIVATE · ‎08-01-2024

My wife's favorite food is hot dogs! When we eat them it's like we are at a steakhouse. I like Chicago dogs with the celery salt and pickle!

ACTIVATE · ‎08-01-2024

@CPortanova @JamesH8805 The Clear Styles button in the editor toolbar can also be immensely helpful. Let's say you wanted two blocks or sections to have the same styling. You can copy the entire block and when you swap in the correct content to that second block you can use the clear styles option which snaps it to the style of the block.

ACTIVATE · ‎07-29-2024

@JamesH8805 @CPortanova the Copy formatting is indeed doable! If you go to the left side of the builder and look you'll see three tabs - one is the normal builder column, the second is a shortcut to drag and drop photo library, and the third is the money shot: the Design tab. You can make changes to font, size, color, style, buttons, all of it and it makes the changes to all in unison *without* having to go into each section and do it manually.

ACTIVATE · ‎07-26-2024

ACTIVATE provides marketing services, consulting, and training to businesses of all shapes and sizes. You can follow on ACTIVATE on X, my personal Linkedin, and my company Linkedin. ACTIVATEbiz.com

ACTIVATE · ‎07-24-2024

Lauren I like that you are thinking creatively on ways to use the system! I don't think the Event System would be a good fit for this use: -You'd have to create "events" for every single inventory product and attach dates to the event, which feels awkward -You'd have no way to track who was taking out the item or returning it -You'd be stuck with autoresponders and reminder emails that go to each individual event member so you'd be giving yourself tons of admin to communicate effectively (or simply don't use the email and reminders template lineups) I'm not sure this is the best suggestion, but it represents what is out there for you to use: a software you can load your inventory into and manage all the rental and return steps and then use your Constant Contact account for your email correspondence and email marketing initiatives like updates, newsletters, holiday wishes and more! https://booqable.com/

ACTIVATE · ‎07-20-2024

I eat peanut butter and jelly every day for lunch... now I'm gonna have to branch out

ACTIVATE · ‎07-19-2024

I love how Constant Contact also has automated segment builders. So it is doing the basic housekeeping for you out of the gate - tracking who is most engaged, least engaged, somewhat engaged... and even cooler are the eCommerce triggers that segment your eCommerce shoppers, buyers, biggest customers, and more.

ACTIVATE · ‎07-19-2024

I'm a flexitarian, meaning I eat meat every once in a while... and I live in the mountains of Western North Carolina, so you can bet I eat some BBQ! I love pulled pork sandwiches or smoked beef brisket.

ACTIVATE · ‎07-19-2024

In addition to the other comments above which are robust and thorough, @Caitlin_M highlights something that is irreplaceable at the core - ease of use! So many of my seminar/webinar attendees or consulting clients are the sole operators or lead a small team, meaning they have to do the marketing themselves. Since it's not their main skill set, they fear the unknown and imagine it to be worse than it is. There is no system easier or simpler to use! That was a core part of Constant Contact's goal in creating their software all those years ago: easy to use for the average small business or nonprofit!

ACTIVATE · ‎07-19-2024

I love how Constant Contact's landing page builder is a very easy drag-and-drop interface, no technical skill required!

ACTIVATE · ‎06-29-2024

@JessicaL9225 I agree with @Chris-S and @DavidFischerSolutionsForGrowth and I would add that if your business is B2B (meaning most of your clients or prospects are other businesses or organizations) you can use a tool called Reference USA. This is available through your local library for free, and you can access it online anywhere. It's a national registry of contact information for businesses that you can use to decide who to prospect. But warning: it's not a place to pull email addresses and load them into your database, rather, qualify them and their interest first!

ACTIVATE · ‎06-29-2024

One of the keys to social media success is to think about it in some ways like showing "what is behind the curtain". For creative businesses this is an easy step: show work in progress, show your process, let them see in a natural and authentic way what goes on to make your product or service. For non-creative businesses, you can still do this by featuring updates and fun tidbits about what is going on in the day or life of your team members, ie: a fun picture of a group eating together or a quarterly meeting with high fives, etc. People look at social media with the intent and desire to see something fun and authentic in small bite-sized bites. So resist the urge to use Social Media to repeatedly promote your business, but rather think of it as a special environment where you can be *less* business focused and more relatable.

ACTIVATE · ‎06-29-2024

I love click reporting for the reasons Chris mentioned above and because it tells me the most important metrics all at once: -They opened the email (had to have to click) -They clicked on a piece of content or a link (I was right that some would enjoy it) -If I set "click segmentation" to on for a link and have it save clickers into a new list, like Chris mentioned above, it allows me to have ultra-targeted and ultra-relevant marketing. This is the ultimate "message to market match" within email marketing strategies. You can even go as far as to say "click below if you'd like to be added to x,y,z list or campaign"

ACTIVATE · ‎06-28-2024

@VanessaM7330 I have to agree with @Chris-S. The simplicity of images and videos are the "secret sauce" so many marketing campaigns miss. People nowadays, mostly on mobile, only READ after they SCAN and they SCAN for images and video frames that give them a clue they will want to read...

ACTIVATE · ‎06-28-2024

@MicheleH2 I agree with Chris above and want to suggest trying a larger font. Your email is relatively short so go ahead and pump up the images to be larger (think full bleed) and the font one or two clicks. Send yourself a copy on mobile and see if it's better!

ACTIVATE · ‎06-28-2024

@user9090 I like the feedback both Chris and Caitlin gave. I also recommend dialing *down* the size of the opening graphics. I'm a huge fan of big chunky, easy to read images, word blocks and content (and most of the time I have to convince people to make them larger!) but in your case I think making them slightly smaller will serve you. The reason I say that is all about the scroll line. In a newspaper the thing to pay attention to is keeping your critical content that draw them in "above the fold" and in an email it's "above the scroll". In your case the blocks at the top "January" and "What's new with" are so large that they likely take up the entire area "above the scroll" meaning folks have to scroll and go lower to even start to engage the content. I would combine those two huge blocks into one single header and make it a littler smaller: "January: What's new with" can be one unit! I LOVE the use of photos, great job! I love the commitment to important and in depth content, but the email is pretty long so maybe host some of the content in those sections somewhere else (website? social? landing page? source link?) and then have the section in the newsletter be a little smaller. I often refer to this as a "magazine approach" because you are giving them a clear taste of the topic and content but not serving it all to them right there.

ACTIVATE · ‎06-28-2024

@TomA775 David's tips were spot on, and I highly recommend finding more ways to work in photos that include people. Something clicks in the consumer's head when they see people enjoying products. You do have some of this but I would step it up big time. Photos of happy people in full width...

ACTIVATE · ‎06-19-2024

@GLane yes there is! There are tons of great apps these days that allow users to subscribe and follow on a lineup of channels and list(s) that you desire. I am currently building one for a client using SweetWidget, but there are so many out there. I can't speak to whether this or a competing app would provide every single item in your list of 1-5 but it likely can or at least most of it! Contests are a great way to get attention and build your followers and list subscribers. Keep in mind what the prize and offering would be and have it synchronize with your brand voice and value proposition. And if you are a company that it's difficult to discern (home services, legal office, etc) you can go with a local or regional product giveaway to shine light on other businesses in the area and draw their support!

ACTIVATE · ‎06-12-2024

@Elizabeth_K awesome tips you just broke down right there! The biggest "whoops" I've seen is continuing to keep customers in a sales-focused series after they have converted. Example: Someone is in your welcome series and it's a blend of great content and great offers. Once they buy, the following marketing not only doesn't match their situation, it's worse: it feels tone-deaf and like you don't care that they became a buyer! An easy fix is to use the segments for e-commerce transactions to trigger a move of that list member out of that series and into a new series that fits the tone, messaging, and gratitude you have for them spending their money with you. From there you can massage this into a new upsell series where you are both grateful but also setting the table for their next purchase, upgrade, or follow up!

ACTIVATE · ‎06-12-2024

I love the automated segmentation that goes on behind the scenes. To get this data in the past was a challenge, and then when it was available it required a few steps to filter, tag, save as target list and then run campaign to. Now it's ready and "on deck" and from the send screen we can even choose "segments" rather than "lists". This goes the other direction as well - if you have segments who are not at all engaged, you can target them with eye-catching wake-up call type emails using fun subject lines like "Are we breaking up?". Not much to lose having fun with the segments that are not engaging in the first place! Kudos to Constant Contact for continuing to develop and roll out exceedingly smart automation into systems.

ACTIVATE · ‎06-07-2024

The guide @Grace_R shared is really excellent. Having set up a number of new e-commerce websites for clients lately, I'd like to underscore the portion about researching and planning your operations, namely shipping. This is the one of the major blind spots that causes lots of friction for some business types because it can be hard to determine what the best method is for you. My advice is to analyze multiple ideas: free shipping (build it into product pricing model), flat rate shipping based on cart value (this has wiggle room on the over and under but helps stabilize in the middle) and specific in-cart calculated shipping. Consider how far you'll be mailing your products and with what carrier. Nail this down, at least in plans, before getting close to your rollout. I've witnessed multiple clients get near the finish line towards launch and then were caught up figuring and refiguring their shipping plans for extended periods of time delaying the whole project.

ACTIVATE · ‎06-05-2024

@BennettR4 I agree with @Chris-S's suggestions and I also have these comments: -I love the fun vibe you have achieved with this. -I love how short it is. Even though you handle a few topics, they don't have to scroll. You are effectively using the "read more" buttons, kudos on that. -Since your email isn't super long, explore dragging the featured images in each section (or at least the top and bottom) to be full screen. This gives a big beautiful vibrant immersive feel to the photos especially for important items like introducing a new program director. Keep in mind these all stack and go full screen on mobile automatically so can't hurt to make a copy of your build and take a look at it on desktop with that larger photo approach. -Consider having you social buttons at the top as well -Consider also embedding elements that allow the viewer to share - "share on social" and "forward to friend" are amazing ways to help spread and grow awareness and financial support for important nonprofits.

ACTIVATE · ‎06-05-2024

@knhiggins I agree with @Nick_S in that one way to shorten up a longer email is to start the content in a section but then link to the rest of it elsewhere. I call this the "magazine cover" approach. The best performing emails are those with less content, or at least an easy visual interaction with said content, even it if it a lot. The "magazine cover" approach allows you to include all the topics you want to but truncating the email down to a "digest" where the bulk of the content is actually hosted elsewhere. This is a great strategy for nonprofits and organizations that do need to send a lot of updates in one email!

ACTIVATE · ‎05-20-2024

Building your list is the most important thing to filling your sales pipeline. Most prospects are not ready for what I refer to as "The Big Three”: Sign Up Call Now Let's Talk Now Instead, getting the email address and building rapport by sending value and authentic content to their inbox is the magic that sets the table for the sales you are looking for. Here are the ways I coach my clients to get started with building their email lists: Through your CRM or business software: capture your existing customers so that you can market to them. They are the easiest to obtain another sale from. Through your website: This is your home base and your "storefront" of your business online. Most visitors to your website are prospects of varying degrees of interest. Do not let them leave your website without getting their email address. Provide them with an irresistible offer to capture that email address. Constant Contact plugs right into your website and lets you build static (embedded or inline) forms and pop-up (interactive) forms. These are the critical components needed to begin building your sales funnel with valuable prospects so you can build rapport with them and nurture your relationship. In-person: in your storefront, at events, at trade shows. Capture the email through text-to-join, or a QR code set to open a lead generation landing page with your signup form on it (easily built in Constant Contact in minutes!) Business cards: download the Constant Contact mobile app and use the card scanner to bring business card data right into your list of choice! What methods have you used to grow your contact lists?

ACTIVATE · ‎05-16-2024

Here are things I always keep in mind when running a survey: The length of the survey directly affects the overall volume of response. The questions should be personalized and easy to navigate. Make the most important data "required" questions Make them feel valued: include an extra question for open-ended feedback if applicable Report the results of the survey as part of your marketing - the feedback loop is very interesting to your list, including the larger group who probably didn't take part in the survey Remember this: Just sending a survey with honest questions and a desire for authentic feedback is an automatic win. The optics of showing you care and are willing to ask and listen builds fantastic rapport and sentiment with your audience.

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