About Nick_S

The best way to grow your business is to start by building your email list and. And you do that by using email sign-up tools that provide quick and easy ways for new subscribers to sign up.   The problem is that not all of your potential subscribers use the same methods to interact with your business — some might visit your website, others might follow you on social media, and there are those who prefer the face-to-face interaction they get when they visit your business.   Fortunately, there are great email sign-up tools you can use in all of these situations to allow people to subscribe, and they are all available through your Constant Contact account.   5 email sign-up tools to help you build and grow your email list   Let’s start by navigating to where you can find the various types of online sign-up forms you can create within your Constant Contact account.   Once you’ve signed into your account, click the “Sign-up Forms” link in the top menu of your account. Then, click on the blue “Create sign-up form” button in the upper right-hand corner of the page. After that, you can choose what kind of sign-up form you’d like to create.       It’s that easy.   Now, let’s take a look at our options. 1. Website sign-up forms   At the top of the email sign-up tools are the website sign-up forms.   There are four options for your website sign-up forms: Pop-up Flyout Banner Inline   The pop-up sign-up form   Just like it sounds, this sign-up form will “pop up” on the screen when someone visits your site. But when that form pops up, on what devices it pops up — mobile or desktop — and even if the Constant Contact branding is shown is all up to you.   Flyout sign-up forms   If you choose the animation option, this type of sign-up form slides onto the screen and then slides back off. While it covers part of the screen it tends to be less alarming or intrusive than a pop-up form may seem, and you can choose where on your page the form appears — letting you decide what gets covered by the form and what doesn’t.   The banner   The banner sign-up form shows up on your visitor’s screen as a broad block either at the top or the bottom of the screen.   This example of a banner sign-up form can give you an idea of how one will look on your own website.   As with the previously mentioned sign-up forms, you can set the banner sign-up form to show up on your visitor’s screen one exit intent, or on a timer. You can also choose how often a visitor will see the sign-up form — from several times a visit to only once in a lifetime (or until they clear their browser’s cookies — whichever comes first).   No matter which form you choose, the content setup is the same and customizing the look and feel of the form is quick and easy.   In-line sign-up forms   An in-line sign-up form is a static form that is embedded on a web page. In other words, it ‘sits’ on the page, waiting for someone to find it and fill it out.   These forms are often found on “contact us” pages and can be updated in your Constant Contact account without having to edit your website every time you want to make a change to your form. However, installing an in-line sign-up form does require that your website builder or hosting platform must support Javascript and you’ll have to use HTML code, so if you’re not comfortable doing so, I suggest you have your webmaster install it for you.   2. SMS/Text message (Text-to-Join)   The next sign-up tool — “Text-to-Join” — allows your customers to join both your email and SMS lists at the same time. Allowing you to reach your audience where they are the most.   In Constant Contact, using Text-to-Join is super easy. All you have to do is choose an email segment to add your Text-to-Join signups to and activate the tool. Constant Contact will automatically send out a welcome SMS as well as auto-responses for both “yes” and “no” replies.   After that, all you have to do is share your Text-to-Join number with your prospects, inviting them to join your list.   Of course, as with all marketing tools, you’ll want to use SMS marketing best practices when reaching out to your audience via text. 3. QR code (Scan-to-Join)   Often overlooked, this tool gives visitors a second way to join your email lists with their smartphones. And, if you implemented tool number two, you’ve done most of the work already.   In the past, QR codes were pretty basic and didn’t always stand out, but now there are a multitude of options so you can create the right QR code for your printed material.   Standard QR code   The standard black and white QR codes are the simplest and most easily recognized of QR-code styles. These stand out the most when everything around them is full of color and movement.   When creating a QR code, remember that the longer the URL, the larger and more complex the code will be. Scan this one to download our email list growth checklist.   To create one of these codes, after you’ve created your Lead Generation Landing Page, copy the URL and paste it into a third-party tool like: Canva’s in-design QR code generator QR Code Generator goqr.me The framed QR code   Using a framed QR code adds a call to action (CTA) to the code, letting viewers know exactly what they should do.   Scan to subscribe to the Hints & Tips newsletter.   To create one of these codes, use a third-party tool like qr-code-generator.com powered by bitly. It’s free to create, but bitly may charge a fee to keep it active beyond the trial period, so before you add this to your print ads, make sure you’ve either paid for a subscription or only plan to use the code for things like limited-time offers and sales.   Customized QR code   If you plan to use simple black text on a pale background for your flyer, then I recommend adding a little flair to your code.   Scan this custom QR code to learn more about our list-building tools.   When it comes to creating a customized QR Code, you can change everything from overall color to adding your logo or custom artwork and even changing the eye shape, as I did with the image above.   To create one of these codes, after you’ve created your Lead Generation Landing Page, copy the URL and paste it into a third-party tool like:   QRstuff Delvir QRCode Monkey (this one has the most options that I’ve found in a code creator)   After you’ve created your lead-generation landing page, create your QR code and download or copy the image and paste it into any form of print media you’d like. We suggest putting it in all of your print media, from business cards to fliers — even on your printed sign-up form to give people the option to either write or type their information into your sign-up form. Also feel free to check our guide on top ways to generate leads. 4. Printed sign-up form   This tool is a tried and true method for getting people to sign up for your email list when at your register or trade show booth.   This is option three of eight styles of paper sign-up forms, so you’re not stuck with something that doesn’t fit your style.   A simple paper sign-up form can go a long way when chatting with people in person. To get started, simply download our free Offline List Growth .pdf, choose one of the eight list options, and customize it. Then print as many copies as you like. Start collecting email addresses   Now that you know how to create these great email sign-up tools, make sure you’re asking people to join your email list. Tell your customers or members about your email newsletter on your website, your Facebook Page, and at your business.   Now that you’ve started building your list, it’s time to learn how to segment your email list so you can work smarter instead of harder. ... View more

When Julianna Curtis made the tough call to shut down her yoga and fitness studio in March 2020, she took a day to feel sorry for herself — then she sat down and figured out how to pivot.    Julianna is no stranger to adversity in business. A year after opening The Energy Barre, she ended up in court facing a lawsuit about noise complaints from a neighboring tenant. Although the lawsuit was a setback, she pressed on, using headphones in class, until she and her building manager figured out a path forward.    Today, The Energy Barre offers yoga, barre, and dance classes in three locations in Massachusetts and online. Julianna is candid about the storms she’s had to weather in building her business — and grateful for the lessons she’s learned along the way.    “Once I made my way through the recovery periods, I was able to look back and see how much positive came out of those experiences,” she says.    In this episode of Be a Marketer, Julianna and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss the ups and downs of owning a small business in an unpredictable world.    Meet Today’s Guest: Julianna Curtis of The Energy Barre ☕ What she does: Julianna is the founder and CEO of The Energy Barre, an independently owned fitness and yoga studio. Founded in 2013, The Energy Barre has three locations in Massachusetts and offers classes and sells apparel online.    💡 Key quote: “I am so excited and obsessed with the fact that this is what I get to do.”    👋 Where to find her: Instagram | LinkedIn   👋 Where to find The Energy Barre: Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

Every Tuesday we'll share tips, tricks, and insights on using Constant Contact and online marketing   Address your contacts with personalized subject lines   What is subject line personalization?   Crafting subject lines that include a customized acknowledgment of the person it is being sent to.   Why should I adopt subject line personalization?   When we open our inboxes our eyes tend to gravitate towards subject lines that seem personal to us, usually in the form of being addressed by our first or full name. Additionally, if it’s followed by some kind of call-to-action that you’ll want the recipient to take.   There’s a balancing act where you don’t want to sound too intimidating or obnoxious and it should make sense in the context of the email campaign you’ve created.    Can you give me an example of a good personalized subject line?   “Chelsea, it’s booster shot time for your dog” is personal to Chelsea and gives a clear call-to-action that is sensible without being pushy. I would probably think twice before I open an email with the subject line, “Chelsea, if you don’t get your dog their booster shot RIGHT AWAY they’re going to DIE.”    Now that sounds like spam or phish-y. Also, I’d wonder why they’re calling me Chelsea… and I don’t have a dog… but, I digress.   If you’re looking for more examples, check out the 12 Tips for Creating the Best Email Subject Lines article on our blog!   I feel more confident now, but how do I personalize my subject line?   Our Knowledge Base will hook you up with the 1-2-3 on subject line personalization and it never hurts to personalize other parts of your email, too!   Did this help? Have questions? Let us know in the comments! ... View more

    The Cross Device Email Editor just got even better with new, enhanced customization options to elevate your personalization options for template creation.   It was already possible to format and style text in an email and also change the background color or add a pattern, but with this new update you can:   Change the inner and outer backgrounds Add and customize borders Adjust the margins around your email template   All you have to do is click on the pencil icon in the top left corner of the template area and the new Customize section will appear.   Visit our Knowledge Base for a detailed walkthrough of how to customize the backgrounds, borders, and margins of your email template.   Are you excited about these new customization options? Let us know in the comments! ... View more

“We’re all just trying to get through this life together,” says Al Yeck. “So let’s help each other.”    As the Executive Director of the Veterans Healing Farm in Hendersonville, North Carolina, Al leads an organization devoted to enhancing the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of U.S. veterans and their families.    A former Marine — and a former marketer — Al juggles many responsibilities in his role as Executive Director. He divides his days between managing the business side of the nonprofit and the farm itself, which doesn’t leave him much time for marketing.    His primary goal for the organization is to achieve financial solvency. That means marketing is especially important for getting the word out to local veterans groups, gardening groups, and others who might be interested in the farm’s mission.    Al leans on Constant Contact to help him spread the farm’s message efficiently. In this episode of Be a Marketer, Al and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, dig into the joys and challenges of running a nonprofit and the marketing tactics that are helping the farm grow.    Meet Today’s Guest: Al Yeck of Veterans Healing Farm ☕ What he does: Al is a Marine Corps veteran and the Executive Director of Veterans Healing Farm, a nonprofit with a mission to enhance the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of U.S. veterans and their families.    💡 Key quote: “I just urge you, if you’re hurting, mentally or emotionally, to seek help… There should be no stigma attached to it. If you’re hurting, mentally [or] emotionally, join the club. We’re all broken. And we’re all just trying to get through this life together.”    👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn   👋 Where to find Veterans Healing Farm: Website | Donate | Facebook If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

   Every Tuesday we'll share tips, tricks, and insights on using Constant Contact and online marketing How to exclude contacts from a campaign?   Segmentation is an important aspect of making sure the right contacts are getting the right communications and/or promotions. Constant Contact offers a few different ways to segment your contacts, but let's focus on tags in this article.   What is a tag?   Tags are labels you can add to contacts.   What are examples of tags?   The possibilities are endless and based on the needs of your communication, but let's say you're a restaurant or food prep service and you want to send to your general interest and corporate catering lists, but only to those contacts who had previously identified themselves as vegetarian. Vegetarian, in this case, would be the tag! Alternatively, maybe you have Carnivore or Omnivore as other tags.   Another example: You handle email communications for a high school. You have one list called Parents, but you only want to target the parents of sophomores. Sophomores is the tag! You would have the different grades broken into tags: Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior.   You might have contacts on separate lists that nonetheless might have some shared commonality between them that you might occasionally want to highlight (or exclude) when scheduling an email. Tags accomplish this!   Okay, but how do I do this?   Fear not, our trusty Knowledge Base has an article that will walk you through how to filter your contacts by tags when sending an email.     Did this help? Have questions? Let us know in the comments! ... View more

From an 800-square-foot store to 12,000 square feet of retail and warehouse space in just five years, Lady Black Tie is the picture of small business success.    Owner and founder Marissa Tilley started Lady Black Tie as a brick-and-mortar store after leaving an unfulfilling corporate job. “It came down to the idea of wanting to have fun every day,” she says. “I thought selling dresses would be super fun.”    Over the years, Marissa and her colleague Chelsea Demby, who runs Lady Black Tie’s media and influencer relations, have had to navigate a rapidly changing marketing landscape.    A few years ago, Marissa says, you could get “a nine-to-one return on your ad spend.” Today, with iOS updates impacting the power of ads and search engines taking a bigger cut of ad sales, they’re seeing returns of three-to-four at best. That’s why Marissa and Chelsea are leaning into email marketing to continue growing Lady Black Tie.   In this episode of Be a Marketer, Marissa and Chelsea talk to host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact. Tune in for their tips on sustainable marketing, from avoiding the pitfalls of algorithm changes to navigating virality.    Meet Today’s Guests: Marissa Tilley and Chelsea Demby of Lady Black Tie   ☕ What Marissa does: Marissa is the owner and founder of Lady Black Tie, a Massachusetts-based fashion company with three lines of business: retail, ecommerce, and wholesale.    ☕ What Chelsea does: Chelsea is Lady Black Tie’s head of media and influencer relations.    💡 Marissa’s key quote: “It really came down to wanting to focus on the lighter side of life every day. Not every day is a joy. However, I do try to sit back and remind myself why I did this… seeing the smile on our customers’ faces when they find that dress.”   💡 Chelsea’s key quote: “My best advice is to really not strive for perfection. Have fun with it.”     👋 Where to find Marissa: LinkedIn   👋 Where to find Chelsea: LinkedIn   👋 Where to find Lady Black Tie: Website | Instagram | Facebook If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

Your email’s journey to the customer’s inbox isn’t magic — it’s intentional. Constant Contact has email deliverability experts working behind the scenes to keep your special message out of the dreaded spam folder. But in addition to our technical crew, you, as the sender, can make certain shifts to increase your email’s deliverability.   Constant Contact’s Jon Marburger, Director of Email Deliverability, and Tara Natanson, Manager of Deliverability for ISP Relations, together have 31 years of experience in the email industry. Their biggest advice? Pay attention.   Metrics and unsubscribe comments can help you understand who’s reading your emails, as well as who’s leaving and why.   “The most underutilized part of our product is the opt-out comments,” says Tara. “People unsubscribe and leave you a message about why. You should really be looking at those. They are super enlightening.”   On this episode of the Be a Marketer Podcast, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talks to Jon and Tara about other Constant Contact features that can help with your email deliverability. They cover the Gmail Promotions tab and its undeserved bad rap, technical ways to get higher open and click rates, and why you should avoid single-image emails.   👉 How to Build an Effective Email List: Best Practices and Strategies 👉 How to Interpret Your Email Marketing Reporting 👉 Do You Know Why People Are Unsubscribing From Your Emails? 👉 Understanding Email Authentication 👉 How to Prepare for Upcoming Google and Yahoo! Changes   Meet Today’s Guests: Jon Marburger and Tara Natanson of Constant Contact ☕ What Jon does: Jon is the Director of Email Deliverability at Constant Contact.   💡 Key quote: “Listening to what your customers are telling you — even if it's a negative data point, giving the opportunity to indicate why they chose to unsubscribe — that's really important.”   👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn   ☕ What Tara does: Tara is the Manager of Deliverability and ISP Relations at Constant Contact.   💡 Key quote: “While it can be hard to see people leave, or to watch your list get smaller, having a smaller, more engaged list is way better for your deliverability than having a huge list that has a very low number of opens and clicks.”    👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn   👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

Welcome to the Voices Group! We’re excited to have you here. Although we have the same goal of being the best businesses we can be, we all have different paths on the way to achieving that goal. This group is for you and your peers to share, support, and commiserate with each other across all different experiences, backgrounds, and walks of life. Know that whenever you come to the Voices group, your voice is heard. In that spirit, let’s get started by introducing yourself!   What’s your name? Tell us a little bit about YOU (and your business!). Your business is uniquely yours, and we all would love to hear what makes it special. What’s your favorite part of running a business?   I look forward to getting to know all of you! ... View more

Ed Doherty has achieved something most marketers could only dream of: a 72-78% open rate on his Constant Contact newsletters. His secret? Authenticity.    Ed launched his consulting business, Ambrose Landen, after being furloughed at the pandemic's start. He also launched a newsletter, Wednesday Weblogs, which he sends every Wednesday at 4:30 a.m.    At 70 years old, Ed has plenty of experience under his belt, and he views marketing as an essential tool for showing prospective clients that he knows how to help them. He doesn’t use his newsletter to sell his services, though — he uses it to build his reputation.    “I’m sharing my knowledge, my humor, my toughness,” he says. Three years into sending Wednesday Weblogs, Ed says that many of his current clients started as newsletter subscribers.    On this episode of Be a Marketer, Ed and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss how authentic marketing can help you build a community that turns into customers.    Meet Today’s Guest: Ed Doherty of Ambrose Landen   ☕ What he does: Ed owns Ambrose Landen, a consultancy that offers strategic planning and leadership development services. In the past, Ed has been the human resources officer for an 11,000-person company and the president of a franchise company with 22 restaurants. He’s also the oldest of eight children.    💡 Key quote: “Anybody who’s in business by themselves is selling themselves. That’s what you have to do — you have to sell yourself. So I’m selling my knowledge, my humor, my history.”    👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn   👋 Where to find Ambrose Landen: Website   If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

It can be easy for marketers to forget that real people are on the other side of every interaction. But Brian Solis, Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow, aims to bring humanity back into marketing.    Technology takes humanity out of the equation, he says. As a result, marketers focus too much on metrics like clicks and open rates instead of trying to build relationships. “Once you know more about the people you’re trying to reach,” he says, “the sales or the nurturing or the conversations will happen.”    A self-described futurist and digital anthropologist, Brian believes that AI allows marketers to get closer to people. “Somewhere along the way, we confused technology with transaction,” he says. Marketers should approach AI by thinking about how they want customers to feel rather than what they want customers to do.    “If you think differently about technology as investing in relationships and meaningful outcomes,” he says, you’ll get exponential returns.    On this episode of Be a Marketer, Brian and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss how small business owners can put people back in the equation in their digital marketing and AI use.   Meet Today’s Guest: Brian Solis of ServiceNow   ☕ What he does: Brian is the Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow. He’s also an author, futurist, and digital anthropologist. He helps companies future-proof by looking at how to be more valuable, agile, and innovative as the world evolves.    💡 Key quote: “The thing I really like about my work is the ability to see the things that most of us are just too busy — or maybe distracted or biased — to see in order to bring people together for a greater purpose.”    👋 Where to find him: Website | X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn   👋 Where to find ServiceNow: Website | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

Artificial intelligence might seem like complex technology that’s best suited for large businesses. But Robert Mitchell disagrees — he thinks small businesses have the most to gain from AI.    Robert is the Chief AI Officer at WSI World, a digital marketing agency network that equips small agencies with the tools to grow and thrive, including AI. He helps WSI franchise owners use AI to create new revenue streams — and he’s thrilled by the possibilities the tech presents for small businesses.    “I think this is an amazing opportunity for small and medium-sized businesses,” he says. “The nimble companies are the ones that are going to leapfrog on this. You can do more with less.”    On this episode of Be a Marketer, Robert and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talked about how small businesses and their marketers can get started with AI.    Meet Today’s Guest: Robert Mitchell of WSI World   ☕ What he does: Robert is the Chief AI Officer at WSI World, a digital marketing agency network. After more than 20 years in franchise development, Robert dove into the world of AI. Today, he helps WSI serve as an AI consultancy for its franchise owners — and helps franchise owners become the de facto AI consultants for their clients.    💡 Key quote: “You’re already seen by your clients as the most knowledgeable on the technical aspects of marketing their business. It’s a very small leap from that to AI… all you need to be is that Sherpa, walking them through the process of implementing it.”    👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn   👋 Where to find WSI World: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

If you had an extra hour in your week, how would you use it?    For small business owners who are using artificial intelligence (AI) and marketing automation, this is no longer a hypothetical question. According to Constant Contact’s latest research report, 91% of small businesses that use AI say that it’s helping them save time and work more efficiently.    “It’s revolutionary technology,” says Michael Wood, Senior PR Manager at Constant Contact. “And it’s very new to a lot of small businesses.”    As Michael — the company’s “hype man” — explains, Constant Contact produces reports like this regularly to help small businesses understand how their industries and customers are changing. “I want Constant Contact to be a resource for our customers,” Michael says.    On this episode of the Be a Marketer podcast, Michael and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss the results of the report and how it can help small businesses get started with AI. They also talk about how small businesses can use Constant Contact’s research to capture attention and help their own customers.    👉 Check out the research report discussed in this episode: Small Business Now Report   Meet Today’s Guest: Michael Wood of Constant Contact   ☕ What he does: Michael is the Senior PR Manager at Constant Contact. His job is to tell the world about all the great things going on at Constant Contact. He also leads the charge on Constant Contact’s research and trends reports, which explore topics relevant to small business owners and nonprofits.    💡 Key quote: “I want Constant Contact to be a resource for our customers, for other small business [owners] who aren’t our customers, for people who are just starting with marketing and are learning how to get better … I want Constant Contact to be synonymous with small business.”    👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn   👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more