That's right.  When I was gone for three weeks and he sent his usual Sunday afternoon emails using his own computer and Outlook, he received the "out of office" auto-replies.  When we send it usuing CtCt he doesn't.  It only started happening a few months ago and we can't see how that suddenly happened.  I suspect he changed his firewall or security settings on his PC.  I can't think of anything else.  He usues an AOL email address and I haven't heard other AOL users having that issue.  @Clique_Marketing wrote: Ray,   Not really following this.  Do you mean when he sends through CTCT the addresses that used to come as out of office to his reply to address are no longer coming back through the CTCT system?   Tony Schaefer Let us consult with you on your project Accredited CTCT GOLD Solution Provider Constant Contact All Star 2009-2010-2011-2012 www.cliquemarketing.biz         ... View more

I think my client is still looking. ... View more

Dear J Mitchell,   Thank you for the outline.  All good points.  Your answer went beyond the scope of my question.  But it reminded me to take another look at the FACEBOOK ads.  I tried doing a FACEBOOK ad a year or two ago with no success.  I also tried "Pay per Click" advertising a number of years ago with other sources.  In all cases nothing worked for me.  Perhaps, as you mentioned, I didn't do a very good job with my UVP or call to action.  Or I was "Looking for love in all the wrong places."   I guess what I was asking was did anyone create a page with IFrames and do so easily, quickly, and (yes) have a successful campaign from it.    So far I haven't heard from anyone with a success story. ... View more

Rule # 1: Find yourself in a room full of people who need your stuff. Rule # 2: Stay out of rooms filled with people who are more desperate than you are. Rule #3: Don't take advise from someone who is more screwed up than you are. ... View more

Thanks for your response.  Damage control is a most interesting topic because it has two aspects: 1.  Once I accidentally uploaded a list from a client with the assumption that they have been sending email to the list, only to find out that they didn't remove all the "unsubscribes" or SPAM complainers, I was doomed.  Constant Contact's answer was to remove the whole list.  That effectively destroyed my relationship and Constant Contact's relationship with my client.  I was never able to "undo" the harm.  A class about what to do with an "iffy" subscriber list, or a new client with an untested list would be great.  If I had thought to ask them to send the list of only "active" subscribers, or include the "status" I might have been able to help them convert to Constant Contact.  That oversight was a killer.      Against my original advise, I've had clients come to me who had paid $300 for 3,000,000 emails from some other company, and I have coached them on the layout and copy that they might use with such a list.  It normally included a short description of who they were, what they were going to do with their email, an invitation for the "subscriber' to really subscribe to their list, and a promise not to bother them again.  People have not always followed my advise.  I've never seen anyone actually buy a list that worked. 2.  The other aspect is when a client becomes "black listed" by AOL or one of the other major ISPs.  I had a client who, in addition to using a Email Service Provider (in this case not Constant Contact), would also send a large number of emails from their own computer.  It was a large company with a number of divisions and each manager would send their own version of broadcast email from Outlook.  They received a call one day that someone had not heard from them in awhile.  Then they tried to test sending to AOL users, and found that they had been blocked.       They asked me to help them.  I went through all the AOL web pages until I could find a phone number, made a frustrating call, and found the procedure for getting off their black list.  It took me a couple days to find the information, pass it on to them, and have them respond with a reply to AOL.  It took another two weeks before their email started to be delivered to their AOL users.  A class about that would be great.   Does this help? ... View more

Riis, what does that do for the email that is already sent? ... View more

1. As boreing as this sounds, list building is the eternal challange for me.  It is another word for "prospecting."  People have come to me asking where they can buy a list of prospective customers.  That's a great technique if it were the 1980s and we were doing direct mail.  But, of course it doesn't work for email.  The initial contact via email is a very tricky one.    Pushing the "forward to a friend" is only useful if you have someone from whom to forward.    I have some suggestions and ideas on the subject, but it doesn't involve "cyber-space."  It involves getting out of your chair and actually meeting someone.   2. I've seen people try some things that are questionable and sensitive at best, that could land you in a lot of trouble at worse...  "Doing damage control after a major email marketing mistake" is also a good topic.  "How to get off a 'black list'  with a major ISP" would be informative.  "How to continue using Constant Contact after they have moved all your contacts into the "Do Not Send" list because of too many SPAM complaints," would be another good topic.  ... View more

Hi Leslie,   Did you see the movie “Julie and Julia”?  In it “Julie” blogged her commentary as she worked her way through over 500 receipts in Julia Child’s two volume cook book.  As we near the end of the movie and Julie is going through a crisis, her husband points out that she was number three, or so, most read blogs on the internet.  As she and her husband pointed out, she was a writer.  She was talented, creative, and worked very hard.    I’ve been doing email marketing for my clients for almost ten years.  But, my efforts at promoting my own business by blogging, email marketing, posting to my Facebook Page, Linked In Groups, and Twitter, have proven less than wonderful.  I seem to lack the writing talent and creativity of Julie.  But I’m working on it.   You have a wonderful “social cause.”  …Women helping Women.  And talking about the issues associated with it using the social networks as a communications tool, is probably the best thing you can do.  Using the “join my list” tab in Facebook; posting your emails to your social networks; inviting your subscribers to “share” and “forward to a friend” are all great viral marketing multipliers.  And since it is “Women helping Women” (50% of the general population), an emotional issue, and worthy cause, you should do well.  It appears that you already have.  I congratulate you for itl   Right now I’m looking for a cause to get excited about and volunteer my services, in hopes of gaining popularity and visibility.  I’d like to “Do well while doing good.”  Just promoting myself and my services is boring even to me!   In fact, if you'd like me to spread your message to my social networks and subscribers, let me know.  It would make my messages more interesting, and perhaps gain you more followers.  P.S. I'm in Colorado. ... View more

Hi Nancy, if you know HTML you can put an anchor tag in your web site.  If you don't know HTML you can simply ask them to bookmark the page using their browser's bookmark tab.  Or, if you are on a PC, you can right click on the web page and create a short cut on your desk top.   Does this help?  Is this what you were asking? ... View more

For $250 I will set up a CC client's account, create the first email to include all the appropriate links and verbage.  I usually take the information from the client's web page.  Then I set up their Facebook, Linked In, and Twitter accounts, if they don't already have one.  Finally I tie them all together.  After the first email goes out, I charge $50  an hour.  I have some clients that pay me $100 an email after the first set up.  ...no long term contract.  If they decide not to pay me, I stop working for them.  It's that simple. So far I've only had two people decide not to continue. What do you think? ... View more

Do you belong to any professional associations or clubs?  If not, find the association of people who would best need your services.  Take a look at the American Society of Association Executives.  You will find associations of all different stripes.  Find the ones near you that would make the best network and join the group.  Make yourself visible by joining a committee (like the membership committee) and do something for the membership.  That's step #1.  Is this something that makes sense to you?  Is this what you are looking for?  Do you want to hear more? ... View more