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Welcome @NancyG6701! We're so glad to have you. Seems like you already have some goals in mind which is awesome. Check out a challenge we just ran recently to inspire some of your marketing ideas!   ... View more

To effectively use social media management tools: Schedule Posts: Plan and schedule content in advance for consistent posting using tools like Hootsuite or Buffer. Track Performance: Monitor analytics to measure engagement and refine your strategy. Engage Your Audience: Use unified inboxes to manage messages and comments across platforms. Streamline Workflows: Collaborate with your team and automate repetitive tasks for efficiency. Stay Updated: Use trend and competitor monitoring features to create relevant content. Nancy Davis Monk Outsourcing  Help others find this post by giving it kudos. Note: I am not a Constant Contact employee. ... View more

@DanielM4032 here is an article about the direct integration from SF to CC, which is probably not helpful if you've already read it. https://knowledgebase.constantcontact.com/email-digital-marketing/articles/KnowledgeBase/43703-Connect-your-Constant-Contact-account-with-Salesforce Regarding Zapier, that is frustrating for sure, I've been successful in upvoting and requesting certain options in a zap and had them come through with it in the future, so it's certainly worth requesting Zapier to expand their options on the triggers. I'm gonna submit it to them now on my end as well and also ask them to be sure there isn't a filter option in one of the triggers. ... View more

I remember discovering the “12 Days of Cheer Challenge” last year, similar to the “12 Days of Christmas.”   The campaign got followers involved by telling them to do daily tasks like being kind, sharing their favorite recipes, or taking creative holiday-themed photos. It encourages interaction, user-generated content, and spreads positive vibes.   It looked pretty simple to set up as well: Create a graphic or video introducing the challenge. Post daily prompts (e.g., Day 1: Share your favorite holiday tradition; Day 2: Tag someone who inspires you, etc.). Offer a small prize or feature some of the best submissions on your page. Feel free to adapt this to your business. ... View more

@ScottR0223 Nice job! Branding is solid and it clearly communicates what your company does. Some tips: -Consider using the white space at the top for more than just your logo. Not that it doesn't look nice, it's just a lot of "real estate" (pun intended haha) in case you want to feature anything else up there. Maybe a contact button or something? -Your images are great and your explanation of the point of the email is great, but maybe add an official Call to Action and a matching button "Click to See Your Options" or "Click to Reach Out..." and then a button that opens to a link or that opens a new email to you. -Nice work on your footer!  ... View more

@tjstrauss still a great job and glad you are open to exploring all the options! Looks like social media column is your best bet and you only have two small tasks to knock out BINGO there! ... View more

@Nick_S  thanks for the roundup! ... View more

that break down was a AHH HAA moment for me as well.  ... View more

Love this @VanessaM7330  ... View more

Hi @JosieR26,   Great question. I'm not sure if you're trying to remove images from an email you're working on or deleting them from the Library page, but you can do both! ... View more

Many times restaurants may feel they are limited to just email blasts and social media, but this is a great outline covering not only the nuance of email marketing and the content to put in (restaurants have it "easy" - food pics are one of the most enjoyed and engaged types of photos online if you haven't noticed) but also the ways to expand ideas like polls, surveys, and personalized birthday and anniversary emails, all bringing in tons more engagement. ... View more

Great article - covers all the main questions I hear from my clients regularly! ... View more

Congratulations on your success - this is a great example of how an organization can leverage a smart platform to not only make their marketing great, but improve the workflow and efficiency of their processes! ... View more

I agree with the great commentary above and I think with some adjustments to the sections (breaking them apart for easier visual cues), adding more photos, and some layout adjustments you are well on your way to a much more engaging and professional style email! ... View more

Hey @MicheleH2  First, let me say that I really like your mission! I'm the VP of marketing at a national organization with a similar goal and email marketing is a strong player in our marketing efforts.   I found your email to be very easy to read. As someone who can identify as your ideal client persona, the colors, the imagery and the branding were attractive to me. As a marketer, I suggest making the following tweaks. 1. Position your primary CTA (call-to-action) at the beginning of the campaign. If someone opens your email and doesn't read all the way through, they hopefully get far enough to take the action you desire. Also, consider linking your logo to your primary CTA as well. Brand logos often have one of the highest clicks in an email. 2. Consider testing the use of buttons in addition to text links. Many readers are more visual and compelled to click on a button.    Blessings, Melanie   ... View more

Hi Jason, great question! There are many companies offering lists for sale, and most of them are not at all good quality or current, so I would be very careful to qualify the source... Whenever I need to gather contact data for sales purposes for other businesses, I use Reference USA which is free through your library and can be accessed online from anywhere. The next question to ask is, what is the intent with the contact info/list of contacts? If you are going to cold market to them manually (manual emails, phone calls, etc) that's one thing (and not fun if you ask me, from experience). But if your intent is to market to them using Constant Contact or a marketing platform that is not something you want to do. Not only does the FCC have guidelines about bulk marketing being permission-based, most trustworthy platforms like Constant Contact are not prepared to handle cold non-permission-based lists as it violates the rules and best practices. In the end, not bulk marketing to strangers works out for the best in results as well - cold marketing to strangers from a purchased list without any reference point generally gets very poor results in the first place. Permission based marketing is the way to go. This means folks are opting into your email list, your marketing database, and a relationship can be built with them. This is done through outreach, events, networking, business groups, social media, and crucially, your website. Your website should be set up to have embedded forms in strategic places as well as popups and engaging interactive forms that offer great value in exchange for their email. This way your database is comprised of members who know they are on your list and enjoy it! Your results with this approach will be night and day. ... View more

Thank you for helping people get the information they need. Great stuff as usual. Keep up the great work!!! ... View more

Thanks for sharing @JonathanJ13! We hope to see you around the Community more 😊 ... View more

Hi @ChrisB80179! Aaron and David already gave you some super helpful tips, so I will just add a few thoughts about the images. Some folks will not be able to see the images in your emails unless they download them, so any information that is important to the content of your email should be in actual text. So, the Toyota ad and that great review might not be visible to some of your readers unless they take the extra step to download the images. Here is some extra info about using images in your emails.    Keep up the great work! My favorite flavor is Mint Chocolate Chip! ... View more

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

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.  ... View more

Hi David!   Thanks for the URL to your campaign.   Looking closely at it, the entire email is made up of images. Nick mentioned earlier that emails with a high ratio of image to text have a higher chance of not landing in the inbox. I recommend finding ways to incorporate text into the email. The two paragraphs under the large image of the kitchen is a perfect opportunity to use text blocks instead of images. ... View more

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! ... View more

As part of my role as a consultant, companies have hired me to review third party systems these are some of the things I've looked for when companies have proposed alternative options other than Constant Contact that I think are important to consider include: - Does the system automatically remove duplicate email addresses? - Do you have the ability to grow your email list through sign up links?  - Is it easy to use? - What integrations does it offer? - Do you have the ability to export your contacts at any time seamlessly? - What tracking capabilities does the system offer?  - Can you schedule the email to go out at anytime? - Do you have the ability to segment contacts based on behavior? - Do you have the ability to add their birthday date in their contact profile for an automatic email to go out?   ... View more

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

The #1 tip I have for business owners is if you are not a "social media person" delegate it to an agency, contractor or employee to handle it for you so they can post on your behalf.    A good social media posting plan may look like this below:  Planning: Capitalize on Key Dates: Identify significant days of the year and plan promotions around them. This can help you stay relevant and engage with your audience around trending topics. Example Actions: Preschedule Posts: Use scheduling tools to plan your posts in advance. This ensures a consistent posting schedule without last-minute stress. Batch Work: Create content in bulk. Working in batches can streamline your workflow and maintain a cohesive look and feel across your posts. Content to Post: Leverage Customer Interactions: Review your emails to identify common questions or concerns from your audience. These insights can inspire valuable content that addresses their needs directly. Showcase Your Work: Post photos of your projects or completed work to highlight your expertise and achievements. Client Visits: When visiting a client, take a photo together and tag them. This not only personalizes your content but also extends its reach through the client’s network. Targeting: Understand Your Audience: Aim to attract a specific demographic by thinking like your target customer. Consider the questions they ask via email and the advice you typically offer them. Customer Insights: Share behind-the-scenes content by posting a video explaining a current project with a customer. Example Post: Problem-Solution Format: "A customer approached us with [INSERT PROBLEM]. We recommended [INSERT SOLUTION]." Call to Action: Encourage potential customers to contact you. For instance, you could say, "Have you or someone you know experienced this? Call us or email [insert email address] to discuss possible solutions!" ... View more

I really like your suggestions, and I have been concerned about the size of the headers and how long it takes people to scroll through the newsletter, so I'll be using your tips. Thanks! ... View more

Thanks @DavidFischerSolutionsForGrowth and @ACTIVATE ! ... View more