A section of a train in his basement isn't the most interesting thing about Jason Shron. It's how he turned an obsession with model trains into a thriving international business — simply by being himself. In fact, he left his PhD program in art history to pursue his passion full-time. Jason, two decades later, is the president of Rapido Trains Inc., Canada's largest manufacturer of high-end model trains, with operations in North America and the UK. Rapido is built on a foundation of attention to detail and radical transparency. "If we screw up, we just tell people," Jason explains on this episode of Be a Marketer. "Being totally straight with customers has transformed how they connect with our brand." What can small business owners learn from a company that achieves 81% email open rates? On this episode, Jason and host Dave Charest unpack how obsessive honesty drives customer loyalty, why embracing your passion is marketing magic, and the incredible ROI of knowing your audience.   Tune in to discover how your business can harness Constant Contact tools to build deeper customer connections and resonate with your audience.   Additional Resources:   Overview: Email resend options Understanding contact segmentation Install a contact sign-up form on a website Create a sign-up landing page  Meet Today’s Guest: Jason Shron of Rapido Trains Inc. 🚂 What he does: Jason Shron is the president of Rapido Trains Inc., Canada's largest manufacturer of high-end model trains and accessories. After leaving his PhD program in art history to pursue his passion, he built an international company with operations in North America and the UK. Fun fact: He has a 20-foot section of a real train in his basement. 💡 Key quote: "We want to tell people what's going on, and there will be people who are not reasonable… But that honesty, I think, is very important. And the newsletters are a great way. It's a direct way to communicate with the end customer."   👋 Where to find Jason: LinkedIn | Instagram   👋 Where to find Rapido Trains Inc.: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn | TikTok If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

Building your business on social media is like renting a house—you've decorated it beautifully, but the landlord can change the rules anytime. Your email list, however, is property you own outright. This distinction can make or break a small business when platforms change algorithms or face potential bans. In this episode, Dave Charest speaks with Constant Contact product leaders Jesus Flores, Product Manager focused on audience growth; Ryan Burke, Director of Product specializing in small business growth; and Mike Crawford, Senior Product Manager responsible for the contacts experience. They discuss the risks of relying solely on social media for marketing and why building a contact list you actually own is the foundation of sustainable marketing. "Owning your audience means having a direct line of communication with people who have explicitly shown interest in your brand, typically through an email list without a dependency on a governing social platform," explains Jesus. "It's your list, you own it. You can carry it from platform to platform." The team discusses how businesses can convert social followers into email subscribers, introduces Constant Contact's new Lead Magnet tool, and explains how contact data helps create more effective marketing campaigns. Whether you're just starting to build your contact list or looking to better leverage your existing contacts, this episode offers actionable strategies to help turn audience growth into business growth.   Additional Resources:   Create a Facebook and Instagram Ad Create a Pop-Up Contact Sign-Up Form for Your Website Create a QR code from a URL Create a Google Ad with Kliken Using Contact Lists, Tags, and Segments Based on Your List Size Overview: Email Reporting Install a Contact Sign-Up Form on a Website Create a Sign-up Landing Page to Collect New Email and SMS Contacts Online Create a Lead Magnet and Capture Leads Create and Manage Custom Contact Fields Latest Small Business Now Report   Meet Today's Guests: Jesus Flores, Ryan Burke, and Mike Crawford of Constant Contact  Jesus Flores  👨‍💼 Who he is: Jesus is a Product Manager at Constant Contact who works on the audience growth team. His entire initiative is focused on helping small businesses and nonprofits grow their audience through multiple channels. He specializes in strategies that convert social media followers into owned contacts through website traffic, social media platforms, and in-person interactions.  💡 Key quote: "That engaged email list allows you to nurture those leads, build customer loyalty, and directly promote your products or services without the reliancy on social platforms that you just candidly don't own." 👋 Where to find Jesus: LinkedIn Ryan Burke  👨‍💼 Who he is: Ryan is a Director of Product at Constant Contact focusing on small business growth. He helps businesses early in their journey get up and running, and hit "day zero" when they're ready to operate. Ryan has been at Constant Contact for about 18 months but brings almost 15 years of experience in product and digital marketing.  💡 Key quote: "It's a marathon, not a sprint. So I think there's trying, there's changing, there's pivoting and being comfortable with that kind of ambiguity that how you're working and how you're running and launching and growing your business, it takes time." 👋 Where to find Ryan: LinkedIn Mike Crawford 👨‍💼 Who he is: Mike is a Senior Product Manager at Constant Contact responsible for the contacts experience since 2021. He focuses on helping businesses manage their contacts and all the data around them, working to make Constant Contact the source of truth for contact information. Mike specializes in leveraging contact data to power more targeted marketing campaigns.  💡 Key quote: "We see a lot of return on users doing a segmented send rather than just a bulk list send. They get better opens, they get better clicks. So that would be the first step I would take." 👋 Where to find Mike: LinkedIn   👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Pinterest | LinkedIn | Podcast   If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

Tired of your social media feeling like a shot in the dark? You're not alone! Crafting content that truly resonates and drives action doesn't have to be a mystery.   If you joined our Stand Out on Social Media: Essential Tools, Content, and Design webinar, you learned how to create engaging content and build your brand with practical strategies to overcome social media challenges.   However, it doesn’t stop there. We’ve bundled together some of our best social media worksheets for you to take the lessons you’ve learned and turn them into action! Once you’ve completed some or all of the available worksheets, we encourage you to share them in a reply in this thread so we can see what you’re looking to do and provide targeted, actionable feedback!   Download the worksheets  ... View more

Imagine a baseball team that throws out the rulebook—not just for the game, but for how they do business. Meet the Savannah Bananas, a team that's less about scoring runs and more about sparking joy.   Led by owner Jesse Cole, this isn't your typical sports team. As Jesse puts it, "We have no interest in being a billion-dollar business, but we want to create a billion fans." The Bananas have grown into a fan-driven phenomenon built on a simple but radical idea: put fans first and never stop entertaining. When most teams chase sponsorship dollars, the Bananas ditch ads and create experiences people can't stop talking about.   Their approach is delightfully unconventional. They've removed third-party ticketing fees, sent handwritten thank-you notes, and featured players who might break into dance mid-game. Marketing that doesn't feel like marketing.    The result? They recently sold out their first NFL stadium, are building a passionate fanbase, and proving that when you truly put people first, the money follows. Join Jesse, Kara, Carson, and host Dave Charest for this masterclass in customer experience that any business can learn from.   Additional resources:   Create and Manage Tags Understanding Contact Segmentation Getting Started with the Automation Path Builder Connect your Shopify account to Constant Contact   Meet Today's Guests: Jesse Cole, Kara Heater and Carson Bowen of Savannah Bananas   🍌 What Jesse does: Jesse owns the Savannah Bananas and founded Fans First Entertainment. A former baseball GM turned showrunner, he reinvented the sport by blending Broadway-style entertainment with baseball, building a loyal fanbase and a sellout sensation that puts fans at the center.   💡 Key quote: "We will never put added fees on people. We will never do things just for money. We will never take a sponsor just to take money. We will never do any of that. If we can do things to be a better experience for fans, we'll always try to find a way to say yes to that."   👋🏼 Where to find Jesse: Linkedin | Instagram | X, formerly known as Twitter     ⚾ What Kara does: Kara is the Vice President of Marketing at the Savannah Bananas. Starting as an intern in 2018, she now leads a cross-functional team that turns live moments into viral content. Her strategy: tell stories that fans love, without pushing product.   💡 Key quote: "We never want to be the people who are sending 52 emails a day, and they have to unsubscribe 82 times to try and finally get rid of them out of their inbox. That's not us. We want people to get the information that they've asked for."   👋🏼 Where to find Kara: Linkedin | X, formerly known as Twitter     🎫 What Carson does: Carson is the Director of Ticket Experience for the Savannah Bananas. After six years with the Wilmington Sharks, he joined the Bananas in 2020 to rethink ticketing from the ground up—building a system that removes friction and centers joy in every detail.   💡 Key quote: "It's not just buying a QR code; it’s buying a family outing. It's celebrating someone's birthday. These things represent something. It's not just buying a ticket."   👋🏼 Where to find Carson: LinkedIn | X, formerly known as Twitter     👋🏼 Where to find Savannah Bananas: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X, formerly known as Twitter | Youtube | TikTok If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

Building an SMS contact list presents unique opportunities, especially for those already familiar with email marketing. Constant Contact's updated lead generation tools now allow you to collect phone numbers for contacts who've opted in to SMS, even without an email address. This allows you to expand your reach and makes it easier to grow your contact list.   Growing Your SMS Contact List   One of the biggest hurdles in SMS marketing is building a large list of contacts. Many businesses have a well-established email list but struggle to transition to SMS without a solid base of phone numbers.    This can be especially complex if you're managing contacts across multiple platforms. However, with the right tools and strategies, you can overcome these challenges and start leveraging the power of SMS marketing. Now you can create and import contacts using just a phone number for SMS into your account!   The Benefits of Using SMS-Only Contacts   Creating a contact with just a phone number provides many benefits. They remove the need for an email address and make lead capture easier. This is especially helpful for businesses starting with SMS marketing.   SMS only contacts do not count toward your email marketing contact tier, so let the SMS opt-ins roll in!    By segmenting your audience based on their preferred communication channels, you can ensure that your SMS marketing campaigns reach the right customers. For example, you can create automations that specifically target SMS-only contacts who have explicitly consented to receive text messages, allowing for more personalized and effective communication.   Lastly, SMS-only contacts offer flexibility, as you can always add email addresses to their profiles later if you decide to incorporate email marketing.   Collecting SMS-Only Contacts   Contacts from Other Sources: You can import phone numbers and consent dates from other sources into your Constant Contact account. This is ideal for businesses that already have a list of phone numbers from another SMS provider. Dedicated Landing Pages: Set up landing pages for visitors to enter their phone numbers. This allows them to receive updates easily. For example, a fitness studio could use this for class reminders. Public API: If you already utilize or are interested in developing an app that connects to our Public API, it will support the integration and import of SMS-Only Contacts. Text-to-join: Allow customers to text a keyword to a dedicated number to join your list. For instance, a local event organizer can set up a "text JOIN to [number]" campaign to quickly capture phone numbers from attendees.   Tips for a Smooth Import Process   Use a CSV or Excel file with columns labeled "SMS phone number" and "SMS consent date." Format phone numbers as "Phone Number" or "Text," and dates as "Date" or "Custom - General." Avoid multiple tabs and accented characters in the file name.   Always include a consent date. Without it, your contacts will be in a "no permission" status, and you won't be able to send them messages.   Diversify your collection methods. Use a combination of landing pages, webforms, and text-to-join to capture contacts from different sources. If you use another SMS provider, you can import those contacts into Constant Contact. Just make sure you have the right consent.   While you can import SMS contacts at any time, remember you need to add SMS to your Constant Contact subscription and complete the registration process to send SMS campaigns. Some plans include SMS marketing by default, so be sure to check your plan details.   Once your SMS contacts are imported, you can easily find them by viewing the list you added them to or searching by their status. This makes managing your contacts a breeze and ensures that you can start sending targeted SMS campaigns right away.   Grow Your Business with SMS   By using these improved collection methods, you can build a strong SMS contact list and take your marketing efforts to the next level. These tools will help small business owners and marketing pros connect with their audience better.   We'd love to hear from you! Have you tried any of these methods to grow your SMS contact list? Share your experiences in the comments below. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out to our support team. ... View more

Dan Knowlton didn’t plan to build a top-performing content agency by dressing up in wigs and fake mustaches — but that's what helped him stand out. In 2015, Dan and his brother Lloyd launched their marketing agency, Knowlton, from a spare room in their parents' house. No roadmap. No fancy setup. Just two brothers figuring it out as they went. What changed everything? Defining clear roles, setting long-term goals, and creating content people actually want to watch. "It has taken us so much longer to get to where we are now than I thought at the start point," Dan says, reflecting on the patience and persistence it took to grow a sustainable business. In this episode of Be A Marketer, host Dave Charest talks with Dan about growing from chaos to clarity. They unpack how to align your marketing with your strengths, what most small businesses get wrong about content, and why measuring results will sharpen your focus.   You’ll hear how Dan treats his agency like a client, how one strategy helped them double in size, and what Dan thinks every small business owner should start doing today.   Additional Resources:   Getting started with the Automation Path Builder Using Constant Contact SEO tools How to Set Up an Effective Automated Welcome Email Series (with Examples) Set up to automatically resend to contacts who don’t open their email feature in Constant Contact   Meet Today’s Guest: Dan Knowlton of Knowlton Marketing   ☕ What he does: Dan Knowlton is the Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Knowlton, a UK-based marketing agency he started with his brother in 2015. The duo is known for blending creativity with strategy to create content people actually enjoy. Knowlton has worked with major brands like the BBC, Nestlé, and Constant Contact.   💡 Key quote: "No one cares about your brand. All they care about is problems they've got and how they can most effectively solve them."   👋 Where to find Dan: X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Podcast   👋 Where to find Knowlton Marketing: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn | TikTok If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more