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We’re all out here trying to get noticed, right? When someone opens your email, you want to make a great first impression the moment it loads. Animated templates offer a dynamic and engaging way to capture your audience’s attention and drive results.   Here are some of the key benefits of incorporating animated templates into your email marketing strategy:   Eye-Catching Designs   Animated templates are visually appealing and can instantly grab the reader's attention. With moving elements, they create a sense of excitement and curiosity, making your emails more likely to be opened and read.   Higher Engagement   Animations can significantly boost engagement. According to a study by MarketingSherpa, emails with animated content see a 42% increase in click-through rates. This higher engagement translates into more opportunities for your audience to interact with your brand.   Brand Enhancement   Animated templates allow you to showcase your brand's personality and creativity. By incorporating your brand's colors, logos, and unique style into the animations, you can reinforce your brand identity and make a lasting impression on your audience.   Versatile Messaging   Animations can convey complex messages in a simple and engaging way. Whether you're promoting a new product, announcing a sale, or sharing company news, animated templates can help you communicate your message effectively and memorably.   Modern Appeal   In today's digital age, consumers expect modern and innovative content. Animated templates give your emails a contemporary feel, making your brand appear up-to-date and tech-savvy. This can help you connect better with younger audiences and tech enthusiasts.   Save Time   While creating custom animations from scratch can be time-consuming, using pre-designed animated templates can save you a significant amount of time. These templates are often easy to customize, allowing you to create professional-looking emails quickly and efficiently.   The Impact on Your Bottom Line   The benefits of using animated templates extend beyond just aesthetics and engagement. A study by MarketingSherpa revealed that emails with animated content can lead to a 103% increase in conversion rates and a 109% increase in revenue. These impressive figures highlight the potential of animated templates to drive real business results. Animated templates offer a powerful way to elevate your email marketing efforts. Constant Contact’s Professional Services team is ready with a selection of amazing templates you can choose from.   Get your animated templates today!  ... View more

 Every Tuesday we'll share tips, tricks, and insights on using Constant Contact and online marketing   Click to download worksheet.Multi-channel campaigns are a great way to leverage all the tools in your marketing arsenal, but for some might feel like juggling too many things at once. Where would one find the time?   Constant Contact wants to make the most of your time when you sit down to prepare your marketing campaigns. It can be helpful to organize your thoughts and strategies ahead of time and in that spirit, we've developed a handy Multi-channel Marketing Plan worksheet you can use to break down your plans.   The worksheet breaks down each marketing channel (i.e. social, email, etc.) and the three stages of communication: Announce, Remind, and Last chance and gives you space to collect your thoughts and jot down content or verbiage that you can use when actually creating the campaigns.   When you're done, don't forget about Campaign Builder! Short on time? Campaign Builder can create a multi-channel marketing campaign for you in a matter of minutes.   ⬇️ Click on the attached document below to download. ... View more

Social media is a powerful tool; however, it is just one piece of the marketing puzzle. Using social media as the only channel in your strategy limits your ability to drive better outcomes. Incorporating email marketing is essential for amplifying your reach, engagement, and results.   We're taking the most popular questions from our latest webinar and expanding upon them so you can best learn how to leverage email marketing and social media together to take your marketing to the next level.     What are some ways to integrate email and social media together? Check out our article on integrating email marketing with social media for tips and insights.     Can I create a QR code that sends prospective contacts to a sign-up form attached to my Constant Contact account? Yes, this article will walk you through how to create a QR code that connects to your sign-up form.     Are there any permissions/copyright issues with sharing a review or testimonial? Do you need permission from the person who wrote the review? Reviews are considered user-generated content, and they actually belong to the platform on which they’re submitted. So Google “owns” the Google reviews. That said, there is nothing prohibiting a business from promoting their reviews.     What’s the best layout for a Business-to-Business (B2B) email newsletter? Also, what converts users most to sign up? This really depends on what you're putting in your email and your end goal. For a typical newsletter with multiple topics, there are about 3 different layouts you could test with. An inverted pyramid layout is less likely for a typical newsletter. There's also a Z pattern and an F pattern. All can work well in different scenarios. We covered this in a recent webinar on design.     How can we find out what time of day most people see our social posts? Facebook once offered the ability to see when your fans are online.  But when they made changes to their analytics tools, they got rid of it.  Pages that have not switched to the new experience can still access this report by going to the Audience report under Insights in Meta Business Suite. For users that have switched over, they can look at the content report to see which post received the highest reach based on post time.     How secure is our customers’ contact information on Constant Contact? Does Constant Contact sell our customers’ emails and contact information to third parties, etc.? Yes, the information is secure in Constant Contact. We will never sell the emails and contact information stored in your account. For more information on the security of your data, check out this article.     How do I connect my Constant Contact account with my social media accounts, such as Facebook or Instagram. If you're looking to sync your Constant Contact account with other social media platforms, check out this article.     How can I engage with more social media users? I have a large email list, but do not have a large social media following. A good place to start is with your email list! Make sure you're asking your email subscribers to follow you on social media. You can also add the social share block to your email to encourage your subscribers to share the email on social media.     What can you recommend for a yacht chartering vacation company? All of the same ideas discussed in the webinar apply here, as well. Seek out the customers who are already raving about you in reviews or recommending you to their friends and family and ask for a testimonial. Video testimonials can be a great approach, as you can later repurpose them into various formats.   Additionally, share captivating photos and detailed insights about your yacht vacations. Highlight what to expect on a yacht trip, explore exciting destinations, and more. This will help paint a vivid picture for potential customers.     What can you recommend for an accounting firm? All of the same ideas discussed in the webinar apply here, as well. Education can certainly play a role. Remind people of tax deadlines, how to take advantage of tax savings, etc. Sharing customer stories will help build trust with prospective clients even more.     I work for an entertainment-focused non-profit. We know that entertainment and the arts provide value to people's lives, but how do I pitch this on social media when we don't have a direct "problem" to solve? The "problem" is really about that value you're providing. Depending on the particulars of your organization, it can be about learning about new cultures and creative endeavors. Spotlight the creative people associated with your organization or reflect on previous events or projects and how they went.      Besides converting social media followers, how else can you grow your email subscribers when it comes to a healthcare organization and not violating HIPAA? HIPAA really just means you shouldn't disclose protected health information about your patients including identifiable details, demographics, test results, or medical histories. But when it comes to growing your list, let them know the value they can get from your email campaigns which can be around maintaining healthy living, the importance of preventative care, etc.     Any advice for doing social media for a real estate lending company? Is it worth it to try Facebook or just stick to LinkedIn? I've seen many in this area participate effectively on both channels. Share information to help your audience. Tips for first-time home buyers, how to navigate the lending process, etc.     What are some content ideas for a building inspections company for Facebook? You can share tips for things that you look for in a building inspection, how to find a trusted inspector, and behind the scenes about your processes.     Are sharing Instagram Reels an effective approach to increase email subscribers, or stick with posts and stories? Yes, Reels can be very effective for this. On Instagram, it could be a story with a swipe or link; your sign-up could be tagged in visual content as well. Variety is important here, too.     Do people need to opt-in for emails? Is it unethical if they don't? Yes, absolutely! There are different rules and regulations depending on where you're located and what is acceptable might be different. At the very least, they would need to have done business with you to gain implied permission. The best results for your strategy will come when they explicitly say yes to receiving your emails. Purchased lists, for example, are against Constant Contact’s Terms & Conditions.     Should you offer a perk for a testimonial? You can, but you need to be careful with this. You can technically pay for testimonials, but you do need to provide a disclosure. While the FTC does allow businesses to pay for testimonials and reviews, most review websites do not, some of them strictly forbid incentivizing this.     I work for a manufacturing company, and 90% of our "leads" are distributors who buy our products for the end customer. Any recommendations for a way to get our message directly to the consumers to grow our DTC? I would start with a solid Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy targeting prospective customers and the search terms they would use to find your products. Build up content on your website, usually through a blog that provides value to that audience and connects the information with those keywords. Utilize social media to make that connection and share content that connects with your end consumer and then start to convert them into email subscribers.     Now that Google provides an AI-generated summary at the top of search results, it increases the risk that our websites will no longer be clicked on. How can we compete? The first thing to know is that Google's AI search results are experimental. That means no one knows for certain yet how they'll fully impact the organic SEO landscape, especially because Google isn't in a "finalized" spot with this tool. Everyone who gains traffic from folks who are looking for answers on Google felt the hit in traffic when they rolled this out, so you're not alone in your concerns.   Google's latest algorithm updates also prioritize cohesive expertise across the site, uniqueness of content, and indications that the content was created by a human (basically, content that is largely AI-generated may suffer in organic results). The most important thing you can do is ensure that you are providing unique, credible, and expert content on your site that is closely related to your core offerings or services.   We'll see over the next months while how searchers use the AI results, or whether they employ ways to turn them off (or just tune them out).     What are the best social media platforms for my company? This depends on your business or organization and who you're targeting. You could start with the major platforms in most cases; Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. But the real key here is to find out where your audience is spending their time on social media.     How do you convince an organization that it would be important (and potentially lucrative) to set up social media accounts and start sending out email newsletters if they’ve never done it before? This comes down to really needing a way for people to learn about you and what you do. Email alone has the highest return on investment at $36 per dollar spent and social media is really how people engage with you and your brand and learn about you. This article may be helpful as you start to think about the case you'll make.     I am having trouble connecting my Constant Contact account to my Facebook page even though it is registered as a business. What can I do? Please contact our phone support team for assistance.     If I own two businesses, can I share one social media account and its followers between them? No, you'll want each business to live separately so people can choose which business they are interested in.     I am a digital marketer with many clients. Is the advice we learned today from the webinar also applicable to accountants or general contractors? Absolutely, the ideas and tips shared today can be used in any industry. They really stand the test of time.     Prospective customers like to buy from people they trust and follow on social media. As a business, is it better to post as the person behind the organization for some things and as the business itself for other things? To grow your business, you'll want to ensure you're using a business page. Many platforms prohibit setting up a business under an individual profile. However, yes, from your business profile, you can start to incorporate yourself into it through stories and even videos; let them get to know you.   I work in a small office and almost never use personally created video content. Do you have any ideas on how to get started? We're in the sporting dog supplement market. People love sharing stories about their dogs! Ask people to share videos of their dogs, and you might also start gathering testimonials and success stories about your supplements and how they've helped.   From your perspective, it's important to just dive in and start. You don't need fancy equipment or fully scripted content. You can record from your phone. Keep it authentic, but approach it with a plan and a clear idea of what you want to achieve with the video. You'll become more comfortable with practice.     If I post on my Facebook business page, will the post get sent to everyone that is my personal Facebook friend, or in my phone contacts? I am not sure who can currently see my posts. On a Facebook business page, only your followers (those who have liked or followed your business page) will typically see the content. If they share it, then their followers will see the content as well.     What's a good percentage of original content vs. shared content to publish weekly? I would suggest aiming for about 80% original content and 20% shared content. However, it's crucial to ensure that the quality of the shared content is valuable to your audience. If you're collaborating with another organization or brand for an event or similar project, it can be beneficial to share more of that relevant content as well.     Do you offer one-on-one sessions to learn about the product and build a marketing strategy? We offer our Marketing Advisor service, where you can work one-on-one with an expert to get help for your marketing, for an additional fee. We also have our general product support line and “Ask a Trainer” sessions every Monday to Friday from 11AM to 4PM EST.   I work in the music industry. I find it difficult to get people to attend shows. When I write to concert venues to book gigs my response rate is only around 5%! Is it because I use my AOL email address? If your overall reply rate from emails is 5%, that's really very good! The average click rate for all industries is only 2.03% and for the music/arts, it's only 1.32%. So an end result where they reply at 5% is very good! Earlier this year, Google and Yahoo updated their email authentication requirements. The short version is that you should authenticate your email address with your own domain, which will make you appear more trustworthy to email clients.   In terms of content for email and social, make sure you're sharing your story and what's going on behind the scenes. When you're working on a new project or album, start to tease that in your content. Give them a sneak peak of a song and what it sounds like or the story behind some of your songs. Keep them updated on where you're playing too!     What advice would you give to a small credit union? Share the success stories of your members! Share tips for managing finances, budgeting, etc. Share updates on what your credit union does in/for the local community.     For real estate agents, do you recommend we use our personal social media accounts instead of a business page/profile? Or a combination of both? Both! Depending on your preference for sharing, remember that people do business with people they like, know, and trust (thank you, Zig Zigler). I follow the 80/20 rule: 80% personal and value-based information, such as local news, interests, and helpful advice, and 20% real estate-related content, like market updates and listing statuses. I often recommend creating content on your business page and then sharing it to your personal profile.     How can we, as a quiet luxury landscaping firm, effectively connect with and engage a high-end, luxury audience through our social media strategy, specifically on Instagram? Before and after photos or videos can be powerful here! Show them the progress on your projects and make them crave the end results in your visuals. ... View more

Melanie Diehl had always envisioned a career path similar to her father's — dedicating 30 years to a single company and retiring comfortably. But then she got laid off and decided to use her severance to explore different options.    That's when she discovered her talent with a sewing machine.    Melanie learned by doing, navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship while building a loyal clientele. After 25 years in her interior design business, she worked with her husband on an overhead crane business.    Today, Melanie runs a successful marketing firm, where she guides small business owners. “Know your worth and charge it," she advises. “There's someone out there who's willing to pay for the premium services and products that you have to offer."   Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, sits down with Melanie to unpack her entrepreneurial journey and discuss actionable list-building strategies. Learn how to leverage Constant Contact tools like landing pages and pop-up forms to grow your audience and increase revenue. Tune in now.   Additional Resources: How to Build an Effective Email List: Best Practices and Strategies Email Marketing Tips You Need To Know What is a Landing Page? How To Implement an Email Marketing Landing Page   Meet Today's Guest: Melanie Diehl of Melanie and Co. Marketing Collective ☕ What she does: Melanie is the CEO and President of Melanie and Co. Marketing Collective. She's been a Constant Contact Certified Partner for over 10 years and also serves as a Constant Contact Community Coach, guiding small businesses on their marketing journeys.   💡 Key quote: "I love seeing the aha moments for my clients. I love seeing the victories that they have.”   👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn   👋 Where to find Melanie and Co. Marketing Collective: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn 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   We’ll keep it simple this week. I was reviewing the top searches for the last week and noticed that people were looking for information on how to download their campaign as a PDF, but maybe not finding anything specific on it.   I’m happy to report, yes, you can download your email campaigns as a PDF.   It’s pretty easy to locate, too. When viewing your list of email campaigns, just click the dots for the dropdown menu and select “Download & print.”   It doesn't have to be in PDF format either. You can also download the email as a JPG or PNG file. The sky is the limit! If the sky only covered PDFs, JPGs, and PNGs...   Follow the steps in our Knowledge Base  Important: It's a violation of our terms to host a PDF version of your newsletter on your website. You can instead copy the URL for your email and share the link on your website, or install the email archive widget on your website and add the emails you want to display from within your Constant Contact account. ... View more

After a corporate career in direct marketing, Aaron Wesley Means had no plans to start a business. It wasn't until he began helping his wife launch her dream dog grooming business that he immersed himself in small business marketing.    Eager to build a brand and attract customers, he dove headfirst into researching list-building strategies, email campaigns, and the nuances of connecting with a target audience.    Along the way, he discovered a gap — a real need for marketing expertise within the small business and nonprofit communities. In 2011, Aaron launched Activate Business Solutions, determined to fill that void.    His mission? To empower small businesses and nonprofits with the tools and strategies they need to thrive.    In this episode of the Be a Marketer podcast, Aaron, founder and a Constant Contact community coach, and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, pull back the curtain on email design and reveal why a thoughtful approach is crucial in a mobile-first world.    "You can make the greatest email in the history of emails," Aaron explains, "And if they don't open it and know how great it is, it was for nothing."   Tune in as Aaron breaks down seven essential design elements that can make or break your email campaigns. Learn how to craft compelling headers, leverage visuals strategically, and optimize your calls to action for maximum impact.   Additional Resources: Ready Set Send Challenge Week 2: Designing the Perfect Email BrandKit Email Design: The Ultimate Guide The Ultimate Toolkit for Call To Action Buttons   Meet Today's Guest: Aaron Wesley Means of Activate Business Solutions   💻 What he does: Aaron is the founder and CEO of Activate Business Solutions, a full-service micro-agency based in Asheville, North Carolina. A Constant Contact partner since 2011 and community coach, Aaron is passionate about empowering small businesses and nonprofits through education and hands-on marketing support.   💡 Key quote: “Both the subject line and the preheader text are your secret weapons to getting the most possible value out of your marketing and your effort."   👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn   👋 Where to find Activate Business Solutions: Website | X, formerly known as Twitter    If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

Click to download reportWe know that this year, small businesses like yours are facing challenges like inflation and potential economic instability going into the holiday season. It’s an important time for many businesses, especially in retail and ecommerce, so it’s important to have all the information at hand to navigate these challenges and make the most of the opportunities the holiday season presents.   To help with said navigation, we've conducted a study, surveying over 1,600 small businesses and 3,000 consumers across Australia, Canada, the UK, and the U.S. Our Small Business Now report identifies the biggest holiday season challenges and provides practical marketing strategies to connect with customers and mitigate inflation.   Inflation Adaptation   Inflation impacts businesses and customers alike, making pricing a hot holiday topic. While many businesses are trying to balance raising prices and cutting expenses, they can't afford to lose sight of retaining their customers, as well.     Here’s what customers and businesses are saying about inflation and spending:   89% of SMBs are affected by inflation. 52% of consumers have reduced spending at small businesses. 46% of SMBs have cut expenses, and 39% have raised prices. 62% of consumers consider price the deciding factor for holiday shopping.   With SMBs and consumers feeling the pinch, it makes it more important than ever to emphasize the quality of what is being presented to consumers. If we expect consumers to loosen their purse strings, you'll have to consider ways to make sure your marketing is not only engaging, but also clearly demonstrates why your product or service is worth it.   See how:   Re-engage lapsed customers with winback campaigns Insert videos into your campaign that highlight customer testimonials Integrate with Shopify to streamline reporting and automate reminders for shoppers   Santa, can I have more time this holiday season?   Many SMBs depend on the holiday rush to get their revenue over the goal line, but find the marketing side of things challenging due to resources– both time and money.     For example:   65% of SMBs struggle with budget or time management in Q4. 79% are unsure if their 2023 holiday marketing strategy was successful. 20% have no way to measure holiday marketing impact.   We understand that your time is incredibly valuable. When you're balancing numerous tasks, it's crucial to ease your workload through automation. Moreover, while there are countless channels to explore, hone in on one or two that resonate most with your business, such as email marketing and social media. By monitoring your campaign analytics (or reporting dashboard), you can more easily see what's working and what's not so you know what to do in the future.   See how:   Integrate your email marketing with social media Work smarter and save time using marketing automation Interpret your email reporting to inform new strategies   Every Little Bit Counts   This holiday season, SMBs are prioritizing efficiency and small, strategic changes over complete overhauls. Top plans include:   Improving efficiency (35%) Offering special promotions/discounts (28%) Creating a clear marketing strategy (26%) With 78% of consumers planning to shop at new small businesses, customer acquisition is key. SMBs find social media and email marketing most effective (51%).   The most impactful strategic shift you can make to save time and achieve results is to embrace AI tools like the AI Content Generator or Campaign Builder to help give your marketing a starting point. Constant Contact takes the reins, analyzing your marketing needs and creating a comprehensive, multi-channel marketing plan. This includes determining the optimal number of emails, social media posts, and events, as well as the best dates to maximize their impact.   See how:   Use the Content Generator to write email, landing page, social, and SMS content for you Automatically generate a marketing campaign based on your goals Get started with the Automation Path Builder   In conclusion   The 2024 holidays might bring inflation and economic uncertainty, but small businesses can still prosper. Start your planning early, and take advantage of multiple marketing channels like email, social media and SMS. This can help you to create a strategy that not only engages your loyal base, but also attracts new customers. Leverage automation and AI tools to save time and streamline your efforts, allowing you to focus on what truly matters. ... View more

 Every Tuesday we'll share tips, tricks, and insights on using Constant Contact and online marketing   Sections, a new tool in our Cross-Device email editor, has been out for a little over a month now and I wanted to call attention back to it, because it really is a handy feature.   Before Sections, for example, you would have to delete or style different blocks (such as text or image) separately. Whereas now, you can drag text, image, and other blocks into the Section and apply various style options to the whole area. And if you want to get rid of it all? It can all be done at once!     Lauren_H, the Senior Product Manager who oversees development on the Cross-Device Editor, also covers the benefits of using Sections and some examples on how to use it!   Have you played around with using Sections yet? If so, let us know what you think in the comments! ... View more

For those of you who missed Week 2, allow me to reintroduce myself! I’m Aaron Wesley Means, founder of ACTIVATE Business Solutions, based in Asheville, NC. ACTIVATE has served clients of all shapes and sizes from local to national for 12+ years, has trained thousands of businesses through seminars, webinars, and conferences, and is a multiple award-winning solution provider.   In this week’s Ready, Set, Send challenge we’ll address the value and impact of a multi-channel marketing strategy. Instead of thinking of your marketing as a single approach using a single channel, you’ll want to use different channels together (think email + social + texts) to create a coordinated plan that greatly increases awareness, visibility, interest, engagement, and sales.    How you use these channels together can be explained by what we like to call the “party principle.” And who doesn't like a party? Plus, at this one, you’ll have help from Constant Contact’s own party planner Campaign Builder. So let’s dive into week 4 and discover how to use multi-channel marketing to your strengths and own the party principle to become campaign connoisseurs!     Throw a Multi-Channel Marketing Bash   You’re not always in your inbox, are you? Well, neither are your contacts. Using multi-channel campaigns is a smart strategy that reaches your contacts where they are and offers several benefits:   It increases reach by catering to different channel preferences Improves engagement by building trust and familiarity Ensures consistent branding across all touchpoints Provides better data for informed decisions Drives higher conversion rates Enhances the overall customer experience Optimizes marketing spend for better ROI   So how can we leverage all of this information and make it work for you and your customers? We throw a party! *Not literally* but at Constant Contact we have what we call the party principle.  The goal is to foster a positive, enjoyable, and memorable connection between your brand and your customers. There are three different types of parties to the party principle: The big party, the after-party, and the VIP party.    Social Media - This is your “big party” where you may not know everyone because friends of friends of friends may have been invited. But, this is an irreplaceable channel for marketing your business: it allows many people to discover you. Use this channel to engage your followers and nurture them to become true fans of your product or service.   Email Marketing - Think of email as your “after-party” where the people you know will hang with you after everyone else has left. You know who these people are because you have their email address – and you can see what they like based on what they open and click on. (In Week 6 we’ll talk about how you can reward these fans with segmented offers).     Text (SMS) Marketing - Text marketing is your “VIP party.” It’s typically a smaller list than your email list, because people only give out their phone number to businesses they trust. And it’s a channel that delivers a 98% open rate. This is an opt-in list, so be strategic - share only the most valuable updates or incentives to keep your subscribers feeling special.  Once you throw your first party, you’ll see the results in real time - in increased awareness and email subscribers, more engagement with your emails and texts, and more of what you set as your goal in Week 1. So let’s try it out by using Campaign Builder!   Work Smarter, Not Harder with Campaign Builder   Constant Contact's most impressive feature to date is undoubtedly the multi-channel Campaign Builder. When paired with BrandKit (which we introduced in Week 1) it creates entire multi-channel campaigns for you - from copy to the different templates. Obviously you’ll want to choose the channels that make the most sense for your business.   Take Campaign Builder for a spin    Let's have some fun!   Now that we’re in a party mood, let's dive into Campaign Builder and explore which channels resonate best with your audience. Has Campaign Builder made you think differently about your marketing approach? Has it inspired you to do something different – and hear me out – something like marketing bingo? Heck yeah, it has!   Each square in our marketing bingo sheets challenges you to create multi-channel campaigns that work best for you, such as enhancing your email (think back to Week 2), creating a landing page (hey, we also did that in Week 3!), hosting an event, or scheduling a post to your social channels.   So, what are the rules? Well, this isn't your typical bingo, this is ~marketing~ bingo. So technically, there are no rules when it comes to creativity, but I suggest starting by selecting squares of actions you already do in your marketing day-to-day, and then challenge yourself by choosing squares you’d like to try. Mark off five squares in any row, column, or diagonal and you win!   Your Assignments   Use the Bingo Card and mark off what you’re already doing and try to implement a few more, for good measure!  Bonus points if you get BINGO! Be sure to use BrandKit, if you haven’t already. This is like getting the décor for the party you’re about to throw! Create a multi-channel campaign with Campaign Builder.   How you’ll earn your badge   Download the Bingo card and check off any features or actions you're already doing, or implemented this week. Then, share your bingo card in a reply below.   Resources   Handout: Multichannel Marketing Blog: How to Create a Marketing Campaign: A Step-by-Step Guide Community: Broaden Your Marketing Mix   TL;DR   Use multi-channel marketing (email, social media, SMS) to increase awareness, engagement, and sales. The "party principle" involves three types of parties: social media ("big party"), email ("after-party"), and SMS marketing ("VIP party"). Multi-channel marketing boosts reach by appealing to diverse channel preferences, enhancing engagement through trust and familiarity. It ensures consistent branding, elevates the customer experience, and drives higher conversion rates. Furthermore, it delivers better data for informed decisions and optimizes marketing spend for improved ROI. For your assignment, use the Bingo card to mark which strategies you use in your everyday marketing and try a few new squares to really see the benefit of multi-channel marketing while using our Campaign Builder. ... View more

Tracey Lee Davis never imagined she'd become a business owner. After years of managing a pet care company, she craved a simpler role where she could follow someone else's lead. But life had other plans.   When unemployment benefits ran dry, and job applications went unanswered, Tracey reluctantly stepped into entrepreneurship. Now, as the owner of ZingPop Social Media, she couldn't imagine doing anything else.   "I really do love that I get to set what happens with my business," Tracey shares on the Be a Marketer podcast. Her journey from reluctant business owner to marketing expert showcases the power of setting clear, personalized goals. In this episode, Tracey and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, explore the importance of goal-setting in marketing. They discuss how to tailor goals to your specific business needs, the crucial role of measurable objectives, and why timeframes matter.  Tune in to learn how you can transform your marketing efforts by setting the right targets for your business.    Additional Resources: Welcome to the Constant Contact Community Week 1: Goal Setting SMART Goals Q&A: Decoding Online Marketing Success: Your Guide to Planning, Reviewing, and Executing Foundations for Online Marketing Success Worksheet Creating Goals and Measuring Success Worksheet   Meet Today’s Guest: Tracey Lee Davis of ZingPop Social Media 💼 What she does: Tracey Lee Davis is the owner of ZingPop Social Media, a Constant Contact Certified Partner, and a Constant Contact Community Coach. She works primarily with women-owned service-based businesses as a social media coach and marketing manager, helping them gain exposure, increase revenue, and enhance their online presence.   💡 Key quote: "If you're not measuring, you're not marketing."   👋 Where to find her: Website | X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn   👋 Where to find ZingPop Social Media: Website | Instagram | X, formerly known as Twitter | Vimeo | LinkedIn | Facebook | Pinterest If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. ... View more

Welcome to Casual Conversations!   Every first (usually!) Wednesday of the month we want to take a moment out of our day to break from the hustle and bustle of online marketing and open discussion up to subjects that have less to do with emails, events, and landing pages and more to do with... everything else!   Now sometimes we might skirt the line between business and pleasure in our topics of conversation, but ultimately we know how hard y'all are working and it's fun to think about something other than work every once in awhile.   ---   Pure joy.Feel free to choose the circumstances you want (e.g. deserted island, every food you touch turns into this one food, etc.) that would restrict you to only one food source. Now, what one food would you be willing to eat for the rest of your life?   I can't say I'm much of a foodie, but I do enjoy eating food. There are a few items of nourishment that tend to rise to the top of my hierarchy of wants but if I could only choose one food, hmm...   Probably zen butter ice cream, which can only be found at the Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory in Manhattan. It is a peanut butter with toasted sesame seeds. I don't think it necessarily even tastes like peanut butter or sesame seeds, but it does taste like a gift from Dionysus himself. Pure joy.   I never take pictures of food, but I almost always take a picture of zen butter ice cream when I'm lucky enough to be in the area. Of course, the last couple of times I've tried to get it they were all out... My wife claims she's never seen a grown man appear visibly despondent in front of a (presumably) adolescent ice cream scooper before.   All right, now it's your turn! Whatcha eatin' for all eternity? ... View more

This article was originally written by River Cartier for the Constant Contact Blog.   November. Wow. Such an odd month, really.     It’s like all things point to Thanksgiving this month, and yet, Thanksgiving (Nov. 28th) doesn’t even seem to get its proper dues anymore because we immediately rush into the Christmas season with Black Friday (Nov. 29th) and Small Business Saturday (Nov. 30th).   And while we may have a moment of “thanks,” while gathered together to share a meal and join in conversation, it seems like that’s all the “thanks” there is.   With that said, I’m actually not going to tell you that you should “thank” your customers in your November newsletter. Everybody does it, so it’s become a bit cliché. This is fine if you’re celebrating Cliché Day (Nov. 3rd), but otherwise, I like to try to be original and stand out from the crowd as much as possible — and you should too.   That’s why, this month, I suggest you embrace World Communications Week (Nov. 1st-7th) and focus your marketing efforts on genuine communication with your readers.   You can begin by implementing some storytelling marketing into your newsletter.    Pick a November holiday or two and create a blog post telling your readers how that holiday links to you, your company, your employees, or even your community. Open the door to communication by sharing the story in your newsletter, and then continue the conversation on social media.   To get started, take a look at these great lists of November holidays, newsletter ideas, and subject line suggestions. Then start thinking about the holidays that strike a chord with you and jot down some thoughts on what stories you’d like to share with your readers this month.   November holidays — 2024   November — Adopt a Turkey Month. For vegetarians who would rather save a turkey than eat one, this is a great holiday to share. November 1st – 2nd — Day of the Dead. A traditional Mexican holiday, Dia De Los Muertos spans two days and ends at noon on November 2nd. November 3rd — Cliché day. This day was made for Social Media. Get the conversation going by starting a list of worst, or best, clichés and ask your followers to add to it. November 3rd — Daylight Savings Ends, U.S.A. It never hurts to have a reminder. November 10th – 16th — Dear Santa Letter Week. Perfect for inviting parents to bring their kids into your shop for a Santa letter-writing session. November 5th — Election Day, U.S.A. November 8th — STEM/STEAM Day. If you’re in the STEM or STEAM worlds or work with children or education, this day is an opportunity you can’t afford to miss. November 11th — Veteran’s Day. Be thankful for those who served. November 15th — National Recycling Day aka America Recycles Day. No matter how you say it, it’s all about taking care of our planet by reducing waste. What holiday recycling tips can you share with your readers? November 21st — Great American Smokeout. Has lung cancer or smoking affected your life or business? That might be a story worth sharing. November 21st — Use Less Stuff Day. Do you have some tips on how to use less stuff? Or how to keep from buying stuff you don’t need? I could sure use them! November 23rd — Family Volunteer Day. When you have a small business, your employees are family. See what you can do as a team. December 1st — Artists Sunday. Support your local artists. December 2nd — Cyber Monday. You are online, right? December 3rd — Giving Tuesday. You don’t have to be a nonprofit to take part. Partner with a local charity to help them get more today, so they can do more for your community tomorrow.   November newsletter ideas   No matter what, Thanksgiving is always going to dominate this month. But being thankful, and giving thanks, is not a bad thing. And there is a plethora of ways to celebrate and incorporate other November holidays into your newsletter.   November newsletters ideas that are all about the food   It’s impossible to talk about the month of November without talking about food.    After all, November has food-related holidays throughout the month, from World Vegan Day (Nov. 1st) to National Mousse Day (Nov. 30th) [not to be confused with National Mouse Day (Nov. 12th)].   So,  embrace the “yum!” and celebrate one of the many November food and beverage-related holidays with one of these November newsletter ideas:   Be a resource. Share tried and true recipes, quick table decorating tricks, or how to include your Vegan or Gluten-free guests in the festivities. Provide entertainment. Whether the story is one of your own or you curate content from a reputable source, share a Thanksgiving Day memory, the background of a special recipe, or even tell a turkey tale about the one that didn’t get eaten. Feed your community. While many food banks partner with grocery store chains or other local charities to provide Thanksgiving Day meals to those who can’t afford them, go beyond Thanksgiving Day by hosting a food drive. Contact your local food bank to see what items they need most throughout the year. Then, share the list with your readers and ask them to donate items from the list. If you can, incentivize donations with a discount for bringing certain items or a specific quantity.   Tip: If you can’t host the food drive yourself, send out a list of the most needed items and ask your readers to donate to the food bank directly.    November newsletter ideas for giving thanks   It’s not enough to just say “thanks.” To be meaningful, your “thank you” has to be genuine and thoughtful. Let your customers know that when you say “thank you,” you mean it.   Be genuine. If you had a great year, tell them how they helped make it great. And, if you’ve had a tough year, tell them what hurdles or struggles you had to overcome and thank them for sticking with you through it all. Give thanks and give back. Sure, giving your loyal customers a discount is great, but take it a step further by partnering with a local charity to set up a “giving day” where loyal customers can come in and get a discount or give their “discount” to the charity. Get to know your readers. To reach your target market, you have to know who they are and what they’re looking for. To find out, incentivize your readers to complete a survey. In it, ask them not just about how you’re doing but also how they’re doing, how they’re using your service or your products, or even how they’re getting ready for the holiday season. Feedback from existing customers is priceless.   November newsletter subject lines   “You’re going to want this” — Preheader: “by Dec. 1st” — No Shave November. I can’t think of a better way to sell shaving items in the “off” season. “Just say no” — Preheader: “to shaving, that is” — No Shave November. Great for rallying support and growing cancer awareness. “Pâté cake, pâté cake” — Pâté Day (Nov. 1st). Great for a special offer on pâté or to share a pâté recipe. “Don’t run in circles” — Look for Circles Day (Nov. 2nd) “Not just another cliché” — Cliche Day (Nov. 3rd). Perfect for announcing or introducing something new or different. “Lost your way?” — Marooned Without a Compass Day (Nov. 6th). Great for business or personal advisors, for mental health counselors, or for offering a discount on compasses. “There’s nothing temperate” — Preheader: “about this Tempranillo” — Tempranillo Day (Nov. 14th). Perfect for putting a spotlight on your best Tempranillo wine. “You’re the apple of my c-eye-der” — Apple Cider Day (Nov. 18th). Great for anyone in the “eye care” business. “Go for ‘ride?” — Go For a Ride Day combined with Humane Society Anniversary Day (both Nov. 22nd). Perfect for raising awareness for dog rescue and adoption. “You’ll want to gobble this up” — Thanksgiving (Nov. 28th). Perfect for offering a discount, sharing a recipe, or sharing a good story. “All gobble, no wobble” — Thanksgiving (Nov. 28th). Great for sharing healthy recipes or after-dinner health tips. “We hear you” — Day of Listening (Nov. 24th). Use in response to questions or requests from your customers. “What do you think?” — Day of Listening (Nov. 24th). For sending out a customer survey. “We’re on pins and needles” — Pins and Needles Day (Nov. 27th). Use this when asking for customer feedback via reviews or surveys. For more November holidays and ideas on what you can do to share them with your customers, download the graphic below.   Click on the image to view or download a PDF copy. ... View more

 Every Tuesday we'll share tips, tricks, and insights on using Constant Contact and online marketing   If you have visited the Community in the last 2-3 weeks you will have probably seen mention of a Ready, Set, Send Challenge. We're just getting started with Week 3 and there are another three weeks to go! Plus, even if you missed Week 1 and Week 2 you are still welcome to participate and submit for those weeks and catch up!   What's so great about this challenge?   The purpose of the challenge is to help small businesses and nonprofits master the fundamentals of email marketing by breaking down some key components of building well-realized campaigns and managing your audience across six weeks. The first week was all about defining your goals and how you plan to achieve them and the second week was all about designing the perfect email.   Now in Week 3 we're focused on building up your audience through leveraging multiple marketing channels, such as social media.   What do I get for participating in the challenge?   Other than some focused, serious growth as an email marketer know-how, you'll also get a badge for every week you submit something! The badges will display on your Community profile and we'll also shoot you a DM when the week is over with an image file if you feel so inclined to post it on your website or social media.   So, if you haven't had a chance to jump in, we're waiting for you!   ... View more