Q&A from our "6 Small Business Lessons to Take Into 2021" Webinar

[Caitlin_M]

As COVID-19 continues to push people outside of their comfort zones, businesses that are pivoting to a digital-first marketing strategy have been able to survive and even thrive in the transformed marketplace. Those one-time “nice-to-dos” when it comes to online marketing are now a necessity, as digital channels are often the only way to stay in contact with customers.

We spent 2020 working with small businesses to help them make the best use of digital marketing tools and learned what they were doing to power on. With all this information, we put together a wonderfully informative webinar. A few discussion points included:

• The top 6 lessons for small businesses
• Real-world examples of how Constant Contact customers have persevered
• Simple actions you can take to thrive in 2021

Reporting and Deliverability

We do a monthly email newsletter and we tend to get no more than a 25% open rate. How can I increase this?

That's about an average open rate, even above average depending on your industry. Some things to think about are segmenting your list to send the most relevant information. Make sure you're also providing value or education of some sort and not just selling. 

Is there a best practice for handling unsubscribed contacts? What can I do to prevent this?

Every email sent out from our service is required to have an unsubscribe link. When a contact unsubscribes, they are automatically removed from your lists and marked as inactive. It’s hard to realize that someone doesn’t want to receive your emails but you can use this data to improve your campaigns! It's important to make sure you're providing value in your emails versus just selling. You can also use the data in your unsubscribe reports to understand the reasons people are unsubscribing. This can help to improve your email strategy. It might be the frequency of your emails, your emails aren't relevant to them, or something else. 

I’m nervous that my emails are landing in the spam folder. Is there anything I can do? Email Marketing 

There are a variety of factors that can decrease your deliverability to the inbox. Read our Blog for more information on email deliverability.

I saw my email is landing in the Promotions folder for GMail. Is there a way around that?

This is most likely going to be a setting your contacts will need to change on their end as they have more control over their inbox. Our Knowledge Base has more information on the Promotions folder and what can be done to help your email land in the Primary tab

List Growth

I want to start growing my list through Facebook. How can I do this?

A Facebook lead ad is a great way to promote your business and grow your list.

Is there a place to see samples of successful campaigns to grow subscribers? I'm a bit lost with coming up with a campaign for my nonprofit.

It's all about the value that people will receive from you. Don't just make it about getting them on your list. Let them know they'll be supporting your organization. Read our Blog post that includes ideas about growing your nonprofit mailing list.

What sort of events could I do virtually to get people to sign up to my email list? With COVID-19, it’s hard to meet people in person.

This depends on your type of business. You can create a virtual event or training of some sort (think of a problem you can solve and use it to educate your audience). You'll want to make sure you have a form on your website, ask them on social media. You might also think about creating a lead magnet to get catch their attention and get their email address: https://blogs.constantcontact.com/5-lead-magnet-ideas-segment-list-like-pro/

Online Marketing

Can I integrate my Shopify store with Constant Contact?

We have a direct integration with Shopify where you can promote your products or services in your Constant Contact emails. 

What advice do you have for seasonal businesses staying in touch in the off season?

Think about ways you can educate and provide value to your audience. Here's a great blog post that will get you started with engaging with your contacts during slower seasons.

What type of visual content should I be sending out? Are videos more effective than photos? Should I be including visual content of myself or my customers?

We suggest mixing it up for every email with visuals. Videos and images are great and provide variety for your audience. I love your idea of showing a video of you talking to your customers (make sure you have permission to use it).

Can I sell a webinar through Constant Contact?

Yes, you could use Constant Contact online store features to sell access to the video if it is hosted somewhere. There are also ways you could sell a live webinar. For instance, you can use the Constant Contact event management tool combined with a broadcasting program of your choice. The event tool would capture the registrations and payment and you would include the link to the video or event in the confirmation email.

How do you suggest marketing for small hotels at this time? We already promote gift certificates.

If your hotel is open, you could position it as a getaway - don't forget to let them know how you're able to keep them safe. You can also share ideas of things they can do in the area. Our Blog has more content ideas for travel blogs and adjacent industries.