Before you send: Your Pre-flight Email Checklist
July 1st, 2010 | Written by: Kristin
Before you send:
Your Pre-flight Email Checklist
Here is a checklist of some key elements that should be in your email newsletter or promotion before you press the “Send” button:
Your “From” and “Subject” Lines:
- Does your “From” line include your company name or brand?
Does your “Subject” line:
- meet the guidelines for length (5-8 words, 40 characters including spaces)?
- incorporate a specific benefit?
- include your brand (if for some reason your “From” line does not)?
- create a sense of urgency?
- avoid words or punctuation — such as “Free” or exclamation points — that could trigger spam filters?
Posted in Email Marketing Tips, Marketing Tips | No Comments »
My Website Looks Great! Now What?
June 10th, 2010 | Written by: Michael
Congratulations. Your new site is up. It looks great. Everyone loves it. But, now what? Unfortunately for most, it all ends at the “it looks great” stage and never moves onto the “now what” stage. While meaningful content, useful interface, good visual design, etc are all important elements to having a solid web presence, it’s what you do next that truly sets you apart.
As I’m sure we all know by now, an overwhelming majority of potential customers start their buying process online. The U.S. Bureau of Census has internet usage clocked in somewhere around 69% of the total population. Just think about the last time you wanted to buy something. Where did you go for information, pricing and locations that carry your new found love/want. Chances are you “Googled” it before you set off on your merry way. So, naturally the next logical step once your cool new site is launched is to help people find it. While there are many different options, methods and strategies to get your site in front of potential customers, here are 4 key areas that will serve as good starting points for your online marketing campaign.
Posted in Websites | 3 Comments »
Steps to Create an Easy Email Communications Plan
May 30th, 2010 | Written by: Kristin
by Gina Watkins, Constant Contact Regional Development Director, D.C. Metro Area- Re-post by Kristin Doakes, High 5 Productions
Do you have an email marketing communications plan?
Creating one isn’t as hard as you might think. In fact it’s fun, it’s easy, and the upfront planning you do now can have a huge impact in the months to come in more effective campaigns.
Why Do You Need an Email Marketing Communications Plan?
Creating an email template, matching the graphics to your brand and website, and writing good content is only half the work that needs to be done. The other 50 percent is analyzing your email tracking reports and planning your campaigns based on what you learn about customers and what’s happening in your field and the market.
A year-long email marketing communications plan helps you be proactive with customers, rather than reacting to market trends. It combines what you learn about what clicks and misses with your customers with seasonal and industry events that you can map across a calendar. Ready to get started?
Tags: communications plan, Constant Contact, content, Email Marketing, marketing, schedule
Posted in Email Marketing Tips, Marketing Tips | No Comments »
Listening for Content
May 30th, 2010 | Written by: Kristin
It’s all about content…but where do I get it?
The best place to start looking for content is by listening to your customers.
Remember, email marketing is about RELATIONSHIPS. What’s the most important part of a relationship? Communication… you know the key words: “listen” and “pay attention”. You can learn everything your business needs from your customers. Here are some examples:
- When potential customers call your business, what are they commonly asking? What product is most popular? Focus on promoting that product, then up-sell your other superbly priced products. Write articles, how-to guides, and testimonials about that product and set yourself apart as the expert in selling that product or service, the “go-to”.
- When sending your email marketing messages each month, include links to various products or services, and then track your links. If a particular product or service is more popular, capitalize on that for a month or a quarter. Once you have your audience’s attention, roll out more offers for other products.
- Randomly select contacts in your database to send a survey or poll to. Ask them why they chose to do business with your company. Feel free to offer them a discount or incentive to complete your survey. You can try Constant Contact’s Online Survey free for 60 days, poll your audience to find out what they like or are interested in.
Tags: Constant Contact, content, Email Marketing, marketing, relationships
Posted in Email Marketing Tips, Marketing Tips, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Building an Email Marketing List while meeting HIPPA requirements
May 30th, 2010 | Written by: Kristin
Professionals in health industries (specifically counselors and therapists) have asked me some questions about emailing current clients/patients and concerns of being HIPPA-compliant. I have done some research and spoken with Constant Contact’s compliance team about the issue and want to share some tips and ideas to remain professional and compliant.
Tags: compliant, Constant Contact, counselors, Email Marketing, HIPPA, HIPPA-compliant, therapists
Posted in Email Marketing Tips, Marketing Tips | No Comments »
The Power of Email Marketing & Getting Started with Constant Contact Workshop
May 21st, 2010 | Written by: Kristin
By Kristin Doakes, Certified Constant Contact Expert
On May 20, 2010, I delivered The Power of Email Marketing presentation and Getting Started with Constant Contact workshop at VenturePlex’s state-of-the-art facility and as the Keynote for Jacksonville Small Business Advantage Magazine’s Workshop Series.
The room filled with nearly 50 small business owners and professionals and was the largest group ever hosted at the VenturePlex office and conference building, said Steve Potter, the building’s owner. There were professionals from small businesses and non-profit organizations who discovered ways to use email marketing to grow their organizations and the benefits of Constant Contact as a tool for their marketing campaigns.
Tags: Constant Contact, Email Marketing, getting started, seminar, training, workshop
Posted in Email Marketing Tips, Workshops | 1 Comment »
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