Has your day-to-day operation changed?

Has your business focus shifted to online sales? 

Is your business falling short in reaching new and existing customers? 

If your business has hit some speed bumps during the past year, simple actions can be taken now to navigate the new year with confidence . . .

Things Small Businesses Have Learned During the Past Year

Constant Contact, an online expert marketing provider has spent the past year working with small businesses to make smart use of the digital marketing tools their company offers, so businesses could thrive and grow with the ever-changing challenges they’ve encountered.

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A little perk from Google for your business to use on your GMB (Google My Business) listing.

What is a GMB Short Name?
Per Google, a short name is a unique identifier used to “represent your business name, brand, location or other description”.

Who is a Short Name Available To?
After you’ve verified your business, you can create a short name for your Business Profile to make it easier for customers to find you. This feature is available for most merchants and business categories.

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Have you gotten caught up in ‘making sales’ rather than ‘how to make sales’? Sometimes we hit a wall before realizing it’s time to make a change.

Hit a Brick Wall?  Let’s Knock it Down!

If people aren’t visiting your website as much as they should, aren’t adding products to the cart, or haven’t become repeat customers – then let’s take a look at one high-performing ecommerce tool designed to help your business build stronger sales.

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Need some holiday email marketing inspiration?

For many businesses, online holiday shopping is their most profitable selling season of the year - and this year won't be any different.

Did You Know?

Businesses who participate in holiday marketing have learned that no tool offers more opportunities to increase sales than email marketing.

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Shopping habits have changed.

In the last six months - online sales have soared, compared to past years.

Online sales are projected to inflate exponentially during the upcoming holiday season.

It’s time to put the pedal-to-the-metal, increase your online efforts and use your Email Lists to their fullest potential.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF)
“each year, about 40 percent of consumers begin their holiday shopping before Halloween.”

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An Email Subscriber List is what businesses use to build relationships with potential customers, while staying connected to established buyers.

Once a person subscribes to your list, they’re allowing you access to their Inbox – along with their family and friends … they’re offering you their trust because they’re interested in what you offer.

To some, building a solid Subscriber List that will help your business grow may not seem an easy task.

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Every business owner strives to bring in new customers while keeping existing customers coming back – but many hesitate to invest time or resources on a new marketing method unless they are sure they will get stellar results.

Count on the tried and true: email marketing. An Email marketing campaign is a cost effective solution that gives you, the business owner, the power to reach customers in the place they live every day - their Inbox!

 

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Growing an Email List is an ongoing task.

Your Email List is your lifeline for connecting with new and established customers.

The reward comes when you start seeing increased sales.

Email:

• Is Personal.
• Is Targeted.
• You Own the List. You don't own Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. When Social Media platforms change their policies (which they often do) your efforts could all be for naught.

Did You Know?

Email Lists get 10x higher conversions than Social Media campaigns.

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Did You Know?

• Over 50% of all USA based small and medium business owners go about their day-to-day without a Marketing plan.

• Deciding on a structured Marketing approach is crucial to staying within a set marketing budget.

• If a marketing plan is not set in place and reviewed at set intervals - business growth rarely happens.

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Did you know Email Segmentation helps to:

• surge open rates
• boost click rates
• shrink unsubscribe rates

How Do You Partition Your Email Subscriber List?

Sending the same content to everyone on your List is like walking in the dark and never really connecting with anything solid.

Your buyers and clients are diverse and won’t all respond to the same thing in the same manner. You need to dig deeper to determine what Your List wants and needs. Reshaping and customizing your communications to appeal to your contrasting subscriber lists will produce better results.

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Are your Emails not being opened?

Due to the sheer volume of emails people receive on a daily basis, it’s reasonable to assume not even half of them are opened, much less read.

It’s normal for a percentage of Email Subscribers on your lists to lose interest and stop opening Email from your Business – but if months go by with zero engagement click-throughs, then that becomes an issue on several levels.

An accepted non-engagement Email strategy is to send out a dedicated message to those dormant Subscribers who’ve not engaged with your Email for a pre-determined time period (3-months, 6-months, etc). Your message goal is to re-engage these Subscribers as active customers/clients.

 

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Regardless of your business niche, Local Email Marketing benefits small businesses in multiple ways including your ability to strengthen customer relationships and build Brand loyalty  - both help your business continue growing.

Bonding with customers and creating an open line of communication via Email Marketing allows community consumers to communicate their needs and wants, something that's difficult to accomplish with other marketing efforts.

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One challenge for small businesses is being found online. Another challenge is developing marketing strategies to acquire new customers and retain existing customers.

How much time do you spend working your online marketing strategy?

Is it working for you? Or is it hit-and-miss because you find it takes so much time bouncing between different tools and platforms? Do you feel you’re making as much progress as you’d like?

Let’s look at several online tools your business should be using, how easy these tools are to use, and how to access all of these tools from one place.

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Looking to Work Smarter, Not Harder?

The benefits of well timed and professional looking Email Marketing Campaigns have plenty of data to back-up their success rate. Here are just a few:

• Email is almost 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined in helping your business acquire new customers.  (McKinsey)

• 91 percent of US adults like to receive promotional Emails from companies they do business with.   (MarketingSherpa)

• 44% of people check their email for a deal from a company they know, while only 4% will go to Social Media.  (GlobalWebIndex)

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Business Owners Say . . .

Their return on investment (ROI) is much greater using Marketing Automation, and they see increased sales from their Marketing campaigns.

What is Marketing Automation?

Marketing Automation refers to software platforms and technologies designed for Businesses and Organizations to more effectively market on multiple online channels and automate repetitive tasks.

Marketing Automation doesn’t mean your online Marketing is processed from start to finish automatically. What Marketing Automation IS - is software that makes it easier to compose, segment, schedule, prioritize, execute, and statistically track your campaigns.

Marketing automation offers an easy way to find out more about your audience so you can create targeted, personalized campaigns that are more likely to get the results you’re seeking. You can build a view of what works and what doesn’t work – then learn how to tweak it.

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People Will Click for that First Bite!!!

While the term "Landing Page" gets thrown around a lot in online Marketing, not all that many people really understand what it means - much less how it differs from a website or homepage, or even why Landing Pages are necessary.

Many website owners have no idea what a Landing Page is, so if you’re not familiar with the term, don’t feel alone. At the very least - everyone needs a custom Landing Page for list Sign-ups, Social media posts and product/service campaigns.

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When it comes to Email Marketing, it’s all about “Personalization, Segmentation and Engagement” – all key components to successful Email campaigns.

Creating Email Subject Lines that grab attention will make that “Open” click happen, allowing everything else to fall into place.

Feel free to use and perhaps modify the suggestions below in your next campaign.

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Would you like to add 100, 300 or 500 new subscribers to your Email List in the next 60 days?

Sound too good to be true?  Nope, it's easy!

You just have to know how to make it happen.

It's common knowledge that Email Marketing rates at the top for best ways to promote a Brand.

Has your Subscriber list hit a slump?
Are you starting a new List for your business?

Here are a few useful Tips for getting new Subscribers.

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Managing an Email List can be one of the most important investments a business commits to.

If your company isn't using an Email platform effectively to cultivate subscribers into customers ... then it's basically all a waste of time and money.

No matter which automated Email platform you may be currently using - and there’s plenty of them out there - they should offer Apps you can integrate into your Email marketing newsletters and campaigns. Some offer more, and some offer less.

Here, we’ll go over a few Apps offered by Constant Contact because we believe they offer the best bang for your buck when it comes to ease of use, effective promotional tools, and reporting features.

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September and October are chock full of holidays you can take advantage of and send marketing Emails to your subscribers, while incorporating key sales and/or offers for your products/services.

Holiday inspired Email templates are easy to use if your automated Email provider provides them. Just choose a template, enter information and images in the content blocks and voila! - done!!!

While nationally recognized holidays are the norm - maybe this year, send marketing Emails with themed templates for non-mainstream holidays. You'll surprise your readers, probably put a smile on their face – and inspire them to place orders on that day.

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Email testing prior to sending your newsletter or campaign can most often be a life saver – especially if you find your open rates and subscriber list is dwindling. Testing tools can improve the quality of your Emails and impact the results you’re seeking.

Check out these free tools that can be used to complement automated Email platforms you currently use. (We recommend Constant Contact.)

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Email campaigns are all about delivering to readers a positive experience that deepens their connection to your Brand.

When is the last time you’ve studied your Email Open Rates and defined which campaigns were most successful?

If you’ve noticed your Open Rates have been declining or they’re hit and miss …

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Permission based Email marketing is the undisputed hero for delivering the best bang-for-your buck when it comes to digital Return on Investment (ROI).

Studies show for every dollar spent on Email marketing, the average Return on Investment (ROI) is $38.00.

Check out these Proven Ways to Increase Email Marketing Success

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Online shopping habits have changed and people want the best deal they can get on products/services they want. With so many sites in competition for “the sale” one of the best ways to get buyers to your site is to offer value along with incentives by using unique Coupon Codes and Discount Coupons.

Online Coupon use has substantially increased in the last five years. In 2014 16 Billion online coupons were redeemed. An estimated 31 Billions online coupons will be redeemed in 2019. (readycloud.com 2018)

Stastics show that over 78% of online shoppers agree that discounts influence where they shop online, with Promo Codes and Coupon Codes influencing where they make a purchase - even over available product selection and great customer service. (retailmenot.com 2018)

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Whether you're creating a Headline introducing a new product, running a sales or Adwords campaign, posting to social media, writing an article or organizing a newsletter - the Headline is the magnet that initiates the click.

People will not take the time to read anything you've written/posted unless the Headline is intriguing to them. You want people to feel they have no choice but to satisfy their curiosity and read further.

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Does it bother you when people UnSubscribe from your list?
(you’re not alone)

Do you take UnSubscribes personally?
(you shouldn’t)

Can you learn anything from your list UnSubscribe rates?
(yes, you absolutely can)

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PreHeader Definition:

An Email PreHeader enhances the subject line of your newsletter. The PreHeader is minimal summary text following the subject line when an email is viewed in a persons inbox.

What’s the Point of Using a PreHeader in Your Newsletter Emails?

Applying a PreHeader to your subject line is a marketing strategy that lends to Brand recognition, and acts as a visual motivator - prompting the reader to click, open and read further.

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People sometimes ask – Why Do I Need An Email List?

You might think:

• I’m too busy with my business.
• What if no one signs up?
• What am I supposed to write about?
• It takes a lot of time to generate newsletters.
• I’m doing just fine without one.

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Depending on how often you send out newsletters to your subscriber list, you spend time each day, each week, or each month thinking about what the content is going to be for the next issue.

Vary Your Email Content

Regular outgoing newsletter Emails will usually consist of one of the following:

• General Emails to Enhance Brand Awareness
  (community involvement, company updates, business awards, etc)

• Educational Emails
  (who needs it, why buy it, why it’s better, etc)

• Promotional Emails
  (specials, coupons, events, sales, etc)

• New Product Emails
  (announce new inventory, what’s now available, etc)

• Product Advice Emails
  (how to use, why to buy, etc)

• Customer Testimonial Emails
  (feature photos of products used and reviewed by customers, why they bought it, why they use it, etc)

• Survey Emails
  (ask questions to improve your business, conduct product preference research, etc)

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What is a Professional Email Address?

A Professional Email address is one that displays @YourBusinessName.

Back in the day, a custom domain was a sign of professionalism because they had to be purchased. A branded email address set people apart from those utilizing free places to build a website, and using generic email services. Today, email communication deploying a branded email address is the norm, and definitely expected.

While many people use free email service providers such as @yahoo.com, @gmail.com, @verizon.com, etc - they are not considered a professional reflection of a brand.

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#1: Send Special Code Emails

Segment your Email list subscribers according to age group, interests, buying history, etc. Make your marketing Emails motivational to your readers by sending each segment a Hidden Discount or a Unique Promo Code that requires them to Click Through to your website to see what they’ve won.

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Traditional and non-traditional year round Holidays are an opportunity providing a never-ending loop for content to include in your newsletters.

Research shows 90% of people like to receive promotional Emails from businesses they buy from, so Holidays are a great way to engage your list with teasers and subtle promotions all year round.

Be sure to maximize your audience by proactively building your list from all channels:

• On your Website
• At Events and In-Store
• Through Blogs
• On Social Media Channels

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For many businesses the holiday season can dictate over 50% of their entire years’ revenue.

Planning is important.

A solid strategy is important.

Hardcore planning of Holiday marketing should begin in June. You’ll want a strategy in place by the time September rolls around. Cultivating your Email subscribers year-round is doubly important because if you’ve spent time growing your list you should have a good base of customers ready to buy from you come holiday season.

If you’re playing catch-up and it’s later in the season than you’d like, there are still a few holiday email marketing strategies you can put into place.

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Learn more about email marketer convenience tools to make your email marketing a breeze.

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What is Drip Marketing?

Drip marketing is considered a specific Email communication strategy that ‘drips’ (sends) a set of pre-written messages to customers / prospects over a period of time.

What is a Drip Marketing Campaign?

An Email Drip Campaign is a series of scheduled marketing Emails based on behavior and or actions. Emails are scheduled to be sent out automatically and become increasingly more of a promotional nature.

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Your email subject line will often determine whether or not anyone will actually read your message.In order to make the email stand out, keep your subject line short, specific, and personalized.

For many – the Email Subject Line isn’t a priority, and many write their Subject Line after the content is ready to go … we suggest you write your Subject Line first … then craft your message to the Subject Line. Keep it short, catchy, precise, and eliminate filler words as much as possible.

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Email Marketing is one of the best ways to reach your audience because it allows you to carve out a unique personal relationship with people that actually look forward to reading your newsletter each week. Websites and Social Media aren’t as good in cultivating this intangible connection.

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It’s quite unbelievable just how many Emails are sent on a daily basis.

269 billion per day in 2017.

According to statistical data gathered and filtered by the Radicati Group in 2017, they estimated the number of Emails sent per day averaged over 269 billion, and would continue to escalate at an average rate of 4.4% over the next four years.

Before we get into techniques you can use to boost your Email newsletter open and conversion rates, let’s reflect on a few statistics:

89% marketers said that email was their primary channel for lead generation. (Mailigen)

78% of consumers unsubscribe from emails because brands were sending too many emails. (Hubspot)

Email list segmentation and personalized emailing were the most effective email strategies in 2017. (DMA)

Marketers have witnessed an increase of 760% in email revenue from segmented campaigns. (Campaign Monitor)

Transactional or triggered emails have 8x more opens and substantially greater revenue than regular bulk emails. (Experian)

Triggered email campaigns have an open rate of 45.70%, a click-through rate of 10.75% and click-to-open rate of 23.52%. The unsubscribe rate and spam rate are as low as 0.58% and 0.06% respectively. (GetResponse)

Welcome emails have on average 4 times the open rate and 5 times the click-through rate of a standard email marketing campaign. (InboxArmy)

Emails that include some sort of graphics have a higher open rate (26.89%) and higher click-through rate (4.36%) than that of text-based emails. (GetResponse)

Personalized subject lines lift open rates by 29.3%. (MarketingSherpa)

Social sharing buttons in email increase click-through rates by 158%. (Sarv.com)

 

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Videos catch the eye of viewers and compared to plain text, the attention of subscribers can be captured instantly.

Videos are able to swiftly convey a message, a service or a product with a visual impact not found in written words, and allows complex subject matter to translate easily.

Videos are able to quickly go viral, and your audience will react more positively after viewing and listening to a visual presentation.

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There are many ways to grow your Email list - some you may already use, and some you may want to test out on your website and social media platforms to boost your subscribers.

Once you have new subscribers, it’s best practice to offer an easy method for them to opt-out from your list, just in case they change their mind. 

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Sometimes emails read as legitimate, but end up being purely a scam. Let us show you how we performed a bit of research and learned about a particular email scam has been circulating since at least 2008 and appears the scam is still going strong.

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While the number of subscribers you have signed up for your newsletter can directly translate into more earnings for you, the harsh reality is that your subscriber list works best with quality subscribers rather than a huge quantity of unqualified subscribers. A few hundred good quality subscribers are worth infinitely more than even a thousand people who signed up for your newsletter just for the free stuff you have to offer.

So how do you get those quality subscribers? That’s exactly what we are here to help you with. Read on to see which of our ideas you can use to increase your newsletter subscriber list with some quality subs.

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There are millions of emails that never get opened because of their poor subject lines. No matter how important or vital the content of your email is, if it doesn’t have a subject line captivating enough for the average user then your message will fall onto deaf ears.

Most of us are familiar with having dozens or even hundreds of unread emails in our inbox, but only some of them have been opened and checked to see what’s inside. Some of those emails even ended up in our spam folder and yet we still opened them to check out what the fuss is all about.

So why is it that we open some emails while letting others collect digital dust? The answer is very simple: we skim the subject line of that specific email and notice something interesting which causes us to open the email.

But what are these captivating subject lines? Which ones work and which ones don’t? Read on to find out how to increase the chances of your email being opened with these three subject line ideas.

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No matter what your industry, email marketing can increase your sales and exposure exponentially during the holiday seasons. It is estimated that in 2015 nearly 20% of all online sales were made due to e-marketing. Whether you are looking to increase your total number of sales, get some extra donations, or simply increase the traffic to your store, email marketing can help you achieve all of these goals.

The key is to create a clearly identifiable email template that gets straight to the point without extra unnecessary information. Focus on producing a universal template tailored for the specific holiday and then customize it to fit your needs. Show off your unique products and services, announce holiday discounts, or capitalize on your company’s mission statement. Whichever you choose to focus on, make sure that the e-mail is catchy and precise. Here are a few ways you can use email marketing to boost your website visits and sales during the holidays.

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