PepperStation blog » email marketing

Creating an email marketing strategy

Steve — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:30:31 +0000

Now is a great time to put the new year in focus and create your email marketing plan. Start by outlining what you want to communicate and how often. You can look to 2009 for inspiration to see what worked with your previous email campaigns and what did not.

The topics you select need to build awareness of your business in a way that is relevant and engaging to your audience. Seems obvious, right? However, a common peril in writing newsletters is to focus on how great you are… Well unfortunately, unless your audience is compelled to learn how great you are, your hard earned mailing list will certainly dwindle. Mapping out your email marketing plan allows you to not only identify the topics you wish to cover in order to create a compelling newsletter, it also helps prepare you to actually write each newsletter.

Let me explain. When you create an outline of each article you will write in the coming months, the material you surround yourself with every day to remain an expert in your field will jump out at you. Save the articles and posts from your industry resources that are important and relevant to your audience. Not only will you stop wasting time digging through industry resources, but you will be more prepared to easily create and share valuable articles for your readers.
A few points to keep in mind:

Articles should not take too much time to read. In fact, you can (and should) link back to your site or blog for further reading and related information. The click report in Constant Contact is a great way to see what articles your audience finds interesting.
Do not bombard your audience with too many mailings. Monthly campaigns work well in most situations and bi-weekly is appropriate for some. Send more than twice a month and you will risk annoying your readers, send less than every 1-2 months and you risk losing your value.
Remember, be an expert and a resource. Create content surrounding topics that are valuable and engaging to your audience.

Sending out regular email newsletters is one of the most powerful marketing strategies you can do to grow your business. Creating a thoughtful outline of your campaigns will keep you better prepared and set you up for success in the coming year. Good Luck!

Tucson email marketing seminars

Steve — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:10:26 +0000

December 17th is the last chance to catch our email marketing seminars this month. Two different seminars available:

Power of Email Marketing

In just a few short hours, this information packed seminar will show you how email marketing – the hands-on, low-cost marketing tool – can really help you drive your business success. Discover how communicating with your customers regularly can help you stay connected, and generate increased referrals, repeat sales, and unwavering customer loyalty.

You’ll learn how to start and build a strong permission-based customer list… get your audience to open, read and act on your email… and use your past results to sharpen your email marketing program as you go along.

This practical program gives you a concise, but comprehensive overview of how easy it is to create and send professional-looking email newsletters and promotions.

intended audience: Comprehensive Core Knowledge
Suitable for All Experience Levels.

location:

5151 E. Broadway Suite 1600
Tucson, AZ 85711

NEXT SEMINAR

date: Wednesday, December 17th
time: 9am to 12pm
cost: $39! ($29 for non-profit. Repeat attendance is Free.)

Constant Contact 101

This workshop saves you time by allowing you to quickly and easily master the entire Constant Contact system. We’ll present some of the fundamentals of effective email marketing and demonstrate how to build effective communications using the Constant Contact system.

You’ll learn how to set up account options, add signup boxes to your website and emails, load a list, build a campaign, brand your email to match websites and logos. You’ll also learn how to develop content, determine what is valuable to your customers, get your email opened, and track results.

intended audience: Best for Trial and New Users. Perfect seminar for those who use Constant Contact and would benefit from an in-person demonstration.

location:

5151 E. Broadway Suite 1600
Tucson, AZ 85711

NEXT SEMINAR

date: Wednesday, December 17th
time: 1pm to 3pm
cost: $39! ($29 for non-profit. Repeat attendance is Free.)

See you there!
Steve

getting your email opened – the “from” line

Steve — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:25:56 +0000

60% of consumers say the “from” line determines whether they open an email or delete it.

So, here are a few tip on making past this critical test from your recipients:

Use a name that your audience will recognize.

Include your organization name or brand.

Refer to your business in the same way your audience does.

Be cautious about using employee names/email addresses as these may change over time.

Use a email address your audience will recognize. Not all email clients will display a “from” name, rather they will display the “from” email address. Make sure this address is also understandable.

Be consistent

giving back – Cares4Kids program

Steve — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:50:11 +0000

Last night we were thrilled to attend Constant Contact’s kickoff event of their fantastic Cares4Kids program. This program enables Constant Contact customers to help children in their community.

How Cares4Kids works

If you’re a Constant Contact customer in good standing, you can nominate a nonprofit organization that provides social or educational support to children for membership in Cares4Kids. If Constant Contact determines that your nominee is eligible, they will recieve one free email marketing account for as long as you remain a Constant Contact customer. Cares4Kids focuses on:

Education

Organizations that help children develop fundamental academic and social skills.

Programs that assist at-risk children

Organizations that develop and promote entrepreneurial skills

Literacy programs

Organizations that support schools and school programs

Human Service

Community agencies that provide basic human needs such as food, clothing, and shelter to children

Please note that 501(c)(3) organizations and schools that don’t align with the Cares4Kids program are still entitled to receive significant non-profit and educational discounts.

It’s easy to help. It’s easy to get started. Visit:
cares4kids.com

some interesting stats

Mo — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:23:41 +0000

Hi Everyone,
You have heard us talk a lot about email marketing lately. Here are some interesting statistics about email marketing and the impact it can make.

81% of U.S. execs subscribe to industry email newsletters for product information and business intelligence. - Wall Street Journal (2007)

60% of business decision makers said internet and email are the best ways for advertisers to reach them. – Jupiter Research (2007)

30% of small businesses say their image of a vendor improved from the email newsletter received.
45% of small businesses want to receive a weekly email newsletter (34% wanted it monthly).
40% of small businesses want to see “how-to” content in their email newsletter.
- Bredin Business Information (2007)

25% of internet users were most likely to check email upon waking.
33% said they checked throughout the day and 70% of employed respondents also said they checked their personal email at work. 33% said they did so more than three times a day.
- AOL/Beta Research Corporation (June 2008)

And here is our favorite AOL stat….
15% of Americans describe themselves as “addicted to email”. Gotta love that!

Email marketing is smart and easy to get going. Start email marketing today with a free Constant Contact trial.! Thanks! MO

Power of Email Marketing Seminar

Steve — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:19:16 +0000

Don’t miss this revealing program that will change the way you market your business.

NEW TOPICS

How email newsletters work with blogs and search engines

make your newsletter and blog work together
blog marketing 101
Improve search engine rankings

View complete seminar description.

location:

5151 E. Broadway
Suite 1600
Tucson, AZ
85711

date: Thursday, September 25th * full *
We will be happy to add you to our waiting list.

NEXT SEMINAR

date: Wednesday, October 22nd * open *
time: 9am to 12pm
cost: FREE!

See you there!
Steve

upcoming seminar – Power of Email Marketing

Steve — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:20:49 +0000

Attend the high-impact, live seminar…

Power of Email Marketing

Date and Time:
Thursday September 25th
9:00am – 12:00pm

Location:
5151 E. Broadway, Suite 1600
Tucson, AZ 85711

This practical program gives you a concise, but comprehensive overview of how easy it is to create and send professional-looking email newsletters and promotions. Learn the latest best practices and proven strategies to:

Connect
• Email Marketing Basics – Discover how permission-based, best-practices email marketing can help you forge strong relationships with your customers, and boost your overall marketing program.

• Building a Quality Email List – Why permission-based email marketing makes smart sense for your business, with tips for starting, building, and maintaining an effective list of email addresses.

Inform
• Creating Valuable Email Content – Deliver content that’s exciting, meaningful, and relevant… at the right time… in the right format.

• Getting Email Delivered and Read – Learn about the techniques and technology that can help get your email delivered, and the subject lines that will get it opened and read.

Grow
• Learning from your results – See who opened your email and what links they clicked on… and use your findings to shape your next campaign to achieve higher delivery, readership, and response.

• Conducting Online Surveys – Establish your goals… craft your survey… review and analyze your results… and discover how online surveys can provide invaluable customer feedback and boost the power of your email marketing!

To register, fill out our signup form. (sign up now as seating is limited)

Learning materials are included with the seminar for your use and reference.
We’ll provide snacks and beverages during the seminar.

Cost: Free!