Insight

April
30 2014

7 ways to use Relationship Marketing to grow your business

According to dictionary.com, Relationship Marketing is a marketing strategy in which a company seeks to build long-term relationships with its customers by providing consistent satisfaction.  There are several ways that a company can provide consistent satisfaction by using Relationship Marketing tactics.

Here are 7 ways to implement relationship marketing tactics in your business:

  1. Offer EXCELLENT customer service.  When a customer purchases a product or service from you, you should go above and beyond to make sure that the customer is happy with your service.
  2. FOLLOW-UP after the purchase–  Many companies do not do this, so it will put you way above the rest if you decide to do this.  Depending on the product or service you offer, be sure to follow-up with the customer a couple of weeks after the purchase to ask them how they are enjoying the product and to see if they have any questions.  This is a great opportunity for you to build up trust and loyalty with your customer.  Some people don’t want to do this in case the customer has a compliant about the product or service.  However, I think this is  a great way to reach out to them and solve the issue if they do have one.
  3. Send a customer satisfaction SURVEY–  In addition to a follow-up phone call or email, sending a customer satisfaction survey to get feedback on how they felt your company’s customer service was is a great tool for you to show that you care about the type of service being offered, and to get valuable feedback and shed light on areas in your service that may need improvement.
  4. Send a “Thank You for Your Business” Card–  This may seem old-fashioned, but it is a way for your company to really stand out by sending each customer a “Thank You for Your Business” card in the mail.  It shows your gratitude for their business and solidifies the new relationship.
  5. Send an “Anniversary” card or email–  This is  a great way for you to stay top of mind.  Send your client an email or card that marks the anniversary date of when they used your service or purchased your product.  An anniversary card or email is also a great way to send a special offer that encourages repeat business (i.e. $10 off your next purchase, 20% off, etc.)
  6. Send a Birthday card-  This is a nice way for you to stand out.  Most people no longer receive cards in the mail for their birthday, so receiving a card from your company is a nice way to stand out and stay top of mind with your customer.
  7. Send a Holiday card and/or email–  There are several holidays that many people celebrate throughout the year.  Sending a special email or card to your customers on the holidays is a great way to stay top of mind.  Adding a special holiday offer (i.e. $10 off your next purchase, 20% off, etc.) can be a nice touch.

Do you use relationship marketing in your business?  If so, what other strategies do you use to implement your relationship marketing?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on 7 ways to use Relationship Marketing to grow your business  |  in Uncategorized
April
07 2014

7 Surprising Ways to Get Repeat & Referral Business

It is a fact that one of the best ways to grow your business is by building the relationship that you have with your current customers.  Most small businesses overlook this fact and concentrate on new customers and new business, but don’t neglect your existing customers because they can really help you grow your business.

In this blog post, I will cover 7 surprising ways you can get repeat and referral business from your current customers:

  1. SendOutCards-HappyBirthdaySend your customers a birthday card. Yes, I am talking the old fashioned in the snail mail birthday card.  Now a days, so few people take the time to send family, friends and customers physical cards that it would be a welcome surprise for your customer to receive a card from you.  Depending on the size of your customer database, this could be an expensive undertaking, so I suggest if you cannot send a birthday card to every customer, make sure that you send one to your most loyal and repeat customers.  It’s a great way to show that you care about your customers, and it’s a great opportunity to add a special offer for additional products or services.  I get a birthday card and a $10 off gift card from a popular women’s apparel store every year, and most of the time I go in the store to use my gift card.  I am pretty sure this strategy is working for this retail store because I continue to get a card every year.
  2. Send your customers an anniversary card.  You should have the date that your client started using your services on file, so wouldn’t it be great if you sent an anniversary card close to the anniversary date?  It is a great way to stay top of mind, and to stand out in your client’s mind.  An auto dealership used this strategy and sent out anniversary cards to all customers who had purchased a vehicle from the dealership each month.  The card included a discount to use their auto parts & service department.  It was a great way to strengthen the relationship with the customer and get them to come in for additional services.
  3. SendOutCards-ThankYouSend your customer a “Thank You for Your Business” card.  Whenever you close a deal or get a new account, it is the start of a new business relationship.  Why not show your customers how much you appreciate this new relationship and send a thank you for your business card.  You will be surprised how this can make you stand out as a business and strengthen the new business relationship.  Paying attention to the little details also makes customers more encouraged to send referral business to you because they know you will treat the person who they refer with as much care as you have treated them.
  4. Send your potential customer a “Thank You for Your Time” card. Sometimes you may not get the business on the first appointment.  That’s why it is important to follow-up with the prospect with a card thanking her for her time.  This will allow you to stand out and when the customer is ready to make a purchase because you took this additional step, your chances of being the one to get the business is much higher.
  5. SendOutCardsSend your customers holiday cards.  Whether it is one of the popular holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, Independence Day, or one of those less popular holidays like President’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, etc.  take the time to send your customers a holiday card for the holidays that you feel would be appropriate.  I know I have said this before, but people just don’t get a lot of cards anymore, so receiving a card from your company on a special holiday can really make your company shine!
  6. Send a customer a life milestone card.  Sometimes you may know of a special event that occurred in your customer’s life, like the birth of a grandchild, or the graduation of a child, or an engagement or marriage.  Whatever the special occasion may be, sending a nice card to your customer to recognize the milestone is  great way to build the business relationship and for you to stand out as someone who cares about your customers.
  7. Send your customers a special invitation to an upcoming promotional event.  Having consistent events to promote your business is always a smart thing to do, but making sure you send a special invitation to your VIPs, loyal, or repeat customers is sometimes overlooked.  Receiving an email about an event can sometimes get lost in the shuffle, so sending an invitation via the mail can help your event to stand out and will keep your company and the event top of mind for your customers.

You will notice that the common element for each one of these tips is to send a card!  A great system to use to automate the sending of cards and gifts for your clients is SendOutCards.  SendOutCards is an online system that allows you to select a card, customize the card, add the contact information for the recipient or upload a list of contacts, and hit send.  The card will then be printed, stuffed, and mailed to the recipient(s) all by the click of your mouse.  In addition, you’re able to keep track of all the cards and gifts that you send because the system keeps a record of everything for you.

For more information go to www.SendOutCards.com  If you decide that you want to use the system to send your cards and gifts, you can use id#155454 to join.

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on 7 Surprising Ways to Get Repeat & Referral Business  |  in Business, Business Development, Business Events, Event Marketing, Marketing, Small Business, Uncategorized
March
31 2014

How to Create a SIMPLE & EFFECTIVE Marketing Plan

You may have heard that all small businesses should have a marketing plan, but did you know that very few actually take the time out to create one.  The task of creating a marketing plan may seem daunting and intimidating, but you can create a simple and effective marketing plan by answering the following 8 key questions about your business:

  1. Who is your target market?

    You’ve probably heard this before, but it is VERY important to understand exactly who your target market is for your product or service.  When it comes to understanding your target market, it is not limited to just knowing the demographics like the age range, gender, geographical location, income level, etc., but also knowing the psychographics of your target market.  This includes items such as belief system, personality traits, attitude, etc.

    Once you understand the demographics and psychographics of your target market, then your marketing effort becomes much easier!

  2. What is the problem that your target market has (as it relates to your product or service)?

    List specific problems that your target market has as it relates to your product or service. žImagine how these problems make your target market feel stressed out, overwhelmed, uncertain, etc.

    Once you fully understand how your target market feels, you will be better able to communicate effectively to your target audience!

  3. How does your product or service solve that problem? 

    Be sure to focus on how the benefits of your product or service solves their problems.  You can mention some product features, but the benefits are what people are interested in.  Benefits focus on the advantages i.e. your product makes a person look younger, become healthier, etc.  and features focus on the characteristics of your product or service i.e. over 10 years on the market, fast acting, etc.

    Your message should be 80% about the benefits of your product or service, and only 20% about the features!

  4. Why should they buy from you and not your competitors?  žWhat is your unique selling proposition?


    These are the things that make you and/or your company different. Your customers want to know what makes you better than your competitors.

    The more able you are to effectively communicate why your company is the best solution, the better your marketing efforts will be. 

  5. Where is your target market?

    You need to find out where your target market is located geographically and specific locations. This could include local (cities, counties, etc.), international (countries). žPlaces could include associations, festivals, groups, organizations, etc.

    Find out where your target market is in large quantities, so you can reach them in large quantities.

  6. How do you reach your target market?

    Are you reaching out to your target offline through networking, advertising, media, or žonline through your website, social networks,blogging, etc.

    You should have several ways both online and offline to reach out to your target market.

  7. When do you reach out to your target market?

    Create a marketing calendar. Plan out the next 90 days, 6 months, to a year of marketing activity.  Schedule your activity daily, monthly, quarterly, and stay organized.

    Plan out your marketing activity in advance in order to successful execute your marketing activities.

  8. What do you say to your target market?

    How you communicate to your target market can make the difference between success and failure.  Use messaging that your target market can understand and relate to.

    Use appropriate messaging that your target market can relate to.  žKnow the best keywords and buzz words to use in your content.

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on How to Create a SIMPLE & EFFECTIVE Marketing Plan  |  in Uncategorized
March
25 2014

Do you have a business MAP?

Blog Image- Business MAPWhen you’re planning a road trip, it is important to map out your route and decide the best way to reach your destination.  In the old days, when people went on long road trips, they would use an old fashion map to plot out the best roads  to take, and to decide which route would be the shortest, the most scenic, or would have less traffic.  Now a days, in the technological society that we live in, people have GPS systems in their cars or on their smart phones.  These GPS systems help to guide them to their next destination.  No matter whether you are using an old fashioned MAP or a GPS, it requires that you take action (drive) in order to get to your destination.

Similar to a road trip, navigating where you would like your business to go requires a MAP that will help you determine the next step to take, and the best way to go.  I consider a MAP for your business to be a Marketing Action Plan (MAP).  A MAP shows what action you need to take daily, weekly, monthly or yearly to get your business to your destination (whatever that destination may be for your business).

So how do you create a business Marketing Action Plan (MAP)?

Step 1-  Determine where it is you want to GO.

The key to this step is to be specific in what you want for your business.  For example, do you want to reach a certain amount of sales for the month?  Do you want a certain amount of qualified leads?  Do you want to have a certain amount of referrals per week?  You need to be clear on exactly what your business goals are, before you can put a plan in place to reach it.

The key here is to set your goals before you start your trip!

Step 2-  Determine the ACTION required in order to reach your goal

Sounds simple enough right?  Now that you have determined what your goals are, what necessary steps and action do you need to take in order to reach your goal?  It could be as simple as two prospect meetings a week, three follow-up phone calls a day, four networking meetings a month, etc.  You have to work out the numbers that make sense for your business and take the necessary ACTION to reach those numbers.

The key here is once you know how many meetings, events, phone calls, etc. that it takes to get a closed sale, then you need to take the ACTION in order to achieve those numbers

Step 3-  Create a PLAN

Ok, I know I say this a lot, but you really need to have a plan for almost everything you do in business, and this includes having a plan for the action you are going to take on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis.  Your plan is something that is forever changing, but you MUST have it in place in order to be successful and reach your destination.  A Marketing Action Plan is different than a Marketing Plan.  Check out my last post about creating a Marketing Plan.  An action plan is more like your daily, weekly, or monthly “To Do” list that helps you to move forward to reach your ultimate business goals.

The key here is to have it in writing!  It’s amazing what will happen when you take the things you have in your head as to what you need to do and put it on paper.  Once you put it on paper, you are bringing it to life!

So in conclusion, much like when you go on a trip you make sure you have directions, a map, your GPS, etc. the same applies for your business, you must have a business MAP in order to successfully reach your destination.  Once you have taken all the necessary ACTION, you can say, “I have reached my destination!”

Do you have a business MAP?  What do you do to make sure you are taking daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly ACTION in order to reach your business goals?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on Do you have a business MAP?  |  in Business, Business Development, Marketing, Small Business, Uncategorized
March
09 2014

Are you practicing “RAM” in your business?

When-you-fail-to-PLANWhen it comes to marketing, most people know it is an important part of business, but not everyone takes the time to fully understand and implement their marketing activities.  Therefore, they practice what I have heard referred to as “Random Acts of Marketing” (RAM).  This is when you try this marketing activity and see if it works, then try that marketing activity, and so forth, and so on.  This is the worst type of marketing effort, in fact, it reminds me of the saying when you fail to plan, you plan to fail and that is why having a Marketing Plan and someone who will keep you accountable to execute that plan is very important for a small business owner.

The first step to stop RAM in your business is to create a Marketing Plan.  When I casually talk to various business owners at networking events, I ask them if they have a written marketing plan and most of the time people do not have a written plan.  It’s good to have an idea of what you want to do for your marketing, but a written marketing plan will help you to get clarity in several key areas of your marketing including your target market, the solution that your product or service offers your specific target market, and how you can successfully reach and convert members of your target market into paying customers.  When you have clarity on your marketing, then you have clarity in your business, so let’s look at each section in more detail:

KNOW YOUR TARGET MARKET IN DETAIL

The biggest thing I hear a lot of business owners say is,  “anyone could use my product or service”, but “anyone” is not a specific market that you can reach out to and create a strategic marketing campaign.  The smarter thing to do would be to pick a specific group or groups of individuals who are looking for a solution to a specific problem that your product or service offers a solution for.  Get to know that market inside and out.  Not just the typical demographics of age, gender, income level, etc., but know the psycho-graphics, what they tend to believe, what hobbies they tend to like, the places they like to go, etc.  This is smart marketing and helps a company to achieve better results.

KNOW WHY YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE IS THE “IDEAL” SOLUTION

Once you full understand the needs of your target market, the next step is to let your target market know why your product or service is the ideal solution.  Unless you live in a bubble, there are probably other people out there who do what you do, so you have to be very clear on what makes you different and ultimately what makes you better, which will encourage people to use your products or services instead of your competitors

KNOW WHERE YOUR TARGET MARKET “HANGS OUT”

Now that you know your target market, you know what their problems are and you know why your company is the ideal solution, now you need to let them know you are available to help!  The best way to do this is to find places where your target market hangs out in large quantities and to stand out as the ideal solution for their needs.  This can be done in both online and offline.

KNOW THE NECESSARY TERMINOLOGY TO CONVERT YOUR PROSPECTS TO CLIENTS

A lot of marketing involves psychology.  It involves getting in the mind of your target audience, understanding their needs, desires, fears, etc. and showing up as a solution through varies marketing activities and using the appropriate terminology to attract your prospects to your business, product or service.  It’s one thing to be at the right place at the right time, but it’s a whole other thing to be at the right place, at the right time, saying the right things!

The second step to stop RAM in your business is to have accountability.  When I say accountability, I mean someone either internally or externally that is responsible for making sure that your marketing plan is executed successfully.  In most medium to large companies a Vice President of Marketing, Chief Marketing Officer, or Marketing Director is the person that is held accountability for the marketing activity of the company, but for smaller businesses that don’t have various departments or the person who is a Entrepreneur or a one man show, he or she tends to add the role of Marketing to the many additional titles and roles that need to be done in the company.  The problem with this is that it can be overwhelming at times to manage all the marketing activity and the day to day management and operation of the business, and sometimes the marketing activity falls to the side.  That’s why outsourcing some marketing activity to individuals who can assist you can be useful.  This could include getting help for some of the strategic marketing planning from marketing experts, and outsourcing some of the marketing activities to individuals who can assist you including:

HIRING A MARKETING COACH

A marketing coach can help you go through the necessary steps you need to take to write your marketing plan and help you to put together a marketing calendar to make sure you schedule out your marketing activity.  A coach can also help you to get clear on who you really  need to be targeting since most people feel they should be targeting everyone (WRONG!).

HIRING A MARKETING CONSULTANT

A marketing consultant can assist you with looking at your overall business and determining the best type of marketing strategies, systems, and support you will need to accomplish the goals that you would like to achieve.

HIRING A MARKETING ASSISTANT

A marketing assistant can help with getting those marketing activities done.  Let’s face it there are only a certain number of hours in the day and having someone available to accomplish those necessary daily, weekly or monthly tasks needed to execute your marketing can be very useful.

So in conclusion, in order to stop practicing Random Acts of Marketing (RAM) you must put together a marketing plan and execute your plan!  If you are unable to execute all aspects of your marketing it may be a good idea to get some help from a coach, consultant or assistant.

How do make sure that your company is not practicing RAM?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on Are you practicing “RAM” in your business?  |  in Uncategorized
February
23 2014

How to Pick a Social Media Management Tool

When it comes to keeping up with managing and measuring your business social media networks it can be overwhelming at times, that is why a social media management tool is essential to keep your social media activity organized, scheduled and current.

Here is a look at three of the most popular social media management tools:

HootSuite

HootSuite is a social media management system for businesses and organizations to collaboratively execute campaigns across multiple social networks from one secure, web-based dashboard. This tools allows you to schedule messages and tweets, launch marketing campaigns, identify and grow audiences, and distribute targeted messages using HootSuite’s unique social media dashboard.

You can also streamline team workflow with scheduling and assignment tools and reach audiences with geo-targeting functionality. You can also invite multiple collaborators to manage social networks securely, plus provide custom reports using the comprehensive social analytics tools for measurement.

Key social network integrations include:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Google+ Pages
  • Foursquare
  • WordPress
  • And more…

In addition, HootSuite offers a suite of social content apps for:

  • YouTube
  • Flickr
  • Tumblr
  • And more…

COST-  HootSuite has a FREE account and paid packages with additional features start as low as $8.99/month

Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a social media management software for business.  It’s a management and engagement platform for social businesses.  This tool allows you to engage, publish, analyze, and monitor across several social networks.

Sprout Social allows you to reach your audience across networks and promptly reply to your customers.  It makes it easy for teams to keep tabs on conversations and effectively engage at all times.

Key social network integrations include:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Google+ Pages

COST-  Sprout Social offers a 30-day FREE trial and the lowest paid package is $39/month after the trial period.

Social Oomph

SocialOomph.com is a service that provides free and paid productivity enhancement services for social media users. Easily schedule updates, find quality people to follow, and monitor social media activity.

Key social network integrations include:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feeds
  • Blogs
  • Plurk
  • App.net

COST–  Social Oomph has a FREE account, and offers a FREE 7-day Social Oomph Professional trial, paid packages start at $17.97/bi-weekly

The key to finding the best social media management tool for you is to understand exactly what  you are looking to do on your social networks and identify which management system will allow you to automate and simplify these tasks.

Are you using a social media management tool to manage your social networks?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on How to Pick a Social Media Management Tool  |  in Uncategorized
February
09 2014

4 Reasons Your Business should be on Social Media

social-media-pictureWhen it comes to social media for businesses, the question really isn’t if you should be on social media, but which social network your business should be on.  There are so many social media networks out there that it can be hard to decide which social media network is right for your business, but for those business owners who are still undecided as to whether they should even be on any social networks, here are 4 reasons why your business should be on Social Media:

  1. To Stay Top of Mind with Your Current Customers-  Social Media is a great way to keep the conversation going with your customers.  It allows your customers to be able to see another side of your business through the posts that you include on your social networks.  This also helps to build a stronger connection with your customers.  Statistics show that people who follow a company on social media are more likely to purchase than if they do not.  Being in someone’s news feed is a great way for them to remember your business and when they are in the market for what you have to offer, your business will be top of mind.
  2. To Reach New Prospects for  Your Business–  Social Media is also a great way to reach new prospects and potential customers.  You can reach new prospects through two main avenues via social media:
  • Organically–  When one of your followers or fans share your information with their networks, it gives your company an opportunity to be introduced to a new group of people.  If they like what you posts you could also get some new followers and fans.
  • Paid–  If you have a marketing budget, you may want to consider investing in some advertising on your social media networks because this allows you to reach individuals who are not current fans or followers and potentially get new fans and followers.

3.  For Market Research– Social Media is a great place to conduct market research.  No need to hire a market research company, you can question, survey and poll your followers on social media.  This is a cost effective way of finding out the needs of your market and to make sure you are providing the right solutions.

4.  To Remain Current–  As much as we don’t like to admit it, customers kind of expect that your business will be on social media.  You want to show that your business is current and involved in the newer ways to communicate.  It’s kind of like when businesses first started to get websites, after awhile if you didn’t have a website your business did not look current or up to date, so it is important to stay current, which includes being involved in social media.

What reasons do you have for your business to be on social media?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on 4 Reasons Your Business should be on Social Media  |  in Blog, Business, Marketing, Small Business, Social Media
January
15 2014

How to pick an Email Marketing Service Provider

Are you using email marketing for your business?
Are you trying to decide what email marketing service provider to use?

Blog Image- How-to-Pick-an-EmailIf you are using email marketing for your business, or you are considering using email marketing, you have probably found out that there are hundreds maybe even thousands of email marketing service providers out there.  So how do you decide which one is right for you? It would be impossible for me to mention them all in this post, so I have narrowed it down to the top three that seem to be at the top of everyone’s list; MailChimp, Constant Contact, and AWeber.  Based on the popularity of these companies, I decided to do a post that compares these companies on customer base, price and product features.

MailChimp

MailChimp has the largest customer base with over 4,000,000 customers according to their website.  I suspect that their large customer base may have to do with the fact that they have a “Forever Free” product that allows small businesses to use their product and several of the main features for free as long as they don’t have more than 2,000 subscribers.  In addition, if someone opted to upgraded to a paid account, MailChimp  has the lowest priced monthly package of the three companies at $10/month.

Another advantage MailChimp has over the other Email Marketing Services providers is that they have several great features like automated list segmentation.  Their system allows you to segment your email list based on several already defined factors that you can select or adjust (i.e. member rating, subscriber activity, location, etc.).  MailChimp is also great if you want to upload an unlimited amount of images to use in your email.  Constant Contact and Aweber have limitations on the amount of images you can upload to their systems or the storage size available for the images you upload.

MailChimp also offers the following features that neither Constant Contact or Aweber offer:

  • Event Triggered Autoresponders–  this allows you to send a follow-up email to someone based on an action they have taken within your email.
  • A/B Testing–  this gives you the option of testing elements of your email campaign to see which one works better via A/B testing.
  • Inbox Preview–  this offers you the ability to preview your email and see how it looks over various email providers like gmail, yahoo, aol, etc.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact is in the middle of the three companies with over 500,000 customers according to their website.  They are also in the middle with price.  They offer a 60-day FREE trial option, and their lowest priced package after the trial period is $15/month.  One of the features that stands out with the Constant Contact email marketing product is the fact that they offer you an extensive Contact Management System that allows you to treat your list as not just subscribers, but contacts in which you can add additional information on each contact like the person’s phone number, address, special notes, social networks, etc. making the system more of a type of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) instead of just a list of subscribers.  Constant Contact also offers its customers direct access to quality stock images to use in their email, but there is an additional cost for this feature.

In addition, although email marketing is their main product, Constant Contact offers a suite of solutions for small business owners (at an additional cost).  Allowing you to create a dashboard of online marketing tools that complement your email marketing product.  These tools include:

  • EventSpot-  A tool to help you manage events online
  • Social Campaigns–  A tool to help you grow your fans on social media
  • SaveLocal–  Allows you to create offer deals to send to your customers
  • Online Surveys–  Online Surveys, Polls, & Questions to get your customers feedback
  • And more…

Constant Contact also offers a lot of support.  Depending on where you are located, Constant Contact offers many local FREE workshops and seminars to help educate the community about email marketing.  Another great feature that Constant Contact offers is FREE coaching for its customers and phone-based customer service.

AWeber

AWeber comes in at the lower end as far as amount of customers served with over 120,000 customers according to their website.  AWeber does not offer a free option or free trial, but does offer the first 30 days for $1.  After the first 30 days the lowest priced package is $19/month.  As far as features, an outstanding feature that is include in the AWeber email marketing system is  the ability to convert your blog post into an email newsletter with the click of a button (MailChimp also offers this feature).  AWeber also claims to offer some of the best email delivery rates in the business.

AWeber also offers customer service via phone 7 days a week (Constant Contact also offers phone support).

So the key takeaway from this analysis is you have to figure out what features are most important to you and select the company that has those important features!

Please see the chart below for a full comparison:

MailChimp Constant Contact AWeber
Customers Over 4,000,000 Over 500,000 Over 120,000
FREE Option Forever Free 60-day Trial No (first month for $1)
Lowest Priced Package $10/month $15/month $19/month
Features of Lowest Priced Packages:
Subscribers 0-500 0-500 0-500
Emails per Month Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
List Features:
Contact Management System Limited YES NO
List Segmentation Available YES YES-  Limited YES
Sign-up Forms YES YES YES
Geolocation YES NO YES
Email Features:
Customizable Email Templates YES YES YES
Image Hosting Unlimited Limited
(Up to 5 images)		 Unlimited
(Up to 10 MB)
Access to additional Stock Images YES-  via APP Additional Cost
($5/month)		 NO
Drag & Drop Editing YES YES YES
Mobile Responsive Email Templates Available YES YES YES
Autoresponder Emails YES-  New Subscribers and Event based Limited-  New Subscribers Only Limited-  New Subscribers Only
A/B Testing YES NO NO
Inbox Preview for various Email Providers (i.e. gmail, yahoo, aol, etc.) YES NO NO
Integration Features:
APP & Integration YES YES YES
RSS/Blog Integration YES NO YES
Social Media Features:
Share Email with Your Social Networks YES YES YES
Social Follow Buttons YES YES YES
Social Share Buttons YES YES YES
Reporting/Archive Features:
Campaign Archives YES Additional Cost YES
Reports YES YES YES
Google Analytics Integration YES YES YES
Customer Service:
Phone Customer Service NO-  Text or Chat Only YES YES

All information in this posts is based on information on the email marketing service provider’s website or obtained after talking to a representative from the company.  Features are based on current (January 2014) information.

Disclosure:  I have used both Constant Contact and MailChimp for my clients.  I have not used AWeber.  Although I like to feel that my analysis is not bias, I believe it is important to mention that I am a Solutions Provider for Constant Contact.

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  1 Comment  |  in Blog, Email Marketing, Marketing, Small Business
January
06 2014

4 Reasons Email Marketing is Key to Your Online Marketing Success

Are you using online marketing to promote your business?
Is email marketing a part of your online marketing strategy?

Email Marketing Blog Post 1No matter what type of online marketing you engage in, blogging, social media, sales pages, podcasting, video marketing, etc.  You will find that one key element that can help in the success of your online marketing is Email Marketing.  Some people are under the impression that Email Marketing is dead and that nobody really reads email anymore.  Although it may be true that most of our inboxes are inundated with email messages, and it is getting harder and harder to get people’s attention in a crowded email box, email still plays an important role in our daily communication.

So why is email marketing so important to the success of your online marketing?  The simple answer is own, control, personalize, and act.  So let’s look at these four reasons in detail:

  1. You Own Your Email List–  Compared to other online marketing mediums, email is one of the only mediums that allows you to own the information that you collect on your contacts.   Therefore, the goal of your email list is to own a large list of people who are interested in what you have to say and are engaged with your brand.  The larger your list is with engaged, interested subscribers, the higher your chances of successful email marketing.  It is also important to use all of your online marketing channels to encourage your loyal followers, fans, etc to join your email list.   As the saying goes, the money is in your list!
  2. Control of the Visibility of your Content–  compared to the social network platforms, email marketing gives you more control of who sees your information, and the actual information that they receive.  Almost on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, some major social network is making changes to its algorithm, which influences, how, when or if your posts, tweets or whatever is being seen by the audience that you have on that network.  Therefore, there is limited control as to how much of your information that your audience will see.  Let’s face it, these networks are looking for ways to monetize every area, so the visibility of your posts will be less and less unless you plan to spend some advertising dollars.  Take control of how often and what information your followers see by consistently sending valuable email marketing campaigns (the keyword here is valuable).
  3. Personalization–  Most online marketing efforts have a “one-to-many” feel.  When we are on large social networks it feels like you are at an online event, or an online party and although the marketing messages are geared to be personal, it still feels public.  Email on the other hand although it may be “one-to-many”, it feels more “personal”.  Especially if you add various personalization throughout the email like the person’s name, business name, etc.  This gives email marketing more of a stronger relationship building feel for a brand than other forms of online marketing.
  4. Strong Calls to Action–  Email Marketing is also the best place to use strong calls to actions and to inspire your audience to take the next step with your company.  Whether that next step is purchasing, learning more, referring business or just having your company top of mind.  After all the end results of good marketing should be consistent exposure, which leads to  consistent sales.

Do you feel email marketing is important to the success of your online marketing?  Be sure to share your comments below.

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  1 Comment  |  in Blog, Email Marketing, Email Results, Marketing
December
27 2013

When it Comes to Your Marketing Message, What You Say Matters!

Blog Image- What-You-Say-MattersWhen it comes to getting your potential customers to take ACTION and PURCHASE your product or service, what you say really matters!  For a business to consumer (B2C) type of company, potential customers are more moved by emotional reasons rather than logical reasons for purchasing, so creating messaging that plays into the emotional side of the sale, really works well for a B2C type of business.

On the other hand, for a business to business (B2B) type of company, businesses are less interested in the emotional side of the sale and more interested in the cold hard facts and the bottom line!

So how do you make sure you are communicating your message effectively?

Business to Consumer (B2C)

  1. Know the WANTS of your customers
  2. Know how your customer FEELS
  3. Know how your customer would like to FEEL
  4. Show your customer how your product or service can make them FEEL
  5. Show the BENEFITS of your product or service
  6. Show other customers just like them who are enjoying your product or service

Business to Business (B2B)

  1. Know the NEEDS of your customers
  2. Know the PROBLEMS your customers may be having
  3. Show how your product or service solves the PROBLEM
  4. Show how your product or service can INCREASE the bottom line
  5. Show other companies who have used your product or service and have found success

How you communicate to your target market can make the difference between SUCCESS and FAILURE.  Use messaging that your target market can UNDERSTAND and RELATE TO.   

What type of marketing messaging have you found to be successful for your business?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on When it Comes to Your Marketing Message, What You Say Matters!  |  in Blog, Business, Business Development, Marketing, Small Business