Email marketing, combined with social media, provides the best marketing ROI for getting your message out and expanding your reach. As entrepreneurs, we are all busy taking care of every aspect of our businesses. If you are like me, it helps to schedule time for projects to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. If you have been putting off starting your email and social media plan, below are some tips to help you get started. These are basic steps you will need to go through to get your email newsletter up and running, broken down in 4 weeks.
Remember to always be compliant with the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation. Sign up for a trial of Constant Contact.
Step #1: Compile Your Data
Compile your contacts into a spreadsheet with the column headings seen in the example below. If you need help with organizing your data, feel free to contact me. Setting up your data properly will allow you to send specific messages to different groups at different times. Create a “Category” column, and label each record/row according to what lists you would like to send to. Then sort the spreadsheet by the category column. Save each category as its own spreadsheet, then upload to Constant contact to create your distribution lists.
Some people get stuck on the sorting part. Building connections is an important part of business. Learning the sorting feature in Excel is a critical skill for managing your connections & contact data more effectively. Not to mention a huge time saver.
Click here to see an instructional video on sorting a spreadsheet.
Step #2: Create Your Template
Set up your template, including your logo, custom banners, and signature. Include your website and connect to all your social media links. Be consistent with your branding, including your company colors, fonts, images, and writing style. It will take you a while to set up your first template and email newsletter, but after the first time, you can just copy it for future emails, saving you lots of time.
Step #3: Develop Your Content
Write your content for your first three email announcements, and schedule them for distribution. Once sent you, your newsletter subject line and a link to your email newsletter will be posted on your social media accounts. Here are some ideas for content:
a. Introduce your contacts to your new email newsletter format and let them know about the easy unsubscribe link at the bottom of the message.
b. Send a special offer and links to useful resources.
c. Feature a successful client project with tips for potential customers.
Step #4: Analytics
Monitor your analytics and make adjustments as needed. Your list will be cleansed over the first few weeks of your new email newsletter, with higher unsubscribes and bounces expected in the beginning. This will even out over time, resulting in a well refined, targeted list.
Whether you need help managing one of the steps, or managing g your monthly marketing, I am here to help you. Contact me today to get started FAST!
Comments are closed.