Tan notebook cover on white desk with the title 3 favorite time saving digital & marketing tools
Business, Constant Contact, Email Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Tech Tools

3 Favorite Time Saving Digital & Marketing Tools

I love it when I read about a new tech tool that someone raves about, but I’ve never heard of.  I immediately jot down the name, what it’s good for, and who recommended it. Sometimes if it’s so fascinating to me (I have ADHD), I’ll go right to it. And other times it gets transferred onto a list in Trello. Let’s see if these 3 Favorite Time Saving Digital & Marketing Tools make your list.

Check out more of my favorite tools.

 

This brings me to the first of my favorite digital & marketing tools!

#1. TRELLO (digital tool)

After five years, I’m still exploring all the features of this fabulous digital tool. It’s perfect for my needs right now. And did I mention it’s free?  At least the version I use is.

What it is.

Trello is a digital organizing tool that resembles bulletin boards. It’s also a task board. It’s a project management system. Let me explain.

Workspaces

You create workspaces (pages). And for each workspace, there are boards (columns). You 

assign your boards’ titles. Each board has a card underneath that you assign a task or a note, whatever you choose to do. You can drag your boards and your cards around the page. You can even copy a board to another workspace and move a card to it too. If you don’t want to start a workspace from scratch, you can search the templates that may already have the boards you want.

Boards

Trello boards can be used for flow charts, reminder lists, to-do lists, and “I need to look into that later” back burner list, that can be called up anytime.

Functions

Trello digital tool workspace and boards view

  • Name your boards whatever you wish.
  • Keep private boards.
  • Shared boards with others.
  • Color code boards and tasks.
  • Add attachments, files, and photos to cards.
  • Pretty boards and cards with photo screens.
  • Star important boards.
  • Delete boards.

The most fun I have with these boards is moving the cards around. 

Here’s an example of how I use Trello

Let’s say I have a board named for a client and I name the main board my clients name. And I have tasks to do Monday through Friday for that client. I create boards next to one another, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. And at the end, I have a board named Done.  If that Monday task doesn’t get done on Monday, I can just drag it to Tuesday. When I do complete the task, I drag that task card over to the Done board. Oh, the satisfaction of seeing that Done board fill up!

 

Another of my favorite digital & marketing tools!

#2. Buffer (marketing tool)

I’ve been a fan of Buffer for eight years. They have several plans from Free to Business to Pro plans.

What it is.

Buffer is a marketing tool but also a social media scheduling and content planning system.  I use it to manage my clients’ content and my own as well. Over the years, they’ve added platforms and as of this writing, they allow postings for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube shorts.  I have to say, I’m a big fan of the drag-and-drop system because I just realized my next tool also uses drag-and-drop. But let’s go over some of the cool features that I use and are really helpful.

Create Content Once

First of all, you create content once and post it on all five platforms with one click by choosing “share now”. Now, you won’t want to be sharing them all at the same time. That’s ill-advised when using social media for business purposes. But…you can.

A better option is to set up your dates and times for each platform and have the content pushed out at those designated times. More details are below on this feature.

Easy on the eyes

Visually, this publishing tool is so easy on the eyes.  It’s notBuffer digital and marketing tool interface complicated and you don’t even need a tutorial to learn how to use it. It’s that simple!

Here are some cool things you can do besides posting. You can preschedule, ok I think that’s a given. But you add a schedule that you want. Let’s use this example. I want the same post of mine to go out to Facebook on Monday, Instagram on Wednesday, LinkedIn on Friday, and Twitter on Saturday. You set up the schedule in advance just once and every time you create that piece of content and put it in the funnel, it enters a queue and is sent off on those days and times like magic, that’s right…like magic.

Want to throw a lot of content into Buffer, go ahead.  You can see all of your posts and photos when you scroll and you can change the order of the days by dragging a Monday to a Wednesday or vice versa. Want Buffer to shuffle your content, you can do that too.

Create Drafts

Not ready to schedule your posts, create drafts instead. You can edit them after saving them. And when you’re ready to share your drafts, you can schedule or send them immediately.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Go to Buffer.com to learn more.

 

Lastly, the most used of my  favorite digital & marketing tools!

#3 CONSTANT CONTACT (marketing tool)

You may be aware that I’ve been a Certified Partner with this brand. I’m approaching my 10-year anniversary soon! I’m able to offer a service to my clients that saves them both time and money while helping them grow their businesses using this resource.

What it is.

Constant Contact is an Email Service Provider (ESP) and a digital marketing tool. They have many more features than email marketing but I want to focus on that. First of all, they have a proven track record of success and helping small businesses grow for over 25 years. I like a solid company to partner with.

They have a simple drag-and-drop editor (as mentioned above) with a 3-part dashboard for creating email campaigns. Build-Images-Design. And hundreds of templates, most of which are done for you!

BUILDConstant Contact email service provider digital tool editor and email template
This area has “blocks” which are design placeholders you drag into a template for your content. Once the blocks are placed, you fill them in with content. The content I’m referring to is headlines, photos, text, buttons, social media sharing, etc.

IMAGES
This is your library of photos that you’ve uploaded into your account or want to upload into it and add to your emails.

DESIGN
This is your branding portal. It features backgrounds, borders, fonts, and buttons. You choose the colors, font types, and sizes here.

The Constant Contact software is extensive but it’s simple to use once you start using it regularly. Just like any new system you try has a learning curve. The advantage for you is that I’m a Constant Contact Certified Partner and can get you up to speed quickly, helping you with shortcuts. Even better, I can create, design and send your emails or you!

These three favorite time-saving digital and marketing tools might be just what you need if you want to be more productive, organized, and consistent with your marketing efforts.

Constant contact marketing tool logo

Try Constant Contact for 60 days free.

No credit card is required.

Business, Constant Contact, Email Marketing, Marketing

A Guide to (Nearly) Everything Email Marketing

Consider this blog post as a guide.

Email marketing can be easy if you follow a few simple rules. These are seven rules that act as your guide to (nearly) everything email marketing.

  • learn why email marketing is an essential business tool, 
  • how you should be using email marketing, 
  • best practices in crafting email campaigns, 
  • the different types of email campaigns, 
  • the essential components of an email, 
  • how to get your emails opened and read
  • checking your metrics to see what’s working and what needs improvement

WHAT IS EMAIL MARKETING?

Email marketing is a communications tool with a professional look that delivers relevant content to an interested audience. It is intended to elicit an action by the reader. This is known as a CTA (call to action).  The CTA gets the reader to respond in the way of a visit to the sender’s website, or a link to a guide or white paper, a download, coupon redemption, etc.. to increase sales, production, or whatever your business goal is.

WHY USE EMAIL MARKETING?

Email marketing has a high rate of ROI (return on investment) and when used properly is a very effective business tool. It will help you create and increase brand awareness, can drive new business, and trigger repeat business. Plus it has 3x the conversion rate of social media marketing. Email marketing used with social media will garner the best results for sales conversions.

EMAIL TYPES

Different types of email campaign messages: Newsletters, coupons, surveys, promotions, flyers, and events are all examples of email campaigns.  Depending on the CTA, this will determine the type of campaign you’ll want to create. 

  • For example, a NEWSLETTER is a long-form email with lengthy content and could simply be informational.  Many not for profits use a monthly newsletter. Because donors have a keen interest in their cause, they are more likely to read a longer message. They want to see how the organization’s mission is being carried out. Or how funds are being allocated. Their CTA might include a donation button to collect charitable funding.
  • A FLYER, on the other hand, is typically a short and creative campaign used to promote an event or a sale. In this case, it would act like a “notice”. The CTA would most likely be a registration button or an RSVP link.  It would also include the date, time, and location of the event.
  • A PROMOTION email will usually include an offer or coupon code in the email body.  This offer would be in the form of a button or link that might say “shop now” or “buy here” and can take the reader to a website or product purchase.
  • An EVENT email will include a registration form that is created separately but accessed when the registration link is clicked. The form should include a longer description of the event, the date, time, location, map, and event fee (if applicable). The fee can be collected directly from the form using a credit or debit card through We Pay or PayPal. You have the option also to collect payment at the door on the day of the event.

EMAIL FREQUENCY

Depending on the type of business one has will determine the type of campaign they will use and also the frequency that they send them.  There are industry trends that dictate this as well.  However, nothing in marketing is set in stone.  Each business will need to use the tried and true method of testing in determining what works best for them and their audience.

In general, a not-for-profit with an informational email campaign typically includes a culmination of articles and sends as a monthly update. On the other hand, a small local business might send a bi-weekly or weekly email.  Many larger retailers send out emails more than once per week.  Restaurants can do well by sending weekly emails.  They may have weekly specials, announce a menu change, or showcase live music and want to include special offers.  With more offerings, the frequency of your message can follow suit.

Event emails are date-driven. Their frequency will differ from informational campaigns. Email calendar planning must be in place at least 6 weeks prior for successful attendance. Even further in advance if it’s an annual event with an expected attendance rate that is significantly higher. 

To make sure your readers are keeping interested and not unsubscribing from your list, you may want to send out a periodical SURVEY to gather information and reports. Content could be about what they’d like to read more about, less about, and give feedback. This is also an opportunity to get the necessary information in order to SEGMENT your email list. When considering adding a new product or service to your line, here is where you can find out the level of interest before you actually roll it out. 

Let’s get to the MAIN COMPONENTS of crafting an effective email campaign. At the least, you most certainly should include:

  • Your logo
  • A picture relating to your content
  • A CTA (call to action)
  • Signature or contact information
  • Your website link

 

These are the 6 steps to master the power of the inbox:

  1. Growing a healthy email list
  2. Creating great content
  3. Using and customizing templates
  4. Getting your emails opened
  5. Grabbing attention with subject lines
  6. Tracking your results

(source Constant Contact)

1. Let’s start with growing your email list.

This is where most people get stopped in their tracks. They have no idea how to grow their email list.  Here are some ideas:

OFFLINE– Keep a printable customized paper signup form and leave it at the checkout counter or check-in counter of your place of business. You can use the same form at any expo that you take part in or at an event that you organize. Another idea is to set up a fishbowl at your store. If you don’t have a storefront, collaborate with a local restaurant. Raffle a gift card from the restaurant and collect business cards in the fishbowl. You want to build a permission-based email list, so make sure you let the participants know in writing that when they enter the raffle they will also have opted in to your email list. These are some simple ideas. You can get creative with your ideas. Even without a list, you can still send out emails to most of your social media networks. Use the dedicated link that is attached to your email campaign. 

ONLINE– Start with a sign-up form on your website. Write a blog and include your sign-up link in it. Use social media signup tools. Add a signup form on your Facebook page (Constant Contact.) Include the signup link in your social media posts. Try Constant Contact’s feature, Text to Join. You choose a keyword, and an autoresponder with a default message appears once they enter a predetermined number to text to. The subscriber is then prompted to enter their email address. After it’s entered, another autoresponder will thank them and let them know that they are now subscribed to your list. You can customize your message, notify the subscriber of your email frequency and the type of content you’ll be sharing with them. It’s important to remember that people aren’t always willing to be added to an email list. Unless there is a good reason for them to sign up (remember the acronym WIIFM).

With this in mind, you should be willing to have an enticing incentive for your subscribers to sign up. Take some time to think about the reason someone would sign up for your emails. What one-time offer are you willing to give away? It could be a 20% discount on a first-time order or an exclusive offer that only email subscribers would be privy to. What about a download of an informational guide that only they can get access to? Make it something special. Don’t forget to let subscribers know what types of content they’ll receive and how often they should expect to hear from you.

2. Content

What makes good content? It should be entertaining, educational, visual, informational, or promotional. Keep this ratio in mind as you create your content calendar: 50% of your content should be entertaining and informational, 30% educational, and 20% promotional. It’s the 50, 30, 20 rule. Let’s move deeper into what this means.

  1. Entertaining and informational-use your sense of humor. Don’t go too far. Add in an informational component.
  2. Educational– “Did you know?” moments. What information do you have or possess that they don’t have access to?
  3. Promotional– This is all about you- why people should use your services or buy your product…etc.

Now, for the amount of content. Remember that people are short on time and most read emails on their smartphones Less is more, shorter is better. About 20 lines of text is enough. If you need to include more information, provide a link or button that says ‘read more.’

3. Templates

Choose and use mobile-friendly templates because more than 50% of all emails are opened on a smartphone. A template that isn’t mobile-friendly won’t show up properly on a smaller device as it would on a desktop or laptop. The page may be cut off, the formatting could be lost, and it would be harder for the reader to understand the message.

4. Getting your emails opened

There are specific rules you need to follow when it comes to the email “sender”. How does the subscriber know you? Is it the product you sell, your nickname, or your company name that they recognize? The best practice is to have both your first and last name and your company name. This way you are pretty much covered and people will recognize the sender. This is a major consideration because you definitely don’t want someone deleting your email before they even get the chance to see what’s in it! 

5. Subject lines (and preheaders)

Subject lines are the second most important factor for getting your email opened. How do you create an open-worthy email? The first thing to know is to create the subject line after you have created your email message. The main message of your email will dictate the core idea of your campaign. Once you’ve completed the content, you’ll find it easier to craft a simple, yet catchy subject line. A rule of thumb is for the subject line to be 6-11 words. That has shown to get the best open rates.  The more generic or vague a subject line, the less interesting it is for the reader. An example of a vague subject line is ”Summer Newsletter Happenings”.As opposed to a more creative and enticing one, such as “ 3 Fun Events in July”. 

Make sure to avoid SPAMMY words or phrases like, “Act Now”, “You’ve Won” or ”Make Money” and refrain from ALL CAPS and excessive punctuation!!!! These are all no-nos in email marketing. A good way to double-check you’re not using spam-like words is to look in your own spam inbox. See what kinds of inappropriate subject lines are there and then avoid them at all costs.

6. Tracking results

Many email marketers mistakenly overlook their analytics. Checking email campaign reports is crucial. The reports will guide your future direction, telling you what is and what is not working. Use this important information as a guide to making better decisions about better subject lines, better content, and better send times. Your campaign analytics should not be neglected in your overall strategy.

Which reporting should you focus on? The opens and more importantly, the clicks. The click is the call to action. In other words, the CTA is the desired action you guide the reader to take. Figure out what’s most important, your opens or your clicks. Make sure you also check your bounces and remove them to make room for quality people who want to hear from you. Adjust your strategy based on your reporting.

Bonus: Social Media Share

Any email marketing service you choose or use should include a social share button. The social share buttons allow you to send your email to a whole new audience – your social media connections who aren’t on your email list (yet). Most notably Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and Instagram. If your email service provider doesn’t offer social share, then you should include an email sign up link or a dedicated link from your latest email campaign to paste directly into your posts. Except for Instagram, as you can only add the link in the bio section of your account and in stories).  As you’re building an email list, you can use email marketing with success by sending the campaigns to your followers and connections.

Putting it all together – A tried and true approach to the design of your campaigns is to:

  • Create a non-spammy subject line with up to 6 words
  • Craft the subject line AFTER you’ve entered the content into your campaign
  • Make sure your subscriber knows immediately who the campaign is from
  • Keep content short, under 20 lines of text
  • Use a “read more” button if you need to expand on your content
  • Apply your brand colors and language
  • Include your logo, a CTA, your website (or link in bio), and contact info
  • Keep your CTA above the scroll line
  • Include a clickable, clear photo that relates to your content
  • Limit the number of photos to three
  • The more links you insert, the fewer clicks you’ll get

Also,

  • Consistently grow your email list with opt-in features and never purchase a list.
  • Create a content calendar – use a holiday calendar as your guide or decide on your mailing frequency. Then create the topics in advance so you have everything ready and planned in advance. This will keep you on schedule.

So, there are many factors to consider when creating email marketing campaigns. But as long as you start with these tips, you’ll get better and better at crafting and designing. And new ideas will spur. Before you know it, you’ll be a  pro!

 

 

Want more ideas?
Download my free guide to help you get more leads on your email list.

Constant Contact, Email Marketing, Marketing, Tech Tools

How To Grow Your Email List With An Opt-In

3 Simple Steps to Growing Your Email List.

Creating an opt-in may seem like a daunting task when you have no idea how to do it and your patience with tech may not be so good. You’re probably nodding your head in agreement!

But I have to say that creating an opt-in (or a freebie) is one of the best and fastest ways to grow your email list. Once you create the first one, other ideas will start flowing and soon you’ll be a pro!

Don’t worry, I’m going to make it simple for you.

 

 

So, where do you begin? I think that may be the hardest part. Getting started.

Let’s get right into it.

THE IDEA

Offer up a great piece of content like a whitepaper, eBook, checklist, tutorial or guide.

Pro-Tip

Less is more. Make it short and sweet with the fewest words possible but also provide the most impact. Use Hemingway App editor for desktop to help with your writing.

You should map out your idea first. Begin by brainstorming different topics that you teach or specialize in.  Once you have that brainstorming list of topics, think of questions your audience has about them. After drilling that down, do an online search for opt-in ideas related to your research.

That’s it for the first step. From there you need to work on the logistics.

 

For a PDF opt-in, all you need are 3 things. I’ll walk you through them.

You’ve already done the leg work for the first part. You have an IDEA of what type of freebie you want to create. 

Next, to create the freebie guide or sheet, you need a simple DESIGN PROGRAM. I recommend CANVA. Canva makes the process so simple. Choose a template, modify it, and match it to your brand.

Pro-Tip

Don’t overcomplicate. Tech is not everyone’s favorite. Don’t think that the design has to be perfect or you’ll get frustrated and abandon it. Go find a design and layout you already like and use it as a blueprint for yours.

Lastly, hook up your opt-in or freebie to your EMAIL SOFTWARE (I use Constant Contact).

Set up a landing page or an automation campaign with your sign up form to capture new subscriber email addresses.

Pro-Tip

View a tutorial. Use the email help center. Or call customer service to walk you through the landing page process or automation campaign. 

 

At a minimum, your sign up form should have a catchy and compelling title. Tell your prospect what they’ll get or how the PDF will help them.

Collecting their email address is the only requirement but you can still ask for their first and last name. If you want to segment your email list from the get-go, create a list in your email account that coincides with the freebie and have the email address your subscriber enters be sent directly to that list using the automation tool.

You may want to add a space for their state, industry or other information that will be helpful in sending them the most relevant information tailored to them.

And, don’t forget the thank you/confirmation email that directs them to the freebie download.  Personalize the thank you form. Don’t go the generic route. Not only is it boring but they need to know more. Like how often they’ll be hearing from you, and additional content they’ll be receiving going forward. You can even add another freebie offer or a small paid offer in the thank you email.

Now that you have your idea and know the simple set-up process, it’s time to start promoting your opt-in. Soon you’ll brainstorm more ideas. And you’ll rotate your freebies on a regular basis to keep growing your email list!

I’d love to know what you decide to create. Let me know in the comments below!

 

 

Get more tips like this on Instagram – Follow me @suevglenn

 

Business, Constant Contact, Email Marketing, Social Media, Tech Tools

Favorite Time-Saving Digital Tools

Don’t you love it when you read about a new tech tool that someone raves about, but you’ve yet to hear of?  I do!

I immediately jot the name down, what it’s used for, and who recommended it. Sometimes if it’s so fascinating, I’ll go right to it and other times it gets transferred onto a list in Trello.
 
This takes me to my first favorite time-saving digital tool!

 
#1. TRELLO
 
After two years, I still don’t know or use all the features of this fabulous tool. Whatever I am using it for, it is perfect for my needs right now. And did I mention it’s free?  At least the version I use is.
 
What it is.
 
It’s a task board. It’s also many task boards. There’s the main page with the boards you create. You assign your boards’ titles. Each board has a card. You can drag your boards and your cards around the page.
 
Use the boards like flow charts, reminders, or to-do lists. I have an “I need to look into that later” back burner list, that I can call up anytime. You can name your boards whatever you wish. You can assign private or shared boards with someone else who uses Trello. You can color-code your boards and your tasks. You can add an attachment, a file, and photos. You can make your boards pretty with photo backgrounds from their library or you can upload your own. You can star important boards and delete boards. The most fun I have with these boards is moving the cards around by dragging and dropping them.
 
Here’s an example. Let’s say I have a board named for a client and I name the mainboard my client’s name. And I have tasks to do Monday through Friday for that client. I create boards next to one another (left to right). Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. And at the far right end, I have a board named “Done”.  If that Monday task doesn’t get done on Monday, I cat drag it to Tuesday. When I do complete the task, I drag that task card over to the Done board.
 
Oh, the satisfaction of seeing that Done board fill up!

 
#2. BUFFER
 
I’ve been a fan of Buffer for five years now. They have several plans from free to business to Pro plans.
 
What it is.
 
It’s a social media scheduling system. I use it to manage my clients’ content and my own as well. Over the years, they’ve added social media platforms. As of this writing, they allow postings for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  I must say, I’m a big fan of the drag and drop system because I just realized my next tool also uses drag and drop. But let’s go over some of the cool features that I use which are super helpful.
 
First of all, you create content once and share it to all four platforms with one click. Now you won’t want to be sharing them all at the same time. That’s a no-no when using social media for business purposes. But…you can.
 
This publishing tool is so easy on the eyes. It’s visually pleasing.  It’s not complicated and you don’t even need a tutorial to learn how to use it. It’s that simple!
 
Here are some cool things you can do besides posting. You can preschedule, ok that’s a given. But you add a posting schedule that you want. Let’s use this example. I choose a post to send to Facebook on Monday, Instagram on Wednesday, LinkedIn on Friday, and Twitter on Saturday. You set up the schedule once in advance. Each time you create a piece of content and put it in the funnel, it enters a queue. And then it sends off on the schedule you created like magic, that’s right…like magic.
 
Want to throw a lot of content into Buffer, go ahead.  You can see all posts and photos when you scroll. And you can change the order of the days by dragging a Monday to a Wednesday or vice versa. Want Buffer to mix up your posts after adding a lot of content to your account queue? They’ll shuffle them into a completely random order and send them out.
 
#3. CONSTANT CONTACT
 
First of all, I’m a partner so I know a lot more about the features of Constant Contact. And I delve into them more often than the average person.
 
What it is.
 
Email marketing is my jam, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t include an email marketing service on this list. There are several reasons I love using this software.  There are so many cool things that Constant Contact does outside of email marketing. The best part is it’s all inside the dashboard so it’s easily accessible and integrated.
 

Let’s go through some of the features one by one.  Starting with the obvious. Their core product is email marketing.

And below that is a list of  all their services:
 
Email – Create professional emails to send to targeted groups of your subscribers. And get more sales! The drag and drop feature is user-friendly.
They have hundreds of customizable templates and done for you holiday templates.
A library of paid and free stock photos is available so you don’t have to go outside the platform to search.
Share your emails to social media platforms so those who aren’t already on your list can get access.
Use the Facebook sign up form to entice new subscribers onto your email list.
One more thing I’ll mention. Text To Join. You can use this feature to capture emails. It’s not texting subscribers with messages. It’s an automation tool that you set up once with a keyword of your choice. New subscribers enter the keyword you give them. They receive an automated request asking them to join your list. After they enter their email address, they get an automated thank you email. Now, they’re on your list. Cool, huh?
 
Automation – Send premade emails automatically. When users click, join, or buy on a trigger you create. Time saver!
 
Social Post – Get the word out on your social media networks. Use the built-in scheduler inside the dashboard.
 
Ads – Create Google ads and social ads inside the dashboard with easy setup options. Remove a lot of the guesswork. Constant Contact moves you through a flow.
 
Events – Find out who’s coming to your event using registration forms and payment collection. Create, promote, and manage your events.
 
Surveys – Create and send. Get fast feedback and use it as market research for better emails.
 
Landing pages – Mini websites to host forms, opt-ins, products, sales, and coupons.
 
Stores & Websites – Sell from your emails using e-commerce capabilities. Use their simple web builder to create your custom website.

Want to try Constant Contact 60 days for free? Sign up here.