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Email Marketing Tips The world of Email Marketing is rapidly changing! This article was prompted by a couple of questions I got in the last few weeks. Both asked the same question ... "Should I spend money on a paid email newsletter/marketing system to grow my Emcee business and which one did I recommend?" So, let's tackle the two questions and give you some tips on how to use one and make the most of the small investment. Firstly, yes, I think it is well worth the small investment in your business to subscribe to a paid service rather than using one of the "free" alternatives. I've never been afraid to spend some money if I know it will give me a good return on that investment. Paying will give you a many better features and importantly give you support and training. Several of the free services give no support at all and there is not much in the way of training or tutorials. You are left alone to figure it all out. Paid services also provide much more "deliverability." This is the rate at which emails are actually received at the other end. You will be horrified to find out just how many of your hard earned contacts receive your emails if sent via some services! The cost to subscribe should also be immediately claimable as a business expense on your tax. Compared to the possible returns the investment is a great one! Say for example you subscribe to a service that costs you $20 per month. That's $240 a year. You will probably pay less if you pay for 12 months at once, perhaps just $200 - $220. So, how much extra work will be generated by being in more regular contact with your past clients, possible clients and targets? How much time would you save if this process was automated in different ways? How much more effective would your mailouts be if you could track and test different approaches? I would say every one reading this would charge at least $250 for even the smallest assignment and the majority of you would have an extra zero at the end of that figure. So, just the first extra job would more than pay for a years subscription! And who knows how many extra assignments you will get in the year! I've been paying for Email Marking services for probably 18 years and my business would not be where it is today without them. The return on investment is huge. In fact, The Direct Marketing Association reports a return of $38 for every $1 spent which is quite amazing. (2015 DMA USA Report.) Lastly, and importantly, if you pay for something you normally will put the time in to make it work. A free or cheap service often gets put on the back burner as you are not really fully committed to it. You never really get to see the full potential. Having some "skin in the game" really helps. My Recommendation! Constant Contact is probably the most recognised and respected available and they have been around for over 20 years. Over the last few years they have been adding a heap of new features bringing them into line with some of the other new players in the market who brought in some advanced concepts and features. What I really like is the ease of use. A couple of the other choices have very steep learning curves that will really eat up your time or force you into paying someone else to set you up. They also have Drag & Drop editing which makes setting up mailouts easy. They are also widely recognised by your customers and clients. Their brand adds credibility to yours! I'm sure you are subscribed to some newsletters sent out via Constant Contact already. You know the brand and you have confidence that the Subscribe and Unsubscribe system works. Good news if you are in the USA or Canada, Constant Contact are currently offering a free 60 day Trial with no credit card required just to try it out! If you live elsewhere I think they offer a free month for any signups. Click this banner and try it out now! Email Marketing Tips Think Laser Rifle rather than Shotgun! One quality email contact is worth much more than multiple people. Watch your Numbers! Most services offer different pricing levels depending on how many contacts you have. Flush out your list on a regular basis to keep under the threshold you are comfortable with while you learn the system. Privacy! Constant Contact are strict on signups and compliance. This helps them maintain their high deliverability rates. Make sure you read the tutorials provided. Learn how to Personalise! You will be amazed at the increase of Open and Click Through rates when you take this simple step. It's fully explained in the tutorials. Use Segmentation! Another thing that Constant Contact does well is segmentation. Send the appropriate emails to the appropriate people and watch your results soar! Once again this is fully explained. Who to Target? Past clients are a great first step. You have their details and some relationship with them already. By the time you set them up and send a few monthly or quarterly campaigns you'll really know how to use the system and can then widen your net. What to send? News of what you have been up to Reports on Great Venues that your clients may not know about Reports of great Entertainers that you worked with that your clients may want to book New things that you can offer - Onstage Interviews, Facilitation, Game Show? Explain how it will enhance their event. Case Studies - what other people are doing at events to give your clients ideas Mistakes that some organisers make in putting events together Tips and Ideas for Speaker Gifts How to get the most value in Booking you Special offers - Last minute availability etc, Joke of the Month Remember, make it about them. As you can see, most of these ideas are about the reader, they give value and help them do their job. In Summary, if you are not using some form of Email Marketing service, you are leaving good money on the table and hampering the growth of your business or cause. I strongly suggest you check out what Constant Contact could do for your business. Full Disclaimer - The links above are affiliate links. If you subscribe to their package and are happy with the service, I will receive a small payment from Constant Contact. I think you'll be happy.

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