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In November 2011 I attended a seminar at the NY XPO for Business and learned some very interesting information about email marketing. Shortly after the event, I decided to create an e-newsletter to offer readers another way to receive updates about my blog. Below are some tips and resources for creating and distributing your own email marketing campaign. You can view my February 2012 newsletter and/or signup to receive my monthly newsletter.
If you have already taken the leap into email marketing, what tips or advice would you offer to others?
Ideas
For Healthcare Professionals
Marketing emails could be used to share health tips, remind patients to schedule yearly physicals, remind patients of upcoming appointments, etc. You could then follow up with an email survey after the appointment to get feedback on the visit (ex: admin staff, wait times, bedside manner, etc.).
For Restaurants
The emails could serve as a way to keep regulars informed about new items on the menu. Consider including tips about events and attractions nearby that diners might like to visit before or after stopping by for a meal. You could then follow up with an email after diners leave that maybe includes a short survey or an invitation to rate your restaurant on review websites (ex: Yelp, Zagat, Google Places, etc.).
For Travel & Tourism Businesses
There have been several occasions where I began planning a vacation or weekend getaway and scrapped my plans because I couldn’t find enough events or activities to make the trip interesting. Travel websites are pretty good for flight and hotel reservations but tend to fall short when it comes to finding activities. You could fill that void by developing an email campaign that provides recommendations for things to do when visiting a city (ex: museums to visit, restaurants to try, tourist attractions, tips for avoiding lines and tourist traps, etc.).
Resources
MailChimp
“MailChimp makes it easy to design exceptional email campaigns, share them on social networks, integrate with web services you already use, manage subscribers and track your results. You’ll love mixing and matching MailChimp’s templates, features and integrations to suit your needs—think of it as your own personal newsletter publishing platform.” – MailChimp
Getting Started with MailChimp
MailChimp Guides
MailChimp Academy Videos
Constant Contact
“Constant Contact’s leading email marketing, online survey and event marketing tools—supported by its expert personal coaching and support—help all types of small businesses and organizations create professional-looking email newsletters and insightful online surveys and begin a dialogue with their customers. Today, more than 500,000 customers worldwide trust Constant Contact to help them connect with their audience.” – Constant Contact
Constant Contact Email Marketing Overview
Constant Contact Resources
Constant Contact Local Events Map USA
Best Practices
Design and Build Email Newsletters Without Losing Your Mind (and Soul)
42 HTML email design resources
Rock Solid HTML Emails
MAKE IT POP!: Know the Lingo – Email Anatomy from Head to Footer