Email MarketingHints & Tips

Topic: Customer Success Stories

A War on the Weatherman

Syncline Wine Cellars is based in Lyle, Wash., a town in the Columbia River Gorge. The gorge is a canyon that stretches for more than 80 miles across the northwest of the United States, plunging almost 4,000 feet deep in some parts. The beautiful location is often an advantage to the family-owned winery, which James and Poppie Mantone founded in 1999, because it's a much more temperate region than the notoriously rainy parts of Washington.

This means that the gorge is a perfect environment for the Syncline vineyards, and there's often a stark contrast between what the weather's like around the winery and what it's like in nearby parts of the state. Sometimes, this can cause a problem -- when people hear that driving conditions are dangerous, they assume that a trek to Syncline Wine Cellars could be one that risks life and limb.

Balancing Family and Email Marketing

As Cary Heise says, "I thought I knew everything that was going on in Raleigh. Then I had children." In an effort to no longer feel out of the loop, the mother of two created Social Butterflies, an online guide to local kid- and family-oriented events in the Raleigh, N.C., area. Four years after sending her first email to just seven people, Cary's business has grown to include more than 2,000 subscribers. And Cary doesn't generate all the content herself; the readers (who she calls her "friends") are always submitting ideas to keep others in the loop. It's a big help to Cary, who is still the business' only employee.

Class Act

When your company's goal is to provide educational value to your customers, events such as webinars and educational classes are critical to achieving your mission. Tech support business Axicom turned to <a target="_NEW" href="http://www.constantcontact.com/event-marketing/index.jsp">Constant Contact Event Marketing</a> as an integrated solution with their email marketing to manage events and save time.

"I like that people can register immediately via links in our emails, but that we can also use that link in our website," notes Christa Nonnemaker, who heads up Axicom's marketing department. "I also like being able to see at a glance who has signed up for an event and being able to email the registrants as needed."

Dog Days

When it comes to causes, few are as compelling as those involving pets. Hello Bully fits that bill. The mission of the Pittsburgh-based organization is to rescue, rehabilitate, and repair the reputation of the American Pit Bull Terrier, which it accomplishes by providing education, spay/neutering, and adoption services.

Email, Social Media Give Hope

The Hope Institute for Children and Families in Springfield, Ill., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children with multiple disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorders, through educational, residential, and other health service programs. With such an intense mission to help children, raising funds through donations and other sources is of utmost importance to the organization.

Engaging Eaters

Like any big city, Chicago is filled with many restaurants, of all sizes. So it's a testament to Mark Armantrout and Paul Fehribach's hard work (and good food) that their restaurant, Big Jones, is going strong, attracting diners from the north side of Chicago and the north shore suburbs who want to enjoy the pair's coastal Southern cooking.

The partners knew early on that to attract and keep customers, they would have to use engaging content that would give the restaurant a distinct identity. "We decided soon after opening that we wanted to be able to tell our story, in our own words, without a filter," Mark explains, adding that email marketing allows him to keep customers updated about the restaurant's constantly changing menu.

Festive Friends

Three years ago, longtime friends Barbara Watkins and Cheryl Headley seized an opportunity to purchase an existing business. Today, that venture, Monogram Lane, is an online retail business that offers many personalized items -- from jewelry to car accessories to cell phone cases and much more. Monogram Lane remains a two-person business, and the duo say they are living their dream.

Barbara and Cheryl send two emails every week, on Mondays and Thursdays, that promote various products. They couple that with posts to a Facebook Page and Twitter account, plus promotion on a blog and the ladies' own channel on YouTube. The marketing plan is working, and Barbara says a large part of that is due to fun use of email marketing.

Food for Thought

Who doesn't like waffles? Indeed, you would be hard-pressed to find a breakfast-loving person who doesn't enjoy those tasty treats. And that's partly why the Waffle House has enjoyed great success. The company provides its customers with a great customer experience, and that has allowed it to expand and become one of the most popular franchises in the southern United States.

Game On!

Noel Descalzi, the owner and founder of Work It Out Fitness in Hoboken, N.J., didn't have a big budget -- or any budget -- for advertising, but she knew that developing personal relationships with gym-goers was crucial. That's why she decided to get a little creative with the gym's Facebook Page last July, launching something called "Facebook Fridays," which feature everything from contests to trivia questions to photo hunts.

The results have been impressive: Since Work It Out Fitness started doing Facebook Fridays, the gym's Facebook page has amassed around 75 new "Likes" a month.

Listening to Your Audience with Analytics

On November 19 and 20, the second annual Winter Park Harvest Festival will be taking place in Winter Park, Fla. This year, founder John Rife and his small staff of three volunteers hope to be more prepared for the event's popularity.

"Last year, we were expecting 1,000 people and we got 3,000 -- mostly because of our use of Constant Contact and social media," John says.

Making a Splash

Every year, in historic downtown Norcross, Ga., more than 180 artists from all across the country get together to display their work -- from paintings to sculptures to hand-crafted jewelry. The audience for the festival exceeds 60,000 attendees and includes a mix of visitors, volunteers, and food vendors.

It's largely up to Cindy Flynn, the organizer and co-founder of Splash Festivals, to make sure that everything for this event -- as well as similar ones in nearby Dunwoody and Acworth -- goes smoothly. Splash Festivals has been around for just three years, but has already developed a strong reputation thanks to these unique and exciting festivals, which are as much about art as they are about community.

Moving Right Along

The current recession hasn?t been kind to any industry, but trucking was hit particularly hard. In the third quarter of 2008, 785 trucking companies went out of business altogether, with nearly 100,000 trucks going idle for lack of demand and drivers. While the deepest cuts to the industry have healed, the aftershock of a lackluster economy is still evident.

Museum Keeps Tabs on Email Metrics

The nonprofit Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts (DCCA) in Wilmington is a non-collecting museum -- meaning it doesn't own any items or house a permanent collection -- that hosts more than 30 exhibitions every year. With the constant influx of new exhibitions setting up shop every couple of months, in addition to the continual flow of classes, workshops, lectures, camps, and numerous other programs, it's vital for the DCCA to keep its members, the public, and the media up-to-date on the latest happenings.

Not Running From Customer Feedback

As the name implies, Fleet Feet Sports is dedicated to runners and walkers, offering footwear, apparel, and accessories at three St. Louis-area stores. Beyond selling technical running shoes, Fleet Feet prides itself on working with customers to help them become better runners, walkers or to just improve their lifestyle. It does this by providing tips, advice, and clinics on everything from stretching to overcoming injuries to the proper diet to power athletes through their workouts.

On the Wall and in the Inbox

Location: Federal Way, Wash.
List Size: 3,063
Open Rate: 30.1%
Website: http://www.99bottles.net

Craig Adamowskis idea for a beer store first bubbled to the surface when he was working as a delivery driver for a beer and wine distributor. He often ran into people who asked about certain brews, and it made him wonder why there wasn't a store that housed a good selection of beers -- especially when it seemed like there was a wine store with specialty vintages on every other corner.

When they opened 99 Bottles in 2007, Craig and his wife, Tiffany, reached customers with store signs, press releases, a website, and handwritten postcards that were sent to 750 people and businesses. On opening day, the couple served 80 customers. Suffice it to say, today, the store is much busier.

Success Story - B.Good

For Boston-based B.Good, the corporate mission is about more than just selling tasty, healthy burgers and sweet potato fries. Since it's hard to convey that message during a quick visit to one of the chain's seven locations (it's fast food, after all), email and social media play a huge part in delivering the company's story and engaging its most loyal customers.

Success Story - BostonChefs.com

Boston-area restaurant guide uses metrics to help drive content

Success Story - Business Victories

For Business Victories, a coaching and development company in Longmont, Colo., that assists women entrepreneurs build successful organizations, weekly teleseminars are a means for Founder Cheri Ruskus to build a community of small business owners, and educate her customers and prospects on tactics for running a booming business.

Success Story - CMT United Kingdom

This customer uses email marketing to unite its members

Success Story - Currier Museum of Art

You might think that an art museum with masterpieces dating back to the 19th century would have little need for modern tools such as Facebook or Twitter. But for the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, N.H., social media and email play a critical role in getting visitors and members in the door. They've even helped shape an entire exhibition.

Success Story - Dingo Brand

Pet food maker increases mailing list and Facebook presence through coupon offer

Success Story - Focus HR Consulting

This consultant uses Email Marketing and Social Media to stay connected with prospects

Success Story - Head and Heart Parent

Parent coach publishes tips to drive readership and relationships

Success Story - Houston READ Commission

Constant Contact's 400,000th customer looks to combat illiteracy

Success Story - Kansas City Parks and Recreation

This Parks and Recreation department uses Email Marketing to proactively advertise its city's open spaces and offerings

Success Story - Kathie's Quilt Shoppe

This quilt shop has successfully integrated email marketing into the fabric of its business

Success Story - Kim Rody, the Fishartista

This customer uses email's visual appeal to sell fine art

Success Story - Markham Board of Trade

This organization cleaned up its email mailing list to reduce bounces and increase its open rate.

Success Story - Multiple Offers, One Voice

This online retailer maintains consistency across email and social media marketing

Success Story - Nancy Juetten

To Nancy Juetten, a person's professional bio is a powerful key to attract clients, speaking engagements, and media opportunities. Through Juetten's consultancy -- Bellevue, Wash.-based Main Street Media Savvy -- she offers her popular Bye-Bye Boring Bio workbook, a Bye-Bye Boring Action Workshop, and an Extreme Bio Makeover service for business owners who find writing about their accomplishments just too hard to do on their own.

"In today's Internet age, a Google search can speak volumes about a company's brand, reputation, and offerings," Nancy explains. "That is why a compelling, client-attracting bio is an essential element in every business owner's marketing toolkit. My objective is to provide bio writing tools and personal support so my clients can reflect their brilliance to the marketplace and attract more of the opportunities they seek."

Success Story - Pizza Zone

This pizza shop uses Email Marketing to boost sales on slower nights

Success Story - Planning Ahead

Busy orchard reaps the fruits of email marketing by building its campaigns early

Success Story - Safari Ventures

What I love about Constant Contact: "I'm very cognizant about keeping our brand pristine, and with the help of Constant Contact we have email templates that portray our brand perfectly." -- Rose Garretson, Marketing & Communications Manager

Success Story - WUWM 89.7FM - Milwaukee Public Radio

This public radio station uses Email Marketing to connect with listeners and donors.

Text-to-Join Bowls a Strike

For many small businesses, one of the hardest things to do is grow and maintain an extensive mailing list. But of course, it's not enough to have people on your mailing list. You want customers who are going to participate in your business, and ideally, who will also bring in more customers through word of mouth.

For Robert Turley, the marketing director for a multi-facility bowling business in the Riverbend Area of St. Louis, list building has been a consistent challenge. "Past experiments with email address acquisition had taken a few years of some trial and error, writing down email addresses on a form, then inputting them to a computer, and all these other different ways of doing it," he explains.

The Editorial Dashboard

Planning for the year ahead can be remarkably easy. Add a milestone here, launch a new product there, and suddenly the calendar is full of clear, straightforward goals. It's the road to those goals that gets bumpy, especially when many small businesses and organizations are so focused on the holiday that they don't have much time to plan beyond that.

San Diego French-American School knows this first-hand. The school's 2012 calendar is ambitious, to say the least. In fact, communications consultant Mim Britton says she and the communication committee have been busy preparing for many important meetings and events that for the month of January. The timing of the newsletters is important so that parents don't miss a beat. With a concert, re-enrollment, parent-teacher conferences, report cards, special meetings, a state of school address, and visits from dignitaries, the full calendar means planning for email newsflashes in addition to the regularly scheduled email newsletters. And, yes, that means that even a meeting to make the plans also needs to be planned and scheduled on the calendar.

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