Your Most Important Lessons Learned in 2004

by Michelle Keegan, Constant Contact Email Marketing Diva®

Thank you, once again, to all Email Marketing Hints & Tips readers who answered the question: "What was the most important email marketing lesson you learned in 2004?" And, thanks for your patience as we took the time to read and categorize your hundreds of insightful answers!

The final document includes the real-life email marketing lessons you learned on everything from content, to the timing and frequency of campaigns. You also shared the many benefits you have realized from email marketing, and revealed your own strategies for getting the best results from your campaigns.

Below are a few of my favorite responses and - drum roll please! - here is the promised Lessons Learned PDF organized by category to make it easier to search for the answers you want to read most. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF).

Important note: I was able to include your name and title in the PDF, however, to protect your privacy I omitted your company name and website address. I will never share, rent or sell your email address - period. I will only use your email address if I, personally, need to contact you about your response.

Email marketing poetry by Kerry Kooken:

Late to bed and early to rise,
Work like hell and email advertise.

The more emails I sent out the more business I received!

Just Do It... from Bud Haslett:

I first visited Constant Contact in June with the thought of writing a monthly newsletter for our options based money management business. Unfortunately, we got busy and I didn't get around to it until late November. After spending two days organizing all of oucontacts and another day writing content, we sent the first issue out on December 1st. The results were incredible.

My only regret is the delay, caused by me, from June to December. We are very much looking forward to the wonderful results we will get from using Constant Contact in the future. In my opinion, this is the single most cost effective marketing tool that I have ever used. So to conclude, just make the time, and Do It...

An unforeseen benefit from Paul Weber:

Nearly 1/3 of my clients started using Constant Contact this year at our suggestion.

Beyond the obvious benefits of email marketing, all of us have gained an unforeseen benefit. A regularly scheduled email campaign forces us to develop rich content about our business and our industry. It forces us to sit down each month and look hard at what we've done and what we've learned over the past month. When you are in a position to share information with others, you are challenged to stay sharp and knowledgeable.

Putting Constant Contact in place has indirectly helped us become more focused on our business, our industry and most importantly, our clients.

Testing from Neil Sheehan:

Check your Links thoroughly! In my monthly Newsletter I use many links to Adventure Trip listings and photos on my main Web Site. I've found that a thorough check of all the links during Preview as well as during a Test email of the campaign will keep the readers impressed with your error free publication.

Also don't use words like "Click Here" with links, as many SPAM blockers will block your email before it reaches your subscriber. Better to use "More Info." or "View Info." for the links.

Planning from Michelle Girasole:

You must plan in advance to deliver a successful, consistent newsletter. Those who take the time at the beginning of the year to plan out each issue, the contents, the offers, etc. (versus doing it as they go along) encounter less of a struggle to deliver on time. With email marketing, consistency is key, and the key to consistency is planning!

Reports by Janet Kenyan:

How Constant Contact's e-mail marketing reports allowed us to plan more effective marketing campaigns.

By analyzing our monthly campaign reports we discovered when certain topics begin to generate interest, what topics were most valuable to them, and who was most interested.

We are CPA's who send a monthly tax tips newsletter to our subscribers. By analyzing our reports we discovered our subscribers begin to take an active interest in tax issues in December, fully a month before we believed they did.

We also noticed who opened our newsletters multiple times, indicating a special interest and that they were utilizing our tax tips for reference. We planned specific campaigns to these individuals rather than to batch e-mail our subscribers unneccessarily.

Furthermore, we were able to tell which topics generated the most interest, thereby allowing us to offer more helpful information on the same and related topics.

We believe Constant has improved our customer service and reader loyalty. Although we don't sell from our newsletter we know from the questions we ask of our new clients that the perceived value of our firm is high.

"I am not Superwoman!" says Lauren Slade:

That I can't do everything by myself. Writing our newsletter content, managing subscribers lists, producing a professional looking product was taking an incredible amount of my energy and time.

Then someone recommended that we look at Constant Contact. It was an easy decision to sign up! Since using Constant Contact we are able to keep in regular contact with all our students worldwide (we have students on six continents in 22 countries around the world! We have received so many complements on our professional looking newsletter!

So the most important email marketing lesson I learned in 2004 was that I am an expert Teacher and Educator of Reflexology and I now intend to stick to doing that and let other professionals such as Constant Contact take care of the things that I am not so good at - email marketing! Continued good wishes to you all for an abundant 2005.

A messaging lesson from George Hendley:

Consistency and 'Persistency'. It's being both consistent with a CBS (clear, brief, simple) message. And, being persistent in getting them out on a regular basis.

People need both a consistent and persistent approach to begin to trust you and the information you share with them. They need that reliable, straightforward and open message that relays both who you are and what you offer that will truly benefit them in the long run.

That's the most important marketing lesson I've learned in 04'.

An expensive lesson learned by Jim Enterline:

As a newbie, to not purchase a mail list program that you do not know how to set up and run.

I purchased a program and spent many hours and much money getting it set up and running and then having all the glitches to work out of it. If I would have subscribed to a provider, I would not have lost subscribers along the way. It has been a learning experience, however not a necessary one.

I should have done what I know how and let a provider do the work!

And finally, a revelation from Ann Nonymous:

Spam sucks!

I hope you enjoy reading the rest of the responses in the Lessons Learned PDF as much as I did. More importantly, I hope you learn as many powerful email marketing lessons from readers who were generous enough to share their time and expertise.

It is an honor to receive such a great response from you, and a privilege to share your insight with the entire Hints & Tips audience.

Thank you!

Send feedback
back to top