Re-Engagement Campaigns to Clean Your E-Newsletter List

Posted by On Filed under Marketing
Re-Engagement Campaigns to Clean Your E-Newsletter List

It can feel incredibly good to see your e-news subscriber list grow, from the first time you hit the triple digits to the 1,000th subscriber. You’re on a roll when you get to 5,000, 10,000 or more. But at some point, your open or click-thru rates start to stagnate. You can’t get them above some goal or an industry average.

The fact is, on any e-newsletter list there will be people who lose interest or don’t have the time to open and read your messages. Worse yet, your message may be landing in the Gmail promotions tab (a no-man’s land no one wants to be in) or Junk Mail.

What to do?

Time to clean up your e-news subscriber list through a re-engagement campaign.

Keep reading →

Recommendation from John Sayles, CEO at Vermont Foodbank

Posted by On Filed under Marketing, Recommendations
Recommendation from John Sayles, CEO at Vermont Foodbank

“Michelle was a fabulous contributor to the Vermont Foodbank. She came aboard in a newly-created position of digital media specialist where the tasks and goals were co-created with her team. Michelle was able to quickly learn our mission and culture, and help the Foodbank reflect that in the digital world. She created a vibrant digital presence that interacts with our supporters in a way that is nurturing, mission-oriented and always respectful. She truly brought this organization to a new level in the digital world, and created the base for the organization to continue on a path as a nonprofit innovator in the digital space.

“A short story: I took Michelle with me to a talk by a digital marketing consultant who presented on ways to maximize the value of a website. It was very exciting! The next day Michelle was implementing the tools she learned about and making changes to our website. What resulted was a new way of continual testing and improvement that results in more conversions of website hits to donations. Continuous improvement seems to be in her DNA.

“Michelle is smart, mission-driven, inquisitive and innovative. She is driven and self-motivated. I recommend her highly based on my experience working directly with her, and seeing the results of her work for the Vermont Foodbank.”

John Sayles

CEO

Vermont Foodbank

Learn more about the marketing I do for nonprofits and universities.

Recommendation from John Sayles

7 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Blog

Posted by On Filed under Marketing
7 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Blog

Many non-profit staffers and small business owners start blogging because they “know” they “need” to do it or because someone suggested it would help their cause. These are innocent nudges in the right direction, often doled out by a board member with marketing experience or a CEO who wants to write or by a consultant who is ready to set you up with a blog, whether it’s right or wrong for your needs.

I’ve personally cautioned more people out of blogging than into blogging because a blog wouldn’t best serve their goals or because they just wouldn’t be able to devote the appropriate time to it. Blogging can be a huge undertaking and first one needs to ask if a blog is right for your cause or your business.

Here are some questions to ask before starting a blog:

Keep reading →

Recommendation from Chris Meehan, Chief Community Impact Officer at Vermont Foodbank

Posted by On Filed under Marketing, Recommendations
Recommendation from Chris Meehan, Chief Community Impact Officer at Vermont Foodbank

“Over the past three years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Michelle in her role as digital media specialist for the Vermont Foodbank. From the beginning, Michelle took a keen interest in going above and beyond her official job duties to offer her experience and expertise to the Foodbank’s network of 225 food shelves and meal sites. The majority of food shelves and meal sites are run by volunteers and do not have the capacity to enter into the social media realm. Michelle helped to build their capacity by creating a series of classes that were offered in person and online. This made all the difference for many of these small mission driven organizations. She was always interested in improving the classes offered; each year, she sought feedback and made adjustments to ensure that she was providing the best service possible. I would highly recommend Michelle.”

Chris Meehan

Chief Community Impact Officer

Vermont Foodbank

Learn more about the marketing I do for nonprofits and universities.

Recommendation from Chris Meehan

Rafflecopter: The best times to run raffles and giveaways

Posted by On Filed under Marketing
Rafflecopter: The best times to run raffles and giveaways

“Rafflecopter is the world’s easiest way to run a giveaway.” Especially on social media, raffles are a great way to encourage and reward engagement as well as, possibly, increase followers or subscribers.

I’ve run two giveaways in the past year and have been really satisfied with the experience. I’ve kept things pretty simple by asking for Facebook Likes, Twitter follows, tweets and e-newsletter sign-ups, in return for packages of freebies designed for chefs, commuters, athletic folks, teachers, and anyone interested in a free baseball cap, coffee mug, etc.

Keep reading →

Your Website is Just a First Date

Posted by On Filed under Marketing
Your Website is Just a First Date

What do you bring on a first date? Tax forms, divorce/custody paperwork from a previous marriage, diary entries, and three letters of reference, right? Of course not!

On a first date, you bring a big smile, your charming personality, and some witty conversation. Combine that with wearing clean clothes and doing something interesting and you have the makings of a great first date.

Now, let me clarify: I’m not in the business of matchmaking or relationship advice. I’m actually talking websites here.

Keep reading →