How to Use YouTube, Email, and Facebook to Make $10,000

Have you ever wanted to see a trumpet thrown off the back of a car going sixty miles an hour?

What about a trumpet holding up an entire car?

Well, you can.

More specifically, you can see just how well Torpedo Bags protect trumpets from this kind of trauma. That’s the whole point of the videos, according to Steve Kriesel.

Since founding the Minneapolis-based company more than 10 years ago, he has worked hard to create a loyal online community for these specialty bags with these quirky, homemade videos.

Still, the company’s Facebook Page proved to be a problem.

“Our Page was just terrible,” Steve says.

But, over the past few months, he changed his approach and gained almost 500 fans in two weeks and made more than $10,000 from marketing on Facebook.

[Read more...]

Event Therapy Session 6: Reflecting on the Experience

In session six of our light-hearted look at real-world event issues our “customers” reflect on their event experiences.

How did their events go? Did they save any time and energy? Were they able to pull off their events without pulling out their hair?

Chris Litster, vice president and general manager of the Event Marketing team listens in as “customers” share their stories.

Watch session six of Event Therapy

Did you miss previous episodes of Event Therapy? Watch them at the links below.

Session 1: Getting Set Up

Session 2: Promotion

Session 3: Tracking Progress

Session 4: During the Event

Session 5: Post Event

Control Your Image With Our New SaveLocal Feature

Let’s face it, in today’s society, image is everything.

That’s why here at Constant Contact, we’ve made a fantastic upgrade to our SaveLocal product, enabling you to use your own images as part of your deal template!

When you choose a template for your SaveLocal deal, you have a choice of layouts that offer a number of color and image themes. With our new feature, you can upload an image of your own, or choose an existing one from your MyLibrary account or the Stock Image Gallery.

Here’s how: [Read more...]

How a #Hashtag Can Help You Graduate to More Social Events

#NU2012, the official hashtag of the Class of 2012, was broadcast on the big screen at the TD Garden during former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s keynote address.

First, I would like to congratulate my fellow members of the Class of 2012.

Second, I would like to congratulate Northeastern University.

After 110 years, the school finally solved a problem that has challenged institutions of higher learning for generations: how to make commencement ceremonies less boring. And they did it by incorporating a hashtag into this year’s event.

By including #NU2012 in their tweets, graduates were able to share their thoughts about the commencement, memories from the week of celebration, photos from their seats, and even say thank you to their parents sitting in the stands. Even the president of Northeastern, Joseph Aoun, tweeted a congratulations to the senior class.

So in honor of graduation and in appreciation to all the teachers I’ve had over the years, I thought I would share what I learned about using a hashtag so you can also graduate to more social events. [Read more...]

Facebook Business Timelines: Good News for Small Business

Facebook Timeline exampleAny reputable business will have a website, and over the past 20 years, the design of business websites has evolved.

As consumers, we have learned what pages we can expect to find on a website; home, about us, contact us, news, recommendations – and depending on the industry – events, calendar, members, products and services.

However, driven by the need to make a unique statement, the location of these links can be found virtually anywhere on the website, and we have to look for them.

Good news!

Now there is no longer a need to hunt for the information you want about a business. The Facebook Timeline for Pages has become the “business template for the Internet.” [Read more...]

The Event Management Success Formula Part 3: Maximize Attendance

crowded eventA common mistake many event promoters make is to focus too much on driving registrations without putting any effort towards making sure those registrants attend.

Promotion shouldn’t end with a high number of registrants. You need to think about using emails and social media activity to motivate registrants to show up as well.

Here are a few ways to maximize attendance to your events: [Read more...]

10 Email Marketing Truths Every Mom Already Knows

girl hugging here momRaising a child is a huge responsibility.

Just ask mom. Growing up, whether you knew it or not, you came to expect a lot from her.

Instinctively, she knew there were certain things you needed in order to succeed in this world and become the person you are today.

And if mom were in charge of your email marketing, she’d tell you that your audience expects certain things from you too.

You have a responsibility to help them grow.

Here’s what your audience is expecting you to do: [Read more...]

How to Take RSVPs For Your Next Workshop Without Getting Stuck On the Phone All Day

The workshop. A classic event for anyone looking to learn something in a professional environment. Generally a positive experience for everyone involved.

The registration process for said workshop… well, not so much.

Maybe you’re like the Cultural Arts Division of Austin, Texas, and can’t wait to find a better way to do things, a solution that allows you to customize each invitation and registration so attendees know what to expect – and even have the chance to tell you what subjects they want covered before the session.

And, do all of that without having to be on the phone all day.

If so, read on!

[Read more...]

How to Plan Your First Successful Nonprofit Fundraising Event, Part 4: The Final 2 Months

This post is the fourth and final in a series pinpointing some best practices for you to follow as you prepare for your own successful nonprofit fundraising event.

keyboard with red announcement button and megaphoneIn part one of this nonprofit fundraising event series, we talked about all the things you should be thinking about as you plan your event at six months out.

In part two we covered getting your save the date ready, your registration page up, and a plan for ongoing promotion.

In part three we took a closer look at reaching out to sponsors.

Today, we’ll look at the final 2 months of planning and promotion.

It is extremely important to have 99% of all your planning and sponsorships completed at this time. That being said, it’s still possible to collect a new sponsor or implement a new idea just don’t make that the focus anymore.

What should be your main focus in these final two months? [Read more...]

6 Compliance Terms Every Email Marketer Should Know

I adore my older brother. He is the unsung hero who helped fashion the geekinista that I am today.

However, sometimes he irritates the heck out of me. Especially when I try to explain to him exactly what Constant Contact does. Twice now, I’ve started in on my spiel and he’s interrupted me with “Oh, so you send out spam?”

No more Christmas presents for him.

I don’t share this to just rag on my brother though, I want to make a point.

As email marketers, we have the misfortune of being lumped in with a lot of businesses that aren’t exactly respectful of people’s inboxes.

Not only do we have to do our best to send out quality, permission-based email, we need to know the key terms and concepts of the industry, especially when it comes to email compliance.

Knowing the ins and outs of email marketing allows us to put our best feet forward. Here are the 6 compliance terms you should get comfortable with: [Read more...]