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3 Email Marketing Resolutions to Stick to in 2014

January is a time of introspection, reflection and goal setting for the year ahead. Want to get your email marketing on the right path for 2014? Here are 3 easy but essential email marketing resolutions to commit to now to ensure long-term success:

Eliminate your email bad habits

Like in life, sometimes bad habits have a way of creeping into our marketing efforts as well.  For example you may wait to the last minute to think about what you’re going to write in your emails or are go months without engaging with your contact lists. If that is the case, you probably already know that these are habits you need to change. But how? Start by developing an email marketing plan and stick to a reasonable schedule. This will immediately increase your potential for success. You should also take some time to review your email lists to make sure you understand as much as possible about your subscribers. Use your click-through data to find out what type of content your readers are interested in. You can then segment your list into different audiences, based on the content that most engages them.

Reduce your content-related stress

Few email marketing tasks can cause a small business owner’s stress level to go up faster than creating email content. This is especially true if you consider yourself to be a less-than-perfect writer. Make a commitment to reducing your content-related stress, and break this frustrating cycle.

Create a content template:

This doesn’t have to be anything high tech. A simple sheet of paper that you use to outline the different articles you want to include could be all you really need.

 Focus on answering simple questions:

Writing a blog post or article can be stressful. Answering customer questions is not. And, by simply answering these questions you’ll make your emails that much more relevant to your readers.

Find the right tools:

There are plenty of tools out there to help you find, create, and share better content. They will also help you save time and reduce your stress in the process.

Learn something new

Developing new skills is a great goal for 2014. It will help keep you focused, and also have a positive impact on all of the email marketing resolutions you have set for yourself in the New Year. We have plenty of places you can turn to in order to learn something new. Our team of small business marketing experts host live events throughout the year, right in your backyard! We partner with local SBDC’s, SCORE chapters and more than 3,000 Chambers to help bring education to you. You can also participate in our online webinars to get the training you need right from your home or place of business. You can register for these events ahead of time and have a reminder sent right to your inbox before the webinar begins.

Stick with it!

By sticking to these email marketing resolutions, you’ll not only have more people opening, clicking, and sharing your emails, but you’ll also have more opportunities to improve customer relationships and grow your business in 2014.

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Gina Watkins is a leading expert on e-marketing for small business – and has a real passion for helping businesses to succeed. Her ongoing series of dynamic lectures are filled with real-world examples, humor and results-driven wisdom garnered from more than two decades of sales, business development and marketing experience. In addition to owning her own business, she is an award-winning direct marketer, has been featured on WUSA Channel 9’s Mind Over Money show, Dr. Gayle Carson’s Women In Business radio show, Morgan State’s Briefcase Radio program, and in numerous other media. In her role as Constant Contact Regional Development Director, she’s presented to more than ten thousand seminar attendees about the keys to success with easy, affordable, highly effective technology tools that grow trusted business relationships.

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