Easily Create Email Marketing Campaigns

How do you develop an effective email marketing campaign?

 

What you send to your customers is very important. If it isn’t well designed or professional looking the results could be damaging to your business instead of beneficial.

 

The first part of the email marketing campaign needs to include your goals.

 

What do you expect to achieve from your email marketing campaign?

 

Who do you want to reach?

 

You should also decide what type of marketing you are going to do. Will it be random discounts and promotions, seasonal, or will you be sending a regular newsletter?

 

Next you will need to do some research. Do you know the email marketing laws? What are the current market trends? How are you going to make your email marketing campaign more appealing than that of the competition? You have to have these goals clearly defined and outlined. Otherwise your will just spin your wheels while developing your email marketing campaign.

 

Since the goals of every business are very different, the strategies they use in email marketing will also be very different. While this gives each business the ability to be creative a unique in developing their marketing campaign, it also makes it difficult because there are no clear-cut, cookie cutter answers.

 

If you aren’t skilled in developing email marketing campaigns you may need to purchase some type of email marketing software or hire an email-marketing consultant.

 

How well do you know your customer? I hope well because this is a very important part of developing an effective email marketing campaign. You have to be able to address your key audience by providing them with relevant information. If they aren’t interested in what you have to say then it doesn’t matter how many emails you manage to send out.

 

Dot Your I’s and Cross Your T’s

 

Once you have decided on your email marketing campaign you may think you are ready to hit the send button, but hold on just a little bit longer. Make sure everything in the email is spelled correctly and grammatically correct. Nothing looks more unprofessional than an email marketing campaign will errors.

 

They will stick out like a sore thumb. Remember to test the effectiveness of the email on the various email service providers as they all have variations. You will be disappointed to discover that subscribers to a particular service weren’t able to open your email for it to read properly.

 

Subject Lines Are the Beginning of the Email

 

Make sure the subject line of your email is clear and effective. This will help your email marketing campaign to get past the various spam filters and virus protectors. Many researchers of email marketing believe the subject line will make or break the reader’s decision to open your email. Make sure you personalize the email and address it to the consumer rather than a broad introduction. You will want to attach a clear expiration date to your email marketing promotion. Nothing motivates the consumer than having a deadline. They don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to take advantage of what you are offering.

 

Email marketing is a great opportunity for you to communicate with your customers and to promote your business. It is very important that you take the time to set your goals and to know the market before you develop your email marketing campaign.

 

This will ensure it is successful. While you want your email marketing strategy to be unique and creative you need to keep the wants and needs of the customer in mind. You can choose to develop your email marketing strategy on your own, using software, or by hiring a consultant. Getting your email to the consumer is only half of the battle.

 

As always, here’s to your success and to building your legacy.

How To De-clutter

Let me start by saying that there are good ways to get rid of clutter and there are bad ways to get rid of clutter. The bad way is the route we usually take when we get disgusted with the fact that we have too many things all over the place, usually after we have stubbed our toe in the middle of the night on something that the kids or the dog left out, and then decide to get rid of everything. I know this because we have all been there more than once.

 

What happens is that we end up getting rid of things that cannot be replaced and are gone forever. Like everything else, clutter has to be evaluated before you get rid of it. And you should also make sure to keep good stewardship in mind, and not discarding things that other people can use, even if you no longer want them.

 

The good way to get rid of clutter is the way that I now use. I keep give away boxes in my garage and then I go through my home periodically and get rid of clutter in the places that is most likely collects such as closets, storage rooms and that all of the other cubby holes things end up getting tucked if not being used for awhile. Once the giveaway boxes are full, I donate them to one of the many charity organizations in our area.

 

There are some things, however, that are not meant for charity as they are too worn , stained or have something broken, like a zipper. If it is too bad off to donate, and if I can’t salvage it for another purpose (old shirts into garage rags, etc.) then off to the landfill they go.

 

Clutter can consist of many different things in your home that you have no use for and you have been accumulating for long time. A reality television show that has grown in popularity is called “Hoarders” and deals with people who have an addiction to collecting clutter. I’ve seen people who have had houses filled with old magazines and newspapers, dolls, empty food containers. Homes where you had to walk a narrow path to get through the house in order to get from one room to the next. This is the result of clutter piling up to the point where it got overwhelming for the person.

 

There are two reasons why people tend to collect a lot of clutter. One reason is that they feel that they have something of value and continue to hang onto items that, in reality, usually have very little or no value. These types of people are those who are afraid to throw anything out because they will find that they need it later. There is also an obsessive/compulsive disorder that compels people to keep everything that they receive.  Including junk mail, newspapers and other items that people normally throw out, just in case they may want to look at them later. Some people just like to hold onto junk. These are disorders that need to be professionally treated and that is not what I am talking about here.

 

The other reason people keep clutter is because they are too overwhelmed to know where to begin when it comes to getting rid of the clutter and this is the reason that I want to address in this post. Cleaning out an overstuffed closet seems to be a monumental task that one cannot bear to undertake. So the clutter builds and builds. Until they get to the point where they decide to chuck it all and end up getting rid of their yearbooks, wedding dress, old baby pictures that there are no copies of, etc. Most people fall into this second category.

 

The easiest way to get rid of clutter in your home is to decide what you want to keep and why. Obviously, things that have sentimental value or those that are collectible are kept. Clothes that you wear are kept. Other things, however, such as the kids toys that they no longer play with because they’re now teenagers, clothes that you haven’t worn in years and cannot wear even if you wanted to as well as knick knacks, old videos, music and books can be given to many different charities.

 

Electronic equipment also falls into this category. Do you really need that analog TV sitting on the floor of your bedroom when you just bought yourself a flat screen? Many charities will not take electronics, so it is best to advertise them for free on a site like Craig’s List or just to give them to a neighbor or friend who can use it. If you know someone who collects all types of junk, you can make their day by giving them stuff you no longer want and save yourself the trouble of having to advertise to get rid of it. A word of caution here though, if the person cannot get any value out of it or if they are suffering from a hoarding disorder, then you are perpetuating there problem and adding to their situation by pawning off your clutter situation to them.

 

Take your time when you are getting rid of clutter. If it seems daunting, give yourself an hour to work on the project and then stop until the next day. Even if you spend a half an hour a day working on what to keep and what to give away or toss, you will start making headway. You do not have to feel as though you need to get rid of clutter all in one day.

 

Once every month, I go through the books that are keepers and those that I will never read again and send them to the Goodwill. Subscriptions to magazines, you can take to the doctor’s office after removing the address and name label. Newspapers get bundled up and recycled. If you want to really get industrious and you have the time, EPA now requires newspapers to use soy based inks that are biodegradable so you can shred them and use them in a compost bin for your next gardening project.

 

People with little children have to be especially vigilant when it comes to toys, stuffed animals and clothes as children outgrow these quickly. Instead of letting all of these items pile up and clutter up closets and playrooms, it is much better to give those that are in good shape to organizations that can sell them for a low price to people who will be grateful to have them. This is a good way for you to teach your children a little bit about good stewardship and how to not want to hoard everything that they receive. Of course, there are some things that are sentimental to your children that they will not want to get rid of and those should be kept.

 

If you are uncertain about getting rid of stuff, such as old files, clothes that you want to try to get back into, etc. Then put them in a box, seal it up, properly mark what is in it and keep that in the closet, nook, or where ever. Make sure to write the date that you packed the box. If, after a year, the box is still there un-opened, move it to the garage. If you find after another year has passed, that you still haven’t opened it up to retrieve anything out of it, then get rid of it. At that point, the chances of you actually needing something out of it are very slim.

 

In a nutshell, clutter is anything that makes your house look like a mess and consists of items that you do not need and may have accumulated over the years. When you are ready to let go, make sure that you give them to someone who may be able to use them. The items that you keep should be stored in a place where they are unobtrusive and do not make the house look cluttered.

 

You can look for traditional storage for these items or get creative. Once you get rid of the clutter and have, as they used to say “a place for everything and everything in its place,” you will not only find it easier to clean your home and office, but you will feel more organized. You will know where to find things when you need them and not have to worry about inadvertently throwing something out by mistake, like your high school yearbook.

 

The purpose of these blog posts is to help you strive to be more successful and to create a life worth living, so I never want to end a post without giving your some sort of “power question” to ponder over. Answering these questions will help you to take action.

 

Power Question for the day:

What do you love? Not flippant, but actually have a deep heart-felt endearing love for?

100 Ways To Be A Better Time Manager

Want a quick list of tips to be a better time manager? Then read, apply and develop these 100 great hints and your effectiveness as a time manager will zoom overnight.

 

 

I promised you that there would be something special in this. Here are 100 ways to be a better time manager. Practice them all and you'll discover that you'll get more done, improve the quality of your time with others, and have a better balance between all the demands on your work and life.

 

1. Value your time.

2. Treat time as a resource to be managed.

3. Measure your time.

4. Assess how much time you have to manage.

5. Negotiate more control over your working time.

6. Decide the best work pattern for yourself.

7. Get control of your tasks.

8. Have the freedom to balance your tasks.

9. Work at an even pace.

10. Plan ahead.

11. Balance the demands on your time.

12. Don't work more than you need.

13. Be a pearl diver: look for the gifts that time brings.

14. Use time to get results not just fulfill duties.

15. Do something productive and enjoyable each day.

16. Ask "what is the best use of my time now?" questions.

17. Identify your time robbers.

18. Have a purpose to your life.

19. Be effective...

20. ...and then efficient.

21. Don't rush or overwork.

22. Inject variety into your daily tasks.

23. Spend up to a quarter of your day on routine tasks.

24. Do routine tasks in the shortest time possible.

25. Develop good time habits.

26. Experiment with different methods for doing routine tasks.

27. Use the Shoeshine principle of doubling-up routine tasks.

28. Make the most of shortcuts.

29. Prepare your materials in advance.

30. Tidy up as you go.

31. Question every bit of paper you use.

32. Automate.

33. Identify bottlenecks and eliminate them.

34. Create easy work flows.

35. Use systems that minimize clutter.

36. Bunch similar tasks together.

37. Identify the quickest work methods and then train everyone.

38. Know which jobs can be speeded up and which can't.

39. Have a regular time slot for chores.

40. Put aside time for maintenance tasks.

41. Don't encourage unnecessary paperwork.

42. Organize your filing systems.

43. Back up your computer records at fixed times.

44. Clear your files out regularly.

45. Keep your desk clear.

46. Handle every piece of paper just once.

47. Eliminate junk mail and spam.

48. Phone rather than write.

49. Don't photocopy anything unless it is essential.

50. Send replies on the same piece of paper.

51. Keep your communications sweet and short.

52. Manage your projects with time, cost and quality estimates.

53. Run projects with detailed time plans.

54. Add on 20% to your initial project plans.

55. Have detailed lists of your project tasks.

56. Create a series of deadlines for your projects.

57. Look for weak links in your project and have back-up plans.

58. Streamline low-priority project tasks.

59. Keep on top of what's going on in your project.

60. Track and monitor your project progress.

61. Spend up to a quarter of your day on progress work.

62. Have a clear vision of your goals.

63. Align your goals with your values.

64. Be certain of achieving all your goals.

65. Write down your goals.

66. Plan your key result areas.

67. Set SMART goals for short-term tasks.

68. Identify jobs you hate and delegate them.

69. Break down big jobs into smaller chunks.

70. Prioritize your tasks according to their importance.

71. When you're overwhelmed, write out to-do lists and prioritise.

72. Leave loose ends so you can come back easily.

73. Use little scraps of unused time for itsy-bitsy jobs.

74. Plan 60% of your day; leave the rest for what comes up.

75. Put big jobs in your diary first, then the little ones.

76. Celebrate reaching your goals.

77. Spend up to a quarter of your day on non-doing tasks.

78. Take time out to sit and think.

79. Look after your health.

80. Get a sense of the times.

81. Take time to enjoy and appreciate.

82. Use the energy of the moment.

83. Occasionally just do what you want to do.

84. Take breaks at least every 90 minutes.

85. Review your day or week.

86. Spend up to a quarter of your day with others.

87. Always turn up to meetings on time.

88. Be courteous and brisk with others.

89. Only hold meetings that have a clear purpose.

90. Let people know when you're not free.

91. Minimize unnecessary interruptions.

92. Learn to say No to jobs that aren't yours.

93. Avoid time-wasters.

94. Control your phone.

95. Screen all incoming calls.

96. Devise a team time policy.

97. Keep a clock on the wall.

98. Know your time manager personality.

99. Check whether you have a tendency to overwork or underwork and adjust.

100. Enjoy your time.

 

No, the list wasn’t the special deal that I mentioned. This is:

 

Get a Grip on Life is 31 pages of great read. $12.96 value, yours f r e e. it’s helped me out and I know it will help you.

 

Click here for your absolutely F R E E download.

 

P.S. I appreciate your feedback, so let me know if this series has helped you. Also, we all have friends, family and associates that could benefit from this information, so don’t hesitate to forward this to them.

 

 

The purpose of these blog posts is to help you strive to be more successful and to create a life worth living, so I never want to end a post without giving your some sort of “power question” to ponder over. Answering these questions will help you to take action.

 

Power Question for the day:

What one thing would you try right now if you knew you could not fail.

 

Blessings,

F.W. Haynes