This month’s post contains three resources that I personally recommend. They’ve made a difference in my business and I believe they can make a difference in yours as well. Read on, then give them a try and let me know what you think.
BASIC GRAPHIC DESIGN SIMPLIFIED
When it comes to marketing, the saying, “a picture’s worth 1000 words” is so true! Although, sometimes a slight amount of image editing is needed to send just the right message. When this is the case, you could outsource the task to a graphic designer for a fee - but wouldn’t it be nice to have the option to handle some of these little design projects yourself? There’s now an excellent resource entitled "How to Use Photoshop: The Ultimate Guide for the Design-Impaired Marketer" by HubSpot. This extremely user-friendly guide will take you step-by-step through the basics of using Photoshop and other similar design software. Further, if you don’t have Photoshop on your computer, this article outlines some great options to consider: 10 Photoshop Alternatives That Are Totally Free.
AN EBOOK NO BUSINESS OWNER SHOULD BE WITHOUT
There's a brand new eBook on email marketing that just came on the market. It's called "Email Persuasion" by Ian Brodie. The Table of Contents below really says it all:
INTRODUCTION: Why email is the world’s most powerful marketing tool
1. WINNING CLIENTS WITH EMAIL: The foundations of effective email marketing
2. SIGN ME UP: Quickly building a valuable list of email subscribers
3. READ ME: Effective strategies to get your emails opened and read
4. TALK TO ME: Writing emails that engage and persuade
5. BUY ME: Turning engaged subscribers into paying clients
6. AUTOPILOT MARKETING: Using “auto responders” to automate your email marketing
7. TAILORING YOUR EMAILS: Using List Segmentation to get the right message to the right subscriber
8. PERSUADING WITH EMAIL: Learning the science of influence
9. MEASURING AND TESTING YOUR EMAIL MARKETING: A simple dashboard to measure the effectiveness of your email marketing
10. EMAIL MARKETING TECHNOLOGY: A guide to tools and technology to support your email marketing
11. YOUR NEXT STEPS
Click here for the Kindle version on Amazon.com
EASY, FREE FORM BUILDER
The free file storage and sharing application FilesAnywhere, now offers an online form building application included as part of its free version. It’s super easy to use, and includes storage and reporting for all of the form submissions you receive. Google drive also offers a similar form building app.
If you think about it, there are so many situations when a basic digital form would be extremely helpful for your business while providing added convenience for your clients. Here are some ideas off the top of my head of ways you could use custom forms - I’m sure you can think of more:
- product feedback form
- customer satisfaction survey (could be tied to a contest ‘complete our survey and be entered to win...’)
- pre-consultation form
- New client intake form
- Project planning questionnaire
Basically you can use these for any form or survey that does not require a legal signature. So the next time you need someone to complete some information, don’t send a standard word document, create a simple, digital form and send it as a link. Your clients will be impressed and you will love having that data at your fingertips!
Visit our website for information about our email campaign services, form building and other administrative support services designed to enhance your marketing results. Is there a particular business topic you would like more information on? Contact our office and you’ll receive a reply directly from me, usually within just a few hours.
Dedicated to Your Success!
~Carol M. Aldridge