Ashamed

Ashamed A while back I approached C Hope and asked, â€Å"If you could special order your next article for FFW, what would it be about and when would you need it She replied, â€Å"I cannot begin to tell you the perfect article unless it was I’ve been reading the FundsforWriters newsletter and absorbing C Hope’s advice for nearly 20 years. I should have known better before sending the first email. I was brazen, albeit dumb, enough to send yet another. â€Å"You answered exactly what I asked, but what I really wanted to know is what kind of article could I write for you? Im basically asking for an assignment. I realize you dont typically do that, so Im kind of asking you to push the boundaries a bit because Im special and you love me?† I said those words! She responded (I suspect she rolled her eyes while doing so), â€Å"I cant begin to tell you what to write for FFW. I depend on writers relying upon their strengths to pitch the right pieces.† I know the types of articles that comprise the FFW newsletter. I have developed a relationship with C Hope over the years. I hold her in the highest regard and respect her implicitly. She pours her entire heart and soul into helping her readers succeed. It is because I know this, I am ashamed of my actions. It is why I decided to write this, even though it isn’t the â€Å"perfect† article she described. I learned three vital lessons. BE A PROFESSIONAL Whether you have been reading FFW for a week, or a decade, you are reading it because your goal is writing for money given the title of the newsletter is â€Å"FundsforWriters.† Writing for money, means you are running your own business. Unless your niche is business writing, it can be easy to slip into a conversational tone when sending queries and emails. When it concerns your writing business, keep correspondence professional. DON’T ABUSE YOUR NETWORK One of the golden rules in business †¦ in life, is to network. It is equally as important not to abuse your network. It is acceptable to ask questions or for guidance in their area of expertise. It is okay to ask for a special favor occasionally. It is never okay to say, â€Å"I’m asking you to push the boundaries a bit because I’m special/new/learning/don’t know what to do/know you.† TAKE YOURSELF SERIOUSLY The internet is inundated with ezines, newsletters, blogs, coaches, consultants, and advisors. Glean knowledge from these sources to build your writing business. FFW has printed numerous articles on the importance of queries, pitches and writers’ guidelines. Had I been taking myself seriously, I would never have sent the email. I would have gone to the website and searched the archives and the writers’ guidelines. Be willing to research. Be willing to put in the elbow grease. Take responsibility. Own your process. Don’t end up ashamed.

How to Improve Email ROI With Matthew Montoya From Constant Contact

How to Improve Email ROI With Matthew Montoya From Constant Contact Email marketing is that trusted friend that’s been around forever and will never let you down. You can always turn to it when you need some help. Plus, it gives you a whopping average ROI of 3,800%. That’s $38 for every $1 invested. Today, we’re talking to Matthew Montoya, the partner enablement and training manager at Constant Contact. He has helped consult more than 13,000 businesses on email marketing best practices. Email has been around a long time, but Matthew describes current trends and what works today. People who give you their email address are expressing interest in your business Quantify the value of your email list by multiplying the size of your list by the price point of the average they sell to get a dollar figure Biggest change in email marketing over the last seven years is mobile readership; 51% of business/non-profit emails will be opened on a mobile device People used to spend 35-40 seconds reading an email; now it’s 5 seconds Emails need to be succinct, make an impression, and include a call to action Think of an email not as a message, but an advertisement where people see the information, act on it, and go to your website or elsewhere to learn more Every contact matters and can produce money for your company The more targeting and testing you do, the better your responses HTML vs. Plain Text: Depends on your audience, but concise HTML emails usually generate higher, better responses Preview email messages to see how they display on different devices Know your audience to know what content they will find valuable and relevant Constant Contact’s Marketing Pillars: Segmentation, personalization, automation People look first at who sent an email, rather than the subject line; email should come â€Å"from† the brand Test subject lines to avoid repetition and make sure they grab readers’ attention Explore all marketing options across platforms all work together to share a story Links: Constant Contact Constant Contact for Free Email Subject Line Tester Integrations Write and send a review to receive a care package If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Matthew Montoya: â€Å"Email marketinghas changed dramatically over the last seven years. What used to be a best practice has evolved.† â€Å"Email marketing may haveless sex appeal than social media and other kinds of marketing.† â€Å"The one app that most people don’t even think of as an app is email. And yet, that’s probably the most used app on your phone because that’s where we’re doing business.† â€Å"Think of an email not as a message. It’s not a form of communication. It’s an advertisement.† It’s really important for everybody, if there’s one huge takeaway today beyond just building a mobile-responsive and mobile-friendly email, it’s making sure your content within that email is relevant.