Be a Marketer with Dave Charest Constant Contact

Libraries are often the heartbeat of the communities they serve — and Parsippany Public Library in New Jersey is no exception, offering much more than just reading materials. 

Head of Information Services Nicholas Jackson has been using Constant Contact for several years, both to distribute the library’s newsletter and to text workshop registrants. 

Before Constant Contact, the library had a problem: People would sign up for workshops and then forget to actually attend. So the library enabled attendee text messages to send reminders the night before and the day of the event. While not everyone checks their email constantly, most people check their texts immediately. Attendance problem solved.

Above all else, Nicholas’s top marketing tip is to stay consistent. That consistency applies to the look and feel of your graphics — like fonts and color schemes — as well as to your marketing plan and analysis of what’s working and what’s not. 

On this episode of Constant Contact’s podcast, Be a Marketer, Nicholas and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss all the ways that Constant Contact has helped spread awareness and drive foot traffic into Parsippany’s libraries.  

👉 Get started with SMS marketing in Constant Contact.  
Additional Resources:
Insert Canva images into your Constant Contact campaignsGet started with SMS marketing in Constant ContactCreating accessible emails with Constant Contact
Meet Today’s Guest: Nicholas Jackson of Parsippany Public Library

☕ What he does: Nicholas is the Head of Information Services at Parsippany Public Library in New Jersey. Nicholas oversees marketing and PR, plus programming, technology, collections, books, ebooks, and media. He also manages the the Library of Things program where people can borrow items like hotspots, Chromebooks, tabletop games, sewing machines, and more.

💡 Key quote: “Our newsletter is the most powerful advertising-marketing-PR tool. We noticed this when we did an author talk back in 2022. We asked when people signed up, How’d you find out about this? And over 40% said, In the newsletter. We realized that we need to make the newsletter, inviting, helpful, and friendly.”

👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn

👋 Where to find Parsippany Public Library: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok
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Do you want to know when someone signs up for your email list? On this episode, Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, and Kelsi Carter, the team’s brand production coordinator, talk you through it.

This week on the Be A Marketer podcast, learn how to be notified when someone subscribes to your email list so you can keep track of your list's growth. Also, Kelsi shares some exciting news about how she’s going to be a duck mom of three. 
Listen in to hear how to: 
Use the Constant Contact mobile app to create emails, social posts, manage your contacts, and track new subscribers.Check your Constant Contact reports to see how well your list is growing and where people are coming from, providing insight as to how you can make improvements moving forward.Set up email notifications for new contacts and unsubscribes to focus on your contact list growth. Resources:
Receive email updates when contacts opt-in or unsubscribe in Constant ContactAn overview of Constant Contact's mobile appCreative Ways to Grow Your Email List
Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode. 
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Despite being a newspaper, the Osprey Observer effectively utilizes digital tools like email marketing and social media. The key to running a successful local paper, for Marie, is being deeply involved in and committed to the local community. Her team focuses on covering local good news and events, and the relationships they build with local advertisers and readers.

"We laser focus on what we do. We provide customer service. We try to provide all the best services for our small businesses, and we just have to stay laser-focused," Marie explains. 

Being a part of the community and engaging in local events has helped create a strong brand for the Osprey Observer.

Listen to Marie share valuable insights on embracing the local community, the power of good news, and leveraging digital tools for better engagement, with host Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact.

👉 Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.

Resources:
Get Marie Gilmore’s FREE Kindle book: Open for Business! Now what? Find your local chamber of commerce A/B test an email subject line with Constant ContactMeet Today’s Guest: Marie Gilmore from Osprey Observer
📰 What she does: Marie is the Managing Editor and Publisher for Osprey Observer, which started as a newsletter and now has grown into four local editions, covering the areas of southeast Hillsborough County.

💡 Key quote: “We all live and work in this community. That’s who we need to support.” - Marie

👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 

👋 Where to find Osprey Observer: Website | Instagram | Facebook
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Thinking about importing purchased contacts into your Constant Contact account? In this episode, Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, and Kelsi Carter, the team’s brand production coordinator, discuss why you should avoid importing purchased contacts into your account and how to grow your email list organically.
Listen in to hear how/why: 
Email marketing is permission-based and importing purchased contacts is not recommended due to regulations, ethics, and effectiveness.Purchased contact lists can damage a business's reputation and sender status, and are against Constant Contact's terms of service.Organic list building is the best approach to email marketing, using sign-up tools and offering incentives to attract subscribers.The success of email marketing depends on the quality of the contact list and the relevance of the content.Constant Contact provides various tools to collect email addresses and grow lists organically.
Resources:
Why Your Business Can’t Afford to Use Purchased Email ListsConstant Contact’s email permission policyEmail Sign-Up Tools to Help You Grow Your List and Your Business
Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode. 
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Identifying and understanding who your key customers are is a crucial part of marketing for Clif Johnson, especially if you’re targeting diverse audiences like professionals and consumers. 

"You really have to put on kind of two marketing hats. You have to understand the needs of both of those customers and really be able to cater to them in order to effectively market to them,” says Clif.

Once you know your audience, you can start providing them with targeted content with the help of segmentation to enhance marketing efforts.

And while initial sales are important, repeat sales indicate effective relationship management.

On this episode, Clif and host Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, dive into the importance of understanding key customers, repeat business, and the role of Constant Contact in their marketing.
👉 Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.
Resources:
Top Ecommerce Integrations to Help You Sell MoreCreate and manage contact listsCreate a segment of contact by choosing specific criteria
Meet Today’s Guest: Clif Johnson from Pablo Designs
⚡What he does: Clif is the Director of Global Sales and Marketing at Pablo Designs. Pablo Designs is a manufacturer and distributor of interior lighting that challenges traditional design metaphors. Their mission is to create designs that deepen the relationship between objects, their users, and their environment.

💡 Key quote: “Storytelling sells and engages far better than numbers on a spreadsheet. You can have the best product in the world, but if you're not telling a story around it…you're going to not only lose people's attention, but in many cases, you're probably going to bore them to tears.”

👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 

👋 Where to find Pablo Designs: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
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Wondering how ‌nonprofit organizations can use email marketing effectively? In this episode, Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, welcomes Kelsi Carter, the team’s new brand production coordinator. They go on to discuss the importance of storytelling, segmentation, and frequency in email marketing. 

Listen in to hear how why: 
Storytelling and inclusivity are crucial in nonprofit marketing and why you must focus on the impact of donors' support.Segmentation and automation are vital for sending relevant content and improving engagement.You should optimize emails for mobile viewing, as many people check emails on their phones.Sending emails at least twice a month with limited content (three sections beyond the intro) for easy scanning, may be best for you.Prioritizing and acting on one thing at a time is key to getting things done.Resources:
Top 7 Nonprofit Marketing Integrations to Increase EngagementAchieve your marketing goals with Constant Contact's integrations_zapier Constant Contact Integrations
Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode. 
If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions.