Small Business Bliss

Not blogging? You’re wasting your time on social media!

by Martina on May 17, 2013

This is a guest post by the fabulous Sarah Santacroce from Simplicity – Simple Small Business Solutions

When Martina asked me if I’d like to write a post for her blog I was of course thrilled and immediately started thinking about possible topics. We agreed that I’d write about ‘Blogging’ and my first thought was to tell you about the benefits of blogging. But that’s boring, right? So that’s why I chose a more dramatic approach Here we go:

Social Media to create Buzz?

When I get contacted by a prospect I often hear ‘Sarah, I want you to create buzz for my business on Social Media’.

‘Ok, let’s have a chat’ I say.

In this chat, which usually evolves into a 30 minute conversation, I try to explain that in order to create buzz on Social Media, they need to provide some kind of content. Usually the content comes in form of blog posts, but it can also be white papers, research data, audio recordings, video etc.

Without your own content, you will end up with one of the following two scenarios:
a) You only share other people’s content, promoting someone else’s website
b) You only share promotional updates, which your followers will soon grow tired of

In order to create buzz, you need to create your own content by blogging regularly.

Social Media doesn’t generate sales

If you’d listen to all the Social Media gurus out there, you would think that Social Media is the answer to all your problems. ‘If you have a fancy Facebook page, your sales will increase by 80%’ Or ‘Pinterest will increase your traffic & leads by 50%’…

Don’t listen to them! Yes, Social Media is part of the equation, but it’s only a tool to an end, a great way to spread your message and increase brand recognition. But it’s very rare that an actual sales transaction happens directly via Facebook, Pinterest or any other social platform. Sales happen after people have developed trust in your business, by reading your regular blog posts!

What if Facebook starts to charge for pages?

It’s not impossible, don’t you think? Already they make us pay to ‘promote’ our posts, in other words get them seen by our own fans. The truth is that you don’t own your Facebook fans, Twitter followers or Pinners. But you DO own your blog. The domain is yours, the look & feel is yours, the content is yours and you can do whatever you want with it. No restrictions.

Build your list with your blog

Do you know what else you own when you blog regularly? Your e-mail subscriber list. Besides providing content to share on Social Media, a blog is probably THE best way to grow your e-mail subscriber list. If people like your content, they will subscribe to your list. And the good news is: you own that list! In fact, it’s one of the most important assets of your company. Over time your list will grow, and so will the value of your company.

Social Media rocks, but…

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Social Media. It’s one of the best inventions ever for small business owners. Whether it is Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Google+, all of these channels are a great way to socialize & converse with your target audience. But if you’re not blogging you really are wasting your time, because you don’t achieve the most important goal of social media: driving traffic to your own site.

Let me know what you think: do you agree or disagree? Do you blog and have already seen the positive impact on your small business? Please share with us in the comments below.

Sarah Santacroce is a certified Social Media, Internet Marketing & Virtual Event specialist. She helps small business owners and individual entrepreneurs to find their place in today’s online world. Sarah is a Swiss national, but thinks with a global mind. Read Sarah’s latest blog posts.

futureshape/Flickr Creative Commons

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What is your “About” page really about?

by Martina on May 13, 2013

All of the pages of your website are important – not just your homepage. An often overlooked page is the “About” page.

Is this you? “Meh, who cares about me, really? I’ll just jot down a few little things, and then focus on my homepage and product/service/purchase pages.”

But have you ever thought of the fact that, for some people, your About page might be their entrance to your site (maybe if they’ve found you off a Google search that connected to your About page)? Or for some customers, they may surf over to your About page before they consider taking any of your products or services seriously. So maybe it’s time to seriously rethink your About page.

I know that I ALWAYS read the About page on a website when I land there for the first time. And it’s not just me… I got agreement on Facebook from some of our lovely community members:

An About page missed opportunity

Let’s drive this home with a real life example. There is a Thai restaurant not far from my home here in North Vancouver that I love. I read an article about them in the local paper where they shared their story of how they were a young married couple that took a leap of faith and immigrated to Canada. They opened their own business where they could share their cultural heritage with their new country. It was a lovely story and they seemed like such nice people. And when you go to the restaurant and meet them, they ARE absolutely so delightful and friendly.

A while back I had navigated over to their website to have a look at their menu online. I remembered that story from the paper and thought I’d like to read a little more about them in their own words. You guessed it, NO about page on their website. Their wonderful and interesting story was not communicated at all. The very thing that made me a loyal customer was missing from their website, the basis of all their online communications. Can you see the missed opportunity here?

How to rock your About page

So what makes a good about page? As a basis, your About page should answer the 5 W’s: who, what, where, when, why? Absolutely mention what it is you do, but don’t just stop there. Many small businesses (and even really big ones) just use their About page as another place to talk about products or services. Take it well beyond that. Share your story. Share why it is you are doing what you’re doing. Remember, YOU are the secret sauce of your marketing efforts. And working that into your About page is key.

Most people don’t really think about their About page as a place to convert website visitors into buying customers. But if someone likes what you are about and the whole raison d’etre for your business, this could be precisely where they decide to buy from you. Or at the very least remember you when they are ready to buy.

Let’s look at some key components to get this page rockin’ :

BIO WITH PERSONALITY: OK, so obviously your About page is about you, but don’t simply list of a few business accomplishments. This is not a resume. Answer the 5 W’s in an enticing way. How did you get to where you are today? What were the challenges/motivations? Why do you do what you do? What floats your boat? How are you here to help people? Be a story teller here – everyone loves to hear a story. I myself am working at getting more of that into my content, and I just finished writing the story of how I started my own small business – with a link to it from my About section.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO GET A LITTLE PERSONAL: Adding a little personal info is another great way to lighten things up a bit and make yourself more memorable. I’m not talking a treatise about how you only eat organic food, but a few little tidbits are fun and can help potential customers feel more connected to you. If you’re not a one man (or woman) band and you’ve got a whole team, each staff member could add a personal note to their bios. And in terms of general company info, think about things like what the company culture is like, what your values are, what it’s like to work at your business, what kind of people you hire, community involvement etc…
PICS & VIDS: Adding a few pictures of you (and your team if you have one) can make a big difference and adds a real personal touch to your about page. Make a fun group shot if you’re a team or individual pics for each team member. You could even include a fun little video to introduce yourselves.
BIT O’ BRAGGING: Your About page is no place to be modest – this is where you want a potential customer to feel a high degree of trust for you and your business. Highlight those accomplishments! Mention any awards you’ve won or special contributions you’ve made. Include a link to your testimonials. In short, cover off all the reasons why you’re awesome. This can be awkward for some people, but don’t worry, no one can see you blushing.
CALL TO ACTIONS: The focus should be on what makes YOU and YOUR COMPANY different and unique, and not so much about your products/services (that’s what your sale pages of your website are for). But as per the points above, you should bring up what you do, who you do it for and how you can help. And definitely include calls to action – they should be on ALL pages of your website, even on the About page. You always want your website visitors to be able to take action, no matter what page they are on. Contact information, join the email list, social media icons, buy something. What have you, make sure the option is there.

About page examples

I always find it helpful to take a look at examples when learning something new, so check out these about pages from other small business owners and my comments of what I like about them…

Living Light Coconut Tree: This about page just brims with authenticity and the good that Rya is bringing to the world with her coconut butter. And it is so original and unique, just like the shining star Rya is.
Oliver Harden Photography: Oliver’s about page is full of his personality and sense of humour. He doesn’t need to tell you on this page that he’s a killer photographer. His images speak for themselves. This is where you get a feeling for the type of guy he is.
EnergyMatch: Ekaterina works in a nice mix of how she can help you with your business and her own personal journey.
OJAS: It’s not just about selling ethical fair trade soap. It’s about sharing, with complete transparency, the whos, the hows and the whys.
DK Wong & Associates: When you have to be professional, it doesn’t mean you can’t speak in direct language and share your passion for your business.
Indigo Star: Susie shares the story of her business, and why she loves making her sparkly handmade jewellery.
Dig Yardscapes: A very boring industry (retaining walls anyone?) made fun.
SocialMouths: The full story behind Francisco’s journey to running one of the most successful social media blogs there is.
Here are a couple of good examples of larger teams: Social Media Examiner & Copyblogger

Know that you need a great About page, but hate writing? Or are just struggling to put it all into words? I can help! Writing content is one of my favourite things to do. Let’s work together to create an About page that really gets your ideal customer revved and ready to go. Get in touch with me to find out more.

On to you – do you read the About page when visiting a website for this first time or researching a business? Let us know in the comments and feel free to post a link to your About page so that we can all get to know you a little better

Image source: artur84 / freedigitalphotos.net

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How I started my small business… a personal story and journey

by Martina on May 6, 2013

It was the same thing every weekday morning.

I would wake up with this horrible sense of dread. Sometimes there were tears.

I had to go to work. And I was miserable.

It didn’t start off this way. When I got the job, I was jazzed. I was tasked with managing the creation of a new company website. And if I do say so myself, it’s awesome. I loved the process. Worked with a killer web design team. Had a blast writing the content. Had visions of blogging and email newsletters dancing in my head.

The website launched. But it soon became clear that leveraging it, updating it, loving it, was not going to be a top priority. I had way too much other stuff on my plate.

I guess when the VP of Sales and Marketing questioned why a website was even needed in the first place, that should have been a pretty obvious red flag.

And it soon got worse. In the name of saving the company money, a staff member that left was not replaced. And faster than I could say I’m a marketing professional, I was answering the 1-800 number and wrapping gift baskets.

Not what I went to school for. Not where I envisioned my career.

Let’s back track a little

A decade ago, marketing was nowhere on my radar. I finished a history major in university and I wanted to be a teacher. I got disillusioned with the state of the Canadian public school system, so then I decided to go into ESL. I loved learning languages (I speak 4 myself) and was obsessed with traveling (I’ve visited every continent, 30+ countries and counting). Teaching international students was a great fit!

And then a marketing/sales job at an ESL school kind of fell into my lap. I decided to give it a try… and I really loved it. My new career path unfolded before me.

Headed to BCIT for a Marketing Communications Certificate which was where I got my 1st real taste of internet marketing in a course taught my a super smart and savyy local Vancouver marketing professional. I was hooked. I could use my love of writing (thank you history degree!), my love of communicating with people and my love of organizing and detail oriented tasks, to very good use in the world of online marketing.

So when I graduated, it was a job in internet marketing I was after. And I got a great one where I met one of my mentors, Laurent Munier. He was my boss and taught me so much. We worked together at rolling out an online marketing plan, and created an awesome new website… unfortunately, the business went under in the whole 2008 financial fiasco, just days before the website was to go live. But the experience was invaluable and my love of all things online promotion was solidified.

Back to the crying and the career derailment

I looked and looked for another opportunity. I thought I was going to lose my mind if I spent one more working minute doing nothing with my marketing savvy. But, I didn’t just want to jump into any old job. I wanted to find a great fit.

And I couldn’t.

And all I can say is thank you universe because that is ultimately what propelled me to start my own small business.

Another mentor of mine asked me what I wanted to do career wise. I said “own my own business, but I’m not ready now.” She just looked at me and very simply said “Why not?” It all snowballed from there.

She gave me the courage to jump off the deep end. To stop letting my fears stand in my way.

And jump off the deep I did. I gave my notice, and a few short weeks later, I was sitting at home in front of the computer, wondering what the heck I had gotten myself into, but knowing deep down that…

…it would all work out

And has it ever. Sure, the beginning was bumpy. I had to learn so much about being an entrepreneur. I needed to use my savings and give up on a back-backing trip to Cuba to bootstrap myself (and you know pay rent and that kind of stuff). But it all started coming into place.

I got my first clients (thank you to the small businesses that supported me right from the start – who know who you are and I appreciate you!!). I partnered with a great design team that I had worked with at my previous job (ECD Graphics – love you guys!). Found a solid, steady on going contract as a copywriter and social media strategist at a local Vancouver marketing consultancy (thank you Twitter, seriously).

And lo and behold, here I was, working from home, doing what I loved and working with small businesses and entrepreneurs in all kinds of different industries.

It just took a little courage. A little nudging from God Source (“negative” situations? Ha!). A little help (OK, a lot) from my family and my partner.

And a whole lot of small business enthusiasm and self-love.

I stand humbled in gratitude.

Sometimes, we get so mired down in the day-to-day running of our small businesses that we forget how far we’ve come since we started. Heck, we might even forget why we are doing this whole small business thing in the first place. Writing this post and reflecting on my journey was a very powerful and empowering process of remembrance and appreciation.

Having a job you love is so important. The way our society is currently structured, we have to spend the greater part of our lives working. I know that for many a small business owner, starting their own entrepreneurial journey was a way to bring joy and passion into all those working hours.

So maybe you might want to take a cue from me and write your own story down. And if you’ve been wondering what the heck I should blog about next, here you go ☺ Next post topic covered.

How did you start you business? Have you bared all in your own small business story? Share your personal journey, leave links to your content, let me know if my experience resonates with you. Meet you in the comments.

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The secret sauce for marketing success…YOU!

by Martina on April 26, 2013

So you’re looking to buy something. A product. Or a service. You might end up on a website. Or a social media profile.

Yes, you’re looking for product info.

But you’re also probably looking for something a little more…

…who are these people?

…what makes them tick?

…what makes them different from the last business I just checked out?

…how do they run their business?

And most importantly of all… why should I buy from them?

Sometimes entrepreneurs make the mistake of pretending to be something they’re not because they believe this will bring them sales. This is a big no-no for genuine (and successful) marketing. That’s not the way to stand out, to shine. The way to shine is to be yourself.

There is nothing more important. You have to put the “you” in your marketing.

“Being original today is a challenge because there are a million ways to see what everybody else is doing. Stop. Focus. Be you.” – Raam Dev, writer, thinker, world traveling nomad and engineer

Feeling skeptical, you saavy little biz owner you? This is not just a spiritual or well being suggestion; it actually really does have an essential role in your business marketing. Need more? Here you have it:

It makes your marketing more effective

When you’re being yourself, you’re not faking it. People can spot a phony from a mile away. Your message will be stronger and people will resonate with you when you’re speaking your truth. And it should make you feel good!

Competitive advantage

No one can match you. Because only you are you. If you’ve been here for a while, you know that I’m into spirituality. Positivity. Love. Personal empowerment. And I share that kind of stuff from time to time. Yes, there are plenty of people out there who hate it. I might lose Facebook likes or email subscribers. And that’s OK. I am one internet marketing consultant out of about a bazillion. But if someone had the choice between me and someone else, and they are in tune with what I’m about and my values, then it makes it easier to choose me. I’ve differentiated myself based on who I am as a person.

It makes you more memorable

This kind of goes hand in hand with the point above. Not only will you stand out from your competition, but you will also be more memorable. So maybe someone is not ready to buy from you right now. But maybe they may be ready in the future. And you want your business or your name to be the one that comes to mind. The fact that my favourite place to hang out is the forest is a whole heck of a lot more memorable than the fact that I offer quality small business marketing services (yawn, you and how many other people?).

You attract your right people

When you attract your right people then it’s meant to be, business style! You can’t possibly be a perfect fit for everyone and their dog. So when you are being yourself you attract the right people for you and your business. Instead of just being some cookie cutter shape of what you think everyone wants you to be.

And it will make it all easier when you’ve got your right people. Selling is easier. Delivering the right product is easier. The process is easier. Because you are in tune.

It makes marketing easier and WAY more fun

Have you ever spent way too long on sending a simple message or even a tweet because you got a little paranoid of how you are coming across? If you just be yourself then you can stop double thinking simple tasks and let your personality shine through. Stop trying to be so darn professional! Marketing will all of a sudden seem so much more friendly. And more real!

So how can you be yourself more?

Social media: it’s now the #1 way to show who you are. And it doesn’t have to all be business on these internet marketing channels. Share pictures of you living your life. Share quotes or images that are in line with your values. Give your audience an inside peek into who you are.

Website content: don’t overwhelm your visitor with all your business jargon and university essay style long paragraphs. Make it sound like you! And make sure you’re a part of it. If there’s a team, include bios. If it’s just you, share yourself. Don’t hide behind some bland, generic “about” paragraph in the 3rd person that makes you sound like a big corporation. You’re not. And you know what? In this day and age, with people waking up to the wonder of small business, it’s better that you’re not. Way better.

Blog: bring yourself into your blogging. Share stories. Give personal examples. People love personal examples! This can be a wonderful way to add depth to a blog that may be of a techy or biz-focused subject.

Promotions: Have a little something you’re stoked about? Promote it! Put on a special sale with proceeds going to your fav charity. Participate in or sponsor an event that is just the right fit for what you’re all about. Whatever, you do, don’t be shy about it! And be sure to share WHY you are stoked about it!

Being yourself in your business life will not only be a feel good release from the stuffy professional box we try to stick ourselves into sometimes, it will also be good for your business. It’s a WIN-WIN. Customers are becoming very sharp when it comes to business character. The days of the slimy fake used car salesman telling the customer what he wants them to hear are over. In a world that is becoming mass marketed and fierce with business competition (I mean, hello, have you noticed HOW many of us are here on this planet!), the only way to stand out is to be the beautiful, unique you that you are. And there is only one you. No one else is you. Now that’s what I call ORIGINAL!

Your turn to dish. How do you bring yourself into your business? What do you share that might turn some people off while making others fall in love with you? The comments section awaits…

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Keeping your WordPress website safe

by Martina on April 17, 2013

Friday morning was a bit of a wacky one.

Went to login into my blog to have a quick check in. Couldn’t login in and had a minor panic.

After a bit of frantic Google searching, decided to have a peek over at my web host (Go Daddy) to see what was going on (*note to self, always check with web host first before assuming the worst ) and sure enough, they had locked all users out of WordPress sites until further notice due to a major worldwide hacker attack. OK cool, I can live with that.

Shifted into work mode.

I help to manage the social media presence for a fairly large Canadian web host and boy was there a deluge of inquiries and tweets waiting. Concern and panic all over the place.

No small business owner or entrepreneur wants to put their lifeblood (and yes, we’re talking about your website here folks) in jeopardy.

It’s never pleasant to be hacked. It’s happened to me before when one of the small affiliate websites I set up was shut down by my host due to hacker infiltration. Wasn’t a huge deal and I didn’t have a ton of content up there. But still. It could have been a much, much bigger deal. The lovely Natalie from Suitcase Entrepreneur had her own nightmare experience that’s worth reading about (including some great tips from her – check it out here).

Ever since that website hack experience, I’ve had doing up a post about WordPress website security on my list of blog topics. In light of the events last week, I figured it was time to get it posted.

So here are the basic steps that you should take to secure your WordPress website…

Update the version

Prior to being hacked myself, I didn’t really pay much attention to the whole “update your WordPress to the latest version” message that would show up at the top of the screen logged in. I didn’t really think it was that important and most of the time I didn’t bother. Bad move. Installing these updates is important and had I done so on my other site, it most likely would not have been compromised. These updates involve updates to security settings. So click on that update whenever you see it.

Update the plugins

Same goes for your plugins. Keep those updated too. One popular plugin that has been causing some problems is the WP Super Cache that helps with site speed. If you’re running that one, it’s recommended that you make the switch over to Quick Cache. (Don’t know how to install plugins? The next section has a resource to help you).

Login Attempts plugin

One of the best things about WordPress based sites is the gobs and gobs of free and totally awesome plugins available (yay, open source!). One of them is the Limit Login Attempts plugin that controls what happens when someone tries to login and fails. There is a really fantastic video tutorial on how to get this done here – if you don’t know how to set up a plugin on your site, this makes it really easy to understand.

Username

If your username is admin… change it pronto! This is a default setting and many hackers use this knowledge to get in. This weakness was being specifically targeted in this attack. This is the default.

And remember not to make it something super obvious. Your username for login and how you show up in your WordPress profile, such as when you are leaving responses to comments on your blog, are not connected. So your username for login is not public and definitely should not be something easy to guess, such as your name or your business’ name.

Strong password

I thought my password was pretty good. It had a capital letter. And a symbol.

I’ve since pumped it up big time. It’s got a bunch of symbols. A bunch of numbers. A bunch of caps. A bunch of random weirdness basically. Yes, it’s not easy to remember. But that’s the whole point. This is a minor inconvenience compared to losing your whole website.

This is a great resource for creating a strong password.

Backups

I am very non-techie (better than I used to be before starting my own small business, but still a bit naive I think ) and I made the incorrect assumption that my web host had me covered. When I dealt with the small affiliate site going down, I have to admit that I was a little surprised that my web host was not just simply going to recover it for me. Website backups are not included in web hosting plans. You have to make your own arrangements or pay for the service.

For WordPress, there are of course some fantastic plugins that can help. My friend Francisco over at SocialMouths wrote a great post with options for backing up your WordPress site here.

What if I don’t run on WordPress? Or manage my own website?

A lot of the above still applies, such as having strong passwords etc… It’s just general good security common sense. If you’re completely hands off with your website, then check in with your web guys to make sure that they are covering your bases in terms of backups and security. Don’t like the answer they give you? Don’t feel confident in their abilities? I’m happy to set you up with a web team you can trust… since I trust them myself with my own site and sites for my clients. Just contact me.

So these are just some of my basic tips for keeping your WordPress website safe and sound. Do you have any others? Please share your knowledge in the comments… for the benefit of us all!

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Email marketing – how much does consistency and timing really matter?

by Martina on April 9, 2013

I’m sitting at my desk. Today is the day that I’m supposed to work on my blog and put together my email newsletter. But my eyes keep on filling with tears and all I can think about is the precious little black cat with the white tummy and paws (one with a perfect imprint of a black heart) that my Mom and I said goodbye to late last night at the animal emergency hospital.

I really don’t feel like writing. I really don’t feel like sitting at the computer.

So I stop and I walk away.

That little gnawing voice inside of my head is telling me that I should put my content first and that I owe my list a newsletter?

I ignore it.

The truth of the matter is that things like this are always cropping up to interfere with my blog posting intentions. Whether it’s a (or several) sudden urgent demands from clients out of nowhere. Or a really heavy workload. Or a nasty bout of the flu. Or just a bad day.

I’m not always in a position of being able to send out my email newsletter the same day at the same time on a regular schedule. And I’ve made peace with that.

Which is why I have never put a schedule on myself. The emails will come out bi-weeklyish (emphasis on the “ish”) and that’s that.

Any small business owner engaged in email marketing is anxiously thinking – how often should I send? And when should I send? And should it always be the same?

The answer?

In my opinion, there isn’t one…

Do you need a set content schedule?

There are basically 2 camps – those that stick to a strict schedule and those that don’t. Let’s look at what’s going on at either camp.

The stick-to-a-strict schedule camp

Two small business bloggers that I love to follow are Karen Gunton from build a little biz and Pamela Wilson from Big Brand System. These 2 impressive gals are always sticking to their email newsletter schedule. Every Saturday, on the button. And I’ve often wanted to emulate that. I know Karen has mentioned how she gets the feedback that her people look forward to the emails, and reading her newsletter is part of a weekend routine with a cup of coffee. I like that. A part of me really wants that consistency and admires those that pull it off, week after week.

The screw-the-sched camp

These are the others who just send when the content is done and the inspiration has struck. They throw optimization out the window – what is the best time to send out an email newsletter (or blog post if you do the whole emails via blog posts thing)? Who cares, I wanna send it now. My readers will get to it when they open their email, whenever that might be. If they really love my content, they won’t care when or how often I send it.

My thoughts (and you don’t have to pay a penny for them)

Sure, I could stay up until midnight on those crazy days and just force myself to get it done right now because that’s what I feel I should do. But that really isn’t my style. I’m more of a go with the flow kind of a person. If I have people on my list that don’t like that I don’t have a set schedule, then I guess they are just not the right fit for me. They’re not my right people.

And I think that’s true for everyone. Everyone has different preferences. I’ve had someone unsubscribe from my list because I sent out emails too often (she was kind enough to send me this feedback which I really appreciated). And here I was thinking that I didn’t send out nearly often enough when I was comparing myself to others.

So don’t try to drive yourself crazy trying to please everyone. Or get yourself in a tizzy over the advice you read from an internet marketer insisting on or lauding the praises of consistent, frequent schedules, whether for blog posts or emails newsletters. It all comes down to what works for you.

OK, but is there a set day and time I should stick to for optimal success?

I know that you would really love it if I could tell you that if you send your email out every week on Tuesday at 9am EST you will get the best clicks and engagement. Wouldn’t that make it so easy? But as we all know, email marketing (and internet marketing in general) is never that easy.

There have been studies done and there are graphs galore on the optimal time to send out blogs, but really it all depends. It depends on your industry. It depends on your audience. It depends on your content. It depends on how many time zones you blast out to. It just depends.

If you use email marketing software for your mailouts (my fav is AWeber) there are plenty of tools at your disposal for tracking things like clicks and opens. Absolutely track and test and try different things if that’s your bag.

I read this article on Copyblogger about the best time to send out emails. The author Linda (from the renegade writer) discussed that sending out on a Sunday is the supposedly the worst day ever, but she got great results in doing so.

I asked my lovely assistant to do some research into the topic to make sure I wasn’t missing some sort of golden email marketing nugget that I wasn’t aware of. I loved her answer so I’m posting is here verbatim: “I just found a bunch of conspiracy theories on when is the best time to send out, and some articles on how posting better content less frequently is better than posting crappy content more frequently.”

So really, the best option for success is unknown. You will have to be the master of your own experiment.

But maybe you shouldn’t take it too far?

One word of caution. If you’re collecting emails, you’re setting expectations that you’re going to be sending out emails. As much as I’m about go with the flow, I do think that some modicum of consistency is important. I know that I have been on lists where I didn’t hear anything for months or even years… and then in some cases would suddenly get a whole barrage of emails trying to sell me stuff. A bad case of the greedy email collector if you ask me. A few words come to mind: random, unprofessional and in some cases downright annoying (but that’s just me). My rule of thumb? Do unto others as you would do unto yourself.

One piece of advice that I do have for you small business owners is to keep expectations and communications clear. If you don’t think you can keep to a weekly schedule, then you shouldn’t say that mailouts will be forthcoming weekly. And if you’re new to this whole email marketing or blogging thing and you’re not sure how it’s all going to pan out for you, maybe stay away from committing to a specific timeframe until you’ve figured out what works best for you.

I know this is a pretty contentious issue and there are lots of differing opinions. I would really love to hear yours. How do you handle your email and blogging frequency? Do you always send out the same day and same time? In receiving emails, what are your preferences?

Image source: renjith krishnan / freedigitalphotos.net

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