Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

8 Great Ideas From the Clinton Campaign’s Email Footer

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The thing about running a political campaign is that you send a lot of emails to your supporters. It’s ridiculously overwhelming and very easy for people to unsubscribe so you just go away and stop harassing them for more money. If you follow me on Twitter you’re probably aware #ImWithHer – I promise you this isn’t a political post. The other day after the 7th email from HRC’s campaign I decided that I don’t need to hear from her more times a day than I have to let Norm outside. So I scrolled to the bottom of the email to see if I could reduce the number of emails I receive and what I found instead was BRILLIANT.

Here’s 8 great ideas I discovered from Hillary’s email footer.

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  1. Feedback! First things first – this is MY campaign – and they asked for feedback – what a great idea! Asking your contacts for feedback is always awesome. If you send your newsletter on a very regular basis this is a good idea…
  2. Key Policies – I like that they also included a link to more information on her key policies. For a business owner you might say something like “want to learn more about the services we offer? Visit http://yellowdogconsulting.com/services/“
  3. There’s an App! – Small business owners don’t often have apps – but a lot of folks in direct sales might have them, and this is a creative way to remind folks to download the app without overwhelming the newsletter each month, clever.
  4. Update Your Preferences – you can choose to receive less email (which I am terrified of folks who didn’t do that, I still get 5 a day!) or unsubscribe. I like that it’s a bit more sandwiched in and you have to read to find it. Typically I find this annoying but they did it so well…If you have multiple lists or are sending out emails for a variety of offerings I highly encourage creating lists that your subscribers can pick and choose from.
  5. Social Media links – typically I suggest you add in your social media icons earlier in the email, however throwing it right into the footer there for folks who unsubscribe but still want to be aware? This is clever…
  6. There’s a Spanish option! – okay this one honestly makes little sense to me. If I preferred my newsletter in another language this would be more helpful at the very top preview of an email instead of squished into the middle of a footer.
  7. A Super Secret Picture – This is just clever. I like to add easter eggs in blog posts and newsletters occasionally but I hadn’t thought about my newsletter footer before!
  8. Thank You! – A very smart move here, you probably read the email that was sent and you’ve read all the way to the bottom of the footer. Holy crap you do deserve a fun picture and a thank you.

If people scroll to the bottom of your email just to unsubscribe wouldn’t it be cool if instead of leaving you forever they actually became more engaged?

4 Stress-Free Ways to Get Media Coverage for You or Your Business

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Sandra NomotoToday’s guest post is from Sandra Nomoto of Conscious PR Inc., in Vancouver, BC. Sandra and I met through eWomenNetwork and she’s a rockstar PR professional! Since I often get questions about PR, I asked Sandra to share a few tips for small business owners. Thanks Sandra!

Despite the almost instantaneous ways in which we can reach people today, potential clients come to us thinking that appearing in a particular newspaper, online magazine or blog, or TV show is a big mystery that requires a quantum physics degree to solve. Not so.

PR has never been easier to learn, and you’re already doing SOME form of PR if you’re in business. Any form of communication you’re doing to inform the public of your products, services, events, or other news is a form of public relations.

With that in mind, here are 4 stress-free things you can do to get media exposure for you or your business.

  1. Relationships first. Escape temptation to purchase an expensive and (ultimately) outdated media database. Research the outlets YOU want to get into and the people who are writing or reporting about the topics related to you or your biz, and cultivate relationships with them. You can do this online via social media, or offline if face-to-face over drinks is more your style. It’s called “Media Relations” for a reason.
  1. Ditch the news release template. Most media loathe the news release now. When you have news ready to share, send a 3-sentence e-mail pitch introducing yourself, your story, perhaps with a link to a newsroom online (containing the items in #3 below), and with your contact info. That’s all you need.
  1. Have video and high-resolution photos ready. Broadcast and online video outlets will want to know you’re a good speaker, this is where a YouTube or Vimeo channel helps, even if it’s just a few lines in a promotional video. Make sure you’ve got headshots of yourself and good high res photos of your location, staff, products, service-in-action, or events that print media can use in their story.
  1. Relax. If you’ve gotten to the interview stage and are having the jitters, try and remember that you’re talking to a human being and that you’re just having a conversation. The more natural you sound, the better the interview will be. And time ALWAYS moves faster in the interview dimension.

Need additional help? Learn the tools I’ve used in the last 10+ years to get media coverage for our clients through our Be Your Own PR Star in 90 Days online course. Members of eWomenNetwork, B Corporation, and 1% For the Planet receive a 20% off discount – just contact me at the link below to ask for the promo code.

Sandra Nomoto is the President of Conscious Public Relations Inc., a certified B Corporation and virtual PR agency that helps game-changing companies communicate their stories in traditional or social media.

How Do You Get Found Online?

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IMG_2820Lately as I’ve been talking to clients, I’ve seen an increased request to get found online. But where do you start? Yes you can hire SEO firms to work with you on this, and depending on what you do that might be a great idea. But if you’re a small business owner like me, it may not be in the budget. So where do you start? Here’s what I suggest to my clients:

  1. Setup Your Google Business Page – First things first, start with the big guns. Make sure to completely fill out your profile and add photos and your logo! I also have my blog posts automatically posted to my page so that it’s regularly updated. That way people know I’m alive and kicking, and by people, I mean the Google bots.
  2. Setup Bing Places – Why? Because we live in the Northwest and people actually use Bing. Bing Places is great because you can set it up and forget about it.
  3. Depending on your industry I recommend a few other options: Yelp, Angie’s List, and Houzz are three of the most popular.

There’s a ton or sites out there you can choose from but making sure that the main places that people are finding you are claimed and your profiles are completely filled out is the key. Here’s three resources that I use and recommend for clients:

  1. Moz Local – this website tells you all the spots you’re found online and what’s missing.
  2. Google Analytics – if you have your analytics setup then you can see each month where your traffic is coming from. If I see a new referral source to my site I make sure that my profile is filled out on that site to increase my chance of being found.
  3. Odd Dog Media – my friends over at Odd Dog Media are a great web development and local SEO firm. If you need a company, they’re it. But if you don’t have the budget, they wrote up this awesome and simple guide to Local SEO.

Questions? That’s what I’m here for!