How do we keep the level of engagement with our customers / partners / prospects / employees without sacrificing a huge chunk of our budget?
This question was asked at the end of a marathon review of a team’s technology and communications strategy. It was a tough question to answer, with many pieces to the puzzle. But there is a simple solution:
Email marketing.
I’m fascinated with technology. Especially when technology helps small businesses compete on nearly the same level as their larger competitors and peers. The goal with this series is to promote all the goodness of using free / low-cost technology pieces to help support and promote small businesses.
Jennifer J. Jenkin is one of those people who you meet once and never forget. Her love for wine and community-building is as infectious as her charm. Jennifer has been invested in the wine business for a very long time and is using technology to help expand her company’s message.
I’ve known Jenn my entire life – she’s my sister. While I am certainly biased, there aren’t many people in this world that can match her drive, devotion, passion, and love for her family – which all come shining through when you walk into the Pamo Valley Tasting Room.
You love cable watching television. Who doesn’t? All those thrilling shows that help you escape your otherwise dull lives. Where would you be if you didn’t have access to cable television?
It turns out, you would be just fine. In fact, you’d probably have more time and energy to check off a few items from that ever-expanding to-do list.
We decided to shift our TV viewing habits. It wasn’t easy, and there remain a few struggles, but the fact we are no longer trapped by the monthly cable bill has given us a bit more ownership of our lives. Here’s how we did it, and how you might be able to do the same:
It’s an odd word, Free.
These days, it’s normally tied to a bevy of hooks you don’t want to sign up for or ladders you don’t want to climb through.
We’re removing the hooks and ladders.
We’re offering our services – marketing, sales, copy writing, copy editing, design, technical – to you.
Ok, it’s time for me to geek out a bit.
Here’s the thing – I’m a keyboard guy. The less I have to do using the mouse, the better it is. By picking up my hand from the keyboard to perform a mouse task takes little time. But, over the course of an entire day / week / month / year, it eats up quite a bit of time.
Staying with this principle, I don’t like using the phone. It’s not that I don’t like talking on the phone, or talking with people, it’s just using the phone is so very inefficient. Imagine:
Continue reading