Marketing Archives

SMS (Text) Marketing with Constant Contact – A Beginner’s Guide

August 19, 2026 by John Mangelsdorf

Summary First

For the busy small business owner!

Any text marketing requires a one-time, detailed licensing process.
Constant Contact is a great way to dip your toes into text marketing, but if it proves successful, you may soon wish to upgrade to a platform with more features, such as image support and more refined reporting. More on these platforms below.
Small businesses offering services may be better suited to Constant Contact’s text services than retail businesses.
With a short 160-character limit, we recommend using a landing page for details, a clear call to action, and fine print.

SMS – Short Message Service – a standard text message sent between mobile phones.

MMS – Multimedia Messaging Service – supports multimedia attachments in your text, such as photos, videos, GIFs, and audio, and allows longer message content.

Cost Before the Details

One-Time

There are so many variables in the one-time setup process, including a landing page template, that quoting the account setup here is not possible. For a quote to set up your Constant Contact account for SMS marketing, please set up a call with John.

Monthly

Constant Contact’s pricing, starting at $40 per month, is based on list size and the number of texts sent per month.

Each Launch

Each individual SMS campaign includes:

Communications regarding offer development, content, best practices, fine print, edits, and approvals
Writing copy for the text and landing page
Adding text and images to the landing page template
Testing
Launching

This is also a detailed process, but it becomes more efficient with repetition. As we learn your voice, preferences, and approval patterns, each campaign becomes easier to produce and more cost-effective. Initially, a rough estimate is 45 minutes to one hour per text. Our current hourly rate is $155.

Final Notes on Cost

We do not bill for a basic report delivered to your email a few days following each launch. More in-depth reporting is billed at our usual hourly rate.

It is possible to skip the landing page. Doing so saves setup costs and lowers the price of each campaign. You can link to any web page, but it is very difficult to use only 160 characters while also including the fine print needed – such as expiration dates, promo codes, and restrictions – to protect your business. Texts with a landing page perform better, generate higher-quality contacts, and require less in-store customer service.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact SMS marketing is best viewed as a lower-cost, lower-complexity entry point. The pros are affordability, convenience, easy integration with an existing Constant Contact account, and enough basic functionality to test simple campaigns.

The cons are fewer features, more basic reporting, no true MMS capability, and a registration process that can be frustrating if your business information is not perfectly aligned.

For many small businesses, that may be enough. Constant Contact can be a good first step to see whether bulk SMS campaigns are effective for your audience. But if texting proves to be viable and important, you may eventually need to switch to a more costly service with stronger reporting, MMS, automation, two-way conversation tools, and deeper sales or customer management features.

Constant Contact vs. Other Services

Constant Contact costs much less than many larger competitors, but it also does less. Platforms such as Podium, SimpleTexting, EZ Texting, Text Request, and Twilio generally offer stronger automation, richer integrations, advanced reporting, two-way messaging tools, and MMS support.

Podium is built more as a customer communication and lead conversion platform, combining texting with reviews, AI-assisted follow-up, inbox tools, and sales-oriented workflows. That can be valuable, but it usually comes with a much higher monthly cost.

Pros and Cons

Cost and Features Compared

The biggest advantage is cost. If you already use Constant Contact for email marketing, adding SMS can be an inexpensive way to test whether your audience responds to text campaigns. Some plans include a starter message allotment, and smaller add-on tiers are available for lighter usage. That makes it attractive for businesses still building an opt-in mobile list or sending occasional promotions.

The downside is the limited feature set. Constant Contact’s reporting covers useful basics such as sends, successful deliveries, bounces, unsubscribes, and URL clicks. However, it is not as detailed as platforms built for broader customer communication and sales tracking.

Podium and other larger systems may provide deeper dashboards, reply tracking, lead management, team inbox features, review generation tools, AI-assisted responses, and stronger integrations.

Another major limitation is multimedia messaging:

Constant Contact SMS is text-only. It is designed for plain text messages and links, not native image, video, GIF, or audio attachments.
SMS is short by design. A standard SMS message is limited to 160 characters per segment. Longer messages can be sent, but they are split into multiple billable segments.
MMS is different from SMS. MMS supports multimedia attachments such as photos, videos, GIFs, and audio, and allows longer message content.
This matters for marketing. If your campaigns depend on sending product photos, event graphics, coupons, before-and-after images, or branded visual promotions directly inside the message, Constant Contact may feel limited.
The workaround is linking. You can still link to a web page, image, video, landing page, or offer, but that is not the same as sending media directly in the message.
Competitors may offer more. Larger SMS platforms often include MMS support, richer creative options, and more advanced campaign tools, usually at a higher monthly cost.

One-Time Approval Process

A commitment of time and patience.

One part of SMS marketing that often surprises business owners is the approval process. Before sending campaigns, businesses must register so carriers can verify that the sender is legitimate and compliant.

That means gathering legal business details, your EIN or tax ID when applicable, official business name, physical address, website or business page, privacy policy, terms information, and proof that contacts are opting in. In practical terms, expect to gather records such as your business license and EIN documentation so your submission matches official records.

The approval process can take up to seven business days or longer in resubmission situations. Small discrepancies can cause rejection, including differences between your legal business name, address, EIN records, website information, or other registration details.

A minor mismatch can mean correcting the information and submitting it again. Expect a time commitment of at least a couple of hours, especially if you need to gather documents, verify legal information, update your privacy policy, or troubleshoot a rejection.

Thank You

We’ll guide you through! We’ve mastered all these details so you don’t have to.

We hope all this information has helped.

Contacting us puts you under no obligation – set up a chat with John, and we can see if we’re a good fit to help you with text marketing, either SMS with Constant Contact or MMS with another platform.

EMAIL MARKETING METRICS ARE FALSE (AND WHAT YOU SHOULD MEASURE INSTEAD)

July 29, 2026 by John Mangelsdorf

WHY YOUR EMAIL MARKETING METRICS ARE LYING (AND WHAT YOU SHOULD MEASURE INSTEAD)

For years, reporting on open rates and clicks by mail marketing platforms, like Mailchimp and Constant Contact, was reliable indicators of engagement. Today, they tell only part of the story.

If you’ve noticed unusually high open rates or clicks that don’t seem to translate into website visits, phone calls, or sales, you’re not imagining things. Modern email privacy features and cybersecurity tools routinely inflate these metrics.

What Counts as an Open?

An open is recorded when a tiny invisible tracking image inside an email is downloaded. Years ago, that usually happened only when a real person opened the message.

Why Open Rates Are Inflated

Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection often downloads tracking images automatically, making emails appear opened even if they were never read. Corporate email security systems may also download images while scanning incoming mail for threats. One recipient using multiple devices can generate multiple opens as well.

Why Click Rates Can Be Inflated

Many business email security platforms automatically visit every link in an email before delivering it to the recipient. Their goal is to detect phishing sites and malware—not to interact with your marketing. Those automated visits can be recorded as clicks.

They’re Not Bad Bots

Most of this activity comes from legitimate privacy and security services provided by Apple, Microsoft, Google, Proofpoint, Mimecast, Barracuda, Cisco, and others. They’re protecting users, not trying to distort your reporting.

What Should You Measure Instead?

Treat open rates as a trend rather than a precise measurement. Focus more attention on unique clicks, website engagement after the click (Google Analytics is more important than ever), form submissions, appointments, purchases, replies, and other real business outcomes. Those metrics are far more meaningful than a headline open rate.

The Bottom Line

Email marketing remains one of the highest-performing digital marketing channels. The difference is that success is no longer measured by opens alone. Modern marketers should view opens as a rough indicator of deliverability and compare campaigns over time, while making decisions based on conversions and genuine customer engagement.

TEXT MESSAGING TIPS: ANIMATION MAY TRIGGER UNSUBSCRIBES

July 21, 2026 by John Mangelsdorf

TEXT MESSAGING TIPS: WHY ANIMATED GIFS CAN TRIGGER MORE UNSUBSCRIBES

There are many ways marketing a medspa differs from marketing to other service businesses. This blog is about a medspa industry-specific text marketing singularity. (If you are curious about how animated GIFs may play a role in your business’ marketing, please schedule a complimentary call with John.)

In retail, and most service business, marketing, animated GIFs can increase clicks and capture attention in crowded inboxes and social feeds. In medspa marketing, however, the opposite is often true.

If you have noticed a spike in unsubscribes after switching your MMS campaigns from static images to animated GIFs, the issue may have less to do with the quality of the animation and more to do with how medspa patients make decisions—and how they expect to be marketed to.

Medical aesthetics is a trust-driven business. What works for an online clothing retailer or restaurant promotion does not necessarily translate to injectables, laser treatments, chemical peels, or skincare services.

Trust Matters More Than Attention

Medspa patients are purchasing more than a treatment. They are purchasing confidence in your expertise, safety protocols, and aesthetic judgment.

Static images naturally support those expectations. A beautifully photographed treatment room, polished product image, or elegant before-and-after photo communicates professionalism and clinical credibility.

Animated GIFs can unintentionally communicate something very different. Even well-designed animations may feel promotional or gimmicky when delivered by text. Movement immediately draws attention, but attention is not always positive—particularly when patients are evaluating premium medical services.

For luxury and medical brands, sophistication often comes from restraint.

Text Messages Are Personal Space

Unlike email or social media, SMS and MMS messages arrive in one of the most personal digital spaces consumers have: their text inbox.

People generally reserve text messages for friends, family, appointment reminders, and essential notifications. Because of that, recipients often have a lower tolerance for anything that feels overly promotional.

A static image allows patients to understand the message quickly and decide whether to engage. An auto-playing animated GIF introduces movement and visual noise the moment the message is opened.

That extra sensory input can make the campaign feel intrusive or high-pressure. Rather than creating excitement, it may create friction—and in text marketing, friction often leads to a simple response: “STOP.”

Patients Want Time to Evaluate Results

Aesthetic treatments are highly visual purchases. Patients often spend significant time examining before-and-after photos and treatment outcomes before scheduling an appointment.

Static images support this behavior by allowing recipients to:

Pause and inspect details
Zoom in on treatment areas
Compare results at their own pace
Focus on subtle changes in skin texture, symmetry, volume, or tone

Animated GIFs work against that natural evaluation process. Motion can make it difficult to scrutinize treatment results and may even create the impression that animation is being used to distract from the details.

The more expensive or medically oriented the treatment, the more patients tend to value clarity over entertainment.

Luxury Marketing Is Often Quiet Marketing

Many successful luxury brands rely on simplicity rather than visual overload. They understand that premium customers do not need to be shouted at. They need to be reassured.

The same principle applies to medspa marketing. Patients are usually more receptive to messaging that feels elegant, professional, clinical, exclusive, informative, and trustworthy.

Static imagery often achieves those goals more effectively than animation.

Best Practices for Medspa MMS Campaigns

If unsubscribe rates rise after introducing animated GIFs, consider returning to a static-first strategy.

Use high-resolution static images whenever possible.
Showcase natural treatment results and refined environments.
Keep MMS files under 400 KB for more reliable delivery.
Use concise copy that complements rather than competes with the image.
Reserve motion for subtle micro-animations that genuinely improve the message.
Test new creative formats with a small audience segment before a full rollout.

Final Thoughts

Animated GIFs are not inherently ineffective. They simply are not equally appropriate for every industry or communication channel.

Medspa patients expect marketing that reflects the premium and clinical nature of the services they are considering. In an intimate channel like text messaging, understated visuals often outperform attention-grabbing animation because they reinforce what patients value most: professionalism, trust, and confidence in your expertise.

When it comes to medspa MMS marketing, cleaner and quieter creative often produces better long-term results than movement for movement’s sake. Sometimes, the most effective message is also the simplest one.

WHY MANY GOOGLE ADS PROS ARE SKEPTICS OF PERFORMANCE MAX (PMax) ADS

March 8, 2026 by John Mangelsdorf

Over the past few years, Google has strongly encouraged advertisers to adopt its automated campaign type known as Performance Max, or PMax. The concept sounds attractive: upload creative assets, choose a conversion goal, and Google’s AI distributes ads across Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, and Maps while continuously optimizing performance.

For many small businesses, this sounds like an easy way to run sophisticated advertising campaigns. But as someone who manages Google Ads campaigns for small, local service businesses, I approach Performance Max cautiously. While automation can be helpful, PMax often removes the very controls that make digital advertising effective—especially for service-based companies that depend on high-intent leads.

One of the most significant concerns is the lack of control over keywords and search intent. In traditional Google Ads search campaigns, I can choose exactly which keywords trigger ads. I can separate exact match and phrase match searches, review detailed search term reports, and build extensive negative keyword lists to prevent wasted clicks.

Performance Max does not provide that same level of precision. Instead, the system relies on broad signals and automation to decide when ads appear. Advertisers receive far less visibility into the search queries actually triggering ads. For service businesses, this matters greatly. A law firm, contractor, or medical practice typically wants to reach people who are actively searching for a specific service—not people casually browsing general information.

Another issue is control over ad messaging. In well-structured search campaigns, ads are carefully written to match the intent behind specific searches. Someone searching for “emergency plumber near me” should see different messaging than someone searching for “cost to replace water heater.”

Performance Max operates differently. Advertisers provide groups of assets—headlines, descriptions, images, and videos—and Google automatically mixes and matches them across placements. While this automation can produce variations quickly, it also means advertisers cannot control exactly which message appears for a given search query. The result can be messaging that feels generic or misaligned with the user’s intent.

The same limitation applies to ad extensions, which are a major part of successful Google Ads campaigns. Sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, call buttons, and other extensions often provide critical information that encourages people to click or call. In traditional campaigns, these elements are strategically chosen and carefully organized to support the ad’s message.

With Performance Max, Google frequently decides how and when extensions appear, and in some cases generates them automatically. That reduces the advertiser’s ability to shape how ads are presented to potential customers.

Another challenge is the limited transparency in reporting. Traditional search campaigns provide detailed information about search terms, placements, and performance metrics. This level of visibility allows campaigns to be refined over time through careful analysis and optimization.

Performance Max, however, often functions as a kind of “black box.” Advertisers see summary performance data, but many of the details behind how the campaign is spending money remain hidden. That makes it difficult to determine which parts of the campaign are producing results and which parts may simply be consuming budget.

Budget allocation is another concern. Because PMax spreads ads across multiple Google networks, spending can shift toward display impressions or YouTube placements rather than high-intent search traffic. For many service businesses, the most valuable leads come from people who are actively searching for a service at that moment. Awareness impressions on display or video networks rarely produce the same quality of leads.

For these reasons, traditional Google search campaigns remain the superior approach for many service businesses. They allow full control over every important element of the campaign: keywords, match types, negative keywords, ad copy, extensions, targeting, and bidding strategies. Advertisers can see exactly which search terms are triggering ads and refine campaigns accordingly.

That level of control makes it possible to align messaging with user intent, eliminate wasted clicks, and continuously improve performance over time.

Automation will certainly continue to play a role in digital advertising. But for many small service businesses, success in Google Ads still depends on something much simpler: precise targeting, clear messaging, and complete visibility into how advertising dollars are being spent. Traditional search campaigns provide those advantages in ways that fully automated systems like Performance Max often cannot.

IS THE WORDPRESS PLATFORM A DINOSAUR?

February 27, 2026 by John Mangelsdorf

Some people are saying that WordPress is becoming obsolete — a relic from the early days of blogging that has been overtaken by sleek website builders and AI-driven platforms. The narrative suggests it is bloated, outdated, and too technical for modern small business owners.

But is WordPress really a dinosaur?

To answer that, it helps to understand where it came from — and where it stands today. (Or jump straight to the answer!)

From Simple Blogging Tool to Global CMS Leader

WordPress launched in 2003 as a straightforward blogging platform. It was built to make publishing online easier, allowing users to write posts without touching code. Over time, it evolved far beyond blogging. Developers expanded its capabilities, themes allowed design flexibility, and plugins added functionality ranging from contact forms to advanced SEO tools.

By the early 2010s, WordPress had transformed into a full content management system (CMS). It could power corporate websites, media publications, membership sites, learning platforms, and service-based business websites of all sizes.

For something allegedly “obsolete,” these numbers tell a different story:

Today, WordPress powers roughly 40%+ of all websites on the internet. Among CMS platforms specifically, it holds over 60% of market share. The next two closest competitors are Wix and Squarespace — both strong hosted website builders — but neither approaches WordPress’s scale or ecosystem.

The Reality of Modern Website Trends

Current website trends emphasize:

Search visibility and content marketing
Performance optimization
Platform flexibility
Integration with third-party tools
Ownership of digital assets

These trends actually strengthen WordPress’s position, especially for small, service-oriented businesses.

For companies that don’t need ecommerce functionality as their primary business focus, WordPress continues to align closely with business goals.

Let’s look at why.

1. Strong SEO/GEO Capabilities

Search engine optimization (SEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) are among the most important marketing disciplines for service businesses. WordPress excels in today’s AI-driven search environment.

It allows:

Full control over URLs and site structure
Custom metadata and schema markup
Integration with powerful SEO/GEO plugins
Performance optimization through caching and hosting choices
Long-form content marketing via blog posts

For local businesses, ranking in search results can directly translate into inbound leads. WordPress provides the structural flexibility to implement SEO correctly without platform restrictions.2

2. Cost-Effective Structure

WordPress itself is free, open-source software. Businesses only pay for hosting, a theme (if premium), and select plugins if needed.

Unlike closed platforms, there is no mandatory monthly subscription tied to the CMS itself. There are no escalating fees as traffic grows. There are no transaction fees if ecommerce isn’t being used.

For small businesses focused on lead generation and sharing their company mission—their unique value propositions rather than product catalogs—this helps keeps overhead low and predictable. Hosting competition also keeps pricing very reasonable.

When managed properly, WordPress offers enterprise-level capability at small-business cost.

3. Full Ownership and Portability

One of WordPress’s most overlooked advantages is ownership.

With WordPress:

You control your hosting.
You own your site files and database.
You can migrate providers if needed.
You are not locked into a proprietary system.

This portability reduces long-term risk. If a hosting provider increases prices or service declines, the site can move. If an agency relationship ends, the business still controls its digital asset.

That level of independence is increasingly valuable as online platforms consolidate and subscription costs rise.

4. Massive Ecosystem

WordPress has the largest ecosystem in the CMS world.

Thousands of themes
Tens of thousands of plugins
Global developer support
Deep integration with marketing platforms

From booking systems to CRM integrations to analytics tools, WordPress connects easily. This flexibility makes it adaptable as a business grows.

A small service website today can expand practically without limit with the use of high-quality well-supported plugins.

All this scalability prevents expensive rebuilds.

5. Accessible to Non-Technical Business Owners

Another misconception is that WordPress is “too technical.”

Modern WordPress installations allow business owners to:

Add new pages
Update service descriptions
Publish blog posts
Upload images
Edit basic layouts

All without any coding.

Block-based editors and page builders have made content management intuitive. For a non-technical owner willing to learn basic navigation, updating content requires minimal computer skills.

We’ve found that many of our clients are comfortable making blog posts and editing pages while we handle more advanced site updates. So together we can keep their most valuable marketing asset up-to-date.

This balance — professional-grade flexibility combined with approachable editing — is part of why WordPress remains widely adopted.

So Is It a Dinosaur?

The idea that WordPress is obsolete usually comes from comparisons with visually streamlined, hosted builders. Those platforms simplify setup, but often at the cost of flexibility, ownership, and long-term scalability.

WordPress, by contrast, remains adaptable. It continues to evolve. It supports modern design standards, integrates with AI tools, and works seamlessly with today’s marketing ecosystem.

There is currently no clear replacement on the horizon that combines:

Deep SEO/GEO/AI search-ready control
Market dominance
Open-source flexibility
Ownership independence
Cost efficiency

For service-based small businesses that do not need ecommerce infrastructure or its associated overhead, WordPress remains a practical and strategic choice.

It is not a “old-school”.

It is a mature, widely supported platform that continues to align with how small businesses generate leads, publish content, and control their digital presence.

For those reasons, WordPress is still a smart choice — and likely will be for the foreseeable future.

LOCAL BUSINESSES MARKETING SURVEY

February 22, 2026 by Rachel Hunter

We frequently recommend running a survey to our small business clients—there’s always a surprise and information gems. We think the main reason they work is the way a client feels valuable when they are given a venue for expression.

Here’s some of the info from our recent marketing survey of members of the Los Altos and Campbell Chambers of Commerce.

(Are you a small business owner? We’d love your input—here’s the survey.)

The struggle is real! The most difficult marketing challenges are search engine optimization (SEO), paid online advertising (Google, Meta, etc.), email marketing, and general branding and graphic design.

Frustration with marketing companies stems mostly from poor communication and slow response times.

Improvement is needed with creating better visual content and getting quality leads. Small business owners also hope to work with someone local.

The most important info when choosing a service provider is proven results.

———————

Marketing benefits of surveys:

• Identify what clients value and where improvements are needed.

• Uncover unmet needs, missing offerings, or friction points in the customer experience.

• Learn which channels, messages, or promotions resonate most.

• Show customers their opinions matter, strengthening loyalty and trust.

• Collect positive feedback that can be repurposed for marketing, such as testimonials

• Gauge perceived value and price sensitivity.

• Validate demand before investing time and resources.

• Track changes in satisfaction and brand perception.

• Create a two-way dialogue instead of one-way marketing.

• Identify why customers choose you over alternatives.

———————

We wanted to try Constant Contact’s survey. Overall, it was not great. The cost is low with a Constant Contact subscription and is a possible option for small businesses. While Constant Contact is convenient for basic surveys, it would be limiting for small businesses that need deeper insights or advanced customization. Survey design options are relatively basic, with no logic branching and advanced analytics features compared to dedicated survey platforms. Reporting is only rudimental, which can make segmentation and data analysis very time-consuming. Branding flexibility is also severely constrained, and integrations with CRMs or automation tools would require custom application programming. For these reasons we do not recommend it.

In the past, we’ve used Survey Monkey, but boy is it expensive. For example, having a submitted survey lead to a branded landing page with offer instead of a Survey Monkey marketing page requires a steep price upgrade. So while SurveyMonkey is widely used and easy to deploy, it can present drawbacks for small businesses. Costs escalate quickly once you need advanced features such as custom branding, logic branching, exports, or higher response limits. The platform’s branding on lower-tier plans can dilute a carefully built brand experience, which is especially important for boutique or design-driven businesses.

Want to chat? Schedule a call with John.

PRINT BROCHURES MATTER IN THIS DIGITAL WORLD

September 17, 2025 by Rachel Hunter

In a world dominated by screens, print brochures still hold a place in smart marketing strategies, especially for service businesses. Print materials can reinforce brand presence in a way that feels personal and intentional.

Benefits:

Tangible impact: Physical materials are easier to remember and harder to ignore.
Focused attention: No pop-ups, notifications, or competing tabs.
Brand credibility: High-quality print elevates perceived value.
Versatility: Ideal for events, consultations, waiting rooms, partner marketing, and direct mail.

Brochures also allow you to control the narrative—guiding readers through your services, benefits, and story in a structured, visual way that supports your brand voice.

Digital marketing drives discovery. Print reinforces trust. Used together, they create a stronger, more cohesive presence. If you want marketing that feels polished, intentional, and memorable, print brochures remain a smart investment.

E-MAIL CAMPAIGN DESIGN , MANAGEMENT, AND COST

July 11, 2025 by Rachel Hunter

(Updated 2025.)

The bottom line: there’s lots of detail in this article, but we know you are mostly interested in the cost, so an up to date price quote is at the end of this page, and here’s a link to our e-mail campaign portfolio where you can see samples of some launched campaigns.

The initial set up and design takes some time and thought, but once up and running, e–mail campaigns are a great way to keep your brand in front of your customers, drive people to your web site, promote your business and events, as well as attract new customers who may sign up for your newsletters via various means.

E–mail campaign designs should:

be designed and coded in such as way as to not get caught in spam filters,
be coded so they render cleanly in any e–mail client, on any system, including tablets and smartphones,
be concise,
drive people to your web site, on-line store, or appointment forms with links,
use graphics intelligently so they don’t hinder load time, readability on all devices, and deliverability,
carry your branding throughout,
contain calls to action, and
be designed so you may use the same template for each launch, making simple edits to text, colors, and photos without re-coding each time.

The initial steps in the process are:

deciding upon your e-mailer design,
how to manage your email list,
designing and coding your email template (this same template will be used from e–mail to e–mail, making updates easy and providing your recipients with consistency),
collection of email addresses, and
the account set up.

These above steps are discussed in our initial meeting and are not repeated after the first e–mail campaign.

Costs

One time set-up costs:

Design drafts, half an hour to two hours depending upon type of e-mailer.
Email template coding, one hour to two hours depending upon type of e-mailer. The simpler the template design, the faster the code is written.
Set up of email campaign service provider account and/or manager account, half an hour.
Cost of initial email address list set up depends upon how muck work is need to format your customer list(s) and import into the email marketing vendor’s contact list system. A good estimate is one hour for someone computer savvy, with experience in Excel. We can also provide technical services to import your customer database, and other contact lists. We would discuss the specific tasks with you and bill for time accordingly.

Here are the steps which are repeated with each following campaign:

Entering content to the template, half to one hour. This assumes a few graphics and several paragraphs of text copy, and also that the content provided is publish-ready and fits to the e–mail template already coded.
Sending you test email and maybe small tweaks, half an hour.
Formatting the address list and uploading to e-mail campaign platform, fifteen minutes.
Launching e-mailer, fifteen minutes.
Reporting, FREE! A few days after the e-mail is sent to your address list, we will e–mail you a report with information which can be helpful to your future marketing. Report will include how many clicks the e–mail generated to a linked web pages, who has opted off of your mailing list, your open rate, which e–mail addresses are not valid, and if any of your e–mails were forwarded and if these recipients added their address to your mailing list.
Also no charge, lot of tips along the way on how to produce an effective e–mail campaign, and how e–mail campaigns can help your web site’s search engine optimization.

The summary is that the first campaign will take 4.5 to 6.5 hours to produce, and that following e–mails will take 1 to 2 hours of work. Our current rate is $155/hour. The monthly service charge from the e-mail campaign platform will depend upon the size of your mailing list. We recommend ConstantContact for your service provider. Please contact John with any questions.

SUPER BOWL MARKETING TIPS

January 2, 2025 by Rachel Hunter

SuperBowl XL is coming to Levi’s Stadium—how can local businesses benefit when a big game is in town?

When the Super Bowl comes to town, small local businesses don’t need million-dollar sponsorships to win. The smartest owners market around the event, not directly at it. Super Bowl week brings a celebratory mindset, and both visitors and locals are primed to spend. Limited-time “Big Game Week” specials, themed bundles, watch-party kits, or exclusive menu items tap into that energy without touching official trademarks. These promotions feel timely, festive, and relevant—exactly what customers are already looking for in the days leading up to the game.

One of the biggest advantages small businesses have during Super Bowl week is proximity. Hyper-local targeting consistently outperforms broad advertising. Simple phrases like “near the stadium” or “minutes from fan fest” resonate strongly with visitors navigating unfamiliar areas. Importantly, the spending surge happens before game day, so running ads from Wednesday through Monday—rather than just Sunday—captures the bulk of the opportunity.

Beyond discounts, experiences are what truly set local businesses apart. Fans want memories, not just deals. Photo walls with football props, mini tailgate setups, live music, trivia nights, or fun giveaways tied to score predictions create moments people want to share. These experiences naturally encourage customers to linger longer, spend more, and talk about your business both online and offline. In a crowded Super Bowl market, being memorable is more valuable than being cheap.

User-generated content is another powerful—and budget-friendly—way to extend your reach. Encouraging customers to tag your business, use a branded hashtag, or participate in contests like “best fan outfit” turns your audience into your marketing team. Offering a small incentive, such as a free item or discount, can dramatically increase participation. The added benefit is longevity: posts, tags, and shares continue circulating even after the Super Bowl is over, giving your business extended visibility.

Finally, the most successful small businesses think beyond the final whistle. Partnerships with nearby businesses—such as restaurant and brewery bundles or retail pop-ups—multiply exposure and make life easier for visitors. At the same time, capturing emails or SMS sign-ups, offering “come back next time” discounts, or promoting shipping and online ordering helps convert one-time visitors into long-term customers. By tracking foot traffic, average order value, and engagement, even a modest boost can prove that a smart Super Bowl strategy is well worth repeating the next time the big game comes to town.

HOW GOOGLE MAPS DISPLAYS YOUR BUSINESS

December 6, 2017 by Rachel Hunter

Recently our client Hayes Valley Medical and Esthetics moved to a gorgeous new location in Marin. When promoting their grand opening we noticed their Google Map pin, which Google generates automatically for businesses, did not show along with other nearby businesses on larger map views. This is because Google algorithmically determines when a business location shows on Google Maps, and it is based on factors like how long it has been at the current address as well as the number of Google reviews for the business. (HINT: Ask your good customers for Google reviews!) So you do not have control over when your Place Label shows as the user zooms in on your general location on Google Maps.

The below screen captures show that at a larger scale, HVME does not show until you zoom in closely on their location.

google map hvme not showing

Zoom in closer and it does show:

google map hvme showing