Email Marketing Service Providers

February 8, 2018 by albertkaufman Leave a Comment

Email Marketing Service Providers – 2023

Here is information about various Email Marketing Service providers. Most of these have many of the same features – and some are easier to use than others. Once you’ve picked one and want to get started, check out my many articles on how to build your list and training videos, too.

Constant Contact – These folks are excellent. Possibly the most expensive in this category, but you also get a lot for what you pay for. Great support. If you want to work together, it’s likely we’ll be using Constant Contact 🙂

Robly – A less expensive alternative to Constant Contact with some interesting features I haven’t seen anywhere – NextGen – which allows a user to re-send a newsletter to those who haven’t opened it yet. Robly AI – which tracks when recipients have received an email in the past and then sends it again at that time is also pretty cool. These alone make this service worth a look.

Aweber – I’ve used Aweber in the past. I have a number of clients who’ve switched to it in the past. I think mostly because of the action-based triggers it offers. My experience is that it is not nearly as user-friendly for beginner users – I’d love to hear about your experience if you use Aweber.

Getresponse – This is one you hear about a lot – I’ll write here more as I learn more about this solution

Mailchimp – You get what you don’t pay for. I’ve written an article about why I think it does not make sense to use Mailchimp. That said – it’s way better than using nothing – and I hope you have success if you go this route.

Active Campaign

Vertical Response

Filed Under: email marketing Tagged With: active campaign, aweber, constant contact, email marketing, getresponse, mailchimp, robly, vertical response

Frequently Asked Questions

January 29, 2018 by albertkaufman Leave a Comment

Frequently Asked Questions

Here is my FAQ as of 4.8.25 – if you have a question, please contact me.

Q: Can you help me market my business on Facebook?
A: That is not my focus these days. Here’s why. If you’d like to market more effectively, try email marketing. That I can help you with.

Q: Will you post my event on your timeline? Will you like my business/fan page? Will you contribute to my fundraiser or help spread the word about it?
A: I get asked this one many times a day and I can’t do it all, sorry. That said – if I am attending your event I’ll likely be happy to spread the word about it and invite friends. If I like your project/fundraiser, I’ll probably donate at least $11 to it.

Q: How about Instagram?
A: Even more problematic. That said, my next door neighbor has built a great following using Instagram – anything is possible! The main thing seems to be jumping in and staying active with it. If you have the time and energy – go for it! Come follow me! And I’ll follow you back!

Q: Where can I go for SEO help?
A: I advise people to teach themselves some via Google. Then, if you want to hire an expert I can recommend someone!

Q: How about WordPress/SquareSpace/Weebly – what do you recommend?
A: Personally, I’ve chosen WordPress. In terms of learning that or how to use other tools, there are a ton of online tutorials. I would start there if you’re thinking about doing things yourself. So much of the technology is plug-and-play these days. But if you want a hand in this area – ask me @ albert@albertideation.com and I’ll refer you to someone.

Q: Twitter?
A: I recommend keeping your distance from this platform at this point.

Q: LinkedIn?
A: I don’t recommend people spend a lot of time trying to market their businesses via LinkedIn. Alignable? That’s another story.

Carlton Ward and Albert Kaufman - Beloved 2017

Carlton Ward and Albert Kaufman – Beloved Festival 2017

Filed Under: FAQ Tagged With: albertideation, email marketing, FAQ, frequently asked questions

How We Can Work Together

January 29, 2018 by albertkaufman Leave a Comment

If you need a hand – Here’s how I roll

Hi there. Below is an outline of my recent work history and how I like to work with people/organizations in 2019. Here’s how I roll.

I started this phase of my online marketing guru work life in 2008 by teaching people how to use Facebook in small classes in my living room. That led to teaching email marketing using Constant Contact for the past 11 years. I’ve been holding regular classes and webinars during this time – many are available as training videos here.

I have been keeping up with social media trends, but really my main focus now is getting people’s email lists and email marketing set up and running. There are many ways to market online, but the simplest and most effective form I’ve found (and one where you are the owner of your data) is building an email list and sending out regular news to those interested in what you have to say or sell.

If that sounds useful, take a look at my page called Working Together. There you’ll find a short process where you can get things started. If you need a hand with that process or the steps afterwards, please get in touch via my contact form and we can take it from there. If you want to ask me questions about social media, WordPress, SEO, or the plethora of other ways to market oneself, see my Frequently Asked Questions page.

If you’re interested in an Albert Does it for Me/Us solution, also reach out via my Contact form and give me an idea of your project, scope, and budget. Thanks!

As always, I’m open to feedback about this post or anything else on this site. Feel free to leave me a comment below!

Here’s to your business and life success!

—Albert Kaufman, Albertideation, Portland, Oregon

Filed Under: Roll Tagged With: contact me, email, email marketing, how I roll, social media, working together

List Building Tricks

January 3, 2018 by albertkaufman Leave a Comment

List Building Tricks

Happy New Year – I hope you’re looking forward to 2018. I got to bring in the new year at a music camp outside of Seattle – playing music; eating great food and turning off all contact with the outside world. I feel refreshed.

I wanted to share with you a couple “inside baseball” things that I’ve figured out about how to use Constant Contact and email marketing. If you need a hand with either of these (not everyone understands how to use Excel – I get that : ) – please shoot me an email.

I download my entire contact list from time to time and sort the list by what lists a person is in. You may be surprised that some contacts are not on any list at all – I upload that group into whatever list they should belong to. I’m not sure how this happens, but I notice on my list that it does and I correct it from time to time.
I also sort the list by first name and make sure everyone’s first names are capitalized. This is also a great opportunity to see if a contact does not have a first name in that field – if I can figure it out, I add it – if not, I move on 🙂 One way to add information about contacts is to send out a survey to your list from time to time and ask for information you might not have. This is also a great way to get a birthday email autoresponder going – I created a training video on this topic last month.

Again – welcome to 2018 – If I can help you in anyway, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Albert Kaufman

albert@albertideation.com

PS – if you want to up your game – sending personalized direct mail via Send Out Cards , is easy and fun, too.

Ed: Also sent this out on 2.20.18

How’s your email list building going? Given that email marketing continues beat out social media in terms of results – one way to success is to make sure that you’re building your email list, constantly. Here are 60 ways to do that. And, there are probably 60 more! One of my favorites is a fishbowl with a sign that says “put your business card in for our monthly drawing”. Then, there’s figuring out whether it makes sense to bring your friends and family into a newsletter just for them (yes!).

If you decide that this topic interests you and you’d like my help building your list – I’d be glad to work with you. This is a passion of mine and when I see list growth my sense is that the company, individual or non-profit is doing it right!

Don’t forget – there is also list attrition – peoples’ email addresses change; or they unsubscribe after a while. To make up for that adding new people into the mix is key.

Here’s to your success!

Sincerely,

Albert Kaufman

Albertideation

Filed Under: List Building Tricks Tagged With: birthdays, download your list, excel, first names, list building, list building tricks

They Say it’s Your Birthday

December 8, 2017 by albertkaufman Leave a Comment

They say it’s your Birthday!

Everyone loves to celebrate their birthday. You can bring a smile to the face of your friends, family, clients, and customers by sending them an email on their birthday. In this 13-minute tutorial, I describe how this process works. Let me know if you have any questions – Albert Kaufman – albert@albertideation.com

You can also join my birthday list, here. Don’t forget to fill out the birth date field!

Happy Birthday,

Albert

3.22.21 – Here’s A fun Birthday Reminder Tool

Also, Jackie Lawson’s cards are worth the annual fee which is very low.

Or, support the World Wildlife Fund via their fun, free service.

Filed Under: Birthday Tagged With: autoresponder series, autoresponders, be awesome, birthday, birthdays, constant contact, doing it right, friends, send out cards, SOC

Dance Guidelines

November 21, 2017 by albertkaufman 1 Comment

A friend in Seattle sent this my way. It might be good for our various dances to be guided

FLYING TURTLE DANCE AGREEMENTS & GUIDELINES

Welcome

This is a free-form, family-friendly dance space.

Listen to your body, move to your felt truth.

Offer both impeccable respect and exquisite care to yourself and others!

Let “Yes” represent a genuine desire & “No” be an expression of honesty & kindness.

Yes, I Agree:

o To celebrate the different, individual ways we express ourselves and our identities, striving to dissolve preconceived ideas and judgments.

o To encounter another’s space sensitively, engaging in all interactions consensually. Honoring cues, whether clear or subtle. Start small and observe! Approach others with an awareness of the quality of connection needed for conscious consent, especially with people I don’t know. Sense into full consent especially when touching, sharing weight or lifting.

o To stay fluid, gauging each dancer’s moment-to-moment boundaries. Move freely in and out of shared dances, without obligation to wait for a song’s end.

o To be willingly accountable for misunderstood signals. If someone does not respond to your invitations, please take that answer as a “no” and do not persist. Do not approach dancers who are by themselves with eyes closed, or approach anyone from behind without prior consent to do so.

o To trust and honor my internal preferences, whether “I want this!” or “I don’t want this”. Practice conveying and acting on whatever you hear within yourself. Do this often and as clearly as you can.

o To allow the safe expression of our whole selves, including sensual and sexual energies, by not engaging in deliberate touch of each other’s private sexual areas (including making out). We want to keep this public space safe for ourselves, for dance connection, and for the vulnerabilities of those who witness us.

o Not to presume that connection on the dance floor implies consent to advances off the dance floor.

o Healing self-expression is a primary intention for us. Including, yes, connection and community building! So please, no, let’s not confuse our dance environment with a pick-up scene.

o To refrain from substance use that could hinder one’s awareness or caution.

o To care for the health and sensitivities of some dancers by avoiding scents.

o To not wear street shoes on the dance floor.

o To cherish our immersion in this journey by refraining from conversation on the dance floor during the dance. (Do use your words when needed!)

¬ If you experience discomfort or harm, we are here, without hesitation, to support your sovereignty and security. Reach out to a facilitator or other trusted dancer the moment you feel the desire to.

¬ Since risk-free experiences are not fully attainable in such an exploratory space, our initiatives in addressing and repairing boundary mistakes are as loving and vital as our efforts to prevent them!

Grateful blessings, enjoy!

————

FLYING TURTLE DANCE AGREEMENTS

The Skinny ~

Ì Move as you wish, honoring each Yes and No, your own and others, with loving care.

Ì Honor our individual identities!

Ì Engage consensually, releasing assumptions & expectations with free-flowing mindfulness.

Ì Reach out for support.

Ì Be open and ready to repair mistakes and for mutual healing.

Ì Hold dance floor conversation to necessities only.

Ì No substance use that could hinder awareness or caution. Sobriety, please!

Ì Refrain from scents.

Ì No street shoes, thank you!

Learn more about how dance is good for your brain

Find out more about ecstatic dance in Portland, Oregon – where/when

Moondance Agreements & Commitments – Seattle

Evolution Agreements & Commitments – Seattle

Related: Spread Ecstatic Dance far and Wide
A healthy Community Model, by Sarah Kreisman

A note from Joshua Seaman:

September 6, 2018

I’m frequently reminded of one of the male privileges I have, of being able to go to ecstatic dance and do my thing and dance freely… without having to deal with regularly holding boundaries against unwanted advances from men trying to engage with me. In numerous conversations with female friends over the years, I’ve heard the same stories again and again of men uninvitedly getting all up in their space and trying to dance with them, or unwanted touching, or even following them around the dance floor when they try to move away. And it takes a lot of energy to deal with having to maintain energetic boundaries, and the conflict distracts from the enjoyment of embodied dance.

Men, THIS IS NOT OKAY. Yes, it’s perfectly fine to want to dance with women (or anyone, however they identify) and to initiate a dance. This isn’t to dissuade that. But to state the obvious: if she is in her own zone, leave her alone. _Especially_ if you don’t have a solidly-established dance relationship with the person. Getting eye contact and engaging body language is the standard. If she’s not looking at you, it’s best to give her space. When women are dancing, they’re well aware of who is around them and who they want to dance with, so if you’re not getting eye contact just assume she doesn’t want to dance with you.

When you get a more comfortably established relationship with your dance friends, this may change. You may see people initiating physical contact without first getting eye contact and consent – this is usually because they already have an established dance/friend relationship where that is welcome. This is not a model for how to engage people you don’t know, but the result of trust that has been established between the people over time. And even if you have danced with someone before, do not assume your touch is welcome. When in doubt, ask. It’s okay to hold out your hand and ask if they’d like to dance. Or if they’re looking like they might want support, ask if they’d like touch. If they don’t accept it, no need to take it personally.

I know there are many men who are great with navigating the invitation to partner dance. And the intention of this post isn’t to shame or blame those who have made mistakes or may not know how their actions affect others, but to offer guidance, and to share what the experience of women is like. (Women, feel free to add to this, as I don’t assume to speak for all of you, but am sharing the fruits of conversations). It is exhausting at times to hold energetic boundaries from unwanted advances, and that extra energy takes an emotional toll, and distracts from enjoyment and flow of ecstatic movement. Especially if you’ve dealt with trauma (like most of us have, being human) and are in your body moving with it. And of course, everyone is responsible for taking care of themselves, and voicing boundaries, or declining dances through body language or words. But verbal requests are a lot easier to deal with than people imposing on your personal space or touching you when you’re not open to it. We want to cultivate a space that is supportive for all of us for freedom of movement, expression, feeling, healing, play, joy, consensual connecting, and embodied dancing of what’s alive in us. And while we can’t make anyone else feel safe, we can engage with others in a way that honors and respects their boundaries.

Please feel free to add to anything I’ve written here, or to share this to spread awareness.

Filed Under: dance Tagged With: dance, dance guidelines