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How to Set Up an Email Marketing System for Your Small Business

4/25/2025

 
​If you’re just getting started with email marketing, follow these steps:
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1. Choose an Email Marketing Platform
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​Pick one that fits your budget and needs. Some of the top easy-to-use DIY platforms are: 
  • MailerLite helps you design and send beautiful newsletters, promotions, and updates to your customers. It’s super easy to use, even if you’ve never done email marketing before.
  • Mailmeteor works with Google Sheets and Gmail to send personalized emails in bulk. Imagine sending 100 emails, but each one feels like it was written just for that person.
  • Mailchimp is a popular tool that helps you send emails, build websites, create ads, and manage customer lists—all in one place. It’s more advanced but still beginner-friendly.
2. Build Your Email List (Use my favorite Tech Tool HERE)

  • Add a signup form to your website and social media accounts
  • Offer a discount or freebie (% off order, eBook, checklist) to encourage sign-ups
  • Use your phone to collect emails from customers in-person and other ways online

3. Create an Email Marketing Plan
Decide:
  • How often you’ll send emails (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly)?
  • The type of content you’ll share (news, promotions, tips, product recommendations, etc.)?
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4. Execute Email Marketing Plan

​Don't forget to include:
✅ Welcome emails for new form signups
✅ Follow-up emails after an action or purchases on Owned Platforms like your website and emails messages
✅ Abandoned cart reminders to recover lost sales for eCommerce brands
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5. Track & Optimize Your Emails

​Check open rates and click rates to see what’s working, and tweak your strategy accordingly. Statistics by industry are listed below. 
Average Open Rates (Source Mailchimp)
  • Government: 40.55%
  • Media & Publishing: 34.23% 
  • Retail: 35.05%
  • E-commerce: 29.81%

Average Click Through Rates (Source: Mailchimp)
  • Retail: 2.08%  
  • E-Commerce: 17.4%

The 2025 Email Automation & CRM Marketing Guide

3/20/2025

 
Engage audiences, nurture client relationships, and drive results with Email Marketing and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. Both have distinct functions that work together to enhance business success. Let’s take a look into each tactic to help you better understand how both can work for your business and brand:

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​Email Automation: Driving Engagement and Sales

Email marketing focuses on direct communication with leads and customers through targeted campaigns and allows businesses to:
  • Automated email sequences
  • Promote products and services
  • Share personalized offers and incentives
  • Retain customers with loyalty programs and updates
  • Analyze campaign performance with open rates, click-through rates, and conversions

When considering an email automation solution, we recommend email automation marketing solutions that integrate with Google Workspace like Mailmeteor and GMass. These integrated tools make sending emails in your Workspace email account a breeze. Also look for tools that send messages based on Google Sheets data.
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CRM: Managing Customer Relationships for Long-Term Success

CRM Marketing is developed and designed to track, organize, and manage customer interactions across multiple channels. It helps businesses and brands by:
  • Storing specific customer data for better personalization
  • Tracking sales via pipelines and automating workflows
  • Enhancing customer support with detailed history and insights
  • Integrating with marketing tools to improve engagement
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Popular CRM solutions like Zoho’s Bigin and CRM products help businesses streamline customer management and optimize touchpoints to strengthen relationships. I’ve been testing out a tool called OnePagerCRM which is a simple solution to help you track client interactions and its relationship to a sale.
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​How Email Automation and CRM Work Together for Business and Brand Success

Email Automation alone is a powerful tool for outreach and engagement. Combined with CRM you are sure to see customer interactions that are tracked and optimized for long-term success. By using both tools, businesses can maximize marketing efforts, increase customer retention, and drive trackable revenue growth. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, investing in email automation and CRM marketing can set the foundation for long-term success.

Build Your Custom Website in 21 Days with “Website in Weeks- No Tech Skills Needed

2/6/2025

 
Are you a business owner struggling to build a website because you're too busy managing everything else? You know you need a professional website, but between handling clients, sales, operations, and everything else, it never gets done. The thought of hiring a web developer is 
expensive, and working with DIY website builders, on your own, leaves you frustrated. What if you could launch a fully functional, professional website in just 21 days—without hiring a developer or feeling overwhelmed? That’s exactly what ‘Website in Weeks’ is designed for.
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The Fastest Way to Build a Professional Website—Without the Hassle
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‘Website in Weeks’ is a hands-on, step-by-step program that helps you build and launch a custom, professional website in just 21 days. You’ll get expert guidance every step of the way through our instructor-led coaching (done with you) and self-paced lessons (done by you). No long timelines. No hidden costs. Just a fully functional, high-quality website—fast.
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Why You Should Join The ‘Website in Weeks’ Program
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  • Fast & Stress-Free Website Launch (in Just 21 Days!): Stop wasting months trying to DIY your site. With ‘Website in Weeks,’ you'll have a beautiful, fully functional website in just 3 weeks—without tech headaches or delays.
  • A Website That Reflects YOUR Brand (No Basic, Boring Templates!): Unlike cookie-cutter website builders, this program helps you create a website that truly represents your business, brand, and vision—without needing to code. 
  • Expert Support—You’re Never Alone: Stuck? Have questions? We’ve got you! Get real-time expert guidance throughout the program and ongoing support options after the program ends to ensure your website stays updated and running smoothly.
  •  A High-Quality Website—Launched in Just 3 Weeks: Building a website often drags on for months. With ‘Website in Weeks,’ you’ll have a professional, fully functional website ready to go—without tech headaches or wasted time.
  • A  One Investment, A Website That Pays for Itself: Skip the $5,000+ web designer fees and the frustration of DIY website builders. For just $1,500, you’ll get:
✅ A custom, high-quality website tailored to your brand
✅ Expert coaching & guidance to ensure success
✅ 1 year of hosting—FREE ($180+ value)*

​No hidden fees. No surprises. Just a stress-free website launch!

*Hosting cost is $15 per month after the first year, you can move your website over to a different website host at any time. 

It’s clear, launching with 'Website in Weeks' is simple. Our program guides you in creating the website you need, provides expert guidance, allows you to establish your online presence fast, and start making a difference for the customers and communities you serve.
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Spots Are Limited! Enroll Now & Launch Your Website in 21 Days Our next ‘Website in Weeks’ cohort is filling fast. If you’re ready to finally launch your website (without the stress), secure your spot today!

The TikTok Ban: A Marketing Shake-up

12/19/2024

 
On December 13, 2024 Bytedance, the owners of TikTok, received a hard blow from The DC Circuit Court of Appeals as they rejected the request to put a temporary pause on the TikTok ban. The ban would require the tech giant to sell the US side of its business or risk being removed from App stores on mobile devices. Critics cite issues with cybersecurity, privacy, and international interference as reasons for the ban and buyout but the real issue ya girl will address is how the TikTok ban could wreak havoc on small business owners, content creators, and big brands. 

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  • Shakedown of Small Businesses: Over 7 million small businesses use TikTok, and they have made over $15 billion in sales there. They will have to find new ways to generate revenue if TikTok goes away, which can be challenging without expensive advertising and advanced optimisation techniques.
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  • Reductions for Content Creators: TikTok’s affiliate sales tools, algorithm, and SEO features enable content creators to build communities, cultivate customers, and earn coins. It will be difficult to replace a loss revenue from this channel. Right now , TikTok is simply too strong for platforms like Meta, Pinterest, and YouTube to compete with.
 
  • Big Brand’s Big Bet: The biggest suppliers of goods and services in the world have made significant investments in TikTok. In order to increase exposure and revenue, they are strengthening their evergreen strategy on the platform and collaborating with celebrities and creators to sway consumers.
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The TikTok story is far from over and we will keep an eye on the progress. Subscribe to our Blog to stay informed. ​

Top Digital Marketing Tools for Entrepreneurs in 2025

12/10/2024

 
Are you ready to grow your business in 2025? As technology continues to improve, entrepreneurs and business owners have access to more tools than ever to refine their marketing strategies. Whether you are just starting or looking to level up, using the right tools can help you streamline tasks, attract more traffic, and increase conversions.

Here’s a handpicked selection of the greatest digital marketing tools to help you grow in 2025.
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1.SEMrush  HERE

When it comes to SEO, SEMrush is a powerhouse! It offers capabilities for keyword research, site audits, and competitor analysis. With its easy to navigate platform, you can monitor your website’s performance and identify possibilities to improve your position. SEMrush’s content marketing tools helps you to develop optimized content that interacts with your audience!

2.Canva  HERE
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Visuals are a key in catching attention on your website and across social media platforms. Canva provides  design tools that are straightforward to use, even if you are not a designer. With its extensive library of templates and themes for social media, presentations, and infographics, you can create good looking visuals that highlight your business! 

3. Hootsuite  HERE
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managing many social media networks can feel difficult, but Hootsuite simplifies the process. From scheduling  posts to tracking engagement, and measuring results, all from a single dashboard. Its analytics offer useful data to help you change your strategy efficiently.
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4. GMass  HERE
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Email marketing remains a great way to connect with your audience. GMass simplifies email marketing with capabilities to customize messages, track responses, and automate follow ups. Whether you are nurturing leads or maintaining customer relationships, GMass lets you save time while staying organized.
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5. Asana  HERE
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Organization is vital for entrepreneurs, and Asana makes project management simple and straightforward. From managing campaigns ,coordinating content development, Asana’s task lists and collaborative features help you keep on top of your work and fulfill deadlines.
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6. Google Analytics  HERE
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Understanding your website’s performance is key to making informed marketing decisions. Google Analytics gives  insights into visitor behavior, traffic sources, and conversion rates. Use this day to refine your marketing plan and increase your outcomes.
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7. Zapier  HERE
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Automation is crucial in 2025, and Zapier helps you connect your preferred apps to reduce repetitive tasks. Whether its synching data across platforms or automating notifications, Zapier frees up your time to focus on building your business.
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8. HubSpot  HERE
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HubSpot offers a full array of tools for inbound marketing, CRM, and social media management.  It helps you attract, engage, and keep audiences while delivering detailed reports to assist better your methods over time.
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9. Later  HERE
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For managing social media content, Later is a helpful resource. It allows you to schedule posts visually, track performance, and organize media assets. It's especially great for entrepreneurs trying to boost their Instagram approach.
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10. Sprout social  HERE
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Sprout social is a great tool for managing your social media presence. It allows you to plan posts, track engagement, and gain insights into audience behavior through detailed analytics. With its social listening features, you may track mentions and trends to stay connected with your audience. Sprout Social makes managing social media effortless and effective.
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Ready to Transform Your Marketing in 2025?

With the correct business tools, you may optimize your process and gain remarkable outcomes in 2025.  Whether you are focusing on SEO, social media, or email marketing, these tools can help you design a more effective approach.
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Are you ready to refine your marketing approach and archive substantial results? Let's talk how i can help tailor solutions to fit your goals.
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Schedule an appointment with me HERE, I look forward to helping you succeed!​
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    D. Marie Smith

    Business Technology and Social Media Consultant

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