Newsletter Checklist: Things To Triple-Check Before Hitting Send

Learn from my mistakes:
Triple-check your newsletter
before hitting publish.

You know what? I made a pretty dumb mistake with my latest newsletter…I didn’t triple check it. I have my cool people-will-totally-open-this-email subject line swapped with my Mail-Chimp-dashboard-friendly title. I lost more subscribers and had fewer opens than in the previous four months.

Let me tell you, if I was a bigger company or trying to sell something in the last newsletter, it would’ve been a terrible campaign. But because I use my newsletter to connect with readers I just feel like I did a poor job of reaching out…the newsletter landed in my inbox Tuesday morning and all I thought was, “what the hell is this???” and my heart sank.

If I wasn’t willing to open MY OWN EMAIL why would anybody else open it. Seriously. So I want to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who did end up opening the newsletter…you’re a better person than me.

5 Things to Triple Check Before
Sending Out Your Next Newsletter

Subject Line

The subject line is so so so very important. It really is. Think about all the junk mail that comes into your inbox on a daily basis…how do you decide to open something? Based on the subject line, most likely. The same goes for blog post titles, but we’ve talked about that plenty of times in the past. Don’t make my mistake: The subject line is the first line of your copy and what is the one thing you need to remember about good copy? The each sentence is designed to get the reader to continue reading. A crap-tastic subject line of “Campfire Chic Newsletter” doesn’t quite have the same impact as “Are you ready to take some brave steps? // Campfire Chic May 2013 Newsletter“.

Call to Action

Why are you emailing people and taking up space in their inbox if you don’t have some sort of call to action? It’s like calling me in the middle of the newest episode of Mad Men and not having anything to talk about. It just doesn’t make sense. Your call to action is a verb…what do you want your subscribers to DO? Do you want them to read through, get inspired, and buy your ebook? Do you want them to see that you have cool things planned for the next month and they should advertise on your site? Or maybe you want them to help you boost your Facebook page and throw a “like” your way. Whatever it is, make sure you have one and make sure it is pretty evident.

Invitation to Connect

Like I said…you’re taking up space in somebody’s inbox. That’s kind of personal, you know? They’re allowing you to queue up next to emails from their grandmothers, offers to connect via LinkedIn, and the blogs to which they subscribe via email. You’re lucky to be included, let’s be honest. So why not connect with your subscribers more? They took the time to subscribe to your newsletter, why not give some of that time back? You know the basic ways of getting people to connect with you: follow me on Twitter! etc. So why not be different than your counterparts and ask your subscribers to respond to a question you pose via email? I subscribe to an awesome newsletter that starts out with a short ancedote and then the author tells readers what he’s drinking and asks us to hit reply and let him know what we’re drinking that morning. It’s something that makes me feel like I know him more than if he was just some guy sending out a newsletter. Connect: you won’t regret it.

Take Away

Okay, so we’ve checked the subject line, the call to action, and asked tried to connect with readers in a different way. What’s next? Oh yeah, what do your subscribers get out of your newsletter? You’re taking up space in their inboxes, you are trying to sell them something, and you’re wanting to know what they drink…but what are they actually getting out of reading what you have to say? A take away is something that your reader gains from opening your email…exclusive content (interviews, tutorials, reviews), discounts on products or services, and even homework count as take aways.

Spelling

I’m not going to include grammar in this section because I’m sure I have a hanging preposition or split infinitive floating around in here someplace. But at the very least, check your spelling on some common words: your name (my phone thinks my name is Jam)…your brand…and the word ‘newsletter’ because I type it as newslelerr a lot when I’m typing quickly. Just do a quick scan.

What other tips would you add to this list?

June 5, 2013 { 4 comments }

Prepare Your Blog for a Vacation or an Extended Leave of Absence

With summer starting in the Northern Hemisphere, I’m sure many Campfire Chic readers are starting to plan a handful of staycations, long weekends, and maybe even extended vacations away from home. But what about your blog? Will you let your blog sit untouched for a few weeks while you’re off, or do you hope to plan ahead so your readers won’t know you’re out of town until after you return? Today’s post focuses on a few tips on how to prepare your blog for a blog break, vacation, or an extended leave of absence.

Take it from somebody who has a few things on her plate and manages to have posts go up five days a week…planning ahead is essential if you feel like you want your blog to be “live” while you are away from your computer. Today’s tips can be used for a long weekend away from home or even as you prepare to for a hiatus from the blogging world (Think: a long backpacking trip or maternity leave)

Write everything down

Like what? First off, start with writing down when you plan to leave for your trip! At least that way you can actually see your deadline. Next: write down all the “stuff” you need to do before you leave…the guest posts you promised, the affiliate payments that are due, the newsletter you have tentatively planned, the blog posts you want to write…all of it! Get it down and take a step back…does everything need to be done? Can the blog re-design wait? Can you get an extension on that guest blog post? Take inventory and see what you can outsource…like, I’ll sometimes recruit Alex to help me get links for my Essential Reading posts! Don’t be afraid to ask for help, you may find it is exactly what you need.

Stockpile

Even if your trip isn’t for a few months from now, start stockpiling on blog posts now. Scary? Maybe. Starting now on a few drafts (or maybe even a few fully worked out posts!) will make the time leading up to your trick less stressful. Take a look at your current blogging schedule: are you posting three times a week? Aim to have enough posts ready to roll that you can even have a few go up during the days leading up to your departure as well as the few days upon your return. The last thing you want to worry about is whether or not you have a blog post scheduled when you are running through an airport terminal in a desperate attempt to catch your flight home.

Automate things

Another thing to start stockpiling? Social media updates! Now, some purists will scoff at the idea, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with planning a few tweets/updates to go up while you are out of town…what if badguys are watching your Twitter feed and notice that you went from 10 updates a day to 0 over a long weekend? Yeah, BADGUYS. So don’t let the badguys win and schedule some updates! I like to use Hootsuite to schedule updates for Twitter and Facebook since those are my most used social media platforms.

Pro tip: You can schedule updates for blog posts that haven’t gone up yet if you use the permalink to the post. That way, if you don’t have a plugin on your site that automatically sends out updates with new content! Another option? Set up an IFTTT channel to automatically send updates to different platforms. Automatically pushing the new content to your social media accounts will ease your mind and help to continue to drive traffic to your site while you are off enjoying yourself.

This seems a little overwhelming, I know. Especially the part about creating content in advance. For that, I’m going to (not-so-humbly) suggest picking up a copy of Three Sixty-Five: Ideas for Blog Posts, Scrapbook Pages, and Art Journal Entries. For $5, you get 365 blog post ideas, which should hold you over for a while, right? The best part of the eresource is that I set it up to act as a springboard for you to come up with even more ideas! Get started.

Here are some additional resources:

5 Quick Tips for Preparing Your Online Shop for the Holidays
More Tips for Preparing Your Online Shop for the Holidays
My Blogging Calendar — How I plan ahead and get shit done
How to Maintain Your Editorial Calendar
Blog Wise: Become a Productive & Prolific Blogger ebook

How do you prepare your blog/shop for a vacation?

Do you have any other suggestions?

May 15, 2013 { 6 comments }

10 Twitter Resources

We covered newsletter resources, blogging resources, and Google+ resources, so now it’s time to cover some Twitter resources.

Twitter is the micro-blogging social media platform that allows users to publish short messages to followers and to follow others.

I’ve been on Twitter since March 2009 and have operated several accounts, including a personal account and brand accounts (like @CampfireChic). I’m no expert in the subject, but I thought it was a good time to share some resources I published in the past and some articles written by others on the topic.

Here are some Twitter Resources:

New to Twitter or still in need of some of the basics? Check out this visual guide to Twitter
You may also need a quick review of the 11 rules of Twitter etiquette that doesn’t come with a new account
So you’re using Twitter as a way to market your online business…how do you know if it is working?
10 ways to get more retweets…
…but first, are your tweets even worth a retweet?
Need something to fill your time? Here’s 100 ways to become a Twitter power user
Still skeptical about this whole “Twitter fad”? Let’s debunk 5 Twitter myths you may hold true
Here’s a tip I didn’t know: The proper use of @ tweets
You spend too much time online as it is, let’s maximize your tweets so you can focus elsewhere
4 tips for marketing on Twitter via @charitywater

How do you use Twitter?

Do you have any Twitter-specific blog posts/articles you would like to share? Leave a link in the comments with a brief description of the post.

April 8, 2013 { 0 comments }

20 Google+ Resources

A big thank you to Laura, who shared many of these links with me over the past few weeks.

You’re probably rolling your eyes at the thought of a blog post dedicated to Google+ that focuses on how to make the much-anticipated-but-didn’t-catch-on-with-all-niche-communities social network work for you. That’s fine. Go ahead and skip today’s post. But for the rest of you looking to find ways to connect with others, market your brand, and stay ahead of whatever other changes Google decides to throw our way…this post is for you.

Like with any other social network, Google+ may not be for everyone. If you’re strapped for time (like I don’t know, say…have a full time job in addition to blogging? Have a family to raise in addition to blogging? BOTH?) you will obviously need to be thoughtful about the time you put into different social networks. If you should decide to add Google+ to your toolbelt, I have 20 resources for you to browse for ideas and inspiration.

Learn how to format the text on your Google+ posts for a more visually appealing update
Check out this podcast interview with the author of What the Plus? and see if you can be persuaded to give Google+ another try
What if Google+ wasn’t a flop, but is, instead, laying the groundwork for something much more?
What every marketer needs to know about Google+ Communities
But then again…what if Google+ is just a waste of time for bloggers when compared to Facebook?
How about an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Google+ articles and infographics?
How to set up a Google+ Page for your business or blog
Maybe Google+ is the next big blogging platform?
How to attract new blog readers through Google+
Simple tips to take advantage of Google+ for SEO purposes
How to use Google+ Hangouts
A beginner’s guide to Google+
A more extensive beginner’s guide to Google+
10 tips for Google+ beginners…it’s a slideshow, so if you hate those types of posts, avoid this one
VERY well done beginner’s guide to Google+ from Kissmetrics
A beginner’s guide to Google+ communities
A Day 1 guide that seems a bit clunky, but may be easier to digest than the other beginner’s guides
How Google+ can boost your business
Creating a Google+ page for your blog or business…written by a non-tech blogger!
5 reasons to quit ignoring Google+

Here are some additional tips:

Don’t link to your Google+ page unless you’re actually using it…it would be like telling me that you have Girl Scout cookies at your house and when I show up there is 1 half-nibbled-on Thin Mint
Use a profile photo people will recognize…it doesn’t hurt to use the same photo across platforms for your avatar/profile picture. Your face is essentially your branding if you don’t use a logo as your avatar, so make it easy for people to recognize that it is you
If you’re a Gmail user, set up your notifications to come to your inbox…that way you can respond to comments on your posts from your email and you can share articles/updates/links via your inbox. Perfect if you are at work and checking your personal email is OK but browsing social media sites is not ;)

Do you use Google+ (let’s connect!)
How do you use Google+ for your blog or business?

March 26, 2013 { 4 comments }

Growing your social media reach for your blog.

Today’s post is brought to you by Adam from Adam Riemer Marketing.

There are a lot of sites out there that give you information on how to grow your social media reach to build more of a presence for your blog; but not many of them actually give you something you can use. They just provide you with theories and give you part of a strategy. Instead of feeding you fluff, here are three things that you can actually do to use social media to grow your presence and your blog.

Find an authoritative Twitter user and cut a deal with your site.

When I talk about an authoritative Twitter user I am talking about someone who has a ton of real followers and follows much less people. These people don’t do follow me and I’ll follow you back and usually have about 90% more followers than they are actually following. It is a good sign that their followers actually follow them for a reason. Here’s how you can cut a deal if you get a decent amount of sharing on Twitter.

When someone clicks the share on Twitter button on your blog posts, if you are using the Twitter Tweet plugin, you have the option to show two Twitter accounts that you recommend following. The first should be yours and you can trade a month’s worth of sharing space for the second account to the Authoritative Twitter user in exchange for them sharing a few of your relevant posts to their audience, or even asking them to recommend their followers follow you by tweeting you out. Having them tweet out a few of your posts could be an easier one to get them to do, if you have valuable content. If their followers like what they read, they may sign up for your newsletter, follow you and become a fan of your site on Facebook.

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March 7, 2013 { 1 comment }