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Our News and Announcements are on our Facebook Wall (or you can read them below). Please find us and "Like" us!
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December 24, 2010
Happy Holidays from Sinclair Services
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December 10, 2010
FREE WebSite Match Service - Offer Ends 12/31/10
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November 17, 2010
Marketing with Facebook
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 More and more businesses are starting to include Social Media to supplement their marketing plans for their business, brand, organization, products, services, and more.
Here is why: Social Media is everything we have been waiting for in the marketing industry for a long long time. It is direct, targeted, viral - driven by "word of mouth" (guess we should say "click of mouse" now!), trackable, relationship building, easy for "do-it-yourselfers", and best of all free (at least right now it is) or low cost.
Facebook is currently one of the top Social Media marketing tools. If you want to use Facebook for your business, then you should be using the Facebook Page (also called Fan Page), and not the Facebook Profile (which is your personal page in FB). A Facebook Profile is required before you can set up your Facebook Page for your business. Facebook Profiles can not be customized for your business, while Pages can.
Being able to customize your Page is important in your effort to present a unified and consistent look and message for all your marketing and communication vehicles. Read more about Why You Should Customize Your Fan Page....
All kinds of apps are becoming available for Facebook page customization every day now. This is a whole new world for marketers! The easiest way I have found to customize a Facebook Page is with TabSite.
TabSite allows you to create a uniquely customizable website within Facebook. And is easy to use, update, and expand. You do not need to know FBML to customize your Facebook Page. You can embed Video, Add 'Like' & more!
There are different pricing packages to choose from - starting with the FREE 2 page site.
Click the Sign Up button below and follow the simple 4-step process and you'll be on your way to creating a custom updateable Fan Page Tab!
Click here to Sign Up and get started now!
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November 17, 2010
So You Have a Facebook Page … Now What?
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 So You Have a Facebook Page … Now What?
Originally posted on Constant Contact's Blog on Jun 30, 2010 by Nirav Batavia, Constant
Contact
Over
the past two years, small business owners have been told that it is an absolute
necessity to have a presence on Facebook. Many have heeded the advice and built
a basic Facebook page by using tutorials, or by following instructions
provided by Facebook or suggestions from experts like our own Eric Groves.
But once that’s done, what happens next?
With
a business to run, and other communication tools such as a website to update,
many Facebook pages unfortunately become inactive. How can a business owner
make use of a Facebook page without devoting too much time to its upkeep? After
all, you’ll get the most value from the site if you keep it current and use it
to engage with your fans and customers.
I
thought I’d share some of the latest trends and best practices for enhancing
your Facebook Wall tab, which is the default landing tab for any user who comes
to your page. It’s the most important tab because the updates to that tab may
be in the News Feed of Facebook users who have “Liked” your page.
Getting
a user to Like your page is a start, but it’s not enough. Facebook uses a
complex algorithm that decides what a user will see in his or her News Feed and
in what order. Though the algorithm is too complex to be covered here, it can
be boiled down to the following: The more users interact with your posts,
the more they will be seen by others.
To
take advantage of the Facebook algorithm, here are some key lessons:
1.
Quality over Quantity
More posts does not necessarily mean more users. I’ll use Pepsi’s Facebook page as
an example. If you look at its Wall, there is only one item posted each day,
and sometimes nothing. Users don’t want to see a constant stream of posts from
businesses, and through the algorithm, Facebook essentially enforces a limit.
Post too often and you’ll guarantee that your users will never see your posts.
I recommend between 2 and 5 good, solid items of content a week (e.g.: articles
by you or others, photos, videos, quick status updates), and definitely no more
than 10.
2.
Consider Removing Posting Permissions for Users
Again, using the Pepsi
page as an example (this time for what not to do), click on the Wall and
then click on the “Just Others” link. What you’ll see is some interesting
comments mixed in with a lot of spam. Facebook is supposed to be about user
expression, but the Walls often devolve into unintelligible and sometimes
inappropriate posts. You may want to limit users so they can only comment,
share, and “like” your posts rather than add their own content. Deciding whether
or not to allow user content on your Wall is a difficult decision, but one that
should not be overlooked or taken lightly. (In another post are some
instructions on editing these settings.)
3.
Engagement, Not Just Presence
Having a large group of users who like your page is not enough. To reach
your users, you need them to engage (i.e.: comment, like, and share your
posts). Do this well, and you will not only reach your users, but their friends
too, and that will help you greatly expand your network. Do this poorly and you
might as well be shouting into the wind. One very effective method to engage
users is by asking questions. For example, if you have an ice cream shop, ask
your fans to tell you their favorite flavors or toppings.
Come
back Tuesday, when I’ll talk about some apps and tabs you can add to your
Facebook page that will increase your fans’ engagement. In the meantime, I’d
like to hear your success stories, suggestions, comments, and questions about
Facebook Pages.
Note:
Constant Contact is not responsible for the content on the links contained
within this blog post that are not owned by Constant Contact.
Find Sinclair Services on Facebook....
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October 13, 2010
Become a smarter online marketer with these free resources
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I've been a Solution Provider (formerly called Business Partner) with Constant Contact since 2004. During these last 6 years, Constant Contact has grown from less than 20,000 customers to more than 370,000 today. I have always been impressed with the emphasis this company has placed on customer service, product innovation, and customer education. Constant Contact offers tremendous resources for small businesses that can help you become a better marketer which will lead to success in growing your business.
What I want to share with you today is the free online resources available to you from Constant Contact. You don't even have to be a customer or do the free trial to take advantage of these!
Live Demos and Best Practices Webinars
Learn the "rules of the road" - live on-line or watch them at your convenience
Hints and Tips eNewsletters
Newsletters packed with marketing tips
Best Practices in Action
Watch videos about how The Salty Paw,
a pet accessory boutique and grooming spa in New York, is successful
using small business tools like Email Marketing, Online Surveys, and
Event Marketing.
Glossary
Your guide to common terms used in email marketing, online surveys, and social media
The best way to learn is by doing! Our 60-Day FREE trial lets you interact with all the features of our products. No risk. No credit card required.
Constant Contact and Sinclair Services are small business specialists, giving you access to the latest industry information and education to help you learn best practices to make you a smarter online marketer.
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October 6, 2010
Move your business from static to SOCIAL!
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Social Media is the most effective set of marketing tools that we have ever seen.
From Constant Contact and Lon Safko, author of The Social Media Bible, we are providing you a guide that shows you 10 techniques on how to use the different social media tools that you may
already be familiar with to to build trust and ultimately build business. Everything you do using social networks should be designed to build trusted relationships.
When you combine social media with email marketing (The Original Social Media), you have a powerful synergistic strategy!
Click here to download your free Social Media Strategies guide.
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October 1, 2010
Alabama ECW uses Constant Contact for Event Marketing
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 The Episcopal Church Women of the diocese of Alabama have used Constant Contact (through Sinclair Services) for their email communications since 2007. In our endeavor to reach as many women in our diocese that are interested in our activities and programs, we have "grown" our email list over the years to almost 500.
This year for the 121st Annual Fall Alabama ECW Conference, we decided to try the Event Marketing and Registration service from Constant Contact. It has worked well and so far about 25% of the registrations have come through this online process. Of those that registered online, most paid through PayPal, saving the trouble of writing a check, finding an envelope and a stamp, addressing the envelope, and putting it in the mail. A few clicks and it's done! The registrar for the conference realized early on that online payments will also save her time and a trip to the bank to deposit checks for registration payments.
We even incorporated the new social media tools into our conference information page and in the email campaigns sent to promote the event. So far, most of the women on our email list haven't embraced much social media, but we know that if we want to continue being viable to Episcopal Church Women in the future and reach out to younger ages, that we will need to continue to find and use the most current and popular communication vehicles available.
Do you have an event coming up where you might want to try Constant Contact's Event Marketing? Give it a try - it's free for 60 days!
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September 17, 2010
Constant Contact to Help E-mail Marketers Track Social Behaviors
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Wow! Constant Contact is adding value so fast that I can't keep up with announcing all their new features - most at no additional cost to you!
Here's the latest: (from Mashable):
On Monday, e-mail marketing behemoth Constant Contact
will release an important update for its clientele interested in better
understanding how, when, where and why customers share the e-mail
newsletters they receive on social sites.
Constant Contact
will be introducing Social Stats as an integrated feature for its small
business customers. The new email marketing tool will offer a complete
social snapshot around email campaign performance. Social Stats tracks
Facebook “Likes,” tweets, LinkedIn posts and e-mail pageviews originating from social media channels.
The
social media analytics will be presented as part of the e-mail details
page, and add another layer of insight to the pre-exisitng data on
e-mail and click-through stats. Analytics will include individual counts
per social site, as well as a graphic presentations of shares and page
views.
We already know that e-mails including Facebook and Twitter share options generate 30% higher click-through rates and significantly boost reader engagement.
Social Stats will help marketers connect the dots for themselves to
better measure, track and understand their customers’ social e-mail
behaviors.
In related news, NutshellMail, a Constant Contact property,
will also be upgrading with more marketer-friendly social media
monitoring tools. Users already using the tool for Twitter, Facebook,
LinkedIn and MySpace activity e-mail notifications, will be pleased to discover that the application will soon include YouTube channel monitoring and Facebook Page tracking.
Ready to get started?
Post, tweet, and email—engage your audience today.
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May 31, 2010
Announcing NutShellMail by Constant Contact
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Constant Contact now has a powerful new social media tool that's designed to complement their products and resources! They have acquired NutshellMail, and it will enable your business or organization to easily learn what people are saying about you on popular social media outlets, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace. Better yet, it's FREE. Please read on to see how it works and what it can do for you.
How does NutshellMail work?
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It compiles shared news, comments, and opinions about your business
from the social media networks you select, and delivers them to your
email inbox.
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You can customize your updates to suit your needs -
Which sources do you want to watch? How often do you want to be
notified? When do you want your updates delivered?
-
Best of all,
you can respond to any of that social activity - all from your own
inbox.
Get me started! See how Constant Contact and NutshellMail can be used together.
Start Now »
Sign up for NutshellMail, FREE! Stay up to date in one place, on your schedule.
Sign-up Now »
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March 4, 2010
Sinclair Services receives Constant Contact All Star Award!
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I am very proud to announce that I received a 2009 All-Star Award from Constant Contact®, Inc.. I have been a Business Partner of Constant Contact, a leading provider of email marketing, event marketing, and online survey tools for small organizations, since 2004. My company was selected for meeting Constant Contact’s best-practice standards for the use of Email Marketing throughout 2009 in the following areas:
-
Frequency of campaigns
- Open rates
- Bounce rates
- Click through rates
“Our
customers work hard to build strong relationships with their customers through
email marketing and some, such as Sinclair Services, truly excel in this
effort,” said Gail Goodman, CEO, Constant Contact. “We created our All-Star
Awards to highlight those customers who are passionately committed to following
our best practices as they work to improve their customer communications. We’re
proud of the role we play in helping Sinclair Services be successful and we look
forward to continuing to assist the company with its marketing efforts."
Constant Contact is a great company to represent. The continuous updating of their product offerings to meet the needs of small organizations is impressive. I would love to discuss how I can help with your online marketing and communication needs.
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February 26, 2010
Welcome Village Dermatology
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Sinclair Services welcomes our newest "Do It Yourself" Email Marketing customer Village Dermatology.
We donated a auction package worth $500, to the Children's Hospital Gala fundraiser back in November, to help a business or organization get started using Constant Contact's Email Marketing. Dermatologist
Dr. Jenny Oakes Sobera was the high bidder and had Lacey Russell contact us in early February to claim their prize! Sally met with Lacey and Dr. Sobera and learned about the practice, opened their account at Constant Contact, and showed Lacey some of the basics of using the online application. Next, an email campaign was developed for their Active FX Skin Resurfacing procedure. Lacey is a quick learner using Constant Contact. Which doesn't surprise us since she also handles their Facebook and Twitter pages, YouTube channel, and Blog for the practice. Very impressive!
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February 10, 2010
Sinclair Services Joins Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce
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Sinclair Services became a member of the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce and is excited about being a part of this successful group.
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December 31, 2009
Happy New Year!
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December 1, 2009
Email Marketing Reduces Waste and Gets Results!
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How much of the direct mail you send goes straight to the trash?
Reduce your carbon footprint:
-No trips to the printer
-No handling, printing presses at printer
-No trips to the Post Office
-No Post Office handling, delivery
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