Be a Marketer with Dave Charest (Constant Contact)
Explore every episode of Be a Marketer with Dave Charest
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
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| 13 Mar 2025 | Changing Your Behavior to Build a Stronger Business with Carissa Reiniger | 00:45:03 | |
Running a business that lets customers choose what they pay might sound like a recipe for failure. But for Carissa Reiniger, Founder and CEO of Silver Lining, it's part of a 20-year mission to change the global economy one small business at a time. Using her background in psychology, Carissa used behavioral change to build a company that helps small businesses set and hit financial goals. Her SLAP (Silver Lining Action Plan) platform serves tens of thousands of businesses in 77 countries, focusing on giving entrepreneurs the structure and support they need to succeed. "I would estimate that on average, when small businesses come to SLAP, they are wasting — and I’m using that word very intentionally — about 80% of their time and 80% of their money. They are misusing it," Carissa reveals during her conversation on the Be a Marketer podcast. " I don't mean they're cheating, I mean that they're spending it on things that are not helping them grow their business." What has worked for Silver Lining so far? On this episode, Carissa and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, explore the challenges of the "Cash Flow Capacity Catch 22" and how business owners can break free from it. Tune in to discover why focusing exclusively on the highest-priority activities matters and how building a business on your terms leads to both financial success and meaningful impact. Additional Resources:
Meet Today's Guest: Carissa Reiniger of Silver Lining 👩💼 Who she is: Carissa Reiniger is the founder and CEO of Silver Lining, a company she started in 2005 with a mission to change the global economy, one small business at a time. With a background in psychology, she created a SaaS platform based on behavior change science that helps small businesses set and hit financial goals. Her company offers a "pay what you can" model and has worked with thousands of businesses in 77 countries.
👋 Where to find her: Website | X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram 👋 Where to find Silver Lining: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
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| 16 Mar 2023 | Adopting a Customer-First Approach with Gab Leonetti | 00:38:56 | |
When marketing your business, it’s so tempting to want to talk only about your business. These are our services. This is what we can do to help. Here’s why we’re great. But Gab Leonetti, marketing director at Wolf Commercial Real Estate (WCRE), reminds us that it’s not about you… at least not at first. “In order for us to be able to assist and be able to help our clients, you have to know what they're up against, or what they're facing, or what their challenges are,” she says. “Build the relationship. Ask about people's lives. Ask about what they're doing, what their successes are, where they need help.” It may seem counterintuitive, but when you focus on the customer and their needs, they become more interested in you. On this episode of Constant Contact’s podcast, Be a Marketer, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talks to Gab about what business owners can do to better relate to their customers. Tune in to hear how Gab uses data and analytics to inform key marketing decisions, as well as how to get hyper-targeted in your messaging so you reach the right audience. Resources mentioned by Dave: 👉 How to A/B test an email subject line 👉 How to test your way to higher converting emails [webinar] Meet Today’s Guest: Gab Leonetti of Wolf Commercial Real Estate ☕ What she does: Gab is the marketing director for Wolf Commercial Real Estate in South Jersey. She’s a one-woman team focused on driving revenue and expansion for the company. A long-time Constant Contact user, Gab is well-versed in utilizing email marketing to reach her target audience. 💡 Key quote: “I think that as a marketer, it's always great to try new stuff and to research what else is out there, what could you be doing better. But it's also important to be strategic about what you're doing. It's important to know your ROI. You want to make sure that [with] everything that you're doing there is a plan.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn
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| 13 Apr 2023 | Getting to Clear, Concise Messaging with Joan Noe | 00:30:07 | |
A business is only as successful as the message it puts out to its customers. That’s a fact that Joan Noe knows well. As the Director of Partner Engagement for Senior Options, Joan knows the value of clear and concise communication. “We're all moving too fast. We're all chasing something. Everybody's got a lot of distractions around them from their phones and other devices at all times,” she says. “So you’ve got to get their attention. You've got to make sure your message is as clear as it can be.” On this episode of the Constant Contact podcast, Be a Marketer, Joan and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talk about using feedback to craft the most relevant messaging for any audience. Meet Today’s Guest: Joan Noe of Senior Options ☕ What she does: Joan is the recently retired Director of Partner Engagement at Senior Options, LLC. A Constant Contact user since 2016, she communicates with Senior Options’ partners using the platform’s email, survey, and event functions. 💡 Key quote: “It’s our problem to be as clear as we can and communicate as well as we can.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn
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| 14 Mar 2024 | Moving from Passion to Purpose with Aisha James | 00:35:26 | |
When Aisha James set out to create an event celebrating Black-owned businesses in St. Louis, she didn’t think she’d end up running the largest Black-owned food festival in the Midwest. Even while spending her days working as an Operations Manager in the banking industry, Aisha finds time to fuel her passion: bringing together St. Louis’s Black community for a weekend of culture, food, and celebration, The Taste of Black St. Louis. But coordinating this large-scale annual event on a shoestring budget is no easy feat. “I’m considered the little guy that makes big numbers,” says Aisha. And she’s not kidding when she says “big numbers” — in just five years, the culinary festival grew from 16,000 to 83,000 attendees. On this episode, Aisha and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss the unique communication challenges of planning such a big event and how technology helps her to remain organized—while also keeping her day job. Listen to learn the importance of developing calendars and timelines, seeking customer feedback via surveys, and leaning on segmentation to craft highly targeted and specific messaging for a variety of audiences. 👉 Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Aisha James of The Taste of Black St. Louis 🍽️ What she does: Aisha is the founder of The Taste of Black St. Louis, the largest Black-owned food festival in the Midwest. Formed in 2018, the multi-sensory food experience was created to bring local communities and visitors together for a full weekend of culture, tasting, and shopping while shining a light on Black-owned businesses. The event has grown from 16,000 attendees to 83,000. 💡 Key quote: “Remember why you started. Understand that there’s going to be so many bumps in the road, but always remember why you started and stay true to that.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn | Instagram 👋 Where to find The Taste of Black St. Louis: Website | Instagram | Facebook
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| 26 Sep 2024 | Digital Marketing Tips for Real Estate Agents with Stephanie Alfonso | 00:39:26 | |
Clients are everywhere, but so is the competition. This is the reality for real estate agents in a crowded market. But what if you could become the go-to expert in your community — the agent everyone remembers when it's time to buy or sell their home? For over a decade, Stephanie Alfonso has helped real estate agents transform their marketing strategies. Now, as the Senior Director of Vertical Innovation at Constant Contact, she’s empowering agents to navigate a changing market. With the national conversation revolving around buyer's commission and agent value, Stephanie champions digital marketing as the key to staying top-of-mind and building trust with clients. “If you could do one thing better, what would it be?” Stephanie asks, challenging agents to prioritize their marketing efforts for long-term success On this episode of the Be a Marketer podcast, Stephanie and host Dave Charest explore why a strong online presence is crucial for agents. Discover the power of a consistent email newsletter and learn how agents can use AI tools to streamline their content creation. Tune in to learn actionable strategies for list building, content creation, and leveraging social media and SMS marketing to connect with clients and grow your business. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Stephanie Alfonso of Constant Contact 🚀 What Stephanie does: She is the Senior Director of Vertical Innovation at Constant Contact. 💡 Key quote: “People do business with people they like, they know, and they trust. So we need to be intentional about getting people to like, know, and trust us." 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 02 May 2024 | Finding Success through Good News with Marie Gilmore | 00:55:11 | |
Despite being a newspaper, the Osprey Observer effectively utilizes digital tools like email marketing and social media. The key to running a successful local paper, for Marie, is being deeply involved in and committed to the local community. Her team focuses on covering local good news and events, and the relationships they build with local advertisers and readers. "We laser focus on what we do. We provide customer service. We try to provide all the best services for our small businesses, and we just have to stay laser-focused," Marie explains. Being a part of the community and engaging in local events has helped create a strong brand for the Osprey Observer. Listen to Marie share valuable insights on embracing the local community, the power of good news, and leveraging digital tools for better engagement, with host Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact. 👉 Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode. Resources:
📰 What she does: Marie is the Managing Editor and Publisher for Osprey Observer, which started as a newsletter and now has grown into four local editions, covering the areas of southeast Hillsborough County. 💡 Key quote: “We all live and work in this community. That’s who we need to support.” - Marie 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Osprey Observer: Website | Instagram | Facebook
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| 23 Mar 2023 | Building Trust with Your Audience with Tom Agostino | 00:38:42 | |
Growing your customer base is critical to sustaining any business. But when it comes to marketing, you can’t forget about your most important audience — your current customers. People that already know you can be your biggest advocates.
On this episode of Constant Contact’s podcast, Be a Marketer, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talks to Tom about how he’s adjusted his marketing strategy over the last 20 years to continue selling out music venues. Tune in to hear how Tom fast-tracks his decision-making process and how to build trust with your audience through educational content. Meet Today’s Guest: Tom Agostino of The Folk Sessions ☕ What he does: Tom is a concert promoter and producer coming up on 20 years of bringing folk music to the Prescott, Arizona, area through The Folk Sessions. As a business owner, Tom has used Constant Contact to educate his audience, sell tickets, and stay in close communication with his recurring customers — a group that he identifies as his most important audience. 💡 Key quote: “Basically, what I've had to do is educate my audience to this kind of music and get them to trust that if I'm bringing somebody to town, they’re good. That’s basically all you need to know. I'm bringing them, so they're good. I had to earn that. I earned that respect.” 👋 Where to find him: Facebook 👋 Where to find Folk Sessions: Website | Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud If you love this show, please leave us a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 28 Mar 2024 | Ask Dave: How can we better market new in-person classes? | 00:12:43 | |
Wondering how to better market new in-person events/classes? In this episode, Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, shares how understanding your audience, utilizing integrations, creating a clear progression path, building urgency, and leveraging different platforms can help you reach and engage your target market more effectively. Listen in to hear how to:
Resources: Achieve your marketing goals with Constant Contact integrations Create and manage tags with Constant Contact Create a segment of contacts in Constant Contact by choosing specific criteria Create a Constant Contact Survey Page DaySmart Recreation Constant Contact Integration Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.
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| 16 Nov 2023 | Facing Challenges Headstrong with Julianna Curtis | 00:56:21 | |
When Julianna Curtis made the tough call to shut down her yoga and fitness studio in March 2020, she took a day to feel sorry for herself — then she sat down and figured out how to pivot. Julianna is no stranger to adversity in business. A year after opening The Energy Barre, she ended up in court facing a lawsuit about noise complaints from a neighboring tenant. Although the lawsuit was a setback, she pressed on, using headphones in class, until she and her building manager figured out a path forward. Today, The Energy Barre offers yoga, barre, and dance classes in three locations in Massachusetts and online. Julianna is candid about the storms she’s had to weather in building her business — and grateful for the lessons she’s learned along the way. “Once I made my way through the recovery periods, I was able to look back and see how much positive came out of those experiences,” she says. In this episode of Be a Marketer, Julianna and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss the ups and downs of owning a small business in an unpredictable world. Meet Today’s Guest: Julianna Curtis of The Energy Barre ☕ What she does: Julianna is the founder and CEO of The Energy Barre, an independently owned fitness and yoga studio. Founded in 2013, The Energy Barre has three locations in Massachusetts and offers classes and sells apparel online. 💡 Key quote: “I am so excited and obsessed with the fact that this is what I get to do.” 👋 Where to find her: Instagram | LinkedIn 👋 Where to find The Energy Barre: Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
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| 11 Apr 2024 | Ask Dave: How can a nonprofit child welfare org use email marketing? | 00:17:35 | |
Wondering how nonprofit organizations can use email marketing effectively? In this episode, Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, welcomes Kelsi Carter, the team’s new brand production coordinator. They go on to discuss the importance of storytelling, segmentation, and frequency in email marketing. Listen in to hear how why:
Resources:
Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.
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| 10 Oct 2024 | Effective Goal-Setting for Small Business Marketing with Tracey Lee Davis | 00:15:44 | |
Tracey Lee Davis never imagined she'd become a business owner. After years of managing a pet care company, she craved a simpler role where she could follow someone else's lead. But life had other plans. When unemployment benefits ran dry, and job applications went unanswered, Tracey reluctantly stepped into entrepreneurship. Now, as the owner of ZingPop Social Media, she couldn't imagine doing anything else. "I really do love that I get to set what happens with my business," Tracey shares on the Be a Marketer podcast. Her journey from reluctant business owner to marketing expert showcases the power of setting clear, personalized goals.
Tune in to learn how you can transform your marketing efforts by setting the right targets for your business. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Tracey Lee Davis of ZingPop Social Media 💼 What she does: Tracey Lee Davis is the owner of ZingPop Social Media, a Constant Contact Certified Partner, and a Constant Contact Community Coach. She works primarily with women-owned service-based businesses as a social media coach and marketing manager, helping them gain exposure, increase revenue, and enhance their online presence. 💡 Key quote: "If you're not measuring, you're not marketing." 👋 Where to find her: Website | X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn 👋 Where to find ZingPop Social Media: Website | Instagram | X, formerly known as Twitter | Vimeo | LinkedIn | Facebook | Pinterest
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| 04 May 2023 | Go Big and Disrupt an Industry with Sonja Rasula | 00:48:07 | |
Imagine emptying your 401K to the tune of $50,000 to book a venue for your first event as a business owner with no previous entrepreneurship experience. Go big or go home, right? That’s the confidence level Sonja Rasula had in 2008 when she started Unique Markets. As a former journalist, she had the research skills and natural interest in telling stories that helped her prepare for owning a business. For the last 15 years, Sonja has created large-scale pop-up markets across the country. She aims to support small businesses by showcasing up-and-coming designers, artists, and entrepreneurs just starting their journey. From the beginning, she set out to be a leader in an industry that didn’t even exist. “I do believe in the idea of go big or go home,” she says. “I wasn't going to create a little market that could happen outdoors in a parking lot. That's already out there. I wanted to create something new. I wanted to disrupt an industry.” On this episode of Be a Marketer, Sonja and host Dave Charest talk about the growing pains she experienced, why you shouldn’t fall for the social media trap, and the importance of focusing on yourself. 👉 Constant Contact Resend to Non-openers Feature 👉 Constant Contact Canva Integration Meet Today’s Guest: Sonja Rasula of Unique Markets ☕ What Sonja does: Sonja founded Unique Markets in 2008 to create large-scale pop-up markets nationwide. Her markets support small businesses by showcasing up-and-coming designers, artists, and entrepreneurs just starting their journey. 💡 Key quote from Sonja: “As a business owner, if you own nothing, that means Instagram or whatever social media platform you're using, that means they own you. That's a terrible position to be in.” 👋 Where to find Sonja: LinkedIn | Instagram 👋 Where to find Unique Markets: Website | Instagram | Facebook
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| 07 Mar 2024 | Ask Dave: How should we review our marketing tools and approach for our church? | 00:22:20 | |
Wondering how to review marketing tools and approaches, boost productivity, and execute effective marketing strategies for your organization? In this episode, Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, dives into the secrets of reviewing, planning, and executing your marketing strategies. And discover how to leverage technology to streamline your processes. Listen in to hear how to:
Resources:
Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.
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| 09 Jan 2025 | Crush Your Marketing Goals in 2025: 5 Game-Changing Tips | 00:31:07 | |
The future of marketing feels like a runaway train. It's exciting, sure, but also terrifying. How do you keep up and plan for success when the ground beneath you seems to shift constantly? Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, and Kelsi Carter, Brand Production Coordinator at Constant Contact, understand this struggle. That's why they've dedicated this episode of the Be a Marketer podcast to helping small business owners like you thrive in 2025. They've compiled five key strategies, gleaned from conversations with successful business owners, to help you succeed. "If you think of marketing as a tool, it's really this idea of communicating with the people that are open to hearing your message and then finding the places where you can find more of those people and getting in front of them and then keeping your business top of mind with them," Dave explains. This episode unpacks that idea, offering practical advice you can implement immediately. Discover the power of community building, the importance of continuous learning, and how automation can free up your time. Tune in to learn how to segment your audience for personalized marketing and why regularly reviewing your strategies is crucial for growth. Dave and Kelsi share real-world examples from Constant Contact customers, demonstrating how these strategies have led to real success. Get actionable tips and valuable insights to make 2025 your best year yet. Additional Resources:
Meet Today's Hosts: Dave Charest & Kelsi Carter of Constant Contact 🎤 What Dave does: Dave is the Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, He helps small business owners understand and utilize online marketing. Dave co-hosts the Be a Marketer podcast, offering practical advice and inspirational stories. 💡 Key quote: “Not everything you do is going to work. Not everything you do is going to be ‘the right thing to do’. And I think that's the mentality that you really need to come at this with — marketing as a whole is a learning experience.” 👋 Where to find him: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram 👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn | X, formerly known as Twitter | Pinterest 🎤 What Kelsi does: Kelsi is the Brand Production Coordinator at Constant Contact and co-host of the Be A Marketer podcast. She loves being deeply involved with projects, especially working with different types of creatives. 💡 Key quote: "It's really the trial and error, but also just looking at your data and then improving and enhancing so that it matches." 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 29 Aug 2024 | Ask Dave: How Can You Showcase Content to Grow Your Community? | 00:17:59 | |
Want to grow your community and attract more subscribers on social media or LinkedIn?💡 In episode 68 of the Be a Marketer podcast, Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, and Kelsi Carter, the team’s brand production coordinator, share their insights on how storytelling can help you capture your audience's attention. They also answer a question from the marketing and artist manager of the Gregangelo Museum, a Constant Contact customer since 2005, about key highlights and perks that can attract subscribers and grow their community. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts to hear how storytelling and personal experiences can set your marketing apart in the age of AI. 👉 Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode. Resources:
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| 18 Jan 2024 | Taking a Leap of Kindness with Todd Shimkus and Maggie Fronk | 00:36:09 | |
2024 is one of those special years that gives us an extra day—and this Leap Day, Todd Shimkus and Maggie Fronk want you to do something kind for someone else. Todd, the president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, started Leap of Kindness Day in 2016 to support local impact-sector organizations. The premise is simple: Use February 29 to do something kind for someone else. That simple idea has catalyzed a worldwide movement, with communities around the United States and beyond running their own Leap of Kindness Day efforts. Maggie has seen the power of this simple call to action firsthand as CEO of Wellspring, the domestic violence and sexual assault services resource for Saratoga County. On the first episode of Be a Marketer for 2024, Todd and Maggie join host Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, to share how Leap of Kindness Day works and how others can take part. Tune in to learn how their organizations use Constant Contact to support businesses and nonprofits in Saratoga County and champion important causes through Leap of Kindness Day—and every day. 👉 Learn more about Leap of Kindness Day and how you or your organization can get involved. Meet Today’s Guests: Todd Shimkus of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and Maggie Fronk of Wellspring ☕ What Todd does: Todd is the president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, overseeing an organization that supports more than 2,700 businesses in the region. 💡 Key quote: “Think about somebody that’s done something special for you in your life. And on February 29, as part of Leap of Kindness Day, do something kind for them.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn | Instagram | X, formerly known as Twitter 👋 Where to find the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube ☕ What Maggie does: Maggie is the CEO of Wellspring, a Saratoga County nonprofit that supports survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and engages the community to end relationship and sexual abuse. 💡 Key quote: “The more we are given opportunities to help others, to see the good, to do the good, to be recipients of somebody else’s kindness we never expected, the more we make a great community, and the more we feel better about this life.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Wellspring: Website | Instagram | Facebook Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured on an upcoming episode.
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| 03 Oct 2024 | Creating Content That Resonates: LinkedIn Success Strategies with Lucy Hall | 00:49:20 | |
Lucy Hall's journey into the digital world began with a chunky Dell computer and an eBay account. At 17, she became one of the first eBay power sellers, selling thousands of "ab belts" and discovering a passion for online marketing. This early experience set the stage for Lucy's future as a digital skills advocate and community builder. Today, she runs SocialDay, the UK's top Social Media Marketing Festival, and Digital Women, an online community with over 40,000 members dedicated to empowering women through digital skills education. "If I could do it when I was 17 and my uncle can sell things online at age like 80, everyone in between can do it as well," Lucy shares, highlighting her belief in the power of digital skills for all ages. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Lucy and host Dave Charest dive into the importance of mindset in business, the challenges of growth, and the power of community. They explore Lucy's unique approach to content creation, her success on LinkedIn, and her tips for building engaged online communities. Tune in to hear Lucy's insights on balancing online and offline creativity, the importance of caring for your customers, and how to create content that resonates with your audience. Additional Resources: Meet Today’s Guest: Lucy Hall of SocialDay and Digital Women 🚀 What she does: Lucy Hall is the founder of Digital Women and SocialDay, director at Skills of The Future LTD, and a professional speaker on digital media and social media. She's passionate about empowering individuals through skill development and community building, with her Digital Women community boasting over 40,000 members. 💡 Key quote: "If you don't know what they need, how can you create products for them? So I really do think caring about your customers, caring about your community, making sure that at the center of everything, you want to give them the thing that's going to help them to feel better or solve their problem." 👋 Where to find her: Website | X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn | Snapchat | Instagram | Facebook | If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 19 Oct 2023 | Sharing Wisdom to Get More Business with Ed Doherty | 00:34:22 | |
Ed Doherty has achieved something most marketers could only dream of: a 72-78% open rate on his Constant Contact newsletters. His secret? Authenticity. Ed launched his consulting business, Ambrose Landen, after being furloughed at the pandemic's start. He also launched a newsletter, Wednesday Weblogs, which he sends every Wednesday at 4:30 a.m. At 70 years old, Ed has plenty of experience under his belt, and he views marketing as an essential tool for showing prospective clients that he knows how to help them. He doesn’t use his newsletter to sell his services, though — he uses it to build his reputation. “I’m sharing my knowledge, my humor, my toughness,” he says. Three years into sending Wednesday Weblogs, Ed says that many of his current clients started as newsletter subscribers. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Ed and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss how authentic marketing can help you build a community that turns into customers. Meet Today’s Guest: Ed Doherty of Ambrose Landen ☕ What he does: Ed owns Ambrose Landen, a consultancy that offers strategic planning and leadership development services. In the past, Ed has been the human resources officer for an 11,000-person company and the president of a franchise company with 22 restaurants. He’s also the oldest of eight children. 💡 Key quote: “Anybody who’s in business by themselves is selling themselves. That’s what you have to do — you have to sell yourself. So I’m selling my knowledge, my humor, my history.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Ambrose Landen: Website If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 25 Feb 2025 | Real Estate Teams, Systems, and Family with Verl Workman | 00:48:06 | |
From satellite dishes and hot tubs to coaching real estate teams, Verl Workman's entrepreneurial journey is full of unexpected turns. Facing hardship early in life, Verl developed a strong work ethic and a knack for sales. A chance encounter with a satisfied customer led him to a successful career in real estate. But Verl's drive to innovate pushed him beyond traditional real estate sales, into technology training and public speaking. Now, as CEO and co-founder of Workman Success Systems, he empowers real estate teams to achieve "predictable greatness." Verl challenges the solo agent model, advocating for the power of teams in real estate. He emphasizes leverage and delegation as keys to a balanced life. "Anything you do three times, create a system for it," Verl advises, encouraging realtors to prioritize high-value activities and delegate less profitable tasks. This approach frees up time for family and personal pursuits while building a successful business. On this episode of the Be A Marketer podcast - Real Estate Edition, Verl sits down with hosts Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, and Stephanie Alonso, Sr. Director, Vertical Innovation at Constant Contact, to share his unique system for achieving predictable success in real estate. They delve into niche marketing, building a family-centric business culture, and harnessing the power of storytelling to forge deeper connections with clients. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Verl Workman of Workman Success Systems 👨💼 What he does: Verl Workman is the CEO and co-founder of Workman Success Systems, a business coaching company specializing in real estate teams. He is a seasoned entrepreneur, speaker, and coach with a passion for helping real estate professionals achieve predictable greatness in their businesses and lives. He believes in building strong family-centric businesses and leveraging systems and teams to create sustainable success. 💡 Key quote: "If you stop looking at the past to define what your future looks like, and you wipe it clean and say, 'what if,’ it's game-changing." 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook 👋 Where to find Workman Success Systems: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn | X, formerly known as Twitter If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 09 Mar 2023 | Selling Authentically with Omar Zenhom | 00:48:53 | |
Omar Zenhom learned all of his best sales tricks from his dad, a car salesman. “He really wasn't somebody that tried to sell anybody anything. He would try to ask a lot of questions. … He would ask things like, ‘What don't you like about your car right now?’ And he would highlight the features of the car that he was selling to them that would fit their needs,” he explains. Omar applies the same logic to how he teaches entrepreneurs to sell, both in his podcast, The $100 MBA, and his business, Webinar Ninja. It’s never about a gimmicky hard sell or a flashy demo. Instead, selling is about removing barriers and making decisions easy for customers. Tune in to this episode of the Constant Contact podcast, Be a Marketer. Host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, and Omar discuss prioritizing yourself as an entrepreneur, conventional but effective marketing methods, and how the soft sell is often the best tactic. 👉 Check out Dave as a guest teacher on Omar’s The $100 MBA podcast here. Meet Today’s Guest: Omar Zenhom of Webinar Ninja ☕ What he does: Omar is a former teacher turned marketing and business guru. His podcast, $100 MBA, won Best of iTunes in 2014, and his SaaS company, Webinar Ninja, now has over 30,000 users. 💡 Key quote: “I see entrepreneurship very much like American football. You can't play every day; you have to play once a week. It's such a high-contact sport. It's very taxing on you. At some point, you're going to have to start playing golf. You just can't burn the candle on both ends forever.” 👋 Where to find him: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn
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| 09 Nov 2023 | Making a Positive Impact with Al Yeck | 00:30:11 | |
“We’re all just trying to get through this life together,” says Al Yeck. “So let’s help each other.” As the Executive Director of the Veterans Healing Farm in Hendersonville, North Carolina, Al leads an organization devoted to enhancing the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of U.S. veterans and their families. A former Marine — and a former marketer — Al juggles many responsibilities in his role as Executive Director. He divides his days between managing the business side of the nonprofit and the farm itself, which doesn’t leave him much time for marketing. His primary goal for the organization is to achieve financial solvency. That means marketing is especially important for getting the word out to local veterans groups, gardening groups, and others who might be interested in the farm’s mission. Al leans on Constant Contact to help him spread the farm’s message efficiently. In this episode of Be a Marketer, Al and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, dig into the joys and challenges of running a nonprofit and the marketing tactics that are helping the farm grow. Meet Today’s Guest: Al Yeck of Veterans Healing Farm ☕ What he does: Al is a Marine Corps veteran and the Executive Director of Veterans Healing Farm, a nonprofit with a mission to enhance the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of U.S. veterans and their families. 💡 Key quote: “I just urge you, if you’re hurting, mentally or emotionally, to seek help… There should be no stigma attached to it. If you’re hurting, mentally [or] emotionally, join the club. We’re all broken. And we’re all just trying to get through this life together.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Veterans Healing Farm: Website | Donate | Facebook
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| 23 May 2024 | Ask Dave: How do nonprofits benefit from SMS marketing? | 00:16:12 | |
Are you part of a nonprofit and want to use SMS but aren’t sure how or even if it would be beneficial for your organization? On this episode, Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, and Kelsi Carter, the team’s brand production coordinator, talk you through it. Listen in to hear how to:
Resources:
👉 Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.
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| 13 Jul 2023 | The Circle of Joy in Business With Paul Baik | 00:24:43 | |
Paul Baik, President of Paul’s Beauty Warehouse, believes in taking a holistic approach to business relationships in the beauty biz. It’s never just about the customer. It’s also about vendors, employees, and the customer’s customers. That’s why he considers his business a “circle of joy.” “We wanted to focus not on making money, but making people beautiful … We look at everything holistically now,” Paul says. And that means looking at the bigger picture by exploring what parts of the job his team does, what parts of the job his customers do, and what parts of the job his vendors do. Paul’s Beauty Warehouse serves hairstylists, barbers, and trade schools in the Maryland/D.C./Virginia area. A “Costco for beauty” since 2006, Paul operates out of three locations and educates stylists through the company’s education program. Over the years, as his business has grown, he’s learned a few lessons. In the early years, Paul ran a lean team consisting of his mother and just one other employee. Now he oversees 45 employees across all locations. One thing he’s learned is that customer service-driven people make the best team members. This rang especially true for Paul during 2020, as his team stepped up to pivot during closures in the hair care industry. With the help of his dedicated team, he was able to quickly begin offering online ordering and curbside pickup.
On this episode of Constant Contact’s Be a Marketer podcast, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talks to Paul about the challenges and victories of serving the haircare industry and why email marketing plays an important role. Meet Today’s Guest: Paul Baik of Paul’s Beauty Warehouse ☕ What he does: Founded in 2006, Paul’s Beauty Warehouse serves hairstylists, barbers, and trade schools over three locations in the Maryland/D.C./Virginia area. Paul focuses on providing his customers with the highest quality hair care products. 💡 Key quote: “Just do it. Start it. Email is still very relevant. Get the email out consistently to customers every week. Share anything that your business is all about. It's something that all businesses should do.” 👋 Where to find Paul: LinkedIn
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| 20 Apr 2023 | The Power of Helping Your People Grow with Barbara Gassaway | 00:26:11 | |
Episode Description If you’re at a point where you have staff representing you and your business, it’s essential to train them to provide excellent customer experiences. Barbara Gassaway, president and founder of The Research Group, has created that culture of growth for her employees, and she views that as her most significant professional accomplishment. “I think that’s amazing — when you can touch the lives of others,” she says. “Makes me want to cry.” Barbara led her market research group through the COVID-19 pandemic, and along with that came new job responsibilities and an entirely different structure for her business. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Barbara and host Dave Charest discuss the importance of leadership training, mentors, and creating an atmosphere for your employees to become better at what they do. 👉 Constant Contact Small Business Marketing Services Meet Today’s Guest: Barbara Gassaway of the Research Group ☕ What Barbara does: Barbara is one of the nation’s leaders in market research. She founded The Research Group in 1991, which provides market research services to businesses by running focus groups, listening sessions, and in-depth interviews. 💡 Key quote from Barbara: “To be honest, I just love exploring and discovering things that are going to help move the ball forward. And that makes me tick.” 👋 Where to find Barbara: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find the Research Group: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
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| 03 Apr 2025 | Art, Story, and the Business of Wonder with Gregangelo Herrera and Team | 00:57:31 | |
The Gregangelo Museum wasn’t supposed to exist. It began as a run-down rental in San Francisco — a place where artist Gregangelo Herrera patched collapsing rooms with found materials, turning repairs into creative experiments. One of those repairs became a full-blown art installation. One became two. Then three. Forty years later, the house is a city landmark, and the team behind it is reshaping what immersive art and marketing can look like.
Tune in to hear how they leaned into storytelling over ads, how this small team markets through meaning, not money, and how their outdoor art garden helped them stay open during the pandemic. Additional Resources:
Meet Today's Guests: Gregangelo Herrera, Angelica Irreno, and Marcelo Defreitas of Gregangelo Museum and Velocity Arts & Entertainment. 🎨 What Gregangelo does: Gregangelo is the Artistic Director of the Gregangelo Museum in San Francisco. A lifelong artist and performer, he founded the immersive museum experience inside his own home, blending storytelling, installation art, and cultural rituals. He’s also the founder of Velocity Arts and Entertainment. 💡 Key quote: “My form of marketing has always been to show up and invite people in.” 👋 Where to find Gregangelo: Facebook | LinkedIn 🎭 What Marcelo does: Marcelo is the Creative Director at the Gregangelo Museum. He brings a background in nonprofit leadership, events, and design. After hiring Gregangelo’s troupe for an event years ago, Marcelo joined the team and now leads strategy, operations, and creative direction for the museum and its experiences. 💡 Key quote: “We’re not just performing anymore. We’re helping people reconnect—with themselves and with each other.” 👋 Where to find Marcelo: LinkedIn
💡 Key quote: “At the beginning, I didn’t quite get the selling point. Then I realized—it’s not just the art. It’s the stories.” 👋 Where to find Angelica: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find the Gregangelo Museum: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn | TikTok 👋 Where to find Velocity Arts & Entertainment: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn | TikTok If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 15 Aug 2024 | Ask Dave: How can AI refresh my repetitive content? | 00:08:10 | |
Wondering how to keep your marketing content fresh without constantly exhausting your brain for new ideas?💡 In episode 66 of the Be a Marketer podcast, Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, and Kelsi Carter, the team’s brand production coordinator, explore how AI can help you create fresh content for recurring emails and other repetitive marketing campaigns. Tune in to hear more about how:
👉 Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode. Resources:
If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 12 Sep 2024 | Multi-Channel Marketing Made Easy with AI with Michael Wood and Kate Conway | 00:22:11 | |
Small business owners often juggle countless tasks, leaving marketing on the back burner. But what if there was a way to streamline marketing efforts and boost confidence? Enter Constant Contact's latest innovation: the AI-powered Campaign Builder. This tool promises to revolutionize how small businesses approach marketing, addressing the challenges uncovered in the Spring 2024 Small Business Report. "More than half of small businesses we polled — about 55% to 56% — told us that they have less than an hour a day to spend on marketing," reveals Michael Wood, Manager of North America External Communications at Constant Contact. This startling statistic underscores the need for efficient marketing solutions. The episode dives into the research findings, exploring why small businesses struggle with marketing and how the new Campaign Builder can help. Kate Conway, Constant Contact’s Senior Product Marketing Manager, explains how the tool leverages AI and Constant Contact's decades of marketing expertise to create multi-channel campaigns tailored to specific business goals. Tune in to gain insights into the current state of small business marketing and learn how AI-driven tools can save time, boost confidence, and improve overall marketing strategies. Additional Resources: Meet Today’s Guests: Kate Conway and Michael Wood of Constant Contact 🚀 What Kate does: She is the Senior Product Marketing Manager at Constant Contact. 💡 Key quote: "Campaign Builder was built really to address this need. It’s a goal-based tool that does all the heavy lifting for you." 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 📊 What Michael does: He is the Manager of North America External Communications at Constant Contact. 💡 Key quote: "Less than 20% of the small businesses we polled told us that they felt confident that they were using the right channels. So it's not just more is more. The channels that you use matter." 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 17 Aug 2023 | Cybersecurity for Small Business Owners With Sam Silberman | 00:27:20 | |
Small businesses face plenty of challenges, but Sam Silberman, Constant Contact’s Director of Security Operations, wants to make sure that getting hacked or phished isn’t one of them. In this episode of Be a Marketer, Sam joins host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, to help small business owners stay safe in an increasingly dangerous digital world. Sam has spent over 13 years protecting Constant Contact and its customers against bad actors. He knows that small business owners have enough to worry about without adding complicated cybersecurity procedures to the mix. Tune in to hear Sam’s simple recommendations for protecting yourself and your business against hackers and phishers — no IT expertise required. Meet Today’s Guest: Sam Silberman of Constant Contact ☕ What he does: Sam is Constant Contact’s Director of Security Operations. Sam and his team protect Constant Contact from hackers and bad actors who try to abuse the system by sending spam from customer accounts. 💡 Key quote: “We all get tricked. I get tricked. We’re all susceptible to this — it’s our human nature.”
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| 08 Feb 2024 | Ask Dave: How can I engage faculty to come to higher ed instructional technology webinars? | 00:10:37 | |
Wondering how to get faculty to attend your webinars? In this episode, Dave Charest provides detailed strategies on audience understanding, creating engaging content, effective promotion, and collecting feedback. Listen in to hear how to:
Resources: How to create a survey page in Constant Contact How to create and activate an event in Constant Contact Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.
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| 06 Apr 2023 | Building Your Audience Through Trustworthy Content with Michelle Cummings | 00:44:19 | |
As a business owner, is giving stuff away for free effective? Michelle Cummings, the founder of Training Wheels, has seen it work. In Michelle’s case, free content builds trust with her audience.
She has seen it work. Michelle has been in business for 24 years, and she’s been a Constant Contact customer for almost just as long. She sends a newsletter every Wednesday to her list of more than 22,000 people interested in team-building and leadership tactics. This is on top of running a leadership training online course, conducting keynotes and online workshops, and authoring several books — one of which is being made into a screenplay (!!) On this episode of Be a Marketer, Michelle and host Dave Charest discuss the importance of blocking off creative time and why you should focus on your list-building efforts. 👉 Ask Michelle & Chris About Team Building [podcast] Meet Today’s Guest: Michelle Cummings of Training Wheels ☕ What she does: Michelle founded Training Wheels, dedicated to building high-performance teams and skilled facilitators through hands-on learning. Michelle, who has authored multiple books and travels the world as a keynote speaker, started her first business over 24 years ago. And she's been a Constant Contact customer for almost as long. 💡 Key quote: “People love good stories. We learn through story all the time. So if you have a client or you have a best practice … and if that could help another person that does something similar to what you do, or it drives people to your site for a sale, then that's a great little newsletter article that you can do.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn | YouTube 👋 Where to find Training Wheels: Website | Podcast | Twitter | Facebook
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| 13 Feb 2025 | The No Excuse Zone: Real Estate with Marki Lemons Ryhal | 00:52:49 | |
Building a real estate empire wasn't Marki Lemons Ryhal's first career choice. A fifth-generation entrepreneur, she found her way to real estate after a lawsuit with her family and because she wanted a flexible career as a working mom. Now a global keynote speaker, author, and prop tech investor, Marki's journey is anything but ordinary. In this episode, the first of the Be a Marketer podcast - Real Estate limited series, Marki shares her unconventional path to success and the lessons she's learned. She pulls back the curtain on real estate agents' struggles, emphasizing the importance of an entrepreneurial mindset. “A lack of consistency is your business killer,” she warns, highlighting the need for disciplined action. Join Marki and hosts Stephanie Alonso and Dave Charest as they explore the power of video marketing, landing pages, and CRMs. Discover why giving new agents leads can be counterproductive and how diversifying income streams is crucial for long-term growth. Marki offers practical advice for agents and brokers, stressing the importance of innovation and leveraging technology, especially AI. Tune in to learn how to make the most of your real estate career. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Marki Lemons Ryhal of ReMarkiTable LLC 👩💼 What she does: Marki Lemons Ryhal is a real estate keynote speaker, podcast host, prop tech investor, and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer at ReMarkiTable LLC. A fifth-generation entrepreneur, she brings decades of experience and a unique perspective to the real estate industry, advocating for innovation, technology adoption, and an entrepreneurial mindset. She is also a published author and a strong believer in the power of video marketing. 💡 Key quote: "Being successful in real estate is doing boring things consistently… I can tell you a lack of consistency is your business killer." 👋 Where to find her: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn | Podcast 👋 Where to find ReMarkiTable LLC: LinkedIn If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 30 Mar 2023 | A Look Inside SMS Marketing with Hannah & Zack | 00:34:04 | |
What if you could communicate directly with customers on a device they have on them at all times — and they’d prefer it? Look no further than SMS. SMS, or text messaging, fits naturally into how your customers communicate. And now, there are tools at your disposal to bring texting into your marketing strategy right in your Constant Contact account. Constant Contact product marketing manager Hannah Khouri and product manager Zachary Robertson say the key to success is to be timely and creative in your messaging. It can be more than just sharing a discount. What can you offer your customers that they can’t get in your other communications? On this episode of Be a Marketer, Hannah, Zack, and host Dave Charest discuss creative ways to use text messaging, as well as how to get customers to opt in. They also dive into Constant Contact’s new SMS tools, including a new AI feature to help you get started. 👉 Questions or Feedback about SMS? Let us know. 👉 Getting started with SMS Marketing in Constant Contact 👉 SMS Text Message Marketing Best Practices to Build Relationships and Increase Sales Meet Today’s Guests: Hannah Khouri and Zachary Robertson of Constant Contact ☕ What Hannah does: Hannah has spent more than seven years at Constant Contact. She currently works as a product marketing manager. 💡 Key quote from Hannah: “When you think about who you're getting text messages from, it's your friends, it's your family, it's people that you already know. So I think it's really interesting because in this particular case, with marketing, our small business owners actually have an advantage over some of those larger, more established brands.” 👋 Where to find Hannah: LinkedIn ☕ What Zack does: Zack works as a product manager with Constant Contact. 💡 Key quote from Zack: “It really has a very personal touch that you wouldn't necessarily get from social or email. There's still a lot of that in there. Having all of the channels is absolutely the right way to do it. But knowing that someone sent you that text message directly because you told them you wanted this information — it's just tremendous. Huge.” 👋 Where to find Zack: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
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| 06 Mar 2025 | Using LinkedIn to Grow Your Business with Lea Turner | 00:43:01 | |
Tattooed, pierced, a school dropout who'd worked minimum wage jobs her entire life, Lea Turner initially thought LinkedIn wasn't "for people like her." In 2019, she was a single parent running a small transcription service, struggling to make ends meet and relying on government support. The corporate, polished world of professional networking seemed light-years away from her reality.
"I kind of had a screw it moment. I'm just gonna be myself because this is not fun. Pretending to be corporate, pretending to be some professional businesswoman that's like everybody else, is never gonna work for me because that's not who I am," Lea explains. What unfolded is a remarkable story of transformation that defies every traditional career narrative. By embracing her uniqueness—her humor, candid storytelling, and real-life experiences as a single mom—Lea turned LinkedIn from an intimidating platform into her greatest business asset. Her follower count exploded from 400 to 10,000 in just a few months. More importantly, she gained over 100 inbound clients for her transcription business, proving that authenticity is the most powerful marketing tool. On this episode of Be A Marketer, join Lea and host Dave Charest for this masterclass on personal branding, marketing strategy, and the power of embracing your true self as Lea shares how this journey led to the creation of The HoLT, her membership community designed for small business owners, freelancers, and solopreneurs. Additional Resources:
Meet Today's Guest: Lea Turner of The HoLT ☕ What she does: Lea is the founder of The House of LT (The HoLT), a membership community for small business owners, freelancers, and solopreneurs. She's a single mother, podcast host, and former LinkedIn trainer who transformed her business through strategic marketing. 💡 Key quote: "I still cringe sometimes before I start posting something or second-guess myself because I know loads of people are going to see it. But I also know that by doing it, I'm changing the life for my son and creating a better existence for both of us. So I'm more scared of dying or lying on my deathbed and going, 'Oh, if only I'd done that,' than I am of putting myself out there and giving it a go." 👋 Where to find her: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Podcast 👋 Where to find The HoLT: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 11 Mar 2025 | Building a Real Estate Powerhouse with Anthony Lamacchia | 00:35:54 | |
Anthony Lamacchia learned the power of aggressive marketing at a young age while working with his father in construction. One postcard would bring in dozens of calls and thousands in deposits.
In this conversation with hosts Dave Charest and Stephanie Alfonso, Anthony shares his marketing journey and the principles that drive his success. Learn how to identify marketing "veins" worth pursuing, why consistency builds top-of-mind awareness, and when to pivot your strategy when a vein dries up. Tune in to discover why education-based content works so well, how to segment your audience effectively, and why boldness in marketing separates successful businesses from the competition. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Anthony Lamacchia of Lamacchia Realty 🏠 What he does: Anthony Lamacchia is the founder of Lamacchia Realty, a real estate brokerage that helps buyers and sellers across New England and South Florida. He also owns Crush It in Real Estate, a training company for real estate professionals in North America. Last year, his company sold 4,764 homes, 882 rentals, and 182 vacation rentals. 💡 Key quote: "Be bold. You got to be bold, and you have to do it consistently [...] It's a constant effort to educate, and it's a mix. When you educate, you attract, but when you mix the education with offerings, that's how you make things happen." 👋 Where to find him: X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook 👋 Where to find Lamacchia Realty: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 23 Jan 2025 | Building Customer Relationships Through Email with Lena Niedzielin | 00:25:44 | |
From the slopes to the screen, Lena Niedzielin’s marketing journey is anything but predictable. Growing up skiing in New England, Lena never imagined she’d be managing an indoor ski facility in London. But as the manager of Skieasy, she’s traded her skis for spreadsheets and discovered a passion for connecting people with winter sports, all year round. However, marketing an indoor ski center presents unique challenges. How do you reach an audience that may not even know your business exists? On this episode of Be A Marketer, Lena shares her secrets to success, including her innovative use of Constant Contact to build customer relationships and drive off-season sales. “It’s a huge challenge to find one specific strategy that would work for all our customers,” Lena explains, highlighting the need for targeted marketing. Tune in to discover how Lena leverages email marketing, community engagement, and local events to grow her contact list and keep skiers coming back for more, even when the sun is shining. On this episode, Lena and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, unpack practical tips for data-driven decision-making, crafting engaging newsletters, and maximizing your marketing ROI. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Lena Niedzielin of Skieasy ⛷️ What she does: Lena Niedzielin is the manager of Skieasy, an indoor ski facility at Duke Meadows in West London. Passionate about skiing and connecting people with winter sports, Lena leverages her marketing skills to grow the business and overcome the challenges of promoting a niche market. She is a Constant Contact customer. 💡 Key quote: "I've learned so much, definitely the importance of graphics and the layout and I've always been very creative. So I think this is one of my biggest advantages I had from the very beginning. I was looking for things that would work and being creative, trying new things, trying to see what works, get that feedback from your customers." 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Skieasy: Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
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| 26 Jan 2023 | Growing a Business With Consistency, Connection, and Community with the Gindos | 00:43:01 | |
There wasn’t a lot of forethought before Chris and Mary Ginder decided to start a hot sauce company. Chris had the idea one day and suddenly became obsessed with making and selling their own fresh pepper hot sauce. It wasn’t simple. Because of their commitment to quality and compliance, it took three years to actually launch the business and sell the first case of Gindo’s Spice of Life in 2011. And it hasn’t always been easy since, like when the couple moved from Los Angeles to Illinois to take control of the manufacturing and work with local farmers. Just when things were looking up, the COVID-19 pandemic brought a host of other challenges. But the Ginders adapted by making a plan and staying connected with their community. Listen in to the latest episode of the Be a Marketer podcast to hear Mary and Chris discuss the ups and downs of their business with host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact. Find out how the Ginders try to bring the engagement of their in-person events online, keep sales consistent throughout the year, and maximize results from their bi-monthly newsletter.
💵 What they do: Chris and Mary are hot sauce makers and owners of Gindo’s Spice of Life, a line of handcrafted, award-winning hot sauces with ingredients from local farmers. They had the idea in 2008, launched the business in April 2011, and then moved it to Illinois in 2015. 💡 Key quote: “[Community] is a huge part of our business. Our mission statement is we make fresh pepper hot sauces designed to inspire creativity in the kitchen and support local farms and businesses. It’s everything for us.” –Mary 💡 Key quote: “We took it as an opportunity. How can this business survive a move at this stage in the game from Los Angeles to the Midwest? What are the things that were working? What are the things we want to change? How are we going to approach our business? It was almost like we got to start over. And diving into the community and becoming immersed in that was a big part of it, for sure.” –Chris
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| 16 Dec 2022 | Trailer: Be a Marketer with Dave Charest | 00:01:03 | |
Be a Marketer with Dave Charest is a podcast designed for Constant Contact customers. Check out the trailer to find out what to expect so you can make progress from wherever you are in your marketing journey.
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| 04 Apr 2024 | Growing with Your Business with Corissa Saint Laurent | 00:47:57 | |
For Corissa Saint Laurent, building relationships, understanding your audience, and leveraging email marketing are key ingredients for success. And when it comes to growing along with your business, it’s all about focusing on activities that align with your skills and passions while delegating tasks that fall outside your expertise.
"The goal should be to get to a place where you use your time doing the things you should be doing. Avoid the things that aren't in your skillset or that you're not passionate about," says Corissa. On this episode, Corissa and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, delve into the art of building relationships, understanding your audience, and the significance of marketing in connecting with customers. 👉 Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode. Resources: Meet Today’s Guest: Corissa Saint Laurent, speaker, podcaster, and retreat leader 🎧 What she does: Corissa is a professional speaker, podcaster, and retreat leader. She not only helps businesses grow, but she also helps its people grow along with it. As host of The Everyday Mystic, she delivers practical spiritual guidance for a life of greater meaning, higher purpose, and true joy. 💡 Key quote: “The more you can provide value to your customers, build those relationships, and ultimately build loyalty. Those people become promotional agents for you. They're talking about you to others.” 👋 Where to find her: Website | Podcast | LinkedIn | Instagram If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to ratethispodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 14 Nov 2024 | How to Segment Your Email List for Better Results with David Fischer | 00:19:05 | |
Most small business owners excel in their chosen fields, but marketing often feels like uncharted territory. You know you need a website and an email list, but what should your website look like? What should you be sending to your email list? And how do you know if any of it is even working? David Fischer, Founder and CEO of Solutions for Growth and Constant Contact Community Coach, understands these challenges. For 14 years, he and his team have helped small businesses nationwide elevate their marketing efforts and get real results. David joined Dave Charest on the Be a Marketer podcast to share his insights on how to level up your email marketing using the power of segmentation. Simply put, segmentation means dividing your email list into smaller groups based on specific criteria, like demographics, purchase history, or even engagement levels. This allows you to send more personalized and relevant emails that resonate with each subscriber. “The more targeted and more specific the message is to those people, the more it will resonate with them and the better results you're going to get," David explains. Tune in to learn tactical tips for segmenting your email list, understanding the difference between lists and segments, and sending the right message to the right people at the right time. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: David Fischer of Solutions for Growth 🚀 What he does: David Fischer is the Founder and CEO of Solutions for Growth, a full-service marketing agency that has been helping small businesses thrive for over 14 years. As a Certified Constant Contact Partner and Community Coach, David is passionate about helping businesses harness the power of digital marketing to achieve their goals. 💡 Key quote: “The bottom line is that regardless of the company you are managing, a happy team delivers better results.” 👋 Where to find him: Website | LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Solutions for Growth: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 18 Mar 2025 | Your Real Estate Marketing Playbook: A Full Recap with Stephanie, Dave, and Kelsi | 00:34:55 | |
In this final episode of Be A Marketer - Real Estate edition, hosts Dave Charest, Stephanie Alfonso, and co-host Kelsi Carter, recap key lessons from their six-episode deep dive into marketing strategies for real estate professionals. But these insights aren’t just for real estate, business owners across industries can apply these takeaways to their own marketing efforts. From the power of education-based marketing to leveraging AI and automation, Dave, Stephanie, and Kelsi reflect on the most impactful advice shared by expert guests, including Marki Lemons Rhyal, Christine George, Verl Workman, Ian Hoover, and Anthony Lamacchia. They discuss: ✔️ Why giving away knowledge builds trust and authority ✔️ The importance of owning your niche and branding with intention ✔️ How to delegate effectively to scale your business ✔️ The role of culture in team-building and retention ✔️ Why embracing AI and automation is crucial for modern marketing Whether you're in real estate or another industry, this episode provides actionable marketing strategies to help you grow your business with confidence. Additional Resources:
Meet Today's Hosts: Dave Charest, Stephanie Alfonso, & Kelsi Carter of Constant Contact 🎤 What Dave does: Dave is the Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, He helps small business owners understand and utilize online marketing. Dave co-hosts the Be A Marketer podcast, offering practical advice and inspirational stories. 💡 Key quote: “Not everything you do is going to work. Not everything you do is going to be ‘the right thing to do’. And I think that's the mentality that you really need to come at this with — marketing as a whole is a learning experience.” 👋 Where to find him: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram 👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn | X, formerly known as Twitter | Pinterest 🚀 What Stephanie does: She is the Senior Director of Vertical Innovation at Constant Contact. 💡 Key quote: “People do business with people they like, they know, and they trust. So we need to be intentional about getting people to like, know, and trust us." 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube 🎤 What Kelsi does: Kelsi is the Brand Production Coordinator at Constant Contact and co-host of the Be A Marketer podcast. She loves being deeply involved with projects, especially working with different types of creatives. 💡 Key quote: "It's really the trial and error, but also just looking at your data and then improving and enhancing so that it matches." 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn | X | Pinterest If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 08 Aug 2024 | Authentic and Timely Communication with Matthew Polstein and Tallie Martin | 00:38:14 | |
It doesn’t get more authentic than the great outdoors. Matthew Polstein and Tallie Martin of the New England Outdoor Center (NEOC) like to preserve that authenticity in their marketing. Matthew founded NEOC over 40 years ago, offering guests in scenic Maine rafting and snowmobiling, plus lodging and an event center with scenic views of Mount Katahdin. Marketing Manager Tallie says it’s not always about making the hard sell in email communications, but connecting with the customer. “I'm seeing a higher click rate, and a higher opening rate for what I write in a newsletter. I'm like, Hey, this is what's up, here's what we're doing, here's what's relevant, here's what happened last weekend, here's what we're looking towards,” she says. “People are opening that rather than buy this, do this, come see that.” On this episode of the Be a Marketer podcast, Tallie, Matthew, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, and Kelsi Carter, Brand Production Coordinator at Constant Contact, talk about seasonality, timing communications to purchases, and using AI in email composition. 👉 From Rapids to Resorts: New England Outdoor Center Connects Customers to Nature Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guests: Tallie Martin and Matthew Polstein of New England Outdoor Center ☕ What Tallie does: Tallie is New England Outdoor Center’s Marketing Manager. In addition to managing social media and other marketing initiatives, she guides and teaches canoeing and kayaking at the center. 💡 Key quote: “It's all authentic marketing. It’s not pushing people in an inauthentic way. It's organic.” ☕ What Matthew does: Matthew is the President of New England Outdoor Center. Operating for over 40 years, NEOC offers rafting, snowmobiling, lodging, and a world-class business center and wedding venue. 💡 Key quote: “None of us stand alone. To small business people we often feel like we do, but we really need to make sure we take care of them, build a network of staff and supporters around us. It’s so important to have a community that incubates and grows your business.” 👋 Where to find Matthew: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find New England Outdoor Center: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 20 Mar 2025 | The Power of Personalized Email Marketing with Marc Newberry and Jasmin Bollman | 00:25:25 | |
Running a successful marketing campaign doesn't require a massive team or unlimited resources. Sometimes, it just takes a small, dedicated group that knows how to connect with people on a personal level. That's exactly what Marc Newberry and Jasmin Bollman have accomplished at Genumark, Canada's leader in custom-branded merchandise and apparel. With a marketing team of just four people, they've mastered the art of personalized communication while expanding into the US market. "Having those emails coming from the account managers rather than the info@Genumark email is definitely the best half an hour I spend in my marketing week or month," Marc explains, highlighting a simple yet effective strategy that dramatically improves their engagement rates. By personalizing each email to come from the client's specific account manager, they achieve better open rates and direct client-representative communication. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Marc and Jasmin join host Dave Charest to reveal how their small marketing team achieves big results through authentic communication. They discuss their recent rebranding process, how they maintain a consistent brand voice, and why personalization is crucial for cutting through inbox clutter.
Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guests: Marc Newberry and Jasmin Bollman of Genumark
💡 Key quote: "It's definitely consistency in timing, content and visuals is definitely key to kind of making the email marketing work as well as it can. I think that's something that we've got better at recently and it's definitely the biggest piece of advice I would give to others." 👋 Where to find Marc: LinkedIn
🎨 Who she is: Jasmin is the Marketing Manager at Genumark. She joined the company as a freelancer after working in the tech industry and running her marketing consultancy. Attracted by Genumark's creative environment, she transitioned to a full-time role about a year ago. Jasmin handles all the written content for the company, from email campaigns to social media copy.
👋 Where to find Jasmin: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Genumark: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook
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| 02 Mar 2023 | Sticking to the Basics with Frank Fantasia | 00:24:55 | |
Ah, the snowbird life. It’s a great luxury if you can come by it, but there’s always a house somewhere that sits empty. And with that long-empty house comes inherent security and maintenance risks. That’s where Frank Fantasia found the sweet spot for his retirement business, The House Watchers. Serving the greater Boston area, he and his small team identify security threats and maintenance needs for the vacant homes left behind by snowbirds and help homeowners take steps to protect them. Frank relies on Constant Contact for his marketing, and he’s willing to try anything. He’s taken advantage of its email, dedicated landing pages, and surveys. Recently, Frank even started using Constant Contact’s text messaging feature to reach the realtors on his list. Tune in as Frank chats with Constant Contact’s Director of Small Business Success, Dave Charest, about his lessons in business, and how he uses Constant Contact and more traditional marketing methods to spread the word about The House Watchers. Meet Today’s Guest: Frank Fantasia of The House Watchers ☕ What he does: After a corporate career, Frank started The House Watchers as a retirement job. The company helps snowbirds find peace of mind while they’re away from their Boston-area homes and also helps realtors with required smoke detector checks. 💡 Key quote: “I know why small businesses go out of business. For a lot of obvious issues, you can't take your eye off the ball. You’ve just got to stick to the basics and can't be pie in the sky. It's not something that happens overnight. You build the business one client at a time.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn
If you love this show, please leave us a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 20 Feb 2025 | Building Multiple Revenue Streams in Real Estate with Jacqui Luberto | 00:39:41 | |
When most real estate agents sell a property, they often lose the customer to property managers, insurance agents, and other service providers. But Jacqui Luberto saw an opportunity to change this pattern. Jacqui opened her brokerage in 2020, on the day Florida shut down and has since built a network of six interconnected businesses that help clients at every step of their ownership journey. "I look at a property when I sell it to someone, and I say, 'What are all of the things they can do with this property?' I want to be a part of their entire journey," Jacqui shares on the Be a Marketer podcast. What drives Jacqui's success? In this episode, Jacqui and host Dave Charest explore how she leverages her marketing background to build lasting customer relationships. They discuss her strategic approach to timing customer communications, why social media positivity matters, and how she uses monthly community events to stand out in a crowded market. Listen in to learn how Jacqui uses Constant Contact's versatile platform to manage communications across multiple businesses, ensuring she stays connected with customers throughout their journey. Additional Resources: ● Real Estate Content Ideas to Get More Clients ● Real Estate Client Appreciation Ideas: Events, Gifts, and More ● Real Estate Lead Conversion: Nurture Leads and Increase Sales ● Content Marketing for Real Estate
🎯 What she does: Jacqui is the broker/owner of Realty One Group and five other interconnected businesses in Destin, Florida, including One Family Property Services, Defender Insurance, Gulf Coast Beachfronts, Emerald Coast Referral Network, and Nest Vacant Property Management. She combines her marketing background with real estate expertise to maintain long-term customer relationships. 💡 Key quote: " I would lie if I said I didn't have any doubts, but the road is paved with dead squirrels who had doubts. So we just have to move and you'll be able to figure it out. It's real estate, no one dies, this is not surgery… You can change course, but if you're not moving swiftly and intentionally, you're just going to get left behind." 👋 Where to find her:Website | Podcast | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | X, formerly known as Twitter 👋 Where to find Realty One Group: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 28 Sep 2023 | What Small Businesses Really Think About AI with Michael Wood | 00:24:15 | |
If you had an extra hour in your week, how would you use it? For small business owners who are using artificial intelligence (AI) and marketing automation, this is no longer a hypothetical question. According to Constant Contact’s latest research report, 91% of small businesses that use AI say that it’s helping them save time and work more efficiently. “It’s revolutionary technology,” says Michael Wood, Senior PR Manager at Constant Contact. “And it’s very new to a lot of small businesses.” As Michael — the company’s “hype man” — explains, Constant Contact produces reports like this regularly to help small businesses understand how their industries and customers are changing. “I want Constant Contact to be a resource for our customers,” Michael says. On this episode of the Be a Marketer podcast, Michael and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss the results of the report and how it can help small businesses get started with AI. They also talk about how small businesses can use Constant Contact’s research to capture attention and help their own customers. 👉 Check out the research report discussed in this episode: Small Business Now Report Meet Today’s Guest: Michael Wood of Constant Contact ☕ What he does: Michael is the Senior PR Manager at Constant Contact. His job is to tell the world about all the great things going on at Constant Contact. He also leads the charge on Constant Contact’s research and trends reports, which explore topics relevant to small business owners and nonprofits. 💡 Key quote: “I want Constant Contact to be a resource for our customers, for other small business [owners] who aren’t our customers, for people who are just starting with marketing and are learning how to get better … I want Constant Contact to be synonymous with small business.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube
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| 15 Feb 2024 | Building Trust Through Stories with Brad Sundberg | 00:37:06 | |
If you ask Brad Sundberg, storytelling is an effective marketing strategy that allows you to build trust. Brad shares his experience of using personal storytelling to promote events based on his time in the studio with Michael Jackson. He believes that sharing stories, especially about personal experiences, helps to establish connections with customers. “When you are a business owner,” he says. “You either sit on the couch and eat popcorn and go broke, or you've got to get out and beat the drum.” On this episode of Be a Marketer, Brad and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss the power of personal branding, storytelling, and building trust in marketing. 👉 Check out How to Create a Facebook and Instagram Ad in Constant Contact Meet Today’s Guest: Brad Sundberg of In the Studio with MJ ☕ What he does: Brad Sundberg joined Michael Jackson’s team during the production of Captain EO in 1985, and remained with Michael as one of his engineers and Technical Director for nearly 18 years. Now, Brad shares these unique experiences with the public through his In the Studio with MJ seminars. 💡 Key quote: “Marketing is essential now. In the age of social media, whether you love it or hate it, it's an amazing tool. ” 👋 Where to find him: Website | LinkedIn 👋 Where to find In the Studio with MJ: Website | Facebook | Instagram If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions.
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| 25 Jul 2024 | Segmentation for Nonprofits with Stephanie Campbell | 00:42:59 | |
KiDsGyM USA focuses on gymnastics, but kids take away so much more than how to tumble. Even if students don’t go on to compete in gymnastics, it teaches them the fundamentals of any sport, and they gain confidence and self-esteem along the way, Since 2004, KiDsGyM USA has been giving youth an inexpensive way to build skills necessary for school and life. And one part of that is taking “can’t” out of their vocabulary. That attitude has served Stephanie Campbell, co-founder, CEO and Executive Director of the gym, well in the time she’s been with Constant Contact. With Constant Contact’s SMS capabilities, she reaches parents quickly in a way that won’t get lost in the email shuffle. She’s also found the generative AI functions helpful, fixing any verbiage that isn’t quite sitting right. To further her communication efficiency, Stephanie uses segmentation and tags to divide her audience between parents and different donor types. On this episode of the Constant Contact podcast, Be a Marketer, Stephanie, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, and Kelsi Carter, Brand Production Coordinator at Constant Contact, tumble through the ways KiDsGyM uses Constant Contact to get donations and inform its community. 👉 Understanding contact segmentation in Constant Contact Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Stephanie Campbell of KiDsGyM USA ☕ What she does: Stephanie is co-founder, CEO, and Executive Director of KiDsGyM USA in College Park, GA. The non-profit puts fitness principles into practice through gymnastics and education programs that build healthy mental and physical lifestyles for children and youth. 💡 Key quote: “If you're limited in what you even know exists, then how far can you go? How far can you explore life? There's so much available, but you've got to be willing to put in the time. You've got to be willing to learn and be educated.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find KiDsGyM USA: Website | Instagram | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 31 Oct 2024 | Expand Your Reach with Multi-Channel Campaigns with Aaron Wesley Means | 00:16:10 | |
Juggling a business is hard enough without adding the pressure of mastering multiple marketing channels. It's easy to feel overwhelmed, spreading yourself thin across social media, email, and who-knows-what-else. But what if there was a way to streamline your efforts and make your marketing work smarter, not harder? That's where multichannel marketing comes in. "When you use them together, you get a sum that's greater than the parts," says Aaron Wesley Means, Founder and CEO of Activate Business Solutions, emphasizing the power of combining channels like email and social media. In this episode of Constant Contact's Be a Marketer podcast, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, welcomes back Constant Contact Community Coach Aaron. Aaron shares his expert insights on creating cohesive, impactful campaigns that extend your reach and boost your business growth. Tune in to learn how to leverage the unique strengths of each digital platform, discover how Constant Contact's Campaign Builder can streamline your multichannel strategy, and walk away with actionable advice to amplify your marketing impact.
Meet Today's Guest: Aaron Wesley Means of Activate Business Solutions 💻 What he does: Aaron is the founder and CEO of Activate Business Solutions, a full-service micro-agency based in Asheville, North Carolina. A Constant Contact partner since 2011 and community coach, Aaron is passionate about empowering small businesses and nonprofits through education and hands-on marketing support. 💡 Key quote: "I've seen folks that are 'not techies' doing full campaigns with the Campaign Builder in five or 10 minutes." 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Activate Business Solutions: Website | X, formerly known as Twitter
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| 05 Sep 2024 | Building a Creative Business Legacy with Maria Miranda | 00:47:23 | |
Building a successful business takes grit, determination, and a commitment to your vision. For Maria Miranda, founder and creative director of Miranda Creative, that journey began in 1988 with a simple yet powerful belief: work should be about respect, creativity, and client value. In this episode of the Be a Marketer podcast, Maria and host Dave Charest pull back the curtain on 35 years of experience, sharing the lessons learned and strategies honed along the way. Maria discusses how she built a thriving agency by focusing on authentic connections, organic content, and the enduring power of email marketing. "Little effort, little impact, big effort, big impact," she shares, emphasizing the importance of meaningful engagement and a long-term perspective. Tune in to hear how Maria empowers her team, embraces a community-driven approach, and navigates the dynamic world of marketing with intention and purpose. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Maria Miranda of Miranda Creative ☕ What she does: Maria is the founder and creative director of Miranda Creative, a brand management firm based in Norwich, Connecticut. For over 35 years, she has provided comprehensive marketing services to businesses. Maria was named the 2024 Small Business Person of the Year: Connecticut by the Small Business Administration. She holds a B.F.A. in graphic design/marketing from the University of Connecticut. 💡 Key quote: "Your email list is the only audience you actually own." 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Miranda Creative: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 22 Aug 2024 | Reaching The Right Audience With Jonny Etherington | 00:39:53 | |
Your next great marketing idea could come from an unexpected place — possibly from a totally unrelated industry. That’s a powerful lesson Jonny Etherington, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Care Advantage, has learned over the course of his career so far. It’s a mindset he’s applied in his role at Care Advantage, a trusted provider of in-home healthcare for 35 years. Jonny attributes the company’s longevity to its commitment to service and building a strong internal culture. "I'm very motivated to work with good people and people that are engaged on a daily basis and challenge you on your ideas," Jonny tells host Dave Charest. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Jonny and Dave explore the unique challenges of marketing in the healthcare industry. Discover how Jonny leverages various marketing channels, including Constant Contact’s email and SMS features to reach clients and caregivers. Tune in to learn how Jonny stays ahead of marketing trends, the importance of showcasing real people in marketing efforts, and why you should never underestimate the power of keeping a simple pad of paper and a pencil nearby. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Jonny Etherington of Care Advantage Inc. ☕ What he does: Jonny is the VP of Marketing and Communications at Care Advantage, a home healthcare organization based in Richmond, Virginia. Originally from Scotland, Jonny has over 20 years of experience in marketing and brand development. He is passionate about using his skills to make a difference in the lives of others. 💡 Key quote: “Take inspiration from different industries. Look outside your own industry and see how you can craft and culture messaging.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Care Advantage: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
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| 18 Apr 2024 | Getting Repeat Business with Clif Johnson | 00:35:07 | |
Identifying and understanding who your key customers are is a crucial part of marketing for Clif Johnson, especially if you’re targeting diverse audiences like professionals and consumers. "You really have to put on kind of two marketing hats. You have to understand the needs of both of those customers and really be able to cater to them in order to effectively market to them,” says Clif. Once you know your audience, you can start providing them with targeted content with the help of segmentation to enhance marketing efforts. And while initial sales are important, repeat sales indicate effective relationship management. On this episode, Clif and host Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, dive into the importance of understanding key customers, repeat business, and the role of Constant Contact in their marketing.
Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Clif Johnson from Pablo Designs ⚡What he does: Clif is the Director of Global Sales and Marketing at Pablo Designs. Pablo Designs is a manufacturer and distributor of interior lighting that challenges traditional design metaphors. Their mission is to create designs that deepen the relationship between objects, their users, and their environment. 💡 Key quote: “Storytelling sells and engages far better than numbers on a spreadsheet. You can have the best product in the world, but if you're not telling a story around it…you're going to not only lose people's attention, but in many cases, you're probably going to bore them to tears.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Pablo Designs: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
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| 18 May 2023 | The Joy of Being Your Own Boss With Lisa Hammer and Dave Newman | 00:46:18 | |
Lisa Hammer is a business leader with a mindset for marketing, communications, and finance. Dave Newman is a mechanical engineer with a passion for teaching. Together, they run Leadership Techniques LLC, where their complementary skill sets drive their success. Lisa and Dave met while working for different companies and found common ground discussing the challenges they faced as managers. They decided to bring a group together to discuss handling personnel issues. Afterward, one participant asked them: “You two are so passionate about this. Why aren’t you teaching it?” They needed that motivation to take the plunge into starting their own business. Today, Leadership Techniques offers courses and consulting to help people become better managers and leaders. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Lisa, Dave, and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss what it takes to build a successful business with a partner and how to adapt when the world around you changes. Tune in to hear how Lisa and Dave share the business responsibilities, how they’ve adapted to change, and why they love email marketing as a tool for growing their business. Meet Today’s Guests: Lisa Hammer and Dave Newman of Leadership Techniques ☕ What they do: Lisa and Dave are the co-founders and owners of Leadership Techniques, a business that provides training and consulting on project management, math-oriented scheduling, and leadership skills. 💡 Key quote: “They say if you love what you do, you won’t feel like you’re working. We don’t… We have long days, but we absolutely love what we do. And we love making a difference. If you can find something that makes you feel good and makes you feel like you’re accomplishing something, it’s the best feeling.” 👋 Where to find Lisa: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Dave: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Leadership Techniques: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook
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| 14 Sep 2023 | Build Lasting Connections by Hosting Events with Jesus Flores | 00:34:29 | |
If you're looking for ways to build community around your business, consider running an event. It’s a great way to connect with customers, other businesses, and community members. As Jesus Flores, a product manager at Constant Contact focusing on the Events tool, tells us, an event doesn’t have to be a massive production like a concert or gala. He encourages business owners to start small, try things out, and focus on the purpose. “As an organization, you have this purpose that you're aiming to serve or this need that you're aiming to fill,” he says. “How can you bring some of that to consumers in more of a way than just selling your products or your services?” This is where events fit in nicely, allowing you to humanize your business and bring people together. On this episode of the Be a Marketer Podcast, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talks to Jesus about how Constant Contact can help you execute the three stages of an event. They also discuss how to attract customers to your events and keep them coming back and what updates Constant Contact customers can expect to the Events tool in the near future. 👉 Webinar: Event Marketing Strategies for Building Lasting Connections 👉Create and Activate an event with Constant Contact’s Events Tool Meet Today’s Guest: Jesus Flores ☕ What he does: Jesus Flores is a product manager with Constant Contact who focuses on the Events tool. He works directly with customers to better understand their unique challenges and use cases regarding events. 💡 Key quote: “I think events are often looked at as something that only specific types of businesses might be able to leverage. The truth is that events are really a way to get engaged with your community and bring them into your business model.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
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| 27 Jul 2023 | Get Personal and Build Trust With Marianne Mernick-Sullivan | 00:48:56 | |
Opening up about our personal lives via email isn’t easy, especially with people we may not talk to on a daily basis. Marianne Mernick-Sullivan, President of Consignments Ltd., had difficulty getting personal in her weekly newsletter. She stuck to interior design and what was on sale in her store. But once she opened up about being a type 1 diabetic, she built a new connection with her customers. “I wrote about my reasons for gratitude, and it was totally off-topic,” she says. “I had people crying, saying to me, I'm so glad you shared that. My brother's a diabetic, or I've had a health challenge. It just opens the customer relationship up to something bigger.” Marianne was no longer just a shop owner to her customers—she was a person. She didn’t intend to share openly as a strategy, but it became a great tool to connect her business to her customers.
On this episode of Constant Contact’s Be a Marketer podcast, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talks to Marianne about the importance of community connection, why you should have high standards for your business, and how to hire the right people. Meet Today’s Guest: Marianne Mernick-Sullivan of Consignments Ltd. ☕ What she does: Marianne is the President of Consignments Ltd. Her 6,400-square-foot brick-and-mortar store sells furniture, lighting, china, handbags, and jewelry to customers in Rhode Island. 💡 Key quote: “I was basically told, This is the most stupid idea that a person has ever had, and you're going to lose this money on this. It sounds hokey, but if you believe in it and you're willing to work hard at it, you have to be willing to go for it.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Consignments Ltd.: Website | Facebook | Instagram
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| 27 Mar 2025 | How to Make Marketing Work for You with Lorraine Ball | 00:41:51 | |
Selling a business wasn’t part of Lorraine Ball’s original plan. But after nearly two decades of running her marketing agency, Roundpeg, she knew it was time for a change.
On this episode of Be A Marketer, host Dave Charest sits down with Lorraine to explore the key lessons she's learned along the way. She shares why answering customer questions is one of the most effective ways to improve marketing, how business owners should plan for their exit strategy from day one, and why automation is essential for filtering and prioritizing leads. As a longtime Constant Contact Partner, Lorraine also dives into how marketing automation and email segmentation have helped her streamline her efforts, engage her audience more effectively, and deliver personalized experiences that drive results. Additional Resources:
Meet Today's Guest: Lorraine Ball of More Than a Few Words ☕ What she does: Lorraine is a marketing strategist, Constant Contact Partner, and host of the More Than a Few Words podcast. After nearly two decades running her agency, Roundpeg, she transitioned into consulting, helping businesses refine their marketing strategies and improve their results. 💡 Key quote: "When you get people from different kinds of ways that they find you, and you dump all of them into one email list, and you send them all the same email every single week, you're going to watch your open rates fall, you're going to watch your engagement fall, you're going to see a lot of unsubscribes. When you start tying different people based on how they come to you to different campaigns, and you start sending them information that is relevant to what they're looking for, it has a level of personalization. It feels more like you're talking to them. People love that.” 👋 Where to find her: X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram 👋 Where to find More Than a Few Words: Website | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Amazon | Pandora | Podbean
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| 20 Jul 2023 | Welcome to the AI Revolution with Russ Morton | 00:28:34 | |
Generative AI is all the rage right now. Tools like ChatGPT and Bard have become content creators’ best friends. But companies like Constant Contact have used AI for many years for tasks like A/B testing email subject lines, send-time optimization, and email subject line suggestions. Russ Morton, Chief Product Officer at Constant Contact, says generative AI is just a part of what we’re doing in the space. “We have trained our AI such that if you give us a couple of sentences of what you’re trying to do — it doesn’t even need to be in plain English — we’ll come back to you with a really well-crafted email,” he says. And early results show that the engagement you can get from working with our AI-generated content will only increase.
On this episode of Constant Contact’s Be a Marketer podcast, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talks to Russ about how we’re taking the guesswork out of email, tips for creating content that resonates with the click of a button, and Constant Contact’s vision for the future of AI. 👉 How to update your business profile in your Constant Contact account 👉 Use a recommended subject line in your Constant Contact email 👉 A/B test an email subject line 👉 Using AI-generated content as a small business marketer Meet Today’s Guest: Russ Morton of Constant Contact ☕ What he does: Russ is the Chief Product Officer at Constant Contact. 💡 Key quote: “There's no part of becoming a great marketer that we don’t aspire to take off your shoulders as a small business owner.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
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| 24 Oct 2024 | List Building Strategies for Small Businesses with Melanie Diehl | 00:16:30 | |
Melanie Diehl had always envisioned a career path similar to her father's — dedicating 30 years to a single company and retiring comfortably. But then she got laid off and decided to use her severance to explore different options. That's when she discovered her talent with a sewing machine. Melanie learned by doing, navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship while building a loyal clientele. After 25 years in her interior design business, she worked with her husband on an overhead crane business. Today, Melanie runs a successful marketing firm, where she guides small business owners. “Know your worth and charge it," she advises. “There's someone out there who's willing to pay for the premium services and products that you have to offer." Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, sits down with Melanie to unpack her entrepreneurial journey and discuss actionable list-building strategies. Learn how to leverage Constant Contact tools like landing pages and pop-up forms to grow your audience and increase revenue. Tune in now. Additional Resources:
Meet Today's Guest: Melanie Diehl of Melanie and Co. Marketing Collective ☕ What she does: Melanie is the CEO and President of Melanie and Co. Marketing Collective. She's been a Constant Contact Certified Partner for over 10 years and also serves as a Constant Contact Community Coach, guiding small businesses on their marketing journeys. 💡 Key quote: "I love seeing the aha moments for my clients. I love seeing the victories that they have.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Melanie and Co. Marketing Collective: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
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| 29 Feb 2024 | Coping with ADHD as an Entrepreneur with Dave Delaney | 00:32:14 | |
Dave Delaney, a keynote speaker, author, and business owner, shares his journey of discovering his ADHD diagnosis as an adult and how it's impacted his entrepreneurial journey and strategies. Dave discusses the challenges he faced in 2020, his coping strategies, the importance of self-understanding, and his new podcast, "ADHD Wise Squirrels." He also delves into marketing strategies and time management techniques that have helped him succeed as an entrepreneur with ADHD. "Your best marketing is you at the end of the day,” he says. “And if you're somebody that's cool and honest and smart and can help people, then I think that's the best foot forward with your own marketing." On this episode of Be a Marketer, Dave and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss valuable insights into entrepreneurship, self-awareness, and marketing strategies. 👉 Want a winning framework to improve retention, communication, and culture at your company? Get a free copy of Dave’s The Nice Method ebook using code “BAM24”. Meet Today’s Guest: Dave Delaney of Futureforth ☕ What he does: Dave Delaney is a keynote speaker, author, and he also offers workshops and communication consulting through his business, Futureforth. Dave also hosts a podcast called ADHD Wise Squirrels, where he and his guests discuss and explore the coping mechanisms of late-diagnosed adults. 💡 Key quote: "I've learned just to give myself more grace and understand that there are limits to some of this stuff." 👋 Where to find him: Website | LinkedIn 👋 Where to find ADHD Wise Squirrels: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions.
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| 03 Aug 2023 | The Secret Sauce for a Winning Customer Experience With Mike Bausch | 00:55:55 | |
Starting a pizzeria at age 22 might seem ill-advised — and even though Mike Bausch did it, he frankly wouldn’t advise anyone else to do the same. But the now-owner of Andolini’s Pizza bases his customer experience on one big concept: “If you’re not impressive, by default, you’re unimpressive.” Process standardization and careful staff training provide a killer customer experience, a core part of Andolini’s brand. With marketing, Mike wants you to appeal to the individual. “The number one headline of marketing is connecting to the selfishness of an individual,” he says. “What the value is to them is how you have a value proposition.” In other words, focus on what you can give the customer and how you can appeal to their why, not why you want them to choose your business. It’s about them — not you. On this episode of the Constant Contact podcast, Be a Marketer, Mike shares what he’s learned since opening his first pizzeria in 2005 with host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact. 👉 Check out the full recording of the panel discussion featuring Mike Bausch, Candid Conversations: Celebrating Small Business Success Meet Today’s Guest: Mike Bausch of Andolini’s Pizzeria ☕ What he does: Mike of Andolini’s Worldwide Restaurant Group is a pizza restaurateur in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He started his first restaurant, Andolini’s Pizzeria, in 2005 at the age of 22. 💡 Key quote: “That’s where the real secret sauce is [in marketing]: automation and connection.” 👋 Where to find him: Book | Instagram | LinkedIn
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| 22 Feb 2024 | Finding Your Calling with Gail Bernardo | 00:36:15 | |
Gail Bernardo, owner of Invisilace Hair Spa, emphasizes the value of patience and persistence in business growth, as well as the power of combining online marketing with personal, face-to-face interactions. Gail also believes in the power of consistent customer contact. In her experience, even if a potential client doesn't require her services immediately, maintaining contact through newsletters means that when they do need her services, her business is top of mind. Gail recounts what she’s learned about marketing, “Sometimes it's not always instant. It may take time for your customer to come...and some people just think, oh, if I send out 500 brochures or I do this and do that, it's not working because in 30 days no one called me. So sometimes you have to be patient and you have to wait.” She’s successfully leveraged local resources, online marketing, and personal interactions to grow her business of 13 years. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Gail and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss the importance of marketing for small businesses. Gail shares her strategies for building relationships with customers, including collecting email addresses at events and following up with Constant Contact newsletters. 👉 Check out An Overview of Constant Contact’s Mobile App Meet Today’s Guest: Gail Bernardo of Invisilace Hair Spa ☕ What she does: Since 2010, Gail Bernardo has been helping people with hair loss or thinning due to life-changing health issues. For Gail, it’s more than just a business. It's part of her calling. And she doesn’t take it lightly. After personal struggles with hair loss due to cancer, she knows what it means to her clients to feel good about themselves. 💡 Key quote: "Do your homework before you decide that you're going to open up a business. Understand that it's going to take some time and it's not going to take a whole bunch of money." 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Invisilace Hair Spa: Website If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions.
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| 07 Sep 2023 | Nonprofit Email Tips for End-of-Year Fundraising with Julia Gackenbach and Darryl Moser | 00:42:22 | |
Julia Gackenbach and Darryl Moser from DonorPerfect, are here to share their best email marketing tips for end-of-year fundraising. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Julia, Darryl, and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss how often you should communicate, common mistakes you don't want to make, and how technology can save you time. 👉 Webinar: How to Run Goal-Based Fundraising Campaigns Meet Today’s Guests: Julia Gackenbach and Darryl Moser of DonorPerfect ☕ What they do: Julia spent 10 years in the nonprofit space before joining DonorPerfect as the communications manager. The CRM system provided everything she needed it to do as a nonprofit employee: relationship management, gift management, anticipation of things she needed to do, reporting, and communications. Darryl is the Product Manager in charge of Partnerships at DonorPerfect. Darryl uses his software development skills and expertise to help nonprofits get the job done. 👋 Where to find Julia: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Darryl: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find DonorPerfect: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | |||
| 25 Jan 2024 | Ask Dave: I created a Sign-up Landing Page - where and how do I share it? | 00:07:22 | |
In this episode of the "Be a Marketer" podcast, Dave Charest discusses the benefits of using sign-up landing pages and provides tips on how to effectively promote them in person, in print, and online.
Want to learn more about sign-up landing pages?
Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.
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| 11 May 2023 | Building a Real Estate Business Through Email with Ricky Carruth | 00:44:08 | |
Get ready to learn from a real estate expert who's experienced the ups and downs of the industry. Ricky Carruth closes about 100 deals a year without prospecting and credits his success to his weekly email newsletter. Since 2007, he has sent more than 830 emails — or one newsletter per week for 16 years. In addition to building his real estate business, the newsletters give him more time to focus on his other passion: coaching agents through Zero to Diamond, his free real estate coaching program. Ricky walks the talk: He has faced some really tough times. He lost everything and had to live in his car when the market crashed. He was back at real estate one year later, using a people-first approach. Today, he focuses on building lifelong relationships with everyone he meets, regardless of whether they’re buying or selling property. On this episode of Be a Marketer, host Dave Charest talks with Ricky about his real estate journey and uncovers his top advice for agents trying to grow their businesses. Meet Today’s Guest: Ricky Carruth of Zero to Diamond ☕ What Ricky does: Ricky is a top real estate agent in Alabama and founded Zero to Diamond, the world’s first completely free real estate coaching program. 💡 Key quote from Ricky: “It's just crazy to think back then, I didn't realize I was building a brand. I didn't realize that I was accumulating people. Once I got to that point, and I saw what the weekly email was doing back in 2008, ‘09, and ‘10, I was all in on it.” 👋 Where to find Ricky: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram | Twitter 👋 Where to find Zero to Diamond: Website | Facebook
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| 07 Nov 2024 | Reporting Beyond Opens & Clicks with Lindsay Higgins | 00:16:49 | |
Are your email marketing reports leaving you feeling puzzled? You're getting opens, you're even getting clicks, but are those translating to real results for your business? On this episode of Be a Marketer, Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, sits down with Lindsay Higgins, owner of L2L Creative Group and a Constant Contact Certified Partner. Lindsay understands the struggle of deciphering marketing reports. She shares her insights on going beyond vanity metrics like opens and click-through rates, to focus on what truly matters: conversions and achieving overall business goals. “There’s so many different methods of reviewing if your email actually worked,” says Lindsay. “But I think it goes back to the initial goal of your email and then kind of build from that.” Tune in to discover Lindsay's advice on testing subject lines, optimizing send times, and using resends effectively. You'll learn how aligning your email content with your goals can unlock success and boost conversion. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Lindsay Higgins of L2L Creative Group 👩💼 What she does: Lindsay is the owner of L2L Creative Group, a Constant Contact Certified Partner based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her company helps businesses with their email marketing from setup to ongoing management. Lindsay is also a Constant Contact community coach, offering real-time guidance to other users. 💡 Key quote: “There's never going to be like the perfect subject line. There's never going to be the perfect day or time to send, in my opinion." 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find L2L Creative Group: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 30 Jan 2025 | Destination Marketing Strategies with Aljolynn Sperber | 00:42:12 | |
After a career in Los Angeles, Aljolynn Sperber returned to her hometown with a vision. She became the Executive Director of Visit Kitsap Peninsula, combining her marketing skills with her passion for her community. Her goal is to both promote the area to visitors and build a strong sense of belonging for locals. This is not just about attracting tourists; for Aljolynn, it’s about making everyone feel welcome. This involves partnering with local businesses and prioritizing core values. "The overall story is we want people to feel like they belong when they come here," she shares on the Be A Marketer podcast, a series dedicated to helping Constant Contact customers succeed with marketing. In this episode, host Dave Charest and Aljolynn dive into her strategies for destination marketing. They discuss the need for a modern, mobile-responsive website and how she uses data to inform her decisions. They also cover the value of email segmentation and how she engages her audience with polls and surveys. Tune in to discover how Aljolynn balances innovation with tradition, cultivates meaningful community connections, and consistently promotes her core values, while boosting Kitsap. Additional Resources:
👩💼 What she does: Aljolynn is the Executive Director of Visit Kitsap Peninsula, the official tourism organization for the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington state. She is focused on promoting tourism while also making sure locals feel a sense of belonging in their community. She uses her background in marketing and her love of the area to make Kitsap a great place to visit and live. 💡 Key quote: "I love data and what it can do for people. And so take advantage of any data that you can get from Constant Contact or any other tool that you're using to help inform your decisions and make a really good impact for the community that you're living, working, playing in." 👋 Where to find her: Website | LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Visit Kitsap Peninsula: Website | Instagram | Facebook
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| 24 Aug 2023 | The Introvert’s Guide to Building Relationships with Valerie J. Lewis Coleman | 00:30:45 | |
Raise your hand if networking and building relationships make you uncomfortable. There are at least a few of you out there. And even if you’re an introvert, you likely know how critical those relationships are to growing your business. Valerie J. Lewis Coleman, best-selling author and founder of Pen of the Writer, can talk about book publishing all day. Still, when it comes to more formal networking with strangers, she feels intimidated. “I can do this with you, Dave, all day long because we’re talking about something I’m passionate about,” she says. “But if I’m in a room with somebody I don’t know, after we talk about how cute your outfit is, I’m done.” But Valerie says that the biggest thing she’s learned over her 15+ years in business is that relationships are critical. She uses a weekly calendar to track what she needs to do to build those relationships. Being intentional about it makes it happen. On this episode of the Be a Marketer Podcast, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talks to Valerie about ways introverted people can be intentional about networking and marketing, the importance of surrounding yourself with others who share your aspirations, and the beauty of scheduling and segmenting emails. 👉 Check out Valerie’s books: Do it Right the First Time Anthology 👉 Learn how to create and manage tags in Constant Contact Meet Today’s Guest: Valerie J. Lewis Coleman ☕ What she does: Valerie founded Pen of the Writer, helping professional speakers and experts magnify and monetize their message by publishing quality books. She’s also written a best-selling children’s book and a relationship novel. 💡 Key quote: “I believe that this is what I'm called to do. It's not just something that I'm choosing to do, it's almost like I am compelled to do it.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn | Facebook 👋 Where to find Pen of the Writer: Website | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter
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| 12 Jan 2023 | Building a Business by Building Community with Tamika Catchings | 00:51:26 | |
Running a tea house is one of the last things you’d picture for a WNBA star and four-time Olympic gold medalist. In fact, it’s not even what Tamika Catchings saw herself doing. But in 2017, Tamika bought Tea’s Me Cafe in Indianapolis, Indiana. She has since expanded to a second location — even while navigating the business challenges that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic. For Tamika, bringing people together is foundational. “I didn't get into it to get rich. I got into it because of the community and … to bring people together and build this,” she says on the premiere episode of Be a Marketer, a podcast designed to help Constant Contact customers make progress at any stage of their marketing journey.
Meet the Guest: Tamika Catchings ☕ What she does: Tamika is a WNBA Hall of Famer, four-time Olympic gold medalist, speaker, community leader, and the owner of Tea’s Me Cafe in Indianapolis, Indiana. She purchased the business in 2017 and expanded to a second location. She has been a Constant Contact customer since April 2022. 💡 Key quote: “You can’t be me, and I don’t want you to be me, but I want you to be the best that you can be. Because when you operate at your best, no matter where you go in the world, whatever happens next, you will be better, and you will continue to operate at your best. That’s the only thing that I want.” 👋 Where to find her: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Tea’s Me Cafe: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube If you love this show, please leave us a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 02 Nov 2023 | Embracing What Works with Marissa Tilley & Chelsea Demby | 00:22:49 | |
From an 800-square-foot store to 12,000 square feet of retail and warehouse space in just three years, Lady Black Tie is the picture of small business success. Owner and founder Marissa Tilley started Lady Black Tie as a brick-and-mortar store after leaving an unfulfilling corporate job. “It came down to the idea of wanting to have fun every day,” she says. “I thought selling dresses would be super fun.” Over the years, Marissa and her colleague Chelsea Demby, who runs Lady Black Tie’s media and influencer relations, have had to navigate a rapidly changing marketing landscape. A few years ago, Marissa says, you could get “a nine-to-one return on your ad spend.” Today, with iOS updates impacting the power of ads and search engines taking a bigger cut of ad sales, they’re seeing returns of three-to-four at best. That’s why Marissa and Chelsea are leaning into email marketing to continue growing Lady Black Tie. In this episode of Be a Marketer, Marissa and Chelsea talk to host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact. Tune in for their tips on sustainable marketing, from avoiding the pitfalls of algorithm changes to navigating virality. Meet Today’s Guests: Marissa Tilley and Chelsea Demby of Lady Black Tie ☕ What Marissa does: Marissa is the owner and founder of Lady Black Tie, a Massachusetts-based fashion company with three lines of business: retail, ecommerce, and wholesale. ☕ What Chelsea does: Chelsea is Lady Black Tie’s head of media and influencer relations. 💡 Marissa’s key quote: “It really came down to wanting to focus on the lighter side of life every day. Not every day is a joy. However, I do try to sit back and remind myself why I did this… seeing the smile on our customers’ faces when they find that dress.” 💡 Chelsea’s key quote: “My best advice is to really not strive for perfection. Have fun with it.” 👋 Where to find Marissa: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Chelsea: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Lady Black Tie: Website | Instagram | Facebook
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| 21 Sep 2023 | Finding Your Niche Market with Charlotte Walsh | 00:40:16 | |
It’s hard out there for brick-and-mortar businesses. Just ask Charlotte Walsh, the owner of running shoe store Charles River Running, who competes against her vendors for market share. But her store in Norwood, Massachusetts, offers customers what her direct-to-consumer competitors can’t: a place where new athletes can buy their first running shoes, friendly help finding comfortable footwear for people with active jobs, and a connection point for runners of all stripes to join weekly runs around the neighborhood. Charlotte, a Marine Corps veteran and a runner since age 13, started Charles River Running in 2012. She’d always dreamed of starting her own business, and though she’s had hits and misses along the way, being a business owner brings her joy. “I didn’t realize how much I was going to love my customers,” she says. Charlotte is proud to be part of Norwood’s vibrant downtown. She attributes her success to the community she’s built within her customer base, and Constant Contact is her tool of choice for engaging that community. On this episode of Be A Marketer, Charlotte and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss customers, community, and finding your competitive advantage. Meet Today’s Guest: Charlotte Walsh of Charles River Running ☕ What she does: Charlotte is the owner of Charles River Running, a full-service running and walking shoe store in Norwood, Massachusetts. A Marine Corps veteran with an MBA, Charlotte opened the store in 2012 to provide shoes, accessories, and anything active people need to pursue their goals. 💡 Key quote: “I just want to build a community of people who feel that Charles River Running is a place they can walk into even if they’re a mailman and they’re on their feet all day, or they’re a walker or a lapsed runner. I needed to build a space where people felt super comfortable and not intimidated.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Charles River Running: Website | Instagram | Facebook
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| 27 Apr 2023 | Email Marketing Made Easy with Ken Countess | 00:37:49 | |
Email marketing is the backbone of any digital strategy — a tried and true way to reach customers. And the best part is, you don’t have to get overly advanced to see results. Email marketing coach Ken Countess says what works best for his clients is keeping it simple. “People don’t scroll. Don’t sweat this idea that you don’t have enough content to go on,” he says. “Keep your brand up front. Make sure you're top of mind. Give them enough that they look forward to the next email they get from you.” Through his consulting business, Ken is Email, Ken has coached clients in email marketing for 22 years. He’s also a Constant Contact Certified Partner. His top advice always centers around simplicity and sticking to what works. “Everything takes time,” he says. “Be great at what you do. And once you're great at what you do that will give you permission to try something else. But don't steer away from the things that are working. They're working for a reason.” On this episode of Be a Marketer, Ken and host Dave Charest discuss why email should be the first go-to for a marketing strategy, Ken’s accidental journey to becoming a business owner, and how he coaches clients on email marketing. 👉 Ken’s 8 Essential Email Marketing Tips 👉 Constant Contact Partner Program 👉 Constant Contact Agency Directory Meet Today’s Guest: Ken Countess of Ken is Email ☕ What Ken does: Ken has been an email marketing coach for 22 years through his consulting business Ken is Email. He focuses on B2B companies and is a Constant Contact Certified Partner. 💡 Key quote from Ken: “I know for a fact that I've taught over 10,000 business owners how to use digital marketing. And most of it starts with email.” 👋 Where to find Ken: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Ken is Email: Website | Podcast | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
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| 30 May 2024 | Automating and Working With the Seasons With Mark Chinsky | 00:32:45 | |
Marketing is the machine that never stops running, even for a seasonal business. Mark Chinsky, co-owner of Enjou Chocolat in Morristown, New Jersey, experiences drastic seasonal fluctuations that revolve around holidays. During the quieter seasons, Mark focuses on making technology work for him. His prior experience in the direct mail industry showed him the value of marketing — and when to do it. “A lot of people cut marketing when things get tight. [But] that’s the last thing you cut,” he advises. “If you cut marketing, then you might as well close your doors. That’s where your future revenue is going to come from.” Mark goes on to explain that the slow season is one of the best times to market — when the cash is flowing and you’re incredibly busy, you won’t have as much time to focus on marketing. On this episode of Constant Contact’s Be a Marketer podcast, Mark and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talk about how automating tasks lets your marketing tools do the heavy lifting for you. 👉 Check out Constant Contact’s professional marketing services to take design off your plate. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Mark Chinsky of Enjou Chocolat ☕ What he does: Rather than retiring from the software development industry, Mark and his co-owner Rose chose to buy a chocolate company. They recently bought Enjou Chocolat, a beloved 40-year staple in Morristown, New Jersey, that does retail, wholesale, and corporate chocolate production. 💡 Key quote: “A lot of people cut marketing first when things get tight. That’s the last thing you cut. [If] you cut marketing then you might as well close your doors because that’s where your future revenue is going to come from. And the best time to market is when times are slow.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Enjoy Chocolat: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok
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| 18 Jul 2024 | Ask Dave: Ask Dave Edition | 00:48:23 | |
This episode is a little different! Kelsi Carter, the team’s brand production coordinator, puts our very own Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, in the hot seat for a change! Tune in to hear Dave share his unique journey, from his experiences with theater (and a short-lived but not forgotten time as a bass player) to marketing and his passion for helping small businesses succeed. 👉 Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode. Resources:
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| 16 Feb 2023 | Packing Your Bench for Success with Scharrell Jackson | 00:45:44 | |
Sometimes, the security of the corporate world wins over striking out on your own. For Scharrell Jackson, a single mom of three, that was true. But after years of working for one company at a time, Scharrell decided she was ready to share her gifts with more businesses. In the last year, she fully leaned into her consulting business and keynote speaking. And just like how she encourages business leaders, Scharrell took the time to reflect on her ideal destiny. “You need to get clear on what your destiny is — your end game. That is different from your goals. Oftentimes, we lead our lives based on transactions, as opposed to really lining your life up with what your goals are, in alignment with your destiny for your life,” Scharrell says. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Scharrell and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talk about getting clarity on your marketing strategy, segmenting audiences, and making the most of analytics. Tune in to hear how to get clear on your destiny, pack your bench for success, and get to the championship game and win it, too. 👉 Want to attend Scharrell’s next Leadership in Heels event? Get more info here. Meet Today’s Guest: Scharrell Jackson of STJ Consulting Services and Leadership in Heels ☕ What she does: Scharrell is an experienced organizational and financial executive, consultant, and keynote speaker. From small businesses to multimillion-dollar companies, she helps business leaders of all sizes. Scharrell especially enjoys working in diversity, equity, and inclusion, women’s issues, and leadership spaces. 💡 Key quote: “Make sure that you have individuals on your bench that can fill in the gaps that you can't. You're one person and you cannot do it all. The goals and objectives that you have for your business are attainable if you have the right people walking alongside you.”
If you love this show, please leave us a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 31 Aug 2023 | Setting Up Systems for Content Marketing Success With Pamela Wilson | 00:50:14 | |
When it comes to content marketing, many business owners make the mistake of creating general content that doesn’t address the specific needs of buyers about to purchase. Pamela Wilson, Chief Marketing Officer at Dental Claims Support, makes sure the company’s content answers the kinds of questions prospective buyers are asking just before they’re ready to buy. “There’s nothing wrong with answering those [general] questions, but if you never get beyond that, you end up getting a lot of people who are tire kickers,” she says. “They’re just trying to learn more, but they’re not actually trying to buy.” How do you go beyond basic? Get into the head of someone becoming aware of your solution. Think about what buyers ask as they go through the process of deciding whether they want to invest in your product or service. On this episode of the Be a Marketer Podcast, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talks to Pamela about creating more than just basic content. She shares setting her team up for success by scheduling creative time, having standard operating procedures in place, and finding the best generative AI tool for writers. 👉 Pamela’s book “Master Content Marketing” 👉 Pamela’s book “Master Content Strategy” Meet Today’s Guest: Pamela Wilson ☕ What she does: Pamela is the Chief Marketing Officer at Dental Claims Support, an end-to-end revenue cycle management company in the dental industry. She’s also written two books on content marketing. 💡 Key quote: “I have a very low tolerance for boredom. And there has not been one boring day in the CMO position.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn | Website 👋 Where to find Dental Claims Support: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook
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| 16 Jan 2025 | Bake Club's Recipe for Community Building with Christina Tosi and Shannon Salzano | 00:45:59 | |
Who knew a simple idea to bake together virtually could turn into a thriving online community? When the pandemic hit, Christina Tosi, chef and founder of Milk Bar, and Shannon Salzano, Milk Bar’s Brand Director, found themselves searching for a way to connect with people. Turning their cameras on, they invited others to join them in the kitchen, creating a space for comfort and connection amidst the uncertainty. Thus, Bake Club was born, offering a much-needed sense of togetherness during a difficult time. It quickly evolved, becoming a vibrant online community centered around sharing recipes and a heartfelt newsletter, delivered straight to inboxes like a warm hug. For Christina and Shannon, Bake Club is about more than just baking. "We're a business that shows up for people," Christina says on this episode of Be A Marketer, a podcast dedicated to helping small business owners like you make sense of online marketing. Join Christina, Shannon, and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, as they explore Bake Club’s delicious journey, uncovering their secret ingredients to community building and the power of authentic connection. Tune in to discover how Bake Club leverages the power of email marketing to nurture genuine relationships, the importance of adapting to change, and their experience using Constant Contact to achieve marketing success. Christina and Shannon also share invaluable insights for business owners at any stage, emphasizing that building a successful business — much like baking a perfect cake — takes time and dedication. Additional Resources:
🍰 What Christina does: Christina is a chef, author, and founder of Milk Bar, known for its innovative desserts and whimsical approach to baking. She's also a judge on MasterChef, host of Bake Squad on Netflix, and co-creator of Bake Club. 💡 Key quote: "The answers are always right in front of you. They're always hiding right in front of you. It's whether or not you slow down or perk up enough to realize that you have the answer." 👋 Where to find her: Website | YouTube | Instagram | X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook ✍️ What Shannon does: Shannon is the brand director for Milk Bar and co-creator of Bake Club. She leads the development and execution of brand strategy, including community building and email marketing. She's passionate about fostering authentic connections with people. 💡 Key quote: "I think really just being intentional with the immediate steps in front of you and really trying to do those to a degree that you feel you're accomplishing well. That's really been, I think, the thing that we get caught up in the most.” 👋 Where to find her: Website | Instagram | X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Bake Club: Website | Newsletter If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 12 Oct 2023 | Bringing Humanity Back to Marketing with Brian Solis | 00:44:44 | |
It can be easy for marketers to forget that real people are on the other side of every interaction. But Brian Solis, Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow, aims to bring humanity back into marketing. Technology takes humanity out of the equation, he says. As a result, marketers focus too much on metrics like clicks and open rates instead of trying to build relationships. “Once you know more about the people you’re trying to reach,” he says, “the sales or the nurturing or the conversations will happen.” A self-described futurist and digital anthropologist, Brian believes that AI allows marketers to get closer to people. “Somewhere along the way, we confused technology with transaction,” he says. Marketers should approach AI by thinking about how they want customers to feel rather than what they want customers to do. “If you think differently about technology as investing in relationships and meaningful outcomes,” he says, you’ll get exponential returns. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Brian and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss how small business owners can put people back in the equation in their digital marketing and AI use. Meet Today’s Guest: Brian Solis of ServiceNow ☕ What he does: Brian is the Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow. He’s also an author, futurist, and digital anthropologist. He helps companies future-proof by looking at how to be more valuable, agile, and innovative as the world evolves. 💡 Key quote: “The thing I really like about my work is the ability to see the things that most of us are just too busy — or maybe distracted or biased — to see in order to bring people together for a greater purpose.” 👋 Where to find him: Website | X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn 👋 Where to find ServiceNow: Website | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
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| 06 Feb 2025 | Growing an Online Business with Teresa Heath-Wareing | 00:56:23 | |
Starting a business often means learning to trust yourself first — especially when battling both personal and professional challenges.
"I built a six-figure business while drunk or hungover," Teresa shares candidly about her past struggle with alcohol addiction. “So, if I can do that, what the hell can I do now that I am 100% clear-headed and focused?" Teresa discusses the real meaning of showing up vulnerably in your marketing, why email marketing beats social media for building relationships, and how she generates revenue through multiple streams. She also breaks down the mindset shifts needed to overcome imposter syndrome and self-sabotage. On this episode of Constant Contact’s Be a Marketer podcast, join host Dave Charest and Teresa as they explore what it really means to market authentically online, the importance of building your email list before anything else, and why consistency in the right marketing channels matters more than trying to do everything. 👉 Check out the full podcast episode Teresa mentioned in this episode.
Additional Resources: ● Audience Engagement Keeps Eyes on Your Business ● How to Market Your Small Business on a Shoestring Budget ● Digital Marketing for Small Business: How to Get Started ● Get Started With Email Marketing: 10 Things You Need to Do First Meet Today’s Guest: Teresa Heath-Wareing of THW Marketing Limited 🎯 What she does: Teresa Heath-Wareing helps entrepreneurs scale their online businesses through strategic marketing and audience growth. After a successful corporate marketing career that included a role at Land Rover, she built a six-figure agency. She later transformed her business model to focus on online business coaching and has become a sought-after international speaker. 💡 Key quote: "If you are trying to help people and show people the way, no one wants to hear when you are in the messy middle of it. What is really helpful is being honest about it happening and being honest about the trials and the tribulations and the difficulties you've gone through at the point where I can help people and tell them how I got through it." 👋 Where to find her: Website | Podcast | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | X, formerly known as Twitter 👋 Where to find THW Marketing Limited: Website | LinkedIn If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 25 Apr 2024 | Ask Dave: Can I import purchased contacts into Constant Contact? | 00:10:28 | |
Thinking about importing purchased contacts into your Constant Contact account? In this episode, Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, and Kelsi Carter, the team’s brand production coordinator, discuss why you should avoid importing purchased contacts into your account and how to grow your email list organically. Listen in to hear how/why:
Resources:
Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.
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| 26 Oct 2023 | What You Can Do to Avoid the Junk Folder With Jon Marburger and Tara Natanson | 00:41:25 | |
Your email’s journey to the customer’s inbox isn’t magic — it’s intentional. Constant Contact has email deliverability experts working behind the scenes to keep your special message out of the dreaded spam folder. But in addition to our technical crew, you, as the sender, can make certain shifts to increase your email’s deliverability. Constant Contact’s Jon Marburger, Director of Email Deliverability, and Tara Natanson, Manager of Deliverability for ISP Relations, together have 31 years of experience in the email industry. Their biggest advice? Pay attention. Metrics and unsubscribe comments can help you understand who’s reading your emails, as well as who’s leaving and why. “The most underutilized part of our product is the opt-out comments,” says Tara. “People unsubscribe and leave you a message about why. You should really be looking at those. They are super enlightening.” On this episode of the Be a Marketer Podcast, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talks to Jon and Tara about other Constant Contact features that can help with your email deliverability. They cover the Gmail Promotions tab and its undeserved bad rap, technical ways to get higher open and click rates, and why you should avoid single-image emails. 👉 How to Build an Effective Email List: Best Practices and Strategies 👉 How to Interpret Your Email Marketing Reporting 👉 Do You Know Why People Are Unsubscribing From Your Emails? 👉 Understanding Email Authentication Meet Today’s Guests: Jon Marburger and Tara Natanson of Constant Contact ☕ What Jon does: Jon is the Director of Email Deliverability at Constant Contact. 💡 Key quote: “Listening to what your customers are telling you — even if it's a negative data point, giving the opportunity to indicate why they chose to unsubscribe — that's really important.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn ☕ What Tara does: Tara is the Manager of Deliverability and ISP Relations at Constant Contact. 💡 Key quote: “While it can be hard to see people leave, or to watch your list get smaller, having a smaller, more engaged list is way better for your deliverability than having a huge list that has a very low number of opens and clicks.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
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| 17 Apr 2025 | Build a Fans-First Business From the Ground Up with the Savannah Bananas | 00:48:14 | |
Imagine a baseball team that throws out the rulebook—not just for the game, but for how they do business. Meet the Savannah Bananas, a team that's less about scoring runs and more about sparking joy. Led by owner Jesse Cole, this isn't your typical sports team. As Jesse puts it, "We have no interest in being a billion-dollar business, but we want to create a billion fans." The Bananas have grown into a fan-driven phenomenon built on a simple but radical idea: put fans first and never stop entertaining. When most teams chase sponsorship dollars, the Bananas ditch ads and create experiences people can't stop talking about. Their approach is delightfully unconventional. They've removed third-party ticketing fees, sent handwritten thank-you notes, and featured players who might break into dance mid-game. Marketing that doesn't feel like marketing. The result? They recently sold out their first NFL stadium, are building a passionate fanbase, and proving that when you truly put people first, the money follows. Join Jesse, Kara, Carson, and host Dave Charest for this masterclass in customer experience that any business can learn from. Additional resources
Meet Today's Guests: Jesse Cole, Kara Heater and Carson Bowen of Savannah Bananas 🍌 What Jesse does: Jesse owns the Savannah Bananas and founded Fans First Entertainment. A former baseball GM turned showrunner, he reinvented the sport by blending Broadway-style entertainment with baseball, building a loyal fanbase and a sellout sensation that puts fans at the center. 💡 Key quote: "We will never put added fees on people. We will never do things just for money. We will never take a sponsor just to take money. We will never do any of that. If we can do things to be a better experience for fans, we'll always try to find a way to say yes to that." 👋🏼 Where to find Jesse: Linkedin | Instagram | X, formerly known as Twitter ⚾ What Kara does: Kara is the Vice President of Marketing at the Savannah Bananas. Starting as an intern in 2018, she now leads a cross-functional team that turns live moments into viral content. Her strategy: tell stories that fans love, without pushing product. 💡 Key quote: "We never want to be the people who are sending 52 emails a day, and they have to unsubscribe 82 times to try and finally get rid of them out of their inbox. That's not us. We want people to get the information that they've asked for." 👋🏼 Where to find Kara: Linkedin | X, formerly known as Twitter 🎫 What Carson does: Carson is the Director of Ticket Experience for the Savannah Bananas. After six years with the Wilmington Sharks, he joined the Bananas in 2020 to rethink ticketing from the ground up—building a system that removes friction and centers joy in every detail. 💡 Key quote: "It's not just buying a QR code; it’s buying a family outing. It's celebrating someone's birthday. These things represent something. It's not just buying a ticket." 👋🏼 Where to find Carson: LinkedIn | X, formerly known as Twitter 👋🏼 Where to find Savannah Bananas: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X, formerly known as Twitter | Youtube | TikTok
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| 27 Feb 2025 | Making Technology Accessible for Nonprofits with Nick Fynn | 00:46:03 | |
Nonprofits face a constant challenge: delivering their message effectively with limited resources. For Nick Fynn, Head of Global Growth Marketing at TechSoup, this reality drives his mission to help organizations bridge the gap between technology and social impact.
During this episode of Be A Marketer, Nick and host Dave Charest explore the fundamentals of nonprofit messaging and how organizations can maintain consistent communication despite limited resources. They discuss why email remains a powerful tool for nonprofit outreach, how to speak the language of different audiences, and ways to develop intentional communication strategies that resonate. Listen in as Nick shares practical advice for nonprofits looking to strengthen their messaging approach. He also reveals how TechSoup's tiered membership model helps organizations make smarter technology decisions while building a collaborative nonprofit community. Additional Resources:
Meet Today's Guest: Nick Fynn of TechSoup
💡 Key quotes: "Every nonprofit out there should be doing email. I don't think there's any one-fits-all frequency of how often you should be doing it, or what should it say, but everybody should be using it. It's a foundational tool." 👋 Where to find him: X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn 👋 Where to find TechSoup: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn
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| 09 May 2024 | Ask Dave: How can I get informed of people who signed up for my list? | 00:17:44 | |
Do you want to know when someone signs up for your email list? On this episode, Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, and Kelsi Carter, the team’s brand production coordinator, talk you through it. This week on the Be A Marketer podcast, learn how to be notified when someone subscribes to your email list so you can keep track of your list's growth. Also, Kelsi shares some exciting news about how she’s going to be a duck mom of three. Listen in to hear how to:
Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.
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| 16 May 2024 | Using SMS to Increase Attendance with Nicholas Jackson | 00:39:26 | |
Libraries are often the heartbeat of the communities they serve — and Parsippany Public Library in New Jersey is no exception, offering much more than just reading materials. Head of Information Services Nicholas Jackson has been using Constant Contact for several years, both to distribute the library’s newsletter and to text workshop registrants. Before Constant Contact, the library had a problem: People would sign up for workshops and then forget to actually attend. So the library enabled attendee text messages to send reminders the night before and the day of the event. While not everyone checks their email constantly, most people check their texts immediately. Attendance problem solved. Above all else, Nicholas’s top marketing tip is to stay consistent. That consistency applies to the look and feel of your graphics — like fonts and color schemes — as well as to your marketing plan and analysis of what’s working and what’s not. On this episode of Constant Contact’s podcast, Be a Marketer, Nicholas and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss all the ways that Constant Contact has helped spread awareness and drive foot traffic into Parsippany’s libraries. 👉 Get started with SMS marketing in Constant Contact.
Meet Today’s Guest: Nicholas Jackson of Parsippany Public Library ☕ What he does: Nicholas is the Head of Information Services at Parsippany Public Library in New Jersey. Nicholas oversees marketing and PR, plus programming, technology, collections, books, ebooks, and media. He also manages the the Library of Things program where people can borrow items like hotspots, Chromebooks, tabletop games, sewing machines, and more. 💡 Key quote: “Our newsletter is the most powerful advertising-marketing-PR tool. We noticed this when we did an author talk back in 2022. We asked when people signed up, How’d you find out about this? And over 40% said, In the newsletter. We realized that we need to make the newsletter, inviting, helpful, and friendly.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Parsippany Public Library: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok
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| 19 Sep 2024 | How to Build a Brand for Your Business with Liz Mosley | 00:49:47 | |
What if you could transform the fear of rejection into a catalyst for growth in your business? Graphic designer Liz Mosley did just that. After realizing that playing it safe was holding her back from exciting opportunities, Liz embarked on a journey to reframe rejection as a stepping stone to success. Liz has been helping small businesses and creatives define their brands and attract ideal customers for over a decade. As host of the “Building Your Brand” podcast, she's no stranger to the power of marketing and connection. “I actually think for some people it's worth waiting a couple of years, letting the chips fall almost, and seeing what is the business that you really want to build and then invest in the branding,” she shares. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Liz and host Dave Charest delve into the strategies that have helped her build a thriving freelance business, including a counterintuitive approach to rejection, the importance of understanding your target audience, and her go-to social media scheduling trick. Tune in to discover how you can build a brand you love and attract dream clients with Liz's practical tips and inspiring story. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Liz Mosley of Liz Mosley Design ☕ What she does: Liz Mosley is a U.K.-based graphic designer specializing in branding and animated GIFs for small businesses. She hosts the “Building Your Brand” podcast, where she shares marketing advice for small business owners looking to DIY their branding. Liz’s goal is to help her clients and audience create a brand that makes them feel proud and confident about promoting their businesses. 💡 Key quote: "You don't have to be the best at it. You don't have to have the slickest tech setup. You don't have to have invested in public speaking training. You just [have to] get going and learn on the job." 👋 Where to find her: Website | X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn | Podcast | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 18 Feb 2025 | The Art of Real Estate Branding with Christine George | 00:29:31 | |
Being a successful real estate agent demands a clear and authentic personal brand. Christine George, CEO and Founder of Post & Beam Creative, didn’t set out to help agents sell more homes. Instead, she focuses on helping them uncover their unique identities and stand out in a crowded market. Christine has spent over 15 years in the real estate industry, refining strategies that empower agents to market themselves with confidence. In this episode, she shares her journey and her "three A's" framework: Awaken, Activate, and Amplify. Through this process, agents can define their niche, craft intentional marketing strategies, and make authentic connections with their ideal clients. "When you are true to who you are, your clients feel it," Christine explains. "They feel it. So focus on what you do and what you do well and continue to challenge yourself along the way, but forget about what everybody else is doing because they're not watching you and whatever they're doing." Tune in today to the Be A Marketer podcast with hosts Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, and Stephanie Alfonso, Senior Director of Vertical Innovation at Constant Contact, to discover how to craft your unique brand, attract your dream clients, and make meaningful connections that fuel your success. Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Christine George of Post & Beam Creative 🤔 What she does: Christine George is the CEO and Founder of Post & Beam Creative, a branding and marketing services firm specializing in real estate. She helps agents and brokers uncover their unique value and bring it to life through personalized branding and marketing strategies. 💡 Key quote: “When you are true to who you are, your clients feel it. They feel it. So focus on what you do and what you do well and continue to challenge yourself along the way, but forget about what everybody else is doing because they're not watching you and whatever they're doing. If you try to do it, it's not going to come off the same way. It's just going to come off as disingenuous. So just be who you are.”
👋 Where to find Post & Beam Creative: Website | YouTube | Spotify | Facebook | LinkedIn | Pinterest
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| 25 May 2023 | Using Abundant Thinking to Solve Problems With Ed Bernstein | 00:47:22 | |
If it costs a little and means a lot, just do it! This is Ed-ism number one. It’s also how Ed Bernstein, President of 25Score, manages to thrive in a market led by Groupon and LivingSocial. Ed bought 25Score, a local loyalty discount program, in 2009. Even with big-name competitors and a pandemic that forced most of his vendors to close temporarily, Ed’s business lives on. Lending a helping hand, even if it didn’t make a profit, allowed Ed to forge strong relationships throughout his community. Eventually, those relationships would create new customers. “There's no way I could have built this company off of just advertising,” he says. “It's all word of mouth. It's all belly-to-belly, helping people every single day, every single month.” On this episode of Be a Marketer, Ed and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss the importance of reflecting on your own accomplishments and how automation can help reduce mistakes and make your business more efficient. Plus, they share why sometimes you may need to shift your strategy to stay afloat. 👉 Want more from Ed on business? Check out his “Ed-isms” 👉 Create and manage a Constant Contact welcome email 👉 Create a recurring Constant Contact birthday email 👉 Create a recurring Constant Contact anniversary email Meet Today’s Guest: Ed Bernstein of 25Score ☕ What Ed does: Ed is the President of 25Score, Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley’s longest-running local loyalty discount program. 💡 Ed’s key quote: “You always look at yourself and say, What did I not get done? But if you look at what you did do, it's an insane amount of things that you've implemented.” 👋 Where to find Ed: LinkedIn | |||
| 21 Nov 2024 | 2024 End of Year Recap | 00:26:22 | |
Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, and Kelsi Carter, Brand Production Coordinator at Constant Contact, have spent the year chatting with small business owners and marketing experts on the Be a Marketer podcast, gathering insights to help entrepreneurs thrive. Now, they're ready to share the best of those lessons. From goal-setting to storytelling, they've covered a lot of ground. But one theme keeps popping up: the need for flexibility. "Everything is changing all the time," Dave notes. "You often have to have an idea of where you're going to go and almost be broad with setting those objectives." Dave and Kelsi also explore the power of community engagement, the importance of audience-focused content, and how marketing automation can be a game-changer for small businesses. Tune in to hear how successful businesses are leveraging these strategies, what's working for building engaged audiences, and how you can apply these lessons to make 2025 your best year yet. Also, get Kelsi’s updates on her ducks and how she plans to keep them comfortable through the winter. Additional Resources:
Meet Today's Guests: Dave Charest & Kelsi Carter of Constant Contact 🚀 What Dave does: He is the Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact. He helps small business owners make sense of online marketing and hosts the Be A Marketer podcast. 💡 Key quote: "Review, plan and execute. So really take a look at how things went for you as you close out the year and start to set those new goals for 2025." 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 📝 What Kelsi does: Kelsi is the Brand Production Coordinator at Constant Contact and produces the Be a Marketer podcast. She also writes the Be a Marketer newsletter for Constant Contact's LinkedIn page. 💡 Key quotes: "I don't think goals should be set in stone. They need to be evolving with your business and growing with your business because needs change." 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 06 Jul 2023 | Transforming Marketing from Obnoxious to Engaging with Nicole Stevenson | 00:47:51 | |
Marketing doesn’t have to be an obnoxious task you dread. Many small business owners are uncomfortable talking about themselves and their work with the public. Create an Instagram Reel? With me on camera? No, thank you. According to Nicole Stevenson, CEO and Creative Director of Dear Handmade Life, it’s not about you. It’s about your message. “I can’t serve my community if nobody knows about me,” she says. Dear Handmade Life curates events, education, and community for creatives and small business owners. During her time as CEO, Nicole has done many things that made her uncomfortable. Marketing is one of those things. In her work with other small business owners, she finds this attitude toward marketing is pretty common. Sharing your story is essential to building a community. And for Nicole, that community is everything. “I would not have a business without this community that we’ve curated,” she says. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Nicole and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss being more open to new systems and technologies, creating processes to complete your big tasks, and why it’s important to sit back and appreciate yourself once in a while. 👉 Marketing for Makers Summit, July 11 & 12, 2023 👉 How to Create a Custom Landing Page with Constant Contact Meet Today’s Guest: Nicole Stevenson of Dear Handmade Life ☕ What Nicole does: Nicole is the CEO and creative director of Dear Handmade Life, which helps curate events, education and community for small business owners. 💡 Nicole’s key quote: “Don't wait ‘til you're ready. Just dive in and get started. Just build that list. Do not only rely on Instagram or social media. Just don't do it. You've got to focus on email marketing as well.” 👋 Where to find Nicole: Instagram
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| 04 Mar 2025 | Building a Sustainable Independent Brokerage with Ian Hoover | 00:48:38 | |
When Ian S. Hoover got fired from his job in retail, he wasn’t expecting it to lead to him opening a real estate brokerage one day. After a few drinks at his former partner's daughter's wedding, a casual conversation sparked the launch of Deacon & Hoover Real Estate Advisors in 2017. Today, his brokerage stands as the second-largest independent firm in Western Pennsylvania, and he's authored a book called "Short-Term Memory Loss" about his journey. But success didn't come from chasing top producers. Instead, Ian built a culture focused on developing new talent into high performers. "I can lead a horse to water, can't force them to drink it. I can show you how to sell real estate, but if you can't hold a conversation, you might have some problems. You got to build those relationships and that rapport," Ian explains. On this episode of Be A Marketer (Real Estate Edition), host Dave Charest and real estate expert Stephanie Alfonso talk to Ian about his approach to brokerage growth. Learn how he leverages AI and automation for business efficiency, builds strong agent relationships, and maintains a "short-term memory loss" mindset that turns setbacks into opportunities. Additional Resources:
Meet Today's Guest: Ian Hoover of Deacon & Hoover Real Estate Advisors 🏠 Who he is: Ian S. Hoover turned getting fired from retail into founding one of Western Pennsylvania's largest independent brokerages. Since launching Deacon Hoover Real Estate Advisors in 2017 (after a tipsy wedding conversation), he's built a team of 60 agents who feel more like family than colleagues. His recent book "Short-Term Memory Loss" shares his unique approach to sales success. 💡 Key quote: "If you get anything from my book, I hope it's that you can legit use your sales ability — and we all have a sales ability, whether you know it or not — to get further down the road. If you want that promotion, if you want that job, be the squeaky wheel. Make sure you're there, and you're showing whoever you got to show how important you are, and eventually, it'll work out for you." 👋 Where to find him:Website | Podcast | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | X, formerly known as Twitter 👋 Where to find Deacon & Hoover Real Estate Advisors: Website | Facebook | X, formerly known as Twitter | Instagram | YouTube If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 19 Jan 2023 | Lessons From a 25-Year Serial Entrepreneur with Ramon Ray | 00:51:40 | |
Becoming a serial entrepreneur wasn’t in Ramon Ray’s original plan. As a child, he dreamed of becoming an FBI agent. But Ramon had an entrepreneurial spirit and launched a one-person computer consulting side hustle while he was still working full-time at the United Nations. While that business wasn’t the right fit for Ramon long-term, it fueled his hunger to run his own business and introduced him to the online space and the world of content. After owning five businesses, selling three, and preparing to launch several more, Ramon can see how his experiences have changed how he runs his businesses. “In 2005, buying the first domain — it was transactional, just survival. But, as we get older, we get wiser, and now I’m very purposefully thinking, I want to build generational wealth. I want to give money to others. I want to live a little better life today,” he explains.
Meet the Guest: Ramon Ray of ZoneofGenius.com 💵 What he does: Ramon is an entrepreneur, small business expert, and motivational speaker. He has sold three of the five businesses he has owned. His current projects are Zone of Genius and BWC Daily. 💡 Key quote: “Some people out there [are] always looking for a buck. … Instead of looking for the sale first, why not consider doing things just to build brand and awareness? Sometimes people ask me, You do this for free? You don't make any money? Why did you fly there just to speak, when they didn't pay you? You never know who is in the audience — someone is sitting in the front row and then he hires me to speak. So, if I can add value, why not live that way?”
If you love this show, please leave us a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 02 Feb 2023 | Finding Your Tribe with Pam Roussell | 00:49:11 | |
Pet health problems aren’t always solved by a trip to the vet — a problem that Pam Roussell knows all too well. A longtime cat lover and holistic health practitioner, Pam’s cat boutique, Purrrfectly Holistic, gives pet owners alternative approaches to healing their furry friends. For the last seven years, Pam’s been connecting felines and their owners to services and products that look outside the box. In the last year, however, she decided to go full-time with Purrrfectly Holistic and saw significant growth within just 30 days of making the leap. Though Pam is the sole owner of her business, she’s not in it alone. She credits many people in the pet care community and the apps that support her ecommerce for helping her along the way. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Pam and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, walk through her experience growing and marketing Purrrfectly Holistic. Tune in to hear how Pam coordinates her social media and email marketing efforts, her advice for finding your people, and tips for getting the most out of Constant Contact, even as a non-techy person. Meet Today’s Guest: Pam Roussell of Purrrfectly Holistic 🐈 What she does: Pam is a board-certified holistic health practitioner and longtime cat lover. She owns Purrrfectly Holistic, which provides holistic health products and services to both cat and dog owners looking for alternatives in pet care. She’s been using Constant Contact since she started her business over seven years ago. 💡 Key quote: “Be true to yourself. Don't try to copy other people or other businesses. Don't compromise on your values.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn
If you love this show, please leave us a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 17 Oct 2024 | 7 Critical Email Design Elements with Aaron Wesley Means | 00:26:25 | |
After a corporate career in direct marketing, Aaron Wesley Means had no plans to start a business. It wasn't until he began helping his wife launch her dream dog grooming business that he immersed himself in small business marketing. Eager to build a brand and attract customers, he dove headfirst into researching list-building strategies, email campaigns, and the nuances of connecting with a target audience. Along the way, he discovered a gap — a real need for marketing expertise within the small business and nonprofit communities. In 2011, Aaron launched Activate Business Solutions, determined to fill that void. His mission? To empower small businesses and nonprofits with the tools and strategies they need to thrive. In this episode of the Be a Marketer podcast, Aaron, founder and a Constant Contact community coach, and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, pull back the curtain on email design and reveal why a thoughtful approach is crucial in a mobile-first world. "You can make the greatest email in the history of emails," Aaron explains, "And if they don't open it and know how great it is, it was for nothing." Tune in as Aaron breaks down seven essential design elements that can make or break your email campaigns. Learn how to craft compelling headers, leverage visuals strategically, and optimize your calls to action for maximum impact. Additional Resources:
Meet Today's Guest: Aaron Wesley Means of Activate Business Solutions 💻 What he does: Aaron is the founder and CEO of Activate Business Solutions, a full-service micro-agency based in Asheville, North Carolina. A Constant Contact partner since 2011 and community coach, Aaron is passionate about empowering small businesses and nonprofits through education and hands-on marketing support. 💡 Key quote: “Both the subject line and the preheader text are your secret weapons to getting the most possible value out of your marketing and your effort." 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Activate Business Solutions: Website | X, formerly known as Twitter If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 23 Feb 2023 | Faith, Integrity, Impact, and Abundance with Dereck E. Moore | 00:35:39 | |
Some of the best lessons in business come from sports. Just ask former Arizona State football player Dereck E. Moore. Dereck bought Building Maintenance of Tomorrow in Costa Mesa, California, in 2011 and remains the company’s president and CEO. One of Dereck’s biggest lessons from his time as a student-athlete was the value of leaning on coaches and mentors. He receives guidance from colleagues in the industry, a business coach, and a spiritual mentor. Dereck also stays true to his company’s values when choosing employees and clients. “We try to identify clients that can embrace [our] core values and believe in the same type of things and how to do business. I made a conscious decision a few years ago that all money is not good money. And I'm not going to take every client, and I'm going to be very strategic and deliberate about the clients that we do take on.” Tune in to this episode of Be A Marketer to hear Dereck talk with host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact. They discuss coaching, spreading the word, providing stellar customer service, and leading with values. 👉 Learn more about 100 Black Men of America, an organization where Dereck mentors. Meet Today’s Guest: Dereck E. Moore of Building Maintenance of Tomorrow ☕ What he does: Dereck owns Buliding Maintenance of Tomorrow, a California-based janitorial company. He prides himself on finding employees and customers that align with the company’s values of faith, integrity, impact, and abundance. He’s been a Constant Contact user for several years. 💡 Key quote: “To win any type of game, you have to have the right team, the right teammates, and the right coach. There is somebody that knows more than you that can tell you a better way to do it. And you need to follow the script — they can put the blueprint together. But when it's time to go play on the field, then you go out there and do your job, and get it done. And as long as we're in sync, we have an opportunity to win.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn
If you love this show, please leave us a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions. | |||
| 10 Aug 2023 | Serving a Greater Purpose in Marketing with Kim Jones Sneed | 00:48:21 | |
Have you ever felt like your work doesn’t matter? You’re not appreciated? Someone else can do what you do? Kim Jones Sneed, owner of Stuff in the Bluff, an award-winning website focused on local news and entertainment in Pine Bluff, Ark., admits to feeling this way often. There have been many times she wanted to throw in the towel. But what’s kept her going for over 20 years is feeling like she’s serving a purpose greater than just making money. “It’s people who help you succeed,” Kim says. “Many times, it’s just that faithful customer who will continue to do business with you, who has the faith to take a chance.” Community has played a key role in Kim’s longevity, and she returns the favor by treating every single customer with the same care, pride, and enthusiasm. On this episode of the Be a Marketer Podcast, host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talks to Kim about persevering through the tough times, uplifting a community through marketing, and sending emails multiple times daily. 👉 Check out the Constant Contact Community Meet Today’s Guest: Kim Jones Sneed of Stuff in the Bluff ☕ What she does: Kim owns Stuff in the Bluff, an award-winning website focused on local news and entertainment in Pine Bluff, Ark. 💡 Key quote: “Running a small business can be something that can really reach beyond barriers, walls, limitations.” 👋 Where to find her: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Stuff in the Bluff: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter
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| 01 Feb 2024 | Creating Subject Lines that Get Opens with Jay Schwedelson | 00:41:31 | |
Jay Schwedelson has had an interest in direct marketing since he was a five-year-old watching his parents’ direct mail business. Today, he’s one of the internet’s top email marketing experts, but the thing he loves most about email is that you don’t need to be an expert to do it well. “Just get it out there,” he says. “Iterate and keep going. Consistency will win out—you will beat out 95% of everybody else you’re competing with just by being there and doing it.” For nearly 30 years, Jay has run Outcome Media, an agency that today offers demand generation services and email and direct mail marketing. In 2021, he launched GURU Conference to offer affordable, accessible marketing education to business owners and marketers. On this episode of Be a Marketer, Jay and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss what’s most important for email marketing in 2024. Jay also offers his top tips and resources for business owners looking to tap into the power of email. 👉 Check out the email marketing conference mentioned in this episode: GURU 2024 Meet Today’s Guest: Jay Schwedelson of Outcome Media and GURU Events ☕ What he does: Jay is a lifelong entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Outcome Media and GURU Events. He is an expert in email marketing who also started SubjectLine.com, the free subject line testing service for email marketers. 💡 Key quote: “Email is the most important thing on the planet. Your email list is the most important asset in your company — no questions asked.” 👋 Where to find him: Website | LinkedIn | Podcast 👋 Where to find GURU Events: Website | LinkedIn 👋 Where to find Outcome Media: Website | LinkedIn Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.
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| 21 Mar 2024 | Ask Dave: How many follow-ups should occur after the first email outreach? | 00:08:02 | |
Wondering how many follow-ups you should send after an initial email outreach? What about the timeframe in which to do so? 🎧 Listen to our latest podcast episode where Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, shares his insights on email follow-ups and provides a suggested timeline. Key Takeaways:
Resources: Why you need to send more email than you think Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.
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| 09 Feb 2023 | Imposter Syndrome and Defining Your Brand Story with Dave Gerhardt | 00:51:05 | |
Striking out on your own after years in the corporate world is scary. But for a marketing guru like Dave Gerhardt, that transition was a little less daunting. All he needed was the right story. Dave’s online community, Exit Five, helps B2B marketers unlock the secrets of the industry — and according to him, it all starts with the brand story. Specifically, he recommends asking yourself, “What are you looking to do and for whom?” Dave joins Constant Contact’s Director of Small Business Success and host, Dave Charest, to share his top gems from his storied career in marketing. Listen in as Dave Gerhardt walks you through building a marketing plan from a story, overcoming imposter syndrome, and setting goals for success — even when you’re your own boss. Meet Today’s Guest: Dave Gerhardt of Exit Five ☕ What he does: Dave is a former marketing executive and now founder of Exit Five, an online community of B2B marketers. 💡 Key quote: “You can’t do great marketing without a strong connection to the product that you're building and the customer that you're serving.” 👋 Where to find him: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Podcast
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| 05 Oct 2023 | AI for Digital Marketing Agencies with Robert Mitchell | 00:31:48 | |
Artificial intelligence might seem like complex technology that’s best suited for large businesses. But Robert Mitchell disagrees — he thinks small businesses have the most to gain from AI. Robert is the Chief AI Officer at WSI World, a digital marketing agency network that equips small agencies with the tools to grow and thrive, including AI. He helps WSI franchise owners use AI to create new revenue streams — and he’s thrilled by the possibilities the tech presents for small businesses. “I think this is an amazing opportunity for small and medium-sized businesses,” he says. “The nimble companies are the ones that are going to leapfrog on this. You can do more with less.” On this episode of Be a Marketer, Robert and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, talked about how small businesses and their marketers can get started with AI. Meet Today’s Guest: Robert Mitchell of WSI World ☕ What he does: Robert is the Chief AI Officer at WSI World, a digital marketing agency network. After more than 20 years in franchise development, Robert dove into the world of AI. Today, he helps WSI serve as an AI consultancy for its franchise owners — and helps franchise owners become the de facto AI consultants for their clients. 💡 Key quote: “You’re already seen by your clients as the most knowledgeable on the technical aspects of marketing their business. It’s a very small leap from that to AI… all you need to be is that Sherpa, walking them through the process of implementing it.” 👋 Where to find him: LinkedIn 👋 Where to find WSI World: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube
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| 01 Aug 2024 | Ask Dave: How do we send more personalized emails? | 00:14:21 | |
Looking for ways to increase personalization and segmentation for your organization? In episode 64, Dave Charest, director of small business success at Constant Contact, and Kelsi Carter, the team’s brand production coordinator, talk you through it. Kelsi also provides a long-awaited update on her ducks! Tune in to hear more about:
👉 Are you a Constant Contact customer with a burning marketing question? Go here for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode. Resources:
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| 10 Apr 2025 | How Two Brothers Built a Marketing Agency from Scratch with Dan Knowlton | 00:48:03 | |
Dan Knowlton didn’t plan to build a top-performing content agency by dressing up in wigs and fake mustaches — but that's what helped him stand out.
"It has taken us so much longer to get to where we are now than I thought at the start point," Dan says, reflecting on the patience and persistence it took to grow a sustainable business. In this episode of Be A Marketer, host Dave Charest talks with Dan about growing from chaos to clarity. They unpack how to align your marketing with your strengths, what most small businesses get wrong about content, and why measuring results will sharpen your focus.
Additional Resources:
Meet Today’s Guest: Dan Knowlton of Knowlton Marketing ☕ What he does: Dan Knowlton is the Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Knowlton, a UK-based marketing agency he started with his brother in 2015. The duo is known for blending creativity with strategy to create content people actually enjoy. Knowlton has worked with major brands like the BBC, Nestlé, and Constant Contact. 💡 Key quote: "No one cares about your brand. All they care about is problems they've got and how they can most effectively solve them." 👋 Where to find Dan: X, formerly known as Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Podcast 👋 Where to find Knowlton Marketing: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn | TikTok
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