Do less and achieve more in 2009
January 5, 2009 by Kylie Short
Wendy Moore of Affluencia is hosting a free telecall with Lorraine Pirhi The Productivity Queen on how to do less and achieve more in 2009.
Date: 27 January 2009
Click here to find out more and register today! Limited seats
Filed under: Client News
So how do I get started with electronic newsletters?
January 2, 2009 by Kylie Short
When shopping around for a system there are a few things you need to consider.
You need to think about the goals you have for your newsletter AND your business. Are you likely to add a shopping cart to your website if you don’t have one already? Will you be promoting an Affiliate program so others can sell your products/services for you? Do you need to use autoresponders?
You may be tempted to think “I don’t need to think about that now, I’ll think about it when the time comes..” but I’m going to burst that bubble of yours. You need to think about it now because if you don’t, you may have issues that could have easily been avoided. If you don’t ever intend to integrate a shopping cart into your website then this too changes what system you should/could/possibly use.
The basics of any system is that you have your subscribers who sign up through your website or some other means, this information is sent to the e-newsletter system, the user is sent the “please click here to confirm” email and then the user is added. Simple right?
Well what happens when you have 100, 1000, or 10,000 users and you would like to integrate your cart with your e-newsletter? How are you going to move those users without losing a great deal of them? What if you want to set up an Affiliate program? How can you email all these people without doubling up or missing groups of subscribers. When you move your database your subscribers will need to re-opt in. This is where you’ll lose subscribers that have been previously happy to receive your newsletters. Selecting a service based on your current and future needs is imperative to maintaining your e-newsletter database and your return on the investment.
You will also need to think about your budget and what you’d like to pay for a service. There are some services out there that will allow you to upgrade your account as you need to or to only pay for the contacts you have. Either way it needs to be affordable and provide a return on the investment.
What about a template? We all know that your e-newsletter falls under your branding identity but not all systems allow you to import your own template or make it difficult to add your content, edit and format.
Still have that coffee? Good because here is the good news. There ARE e-newsletter systems out there that can do all this and more. You just need to take into account your own situation and how the potential system will assist you. The goal is to automate the e-newsletter as much as possible and if a potential system can do this, then good for you! If you don’t need all the bells and whistles, then good for you too!
As a Virtual Assistant who works with a variety of businesses and industries I often don’t get a choice and must use what the client tells me to use and that’s ok. That’s their choice. But YOUR choice needs to be informed and growth enabled.
Some services you should take a look at:
- 1Shoppingcart.com (This is my affiliate link!)
- Campaign Monitor
- Aweber
- Constant Contact
While each of these (and there are many many more out there - do a google!) have pros and cons to their use, only 1ShoppingCart.com allows you to manage your shopping cart, e-newsletters, autoresponders and affiliate program within the one system. It’s also the system we use here at Tilda Virtual Services and the one majority of my clients use too.
If you’d like assistance in selecting a system that is right for you, contact me.
Once you do find your perfect e-newsletter system, dive in, learn how to use it and remember to have fun! Code is only scary if you don’t play with it 
Filed under: Online Marketing
Christmas Closure
December 28, 2008 by Kylie Short
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Kylie, Lincoln, Deirdre and the team at Tilda Virtual Services.
The office will be closed Friday 19th December 2008 and will reopen Monday 5th January 2009.
Thank you for all your support and we look forward to working with everyone in 2009!
Filed under: About Us
It’s official
December 9, 2008 by Kylie Short
Tilda Virtual Services’ client list is full!
If you’re looking for a Virtual Assistant then I highly recommend visiting www.asecretary.com fill in the request for proposal form and Kathie will help you to find someone.
It stuns me that I have reached this point in my business so quickly but to provide quality support to my current clients, I can no longer take on new clients. That’s how the dice rolls and I’m ok with that
Filed under: About Us
So you need an online marketing system?
November 19, 2008 by Kylie Short
If you’re selling information products, physical products, downloads or audios, chances are you need a reliable shopping cart system to handle the entire process for you.
While I’ve used a few now, the shopping cart system that stands out in my mind is 1ShoppingCart.com
This shopping cart system allows you to sign up for a fully functioning trial and as your business grows, it grows with you. All you do is upgrade your package as you need to.
It truely is a state of the art fully functional online marketing system.
Filed under: Online Marketing