Constant Contact Offers Marketing Advice to Help Richmond, VA-area Entrepreneurs Achieve Long-term Success.

Company provides top 10 marketing tips to help local small businesses stay connected with customers and grow profits

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Representing 99.7 percent of all employers nationwide, small businesses are key drivers for the U.S. economy. In the Richmond, VA-area alone, there are 39,334 small businesses (according to ReferenceUSA), contributing to local job growth, economic diversity, and innovation. To help educate Richmond-area businesses and organizations, Constant Contact([R]) (www.constantcontact.com), the leading email marketing service for small businesses, associations, and nonprofits, is offering tips and expert advice.

Small businesses, associations, and nonprofits face intense pressures to stay connected with their current customers and members - especially today when consumers have many options, whether online or on Main Street. Adding to these challenges, many small businesses and organizations also have limited budgets and resources.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, more than 50 percent of small businesses fail in the first year and 95 percent fail within the first five years. For many entrepreneurs, the right business and marketing solutions are critical for long-term success. Growing a small business or association starts with reaching out to the people who already know them - their current customers or members. For all types of small businesses, associations, and nonprofits, email marketing is an easy and cost effective way to build the relationships that will lead to lasting growth.

Top 10 Tips for growing a small business or association using the power of email marketing:

1. Know your goals. Email marketing is a great way to achieve business and membership goals. Define them.

2. Identify your target audiences. Determine the industries, customers, prospects, potential investors, donors, and stakeholders that will be most interested in hearing from you.

3. Build a great list. Begin building your email list by collecting email addresses with permission (agreement that you are allowed to send email to an individual or organization) at every point of contact with your customers or members.

4. Pay close attention to your current customers. They're the ones that will drive your future growth. You can learn a lot about their interests and buying habits simply by listening closely and soliciting their feedback during in-person meetings, over the phone, or through your email campaigns.

5. Determine campaign frequency. Take a look at your calendar to decide what information to communicate and when.

6. Make it interesting. Email campaigns that are personalized and relevant are more interesting and useful to recipients.

7. Offer them something. Promotions, coupons, and special announcements are a great way to bring customers in the door and coming back.

8. Watch the numbers. Use tracking and metrics to improve email campaign results by sending more targeted emails based on the particular interests and buying habits of your customers.

9. Keep it fresh and simple. People are busy, so try and vary your content to keep their interest while also making your email campaigns simple, concise, and to the point.

10. Get started. The only way to build a successful email marketing program is to get started. No list is too small.

For more email marketing tips, go to http://www.constantcontact.com/email-marketing- resources/hints-tips/index.jsp

(Editor's Note: Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste it into your Internet browser's URL address field.)

About Constant Contact

Launched in 1998 and headquartered in Waltham, Mass., Constant Contact is the leading email marketing service for small businesses, associations, and nonprofits. With more than 75,000 customers today, Constant Contact helps small businesses and organizations succeed in building lasting customer relationships through professional email communications. To learn more, please visit www.constantcontact.com or call [phone].

Roving, Roving Software, Constant Contact, the Constant Contact Logo, Do-It-Yourself Email Marketing, The smart way to reach your customers, Email Marketing Made Easy, Email Marketing 101, Email Marketing Diva, Email Marketing Hints & Tips, and SafeUnsubscribe are trademarks or service marks or registered trademarks or service marks of Roving Software Incorporated d/b/a Constant Contact. All other company and product names may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.