Be a Marketer with Dave Charest: Recent Episodes
Constant Contact
As a small business owner, you need to be a lot of things to make your business go, but you don't have to be a marketer alone. Hear Dave's best advice, along with stories from Constant Contact customers who have been there, done that, and tips from guest experts — so you can make progress from wherever you are in your marketing journey.
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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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
If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions.
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.”
👋 Where to find Constant Contact: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook |Instagram
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
If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions.
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
👋 Where to find Andolini’s Pizzeria: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
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.
👉 How to create a survey page
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
If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions.
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
If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions.
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
👋 Where to find Paul’s Beauty Warehouse: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to RateThisPodcast.com/bam and follow the simple instructions.
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
👋 Where to find Dear Handmade Life: Website| Podcast | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
Be a Marketer with Dave Charest is a podcast designed for Constant Contact customers. Find out what to expect so you can make progress from wherever you are in your marketing journey.