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One of the reasons people tell me that they don't have an email newsletter or don't use email marketing is that they don't want to send spam.

A spam email is any unsolicited email usually sent out in bulk and is irrelevant, annoying, and sometimes malicious.

However, those of us who send out email marketing know that we aren't spammers! Instead, we send emails that add VALUE to our subscribers. Our emails contain information they need and could benefit from.

Despite these intentions, a valuable email might get sent straight to the spam folder instead of the recipient's inbox. So, let's discuss why your email might get caught in spam filters—and how you can change this!

#1 Email Authentication

Email authentication is the most significant and easiest issue to fix. I am not techy—even though I love software solutions that make my life easier—but I have made it to the point where I can troubleshoot my client's emails and ensure they are making it to the inbox.

For example, if you are using an email service provider like Constant Contact or ConvertKit—both of which I recommend—you can add DKIM keys. So what's a DKIM Key? I define them as a magic code that tells your recipients' email provider that they are getting an actual email from you and that it isn't spoofing.

#2 Your content is setting off spam flags everywhere

• Keep an eye out for spam trigger words. These words feel sleazy, needy, manipulative, and far-fetched. Avoid using words or phrases like Urgent, Don't Delete, Free Money, Lose Weight, Billions, and Help!
• Look through the spam emails in your junk folder. Notice that many of them are riddled with spelling and grammar errors.
• I understand you're excited about your content, but monitor how many exclamation points you use. The occasional exclamation point won't hurt, but don't overdo it!
• Be mindful when you use big fonts and flashy colors.
• Don't use a URL shortener. Spammers love them.
• Avoid image-only emails. It's just a best practice.
• Make sure your email size is reasonable. If it is too big, it won't get delivered. Yes, this includes the image and attachment sizes.
• Always include an unsubscribe link. Yes, you've worked hard to find subscribers, but they have the freedom to unsubscribe when they want.

#3 Not having a custom domain

Your "from" email address is crucial! AOL and Yahoo emails get caught in spam filters more often than others.

#4 People reporting your emails as spam.

Be careful when adding people to your email list. Only add people who signed up or gave you explicit permission. This is important!

#5 An inactive list

Ensure you keep your list clean and remove people who aren't interacting with your emails. You want a small, engaged audience over a large, unengaged audience. List hygiene is essential, so keep cleaning up your list.

Have any questions? Let me know, and I will happily help however I can!

Resources:

• Just embarking on your email marketing journey? You can always download my beginner's guide to email marketing here!
• Are you ready to discover your list-building style and make email your best business asset? Then, check out my quiz!
• Learn more about list hygiene.
• Click here to read my article about developing your email list.

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In this week's interview, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jessica Tutton, a Facebook Ads expert. Jessica Tutton shares her story with me and provides helpful insight into working with Facebook Ads.

My favorite part about the entire interview?

She was in her van for a nice quiet space, traveling Australia with her husband and children.

Jessica was so open and shared a ton in this interview; it's a fantastic story. I hope you learn some great new information! 


In this episode:

• 01:02: Traveling Australia with the family in a van? We need to know more!
• 05:27: How did you get started in helping people with funnels and Facebook ads?
• 09:10: Cold audience isn't a dirty word.
• 12:44: Progress is better than perfection, and the Apple iOS14 update.
• 18:33: Identifying your target audience.
• 29:48: Finding your niche.

Related links and resources:

• Click here to access Jessica's Facebook Launch Formula. Use KENDRA as your discount code and get 20% off!
• Click here to learn 62+ Targeting Ideas for Course Creators
• Click here to check out Jessica's podcast

Niche Down with Imperfect Marketing:

• Episode 1 with Brenda Meller
• Episode 8 with Brenda Cadman
• Episode 10 with Nancy Maurer
• Episode 46 with Heather Chavin
• Episode 48 with Tim Redmond
• Episode 84 with Kim Thompson-Pinder

Interested in being a guest on the podcast? Send me an email at [email protected]

Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?

Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube.

From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain.

Watch here

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In this week's episode, I speak with Charlotte Balluff, founder of A Place for You. She is a senior care consultant who helps people during tough times. This is the second successful business she has built and follows the sale of the first one.

She is an impressive woman with an amazing network in the senior living space. It was fantastic to talk to her and learn about how she is working to build another company, not just a job for herself.

Click here to follow along with the transcript!

In this episode:

00:02:20 What surprised you about owning a business with employees?
00:07:28 You seem to understand your target audience. How have you identified them?
00:12:30 How do you stay top of mind in a situation with a ton of urgency?
00:16:27 How else do you market your business?
00:22:11 What's your biggest marketing lesson learned?

Related Links and Resources:

• A Place for You
• Have you identified your Target Audience?
• Improve your visibility WITHOUT paid ads

Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?

Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube.

From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain.

Watch here

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Throughout my career, the main focus has always been on reaching our audience where they are and creating content that would entice them to buy, make them feel good about their purchase, or even just so they saw our name. It's about staying top of mind.

Most people start out in marketing with tactics, and it should be driven by your goals and strategy. Your goals define your strategy, and your tactics should come from there.

Now, if your goal is to engage your audience, you need their attention, right? One way to get their attention is to provide them with content that resonates with them.

Have you ever driven down the road and seen a billboard and started nodding your head? Or seen a commercial that really spoke to you?

I always reference the 1 800 Contacts Commercial. Most of you won't know, but I have always had really bad vision. I had vision correction surgery and now just wear glasses to read and see the computer, but I can walk down the hall and everything.

Yep. I couldn't always see to walk down the hall. My contact prescription was worse than a -16!

Anyway, with vision that bad, I had special eyes, and years later, I still remember this commercial.

First, you really want to understand your target audience. I am a broken record with this statement, it's true!

I just finished a new guide to defining your target audience and would love to know your thoughts. You can get it at Kendracorman.com/target

What else can you do?

1. If they sign up for your emails or a downloadable, be sure to send a welcome email that thanks them for opting in and letting them know what they will be receiving from you.
2. Be sure to get to the point. Keep paragraphs short and easy to read. Make sure you have calls to action or the main point before they have to scroll. Back in the olden days, we called it above the fold when we were working with newspapers, but now it's all about above the scroll. (this goes for your website and your emails)
3. Make sure your subject line or headline breaks through and intrigues people but is also easy to digest.
4. Use video. People love to interact with videos, and we all read so much. It's important to keep your message digestible, and if a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a heck of a lot more.

How do you get the attention of your audience? Let me know at [email protected].

Resources:

• The difference between strategy and tactics
• What's your list-building style?
• Brief on short-form video

Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?

Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube.

From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain.

Watch here

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Information is very valuable.

Google and Facebook have built huge empires just based on information.

You can get information about your email subscribers in many different ways.

• Surveys- ask questions that you want to know the answers to. Use it as market research.
• Ask your email subscribers to update their profiles.
• Buttons in the email asking them about their interest in different types of information.
• Inside Constant Contact, you can create click segmentation lists and reach out to people based on their interests.
• Emails asking for more information. If you have a small list, ask for feedback.

Why do you want more information?

Well, knowledge is power. I have seen that over and over again in my career, from the corporate world to working with my clients.

However, in the world of email marketing and content marketing, it gives you insight into your target audiences and the ability to segment your audience and provide them with content they want and need that is relevant and timely for their personal life or their business.

The more you know, the better content you can create, and the more they will know, like, and trust you.

The more they know, like, and trust you, the more business you can do with them because they will want to buy from you.

How are you planning to learn more from your customers? I would love to know; send me an email at [email protected].

Free email marketing tools:

• A beginner’s guide to email marketing
• Learn how to craft compelling subject lines
• Reach your first 1,000 subscribers
• Identify your list-building strategy

Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?

Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube.

From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain.

Watch here

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Welcome back to Imperfect Marketing. This week I speak with Andrea Walker-Leidy of Walker Publicity Consulting.

Andrea and I spoke about a ton of marketing and PR topics for your business, including defining your target audience, going viral, and how being different is better than being better.

In this episode:

00:01:32 How Andrea tells stories
00:04:46 Where are your referrals really coming from?
00:09:24 Personal and professional branding- business is personal
00:24:14 What does going viral mean to you?
00:35:12 Right now is better than perfect

Click here to access the transcript and follow along!

Related Links and Resources:

• Visit Walker Publicity Consulting
• Walker News
• Interview with Roop Raj
• Marketing Profs Podcast, Different is Better than Better, Part 1

Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?

Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube.

From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain.

Watch here

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Okay, okay, I really don't mean to beware of templates. I LOVE templates and swipe files and like to take inspiration from other sources regularly!

BUT... if you don't proof your content or have fallback information in your automation system, you shouldn't bother to send the email.

Think about an email you have received that clearly had templated information that wasn't filled in.

How did that make you feel?

What did you think about the company that sent it?

Listen in to this Imperfect Marketing Brief where I stress the importance of proofreading your work.

Free email marketing tools:

• A beginner’s guide to email marketing
• Learn how to craft compelling subject lines
• Reach your first 1,000 subscribers
• Identify your list-building strategy

Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?

Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube.

From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain.

Watch here

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Yes, an A-frame is a tool used by a lot of retail stores to drive foot traffic.  What can we learn from an A-frame for digital marketing?

There are many things we can learn from retail brick-and-mortar store marketing to use in the online world.

Look at your home page.

Does it invite people in?

Is it outdated?

How can you create a social connection around your online business? A lot of retail stores create social connections with events.

What do you see in the mall or in your local downtown that draws you in? 

How are you nurturing your current customers?

Don't just work to increase your foot traffic; nurture and love your current customers.

There is so much to learn and apply to digital businesses from brick-and-mortar businesses. I would love to hear about what you have learned and apply from retail stores in your online marketing.

Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?

Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube.

From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain.

Watch here

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This week's episode features Liz Wiggins, a clinical psychologist who grew up in a public accounting firm.

Liz joins me to talk about her lessons learned while growing her business and provides tips to help you grow yours.

If you want a spoiler, this episode is about listening—or you can jump forward to around the 8-minute mark and hear for yourself!

In this episode:

• 00:01:11: Meet Liz Wiggins
• 00:08:06: Tips for Building your Network
• 00:13:50: How Liz identified her target audience
• 00:19:15: How do you work with referral partners?
• 00:24:22: How do personality tests help business owners?
• 00:28:25: Setting up get-acquainted projects

Related Links and Resources:

• Click here to check out Liz's company, Transitions Training
• Click here to learn more about Inforum
• Click here to identify your target audience
• Grow your business with a strong, strategic foundation
• Overcome limiting beliefs with Michelle Vroom
• Growing your business with Facebook adds

Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?

Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube.

From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain.

Watch here

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This week on Imperfect Marketing I speak with Carol Ward, of FranNet of Michigan.

Carol is a 5th generation entrepreneur and started in PR and Communications. She, like me, believes in integrated marketing and trying new things. Carol is also a fan of email marketing and works hard to grow her list.

She is also dedicated to helping people. Be sure to listen in for more.

In this episode we cover:

• 00:00:44: A fifth-generation business owner
• 00:03:43: How does helping others translate to success?
• 00:09:38: How Carol works to grow her email list
• 00:18:26: Leveraging "in-person" networking
• 00:21:47: How her experience in communications helped her grow her business
• 00:29:04: What's the biggest mistake she sees with new business owners?
• 00:33:28: What's your biggest marketing lesson learned?

Click Here to access the transcript and follow along!

Related Links and Resources:

• Click Here To Download the Roadmap To Success Guide
• Connect with Carol on LinkedIn
• Click Here To Subscribe to Carol's You Tube Channel
• Want to chat with Carol? Click here to reach out! 
• Looking for more marketing help? Join Kendra's Facebook Community
• Click Here To Connect with Kendra on LinkedIn

Interested in being a guest on the podcast? Send me an email at [email protected]

Looking to leverage AI? Want better results? Want to think about what you want to leverage?

Check and see how I am using it for FREE on YouTube.

From "Holy cow, it can do that?" to "Wait, how does this work again?" – I've got all your AI curiosities covered. It's the perfect after-podcast snack for your tech-hungry brain.

Watch here