Newbie Looking for Advice on Managing Contacts/Emails!

[WendyE]

Hi all! I am in my first 30 days and trying to figure out the best way to organize/manage my contacts/email lists BEFORE my list gets too big. I'd love to hear how everyone is organizing their contacts and then using them for emails and newsletters. Here a the areas I'm confused about...

- Are my contacts in P3 automatically transferred to my website contact list so I can send the company generated emails/newsletters, or do I have to make that happen some how? I can see some of my contacts showed up there and some didn't even though I checked the box saying 'add to my contacts' when I entered them in a show. I wanted to send the cyber monday email out yesterday and had to go through and figure out who was there and who wasn't and put them all in AGAIN. I'm thinking I don't want to have to do that all the time!

- I have noticed people on here talking about iContact and others like it. Could someone explain how this works and how it connects to P3 and/or our websites for sending company emails/newsletter? Do you maintain a list on iContact only and not on P3 at all? Or do you use both and have to input twice?

- I've read about outside newsletters people use (which I think are nicer because all the info is there and it's not all links that people might not bother to click on). I'm wondering which ones people like and how they link them to their email list?

- I feel like I am having to type info for contacts over and over, and I'm pretty sure it's just because I don't know how to transfer them from one place to another. OR because I am not starting in the right place and having them trickle down to the other places I will need them. Could you share when and where you type in your contact FIRST and how it then gets to other places for use in emails and newsletters? I am hoping that if enough people share their method of email/contact management, it will all come into focus for me and I will read about one clicks for me!

- I'm also wondering how to keep names and addresses or EVERYONE I come in contact with (guests, drawings, info sheets from fairs, etc) but separate out the ones that are willing to receive emails from me? How do you keep this part organized?

Thanks everyone for your input!! It's all so confusing to me right now!

 

[NooraK]

Hi all! I am in my first 30 days and trying to figure out the best way to organize/manage my contacts/email lists BEFORE my list gets too big. I'd love to hear how everyone is organizing their contacts and then using them for emails and newsletters. Here a the areas I'm confused about...

- Are my contacts in P3 automatically transferred to my website contact list so I can send the company generated emails/newsletters, or do I have to make that happen some how? I can see some of my contacts showed up there and some didn't even though I checked the box saying 'add to my contacts' when I entered them in a show. I wanted to send the cyber monday email out yesterday and had to go through and figure out who was there and who wasn't and put them all in AGAIN. I'm thinking I don't want to have to do that all the time!

There is a sync function in P3. The button is in the toolbar, on the left, and looks like two arrows. You have to have your PWS address added into the preferences for it to work.

- I have noticed people on here talking about iContact and others like it. Could someone explain how this works and how it connects to P3 and/or our websites for sending company emails/newsletter? Do you maintain a list on iContact only and not on P3 at all? Or do you use both and have to input twice?

iContact is a great way to manage unsubscribes and get reporting, but it does cost money. It is a 3rd party service, so it does not link to your PWS or P3. I personally use MailChimp, since I can get 1000 contacts for free. I export my contacts out of P3 to get them into MC.

- I've read about outside newsletters people use (which I think are nicer because all the info is there and it's not all links that people might not bother to click on). I'm wondering which ones people like and how they link them to their email list?

I use Tasty Tidbits, many others also use My Email Designs. I like all the variety Joy creates in her newsletters.

- I feel like I am having to type info for contacts over and over, and I'm pretty sure it's just because I don't know how to transfer them from one place to another. OR because I am not starting in the right place and having them trickle down to the other places I will need them. Could you share when and where you type in your contact FIRST and how it then gets to other places for use in emails and newsletters? I am hoping that if enough people share their method of email/contact management, it will all come into focus for me and I will read about one clicks for me!

I enter show guests into P3, then sync with my PWS and export a file into my Google contacts in Gmail and into MailChimp. I use Gmail because it syncs with my phone, and I can carry all my contacts with me. If I have an out-and-about contact, I'll manually enter them into Gmail and MC.

- I'm also wondering how to keep names and addresses or EVERYONE I come in contact with (guests, drawings, info sheets from fairs, etc) but separate out the ones that are willing to receive emails from me? How do you keep this part organized?

You can create groups in most contact management options you might choose, including in P3 and PWS. I have a "MailChimp" group in my Gmail also. I also ask for an email by asking if they'd like my newsletter. That way, all the emails I get want my newsletter and if they want to unsubscribe later, they can.

Thanks everyone for your input!! It's all so confusing to me right now!

It can get overwhelming, but that's why we're here to help.

 

[pcsharon1]

What she said I personally use Icontact and TastyTidbits as well and wish I had done a better job from the beginning with my contacts. For now, since you are new, if you choose not to spend extra money on Icontact at this point, I would just make sure that you are syncing your website and P3 and keeping in touch with your customers 1-2 times a month using the emails and newsletter HO provides.

 

[ShellBeach]

One thing I wish I had done with my notes & software from the get-go was, writing a memo about how I met this person. I did quite a few booths over the years and I entered some of the info from the slips into my P3 software. I wish I'd entered all of it into my email contacts instead.


It's everyone's personal preference; I don't have a PC website anymore nor the extra cash to use any paid service for email letters.

You're right, you do have to type some stuff in twice. P3 has a function to export contacts to an email contact. I've had to correct things every time I've used it, but it's still better than starting from scratch!



So...flash forward to 3 years later and my notes are not so stellar as I thought. My slips got all messed up in a disaster of packing in a hurry for a last-minute show.
It would be nice if I had a firm "I met you at the fall festival", or "I met you at the spring festival" when doing out-of-the blue calls on some of those slips. Oh well!


I use email now. I split them into chunks so my ISP doesn't think I'm sending spam. Very cleverly, I have named them groups like "PC contacts A-B", "PC contacts C-D", and so on. If they don't want contacted via email, I don't enter an email but their phone or address is still there for when I'm calling


You are SOOOO smart to pay attention to this before it gets out of hand!

 

[raebates]

In the section of P3 where you can personalize it, you have the option to automatically add contacts. It will do this when you submit a show. Otherwise you'll have to tell it with each new contact that you want to add that person to your contacts. Plus, when you go to put a contact in, if you type just the first name then hit the search button it will find people with that first name in your contact list.

 

[WendyE]

iContact is a great way to manage unsubscribes and get reporting, but it does cost money. It is a 3rd party service, so it does not link to your PWS or P3. I personally use MailChimp, since I can get 1000 contacts for free. I export my contacts out of P3 to get them into MC.

Reply - How do you export your contacts from P3 to MC? Or your gmail (I just opened a Yahoo acct for Pampered Chef biz, but probably same process?)


I use Tasty Tidbits, many others also use My Email Designs. I like all the variety Joy creates in her newsletters.

Reply - How do you connect your email addresses to the newsletter?>


I enter show guests into P3, then sync with my PWS and export a file into my Google contacts in Gmail and into MailChimp. I use Gmail because it syncs with my phone, and I can carry all my contacts with me. If I have an out-and-about contact, I'll manually enter them into Gmail and MC.

Reply - This is redundant I think, but how do export a file from PWS or P3 into gmail and mailchimp? then how do you connect mailchimp to the newsletter?

Thanks for all the great info! I am starting to get it! Just a few more answers and I think I'll have a system! I can't thank you enough for taking the time to respond Noora!