If you read Lesson 1, you know the lesson is to get started imperfectly.
Lesson 2 is about getting started simply.
And one of the biggest barriers to simplicity these days is technology.
Let’s go back to my client who had just 1 person on her list. Once she made the decision to start sending emails, the next hurdle was: which program to use?
To dip a toe into the overwhelming number of options, do a quick search for “email sending programs.” You will see endless ads and articles that “narrow” down to the top 23 options (ugh).
In the spirit of true simplicity, I’m going to narrow it down to 1 for you.
The program I recommend is Constant Contact.
Yes, I know, it’s kind of old school, but here is why I recommend it:
- Customer Service. Seriously, I shouldn’t even write #2 or #3, because this is SO huge. While there are free programs out there like MailMonkey and SendPurple (names have been changed) – the sheer time and frustration you’ll spend on trying to figure out the answers on your own or dig through community forums to get answers… believe me, the $10-20 a month is worth it.
- Simple Tech. So easy to build an email, add your contacts, send an email. Years ago, a 70-year-old client of mine who was not super tech-savvy built and sent her first email within an hour (with the help of their outstanding customer service).
- Scalable. Start simple with email. Then if you want to add a landing page? Constant Contact can do that. Event marketing? Social media marketing? Integrations with other programs? Yep, CC can do that too.
This is a very specific example, of course. For whatever you’re trying to accomplish right now, here is a quick-start approach to simplifying:
- What is the goal or project?
- What are all the things getting in the way? (brainstorm)
- Regardless of what you’ve done in the past and all of the barriers, what is the SIMPLEST way to reach the goal? In particular, consider how to make it technologically easiest.
- What is the first step? When will you take it?
