Podcast: Download

We opened the show with Simms Jenkins with BrightWave Marketing. He asked if email was dead yet? Hardly. With new business models centered on email as the “product”, the return on investmentstill surging and innovation occurring in the email channel, email marketing is the go to marketing platform for anydigital marketer. Simms spoke about the innovations of the hot again email channel and talked about where email is headed in the future. He is the author of “The Truth About Email Marketing”  which presented how top brands and technology are making email marketing go beyond customer retention, loyalty and sales.

Simms also covered how email plays a crucial role in emerging digital platforms, such associal and mobile. The questions of how email and social live together was not only addressed but real examplesof how to better leverage the channels for the sake of your brand and sales were demonstrated as well.

Next up we had on a couple of Atlanta’s Best Connectors Katy Gillis with eWomen Network. Katy serves the Atlanta business community as the Managing Director of the Atlanta Chapter of eWomen Network, where she not only does her own networking to the tune of 80% of her new business growth, but connects local women in business with the access to connections, resources, andopportunities to promote their services and in doing so, create more business transactions. She is serious about being a business connector, and schedules 5 hours each week specifically to connect people. Her personal mission is to meet and connect with 100 new people, both locally and nationally, every month to constantly add new value to her network base with new connections. Since accepting the role of Managing Director in February 2011, the Atlanta chapter has grown by 300%.

We closed the show with our good friend and legendary business connector Emile Paradis with Referral Institute Atlanta. Emile explained that networking and referrals have become an integral part of new business development strategy for most small businesses. Yet so many have been only marginally successful at tapping into the valuable resources they have developed. Learning some basic truths about utilizing your networks and developing key referral sources can make a huge difference in the amount of business you consistently obtain through referrals. Be sure to check out Emile’s monthly networking luncheons to learn more.

A special shout out to our sponsor – the Business Marketing Association – Atlanta Chapter.  Please go to their website to register for their monthly networking events www.bmaatlanta.com/events

Also . . . if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about, please email Amy Otto at Amy@ atlantabusinessradio.com and we’ll invite them to appear on the show.