Tune in to hear how Tea’s Me Cafe uses social media to engage its community, what’s working for email list building, and how the tea house launched an ambassador program to complement these efforts.
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Episode Highlights
Inflection points from the show
[00:46] What’s the deal?: Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, outlines who the Be a Marketer podcast is for and how it can help small businesses achieve marketing goals.
[12:19] Free throw line to tea time: WNBA Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings purchased the Tea’s Me Cafe in 2017. Three years later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, requiring her to make a pivot.
[17:48] Hiring philosophy: For Tamika, hiring great people and building a solid team are critical elements of growing the tea house. That’s why she’s all about cultural fit and avoids hiring people who will just show up to clock in and clock out.
[24:00] Tea and talk: Tea’s Me Cafe offers a range of events — in-person and online — to foster community and create a space where people can talk freely. Tamika discusses the genesis of these events as well as how she tries to incorporate Facebook and Instagram Live.
[31:17] Marketing muscle: Tamika describes how Constant Contact has helped streamline the tea house’s email marketing program and given the business other powerful tools.
[34:11] It’s all about segmentation: Sending relevant emails to customers is critical, which is why segmenting your list is a must. Tamika also talks about growing her email list using QR codes and other tools.
[38:53] Make sure they feel welcome: An email welcome sequence is one of the best things you can do to market your business. Dave outlines how to set up a series of welcome emails to deepen your relationship with customers.
[43:29] Selfies & ambassadors: Tea’s Me has several social media accounts and launched an ambassador program to connect with customers.
[48:04] Biz advice: Tamika has two main pieces of advice for fellow business owners: Surround yourself with the right people, and stay the course.