Not particularly the announcement I’d make, but you get the idea.

What do you do if you can’t easily and quickly make a page on your web site (or goodness gracious, don’t even have a web site for your consignment, thrift, resale shop!), but

you have something you really want to tell folks

MORE folks than just those who open your emails? Like, the world and everyone in it, theoretically?

Well, if you use Constant Contact* for your graphical email blasts, your email can become

a stand-alone “announcement” page you can link to

on your site, your blog, your Facebook and your Twitter and all those places. Use it all over the place, all the time. It’s simple, just click that you want to archive the created email. (There is a $5 a month charge and you can archive 250 such announcements or e-newsletters. Imagine, you could have 250 separate announcements to use in your social media! Think “what we’re taking now”, “10 Reasons to shop MyShop”, “Meet the Crew”, not to mention time-specific posts about events, sales, promotions.)

Great for sale announcements, reminders of upcoming events, seasonal-change prods to consignors, sellers, donors… just about anything you think of. Why, this page not only gets your message out to people who may never have heard of you, it even builds your mailing list.

A simple example from a consignment shop.

Some things to keep in mind as you create these messages:

• Stick to one topic. This is not the place to tell all about your shop. Think billboard, not newsletter.
• Viewers will not necessarily know who you are, so provide a link to your web site. Or at least, your shop name, address, contact info, hours.
• Start your branding immediately with these potential clients: your logo, your colors, an image of your shop. Don’t go around arbitrarily using all sorts of templates; stick to your proven look.
• Always use the “sign up to receive our newsletter” option… after all, you want more folks receiving your next emails.
• Always choose the “social media” option so Twitter, FB, etc buttons make it easy for viewers to pass on the word. (And of course, make the announcement fun, good, spectacular enough that they will!)

* Other broadcast email services probably offer similar options; explore yours. Don’t use any such service yet? I highly recommend Constant Contact, and if you sign up for their free 60-day trial through TGtbT, here, and like it, they grant $60 credit: $30 for your own emails, and they donate $30 to TGtbT’s Used ain’t seen nothin’ yet e-newsletter for Professional Resalers. And if you don’t yet receive USED, you can sign up here.