Just when you thought you had your fill of Salesforce by reading all of the blogs out there (h/t Salesforce Ben for this list) , you need to go for a walk, hop on a train, or (gasp!) get on a plane with no internet service. What’s an awesome Salesforce person to do? Subscribe and download my friends, subscribe and download (to Salesforce podcasts!).

But what Salesforce podcast is best for you? I suggest you try out a few and find the best fit. Here are some resources to help you out:

Salesforce Podcasts by Francis Pindar from January 1, 2015
A nice, quick overview of just some of the Salesforce podcasts out there, including links to the shows and social profiles of the hosts
http://www.radnip.com/salesforce-podcasts/
​
List of Podcasts for Salesforce Developers and Admins by Jitendra Zaa from October 20, 2015
The bios are a bit more detailed in this list post, and includes one or two that are not included in Francis’ post.
http://www.jitendrazaa.com/blog/salesforce/list-of-podcasts-for-salesforce-developers-and-admins/

So now it’s time for the inception portion of our post, as if the above wasn’t meta enough for you.

Here’s my post about my favorite Salesforce podcast, Cloud Focus Weekly, explaining 5 reasons why you should listen, especially if you’re a nonprofit. Let’s just say frenemies are involved. https://longshoreconsulting.wordpress.com/2015/05/07/best-salesforce-podcast-for-nonprofits/

And now of course the reason I was inspired to think about all of this out there: I appeared as a guest of the Button Click Admin Podcast! Here’s a writeup of the episode, which includes a link to listen and a mention of #AdminHour.
https://admin.salesforce.com/missy-longshore-changing-lives-hashtag

Even more fun:

As I prepared to be on the Button Click Admin podcast (thanks again Mike and Gillian!), I listened to a lot of episodes and learned there are now even more Salesfore-themed and Salesforce-adjacent podcasts. These include:

The Marketing Cloudcast - it’s awesome and you do not have to be a Salesforce marketing cloud customer to enjoy it.  My favorite episode so far was the DonorsChoose.org one.

One of These Things Podcast - with Salesforce MVPs Becka, Jared, and Matt - interesting dialogue with fun too; I loved the recent discussion of TrailheaDX - how is it pronounced?
https://twitter.com/sfdc_nerd
 
Marketing Over Coffee: definitely Salesforce adjacent, but super popular and informative!

Feeling overwhelmed by all this information? Looking for a partner to help you manage your time and hold you accountable so you can make amazing social change by getting your Salesforce organized? Let’s talk! Longshore Consulting is here to help you by managing the information overload of the Salesforce world so you don’t have to feel overwhelmed.

Today we’ll be looking at Salesforce and the integration with your preferred mass email provider. I have seen countless organizations use both these tools effectively. Combining these two elements can dramatically improve your campaigns.
 
Effective integration to align both these elements starts with these 7 tips:
 
1. Strategy
The most important part of any effective campaign is strategy. Think about what you want to achieve: a strong online presence? Higher donor satisfaction and retention? This will set the foundation for your strategy goals.
 
2. Communication
Next you need to communicate your strategy goals to the people that you work with. Involve everyone - just because they might not be directly involved in your work does not mean they don't have ideas and information that you could use to execute your strategy in the best way possible.
What I have typically seen in various organizations is different people executing different elements of each campaign with their own strategies in mind. Create cohesion in your organization by working towards the same strategy goals - this can only come from effective communication.
 
3. Goal Setting
Have a number and a deadline - be clear and specific. The more specific you are, the more likely you are to achieve your goals. For example, we want to increase monthly donors by 20%, or we want to attract 100 new email subscribers.
 
4. Meaningful Content
Really understand what your audience wants to see from you, and create meaningful content that exceeds their expectations. Timely communication is one thing, but meaningful content is king in this day and age of information overload.
 
5. Visually Appealing Content
People will spend more time with content that they find visually appealing. So take the time to build email communication that is both meaningful and relevant to your audience, but also easy on the eye. Consider the last email newsletter you opened. What made you open it? What did you like about the layout and design? Can you apply these design elements to your own work?
 
6. Tracking Results
Now that you’re working towards meeting your goals, you need to track your progress. What are your emails doing once you send them? Is your audience opening them? Are they unsubscribing? Are they forwarding your content? You need to know exactly what happens to your email once you send it. Then you can use that information to improve your content to reach your goals faster.
 
7. Segment
Creating meaningful content starts from understanding your audience. One simple way to do this is to segment your database. You can do this through your Salesforce CRM standard and custom fields. For example, if I’m planning on running a Salesforce training in New York and Philadelphia in May, I need to be able to segment my database geographically in order to invite relevant people to each event. It means you have to create more content to reach the different segments, but communicating with the right people in the right way can lead to great wins!
 
Are you excited about integrating Salesforce and email marketing at your nonprofit? Contact Longshore Consulting today for a consultation so you can start, jumpstart, or refine your efforts. Either way, make sure you subscribe to get the very latest information and exclusive fun tips in your inbox.

​Want more fun? Check out the slide version of this post below!

I have been inspired by the Salesforce Women in Tech Diversity calls recently (which are awesome, and you should join the group in the Success Community), so I thought I'd share a few recent articles that have furthered my learning, as a white person, on the issues of diversity, racism, privilege, and how this relates to what I can do as a white person. 

One thing you can do: follow all of these amazing people on social media to continue to educate yourself! 

Check Your Privilege by Shonnah @SaaSy_Sistah

Husband and Wife by micah @neutrois

Equal Pay Day Inequality (thanks to Toya Gatewood, @ToyaGatewood)

Ethnic Diversity Could Actually Help the Economy

Wanna Impact Diversity in Tech? I Got You! by Marvin Stickel @PandoraAssMarv

What Can White Dudes Do? by Mary Scotton @rockchick322004

Exposing the Reality of Black Women and Venture Funding: digitalundivided Founder Kathryn Finney on #Project Diane by Kathryn Finney @KathrynFinney

What do you think? What other articles have you read in 2016 that you would recommend? Let me know on Twitter @missylongshore or in the comments! 

Are you with a social change organization using Salesforce? Be sure to grab your free social sector Salesforce success check list on the Longshore Consulting web site for great tips to boost your adoption and more!