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How to Set Up Your Mailchimp Audience

How to Set Up Your Mailchimp Audience

by | Sep 10, 2025 | Business, Email Marketing, Mailchimp

Before you start sending emails, creating automations or designing beautiful newsletters, you need to make sure your Mailchimp audience is set up correctly.

Your audience is where your contacts live. It is the foundation of your email marketing.

And while setting it up might not be the most exciting part of using Mailchimp, getting it right from the beginning can save you a lot of headaches later.

A poorly organised audience can make it harder to segment contacts, personalise emails and understand where your subscribers came from.

Let's set things up properly.

What Is a Mailchimp Audience?

Your audience is your central database of contacts.

This may include:

  • Email subscribers
  • Customers
  • Clients
  • Leads
  • Event attendees
  • People who downloaded a free resource
  • Anyone who has given you permission to receive your marketing

Within your audience, you can organise contacts using tools such as tags, groups and segments.

The goal is not to create the world's most complicated filing system.

The goal is to make it easy to understand who your contacts are and send relevant emails to the right people.

Step 1: Go to Your Audience

Log in to Mailchimp and navigate to your Audience area.

If you are setting up your account for the first time, you may already have an audience created during the onboarding process.

Take some time to look around before adding contacts.

You will eventually use this area to manage your subscribers and review their information.

Step 2: Check Your Audience Name

Your audience name should be clear and recognisable.

This name may be shown to subscribers in certain communications, including signup forms or subscription-related messages.

Use a name that makes sense to your audience.

For example:

  • Anne C Clark Email List
  • The Business Growth Community
  • Weekly Marketing Tips

Avoid vague names that mean nothing to the person subscribing.

Your audience should immediately understand who they are hearing from.

Step 3: Check Your Default Sender Details

Your sender details are important because they help subscribers recognise your emails.

Review your:

  • From name
  • From email address
  • Reply-to email address

Your From name should be something your subscribers will recognise.

For example:

Anne C Clark

or

Anne from Anne C Clark

Consistency matters.

If someone signs up through your website and then receives an email from an unfamiliar sender, there is a good chance they will ignore it, delete it or unsubscribe.

Step 4: Add the Right Audience Fields

Audience fields allow you to store information about your contacts.

For a simple email list, you may only need:

  • First name
  • Email address

As your business grows, you may want additional information such as:

  • Last name
  • Business name
  • Location
  • Interests
  • Services they are interested in

Before adding a field, ask yourself:

Will I actually use this information?

If the answer is no, you probably do not need to collect it.

The more information you request from someone, the more friction you can create during the signup process.

Keep it simple.

Step 5: Think About How You Will Organise Your Contacts

Before you start adding hundreds of contacts, think about how you might want to organise them.

Mailchimp provides several ways to do this.

Tags

Tags are useful for identifying information about a contact or where they came from.

For example:

  • Website subscriber
  • Lead magnet
  • Webinar attendee
  • Client
  • Customer
  • Course student

Groups

Groups allow subscribers to be organised around interests or preferences.

For example, someone may choose to receive information about:

  • Email marketing
  • Social media
  • Online business
  • Courses

Segments

Segments allow you to create audiences based on specific conditions.

For example, you might create a segment for:

  • Contacts who clicked a particular link
  • People who joined in the past 30 days
  • Subscribers with a particular tag
  • Contacts who have not engaged recently

You do not need to master all of these on day one.

Start with a simple system that you understand.

Step 6: Create a Basic Tagging Strategy

One of the easiest ways to stay organised is to tag contacts based on how they joined your list.

For example:

Contact Source Suggested Tag
Website signup form Website
Free download Lead Magnet
Online event Webinar
Paid programme Customer
Existing client Client
Social media promotion Instagram

This information can become extremely useful later.

For example, if you discover that people who download a particular free guide are highly interested in one of your services, you can create a targeted email campaign around that topic.

Without knowing where your contacts came from, this becomes much harder.

Step 7: Review Your Signup Form Settings

Your audience and signup forms work together.

Before promoting your form, make sure:

  • New contacts are being added to the correct audience
  • Your form collects the information you need
  • Your confirmation process is working correctly
  • Your welcome email is ready, if you are using one
  • Any relevant tags are applied

Test your form yourself before sharing it publicly.

Yes, actually fill it in.

Click the buttons.

Check the emails.

You would be amazed how often something looks perfect until a real person tries to use it.

Step 8: Decide What Happens When Someone Subscribes

Think about the experience a new subscriber will have.

For example:

  1. They visit your website.
  2. They complete your signup form.
  3. They receive a confirmation email, if applicable.
  4. They receive their free resource or welcome email.
  5. They enter your regular email marketing sequence.

This journey should feel connected.

Someone should not download your amazing free guide and then hear absolutely nothing from you for six months.

That is not a customer journey. That is a digital disappearance.

Step 9: Keep Your Audience Clean

As your email list grows, regularly review your contacts.

Look for:

  • Duplicate contacts
  • Incorrect information
  • Unsubscribed contacts
  • Inactive subscribers
  • Old or unnecessary tags

A clean audience is easier to manage and can help you make better marketing decisions.

Step 10: Complete Your Audience Setup Checklist

Before moving on, make sure you have:

Reviewed your audience name

Checked your From name

Checked your From email address

Checked your reply-to email address

Added only the audience fields you need

Created a simple tagging strategy

Reviewed your signup form

Tested the subscriber journey

Considered what happens after someone joins your list

What Should You Do Next?

Once your audience is set up, the next step is adding contacts.

You may already have subscribers, clients or customers who have given you permission to receive marketing emails.

Before importing anyone, make sure you have permission to contact them.

Then you can begin organising your list and preparing for your first campaign.

Ready to Start Building Your Audience?

Start Using Mailchimp Today!

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Getting Started with Mailchimp: A Beginner’s Guide

Getting Started with Mailchimp: A Beginner’s Guide

by | Aug 20, 2025 | Business, Email Marketing, Mailchimp

Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to build a relationship with your audience without relying entirely on social media.

Your social media followers belong to the platform. Your email list is an audience you can communicate with directly.

That is where Mailchimp comes in.

Mailchimp is an email marketing platform that allows you to collect subscribers, organise your audience, create email campaigns and automate parts of your marketing.

If you are completely new to Mailchimp, the platform can feel like it has approximately 4,000 buttons, menus and settings waiting to confuse you. The good news is that you do not need to understand everything before you start.

You just need to understand the foundations.

In this guide, I will walk you through exactly how to get started.

Step 1: Create Your Mailchimp Account

The first step is to create your account.

You can get started with Mailchimp here:

Mailchimp

Once you have created your account, you will be asked to provide information about your business.

This may include:

  • Your business name

  • Your website

  • Your business address

  • Your industry

  • Your existing email contacts

Take your time completing this information. Some of these details may appear in your email footer or be used to help configure your account.

Step 2: Familiarise Yourself with the Dashboard

Once inside Mailchimp, spend a few minutes looking around.

The main areas you will use include:

Audience

This is where your subscribers and contacts are stored.

You can:

  • Add contacts

  • Import existing subscribers

  • Create groups

  • Add tags

  • Build segments

  • View subscriber information

Your audience is the foundation of your email marketing.

Campaigns

This is where you create and send marketing emails.

You can create:

  • Regular email campaigns

  • Automated email sequences

  • Customer journeys

  • Other marketing campaigns depending on your plan and account setup

Automations

Automations allow Mailchimp to send emails based on actions or triggers.

For example, someone might:

  1. Join your email list.

  2. Receive a welcome email.

  3. Receive another email two days later.

  4. Receive an offer a few days after that.

Once set up correctly, automation can continue working in the background.

Step 3: Set Up Your Audience

Before you start sending emails, you need somewhere for your subscribers to live.

In Mailchimp, this is your Audience.

Go to your Audience area and check your existing settings.

Make sure your:

  • From name is correct

  • Reply-to email address is correct

  • Business information is accurate

  • Audience fields are relevant

For most businesses, you may want to collect information such as:

  • First name

  • Last name

  • Email address

Do not go overboard asking for information immediately.

Every additional question on a signup form creates another opportunity for someone to think, "Actually, I cannot be bothered."

Start simple.

You can always collect additional information later through forms, surveys, tags or customer activity.

Step 4: Add Your Existing Contacts

If you already have an email list, you may be able to import those contacts into Mailchimp.

Before importing anyone, make sure they have genuinely given you permission to receive marketing emails.

A bigger email list is not automatically a better email list.

A list of 500 people who actually want to hear from you is far more valuable than a list of 5,000 people who wonder why you suddenly appeared in their inbox.

To import contacts:

  1. Go to Audience.

  2. Select the option to manage or import contacts.

  3. Upload your CSV or spreadsheet file.

  4. Match your spreadsheet columns with the relevant Mailchimp fields.

  5. Review the information before completing the import.

  6. Add tags if you want to identify where the contacts came from.

For example, you might use tags such as:

  • Website subscriber

  • Lead magnet

  • Client

  • Webinar attendee

  • Course student

  • Event attendee

Tags can make your audience much easier to organise later.

Step 5: Create Your Signup Form

Now it is time to give new people a way to join your list.

Your signup form could be used on:

  • Your website

  • A landing page

  • A blog

  • Social media

  • A lead magnet page

  • An event registration page

When creating your form, think about what someone receives in exchange for giving you their email address.

You might offer:

  • A free guide

  • A checklist

  • A discount

  • A webinar

  • A quiz

  • Weekly tips

  • Exclusive content

Your offer needs to answer one important question:

Why should someone give you access to their inbox?

"Subscribe to my newsletter" is not always the most exciting invitation on the internet.

Be specific about the value.

Instead of saying:

Join my newsletter.

Try something like:

Get practical weekly marketing tips to help you grow your business without spending every waking hour on social media.

Now people understand what they are signing up for.

Step 6: Create Your First Email Campaign

Once you have subscribers, you can create your first campaign.

Inside Mailchimp, create a new email campaign and work through the setup.

You will generally need to:

  1. Choose your recipients.

  2. Add your sender name.

  3. Add your sender email address.

  4. Write your subject line.

  5. Add preview text.

  6. Design your email.

  7. Add your content.

  8. Review your settings.

  9. Send a test email.

  10. Schedule or send your campaign.

Choosing Your Recipients

You may choose:

  • Your entire audience

  • A segment

  • A group

  • Tagged contacts

If you are just starting, your entire audience may be appropriate.

As your list grows, segmentation becomes more important.

Step 7: Write a Strong Subject Line

Your subject line has one job.

It needs to encourage someone to open your email.

Avoid trying to be clever just for the sake of being clever.

Instead, focus on being:

  • Clear

  • Relevant

  • Interesting

  • Specific

For example:

Weak: Monthly Newsletter

Better: 5 ways to get more from your email list

The second option gives the reader a reason to care.

Step 8: Keep Your First Email Simple

Your first campaign does not need:

  • Fifteen different fonts

  • Seven animated GIFs

  • Every colour in your brand palette

  • A novel disguised as an email

Simple works.

A good beginner email structure is:

Opening

Start with something relevant to your audience.

Main Message

Share one key idea, update, tip or offer.

Call to Action

Tell the reader what you want them to do next.

For example:

  • Read the blog

  • Download the guide

  • Book a call

  • View the product

  • Reply to the email

One clear action is usually better than giving people seventeen options and hoping they choose one.

Step 9: Send Yourself a Test Email

Before sending your campaign, always send yourself a test.

Check:

  • Subject line

  • Preview text

  • Spelling

  • Links

  • Images

  • Formatting

  • Mobile appearance

  • Call-to-action buttons

Also read your email as if you were the subscriber.

Ask yourself:

Would I know what this email is about?

Would I know what I am supposed to do next?

Would I actually want to receive this?

If the answer is no, make some changes before sending.

Step 10: Review Your Results

After your campaign has been sent, do not simply forget about it and immediately start creating the next one.

Look at your results.

Pay attention to metrics such as:

  • Opens

  • Clicks

  • Engagement

  • Unsubscribes

These numbers can help you understand what your audience responds to.

Over time, you can use this information to improve your:

  • Subject lines

  • Email content

  • Calls to action

  • Sending frequency

  • Segmentation

  • Overall strategy

What to Do Next

Once you have completed the basics, I recommend working through these next steps:

  1. Set up your audience properly.

  2. Import your existing contacts.

  3. Create a signup form.

  4. Start growing your email list.

  5. Create your first campaign.

  6. Learn how tags, groups and segments work.

  7. Create a welcome automation.

  8. Start reviewing your campaign analytics.

You do not need to master every feature immediately.

Start with the foundations and build from there.

Email marketing is not about sending more emails simply because someone told you that you should email your list three times a week.

It is about building a useful and relevant relationship with your audience.

Mailchimp gives you the tools to do that.

The important part is learning how to use those tools strategically.

Ready to Get Started?

If you are ready to start building your email list and sending campaigns, you can create your Mailchimp account here:

Get Started with Mailchimp

Start simple.

Build your audience.

Send useful emails.

Then improve as you go.

Because the truth is, your first email campaign will probably not be your best one.

And that is completely fine.

The only way to get better at email marketing is to actually start sending emails.

Start Using Mailchimp Today!

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5 Mailchimp Features You’re Probably Not Using (But Should!)

5 Mailchimp Features You’re Probably Not Using (But Should!)

by | Dec 19, 2024 | Email Marketing, Mailchimp

Mailchimp is a powerful email marketing platform packed with features designed to help you connect with your audience, drive engagement, and grow your business. While you may already be familiar with its basic tools, there are advanced features that often go unnoticed but can significantly enhance your campaigns. Here are five Mailchimp features you’re probably not using—but absolutely should!

1. Predictive Insights

Did you know Mailchimp uses artificial intelligence to predict customer behaviour? Predictive Insights provide data-driven forecasts on the likelihood of customer purchase or engagement. These insights can help you:

  • Identify your most promising leads.
  • Target high-value customers with exclusive offers.
  • Optimise your campaigns by focusing on audience segments with the highest conversion potential.

Why You Should Use It: This feature takes the guesswork out of marketing and allows you to allocate your resources more effectively.

2. Send Time Optimisation

When you send your emails can have a huge impact on open rates. Mailchimp’s Send Time Optimisation uses historical data to determine the best time to send your campaigns based on your audience’s engagement patterns. You can schedule emails when they’re most likely to be opened and read.

Why You Should Use It: With this feature, you’ll no longer need to guess the best time to reach your audience. Instead, you can maximise your visibility and engagement effortlessly.

3. Dynamic Content

Mailchimp’s Dynamic Content feature allows you to personalise your email campaigns for different audience segments—all within the same email. You can display different text, images, or offers based on subscriber preferences, purchase history, or demographics.

Example: A clothing retailer can show winter coats to subscribers in colder regions and swimsuits to those in warmer areas, all in one email.

Why You Should Use It: Personalisation is key to boosting engagement. Dynamic Content helps you tailor your emails without the need to create multiple campaigns.

4. Automations for E-commerce

Mailchimp’s automation tools for e-commerce go beyond simple welcome emails. You can create sophisticated workflows such as:

  • Abandoned Cart Emails: Automatically remind customers about products they left in their cart.
  • Post-Purchase Follow-ups: Send thank-you emails or suggest complementary products.
  • Win-Back Campaigns: Re-engage customers who haven’t made a purchase in a while.

Why You Should Use It: These automations help you recover lost sales, encourage repeat purchases, and maintain a strong connection with your customers.

5. Surveys and Feedback Forms

Engagement doesn’t stop at sending emails. With Mailchimp’s Survey and Feedback Form tools, you can easily collect valuable input from your subscribers. Use these forms to:

  • Gather insights about your products or services.
  • Identify topics your audience wants to hear about.
  • Measure customer satisfaction.

Mailchimp integrates survey results directly into your audience data, making it easy to refine your marketing strategies.

Why You Should Use It: Understanding your audience is critical for growth. Surveys and feedback forms give you actionable insights to improve your offerings.

Bonus Tip: Use Mailchimp Analytics to Monitor Success

Once you’ve started using these features, track their performance using Mailchimp’s analytics dashboard. Monitor open rates, click-through rates, and conversion metrics to see how these features are improving your campaigns.

Mailchimp is more than just a platform for sending emails; it’s a comprehensive marketing solution. By tapping into features like Predictive Insights, Send Time Optimisation, Dynamic Content, E-commerce Automations, and Surveys, you can unlock its full potential and take your marketing strategy to the next level.

Ready to master Mailchimp? Contact me for personalised training and services to help you make the most of these powerful tools. Together, we’ll transform your email marketing strategy into a results-driven powerhouse!

How to Improve Email Open Rates in Mailchimp

How to Improve Email Open Rates in Mailchimp

by | Dec 19, 2024 | Mailchimp

Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to reach your audience, but even the best campaigns can fall flat if no one opens your emails. With Mailchimp, a powerful email marketing platform, you have the tools to improve open rates—one of the most critical metrics for successful campaigns. Here are actionable strategies to boost your email open rates using Mailchimp.

1. Craft Irresistible Subject Lines

The subject line is your email’s first impression, so make it count. Here’s how to make your subject lines stand out:

  • Be Specific: Instead of “Our Latest Newsletter,” try “10 Quick Ways to Grow Your Email List.”
  • Add Urgency: Use time-sensitive phrases like “Limited Time Offer” or “Don’t Miss Out.”
  • Personalise: Use Mailchimp’s dynamic fields to include the recipient’s name, e.g., “Anne, Here’s Your Exclusive Offer.”

Pro Tip: Test your subject lines using Mailchimp’s A/B testing feature to determine what resonates most with your audience.

2. Focus on Sender Reputation

Your sender name and email address are just as important as the subject line. People are more likely to open emails from a name they recognise and trust. Use a consistent, professional sender name, such as your business name or a recognisable individual within your organisation.

Example: Instead of “noreply@yourbusiness.com,” use “Anne from Your Business.”

3. Optimise Your Timing

Timing is everything in email marketing. Use Mailchimp’s Send Time Optimisation feature to analyse your audience’s engagement patterns and schedule emails when they are most likely to open them.

For general benchmarks:

  • B2B audiences: Send during weekdays, mid-morning.
  • B2C audiences: Early mornings, evenings, or weekends often perform better.

4. Segment Your Audience

One-size-fits-all campaigns rarely achieve high open rates. Use Mailchimp’s segmentation tools to create targeted campaigns based on:

  • Location
  • Purchase behaviour
  • Engagement history
  • Demographics

Example: Send a “Thank You” email to recent buyers or re-engagement emails to inactive subscribers.

5. Personalise Content

Personalisation goes beyond using someone’s name in the email. With Mailchimp, you can tailor content based on:

  • Purchase history
  • Browsing behaviour
  • Past interactions

Example: Send product recommendations or content based on what subscribers have clicked on before.

6. Keep Your List Clean

A bloated email list full of inactive or invalid email addresses can hurt your open rates. Use Mailchimp’s tools to:

  • Remove or re-engage inactive subscribers with a re-engagement campaign.
  • Validate email addresses to avoid high bounce rates.

Pro Tip: Periodically run list hygiene checks to ensure you’re only emailing active users.

7. Write Preview Text That Hooks

Preview text, the snippet that appears next to the subject line in inboxes, is a powerful tool to boost open rates. Use it to:

  • Tease the content of your email.
  • Add a sense of urgency.
  • Include a benefit.

Example: If your subject line is “Big News for You,” the preview text could be, “We’ve just launched something amazing—check it out!”

8. Deliver Value Every Time

Subscribers open emails when they know the content will be valuable. Here’s how to build trust and keep them engaged:

  • Provide actionable tips, discounts, or exclusive offers.
  • Share insights, guides, or updates relevant to your audience.

Pro Tip: Use Mailchimp’s analytics to track which types of content your audience enjoys most.

9. Mobile-Friendly Emails Are a Must

With more than 50% of emails opened on mobile devices, it’s crucial to design for smaller screens. Use Mailchimp’s responsive templates to ensure:

  • Clear, legible fonts.
  • A single-column layout.
  • CTAs (Call to Actions) that are easy to tap.

10. Monitor Your Sender Reputation and Deliverability

A poor sender reputation can send your emails straight to spam. Mailchimp offers tips to maintain a high sender score:

  • Avoid spammy words like “Free,” “Win,” or “Click Here” in your subject lines.
  • Ensure your content has a good text-to-image ratio.
  • Authenticate your domain using DKIM and SPF settings.

11. Use Analytics to Refine Your Strategy

Mailchimp’s reporting tools provide valuable insights into open rates, click-through rates, and audience behaviour. Use this data to:

  • Identify your best-performing campaigns.
  • Adjust strategies for underperforming ones.
  • Test new ideas for further optimisation.

Improving your email open rates in Mailchimp isn’t a one-time task—it’s an ongoing process of refining your strategy and delivering value to your audience. By crafting compelling subject lines, segmenting your audience, and leveraging Mailchimp’s powerful tools, you can see a significant boost in engagement.

Ready to take your email marketing to the next level? Contact me for personalised Mailchimp training and services tailored to your business needs. Let’s make your emails impossible to ignore!

Best Practices for Building and Growing an Email List

Best Practices for Building and Growing an Email List

by | Sep 16, 2024 | Business, Email Marketing, Mailchimp

Top Strategies for Building and Expanding Your Email List Effectively

Your email list is one of the most valuable assets you can have. It’s not just a collection of names and addresses; it’s a direct connection to your audience – people who have shown interest in what you offer. But how do you build and grow an email list effectively? Here are some best practices that will set you up for success.

1. Create Valuable Lead Magnets

Lead magnets are incentives you offer to your audience in exchange for their email addresses. This could be a free ebook, checklist, template, webinar, or discount. The key is to offer something valuable and relevant to your audience. If what you offer solves a problem or provides a useful resource, people will be much more likely to sign up.

Tip: Ensure that your lead magnet aligns with your audience’s needs and the services or products you offer.

2. Make Your Signup Forms Easy and Visible

Don’t make people search for your signup form. Place it in prominent locations on your website, like the header, footer, or as a pop-up. Keep the form simple – only ask for essential information such as a name and email address. The more fields you add, the less likely people are to sign up.

Tip: Test different locations for your signup form (homepage, blog posts, or even landing pages) to see where it performs best.

3. Use Strong Call-to-Actions (CTAs)

Your signup forms need clear, compelling CTAs that encourage visitors to take action. Instead of using the generic “Subscribe” button, try something more engaging like “Get Your Free Guide,” “Start Your Journey,” or “Join Our Exclusive Community.”

Tip: Your CTA should highlight the value they’ll get after signing up, not just the act of subscribing.

4. Segment Your List Early

As your email list grows, it’s important to segment it based on interests, behaviours, or demographics. This allows you to send targeted emails that resonate with specific groups, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.

Tip: You can segment your list based on where subscribers signed up, what lead magnet they downloaded, or their purchasing behaviour.

5. Optimise for Mobile

Many people check their emails on their phones, so it’s crucial that your signup forms and emails are mobile-friendly. Make sure the forms are easy to fill out on small screens, and that your emails are optimised for mobile viewing.

Tip: Test your forms and emails on various devices to ensure a smooth user experience.

6. Leverage Social Proof

People are more likely to join your list if they see others have already done so. Add testimonials, reviews, or display how many others have signed up to your email list. This kind of social proof can build trust and make people feel more confident in joining.

Tip: Include case studies or success stories related to your lead magnets to further enhance your credibility.

7. Utilise Pop-Ups Strategically

When used wisely, pop-ups can be a highly effective way to grow your email list. Time them so they don’t interrupt the user experience – consider exit-intent pop-ups or delayed triggers to give visitors time to engage with your content first.

Tip: Keep your pop-ups simple and focused on your lead magnet with a clear CTA.

8. Offer Exclusive Content

One of the best ways to keep people on your list and encourage others to join is to provide exclusive content that they won’t find anywhere else. Whether it’s a members-only newsletter, early access to products, or special offers, make sure your subscribers feel valued.

Tip: Tease exclusive content on social media or in your blog to encourage signups.

9. Encourage Sharing

Encourage your current subscribers to share your emails with friends and family. Include social sharing buttons and forward-to-a-friend links in your emails. This can help expand your list organically through word-of-mouth referrals.

Tip: Reward subscribers who refer others with a small gift, discount, or exclusive content.

10. Consistently Deliver Value

Building your list is one thing, but keeping it engaged is another. To retain subscribers and keep growing, you must consistently provide valuable content. Whether it’s educational, entertaining, or promotional, ensure that your emails offer something useful to your audience.

Tip: Set up a welcome email sequence that immediately delivers value after someone signs up to build a relationship from day one.

If you need help establishing your newsletter and email marketing, then please feel free to reach out to me.