Web Guru - Jeremiah Owyang
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007 |
 Jeremiah is a well-known web strategy and media expert and director of corporate media strategy at PodTech.net, where he consults with PodTech's Fortune 1000.
He also writes a daily technology, PR, and marketing strategy Web Strategy by Jeremiah blog |
posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 2:23 PM   |
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Preventing avoidable exposure
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Thursday, December 13, 2007 |
 A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel." She thinks for a moment, then drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 dollars and leaves.
The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?" "It was Bob, our next door neighbor," she replies. "Great!" the husband says, "Did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"
Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.
For more light hearted corporate advice visit: www.bobpritchard.com |
| posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 7:54 PM |
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Sometimes Your Just need a Rest
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Monday, September 24, 2007 |
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| posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 5:31 PM |
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Poor Investment Buying Email Lists
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Be extremely wary of lists for purchase!
Often you'll come across sites offering to sell you something like a list of a million names for the low, low price of $59.95.
Buying a list like this might seem like a good idea... but it's not.
Chances are, the names and emails were taken without the people's permission. So when your emails start showing up in their inbox, they're going to think you're a spammer, and may even report you to their ISP or an anti-spam organization like SpamCop.
Bam! Now you're blacklisted and aren't allowed to send email to anybody. Definitely not worth $59.95, is it?
Even if the people on the list DID give their permission to be put on it, the majority of them simply aren't your target market, and won't be interested in your offer.
And why go to the trouble of emailing someone who's never going to buy anything from you?
Source: Mitch Tarr Internet Marketing Centre |
| posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 5:09 PM |
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Give first, get second
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Saturday, September 22, 2007 |
This is truly one of the cardinal rules of email marketing: In order to "get," first you have to GIVE.
Never ask your subscribers to make a purchase unless you have offered them something of value beforehand.
For example, if you're gearing up for a major promotion, it's a good idea to send out a few "no strings attached" emails full of useful information and THEN follow them up with an email that includes a call to action.
The same thing is true of your newsletters. If you want to promote any of your products, make sure you include lots of free valuable information in the newsletter BEFORE you get to the product "plug."
That way, people won't mind so much if you ask them to buy something. After all, you've just given them a whole lot of useful content for free!
Plus, if your content really is valuable, it'll convince your readers that your product or service is valuable, too. |
| posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 5:16 PM |
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Automate List Management Tasks
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Tuesday, September 18, 2007 |
As your list grows, you'll want to invest in some software that will help you categorize and manage your bouncebacks.
Most email software packages or services provide this feature. If yours doesn't, then it's probably time to upgrade!
Don't Forget to Follow up and Get the New Address!
If you do get a hard bounceback from a previous customer, be sure to follow up with them via phone or even snail mail to get their updated information.
All your customers are valuable and you don't want to lose a single one from your list! The time you invest getting their updated email address is typically time well spent.
Remember, this is just one step in maintaining a clean email list that gets the best deliverability. |
| posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 5:06 PM |
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Get PERSONAL
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Sunday, September 16, 2007 |
People want to deal with PEOPLE, not faceless companies. So you DON'T want your emails to come off sounding like they're official, corporate-sounding announcements.
In order to connect with your subscribers, your emails should be written in a casual, conversational tone.
Write like you're talking to a good friend. Let your personality shine through.
If you're a funny person, use humor in your emails. (Without being offensive, obviously.) If you speak with an accent, let that accent shine through in your writing. Include whatever characteristics make you, YOU.
It will help your subscribers feel like they know you...
... And that will go a long way to encouraging them to buy something from you!
Finally, in order to hammer home the point that your emails are coming from an actual person -- as opposed to an organization -- make sure the return address on all your emails has your name in it.
Source: Internet Marketing Centre |
| posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 5:14 PM |
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Tricks to Manage Your Bouncebacks
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Tuesday, September 11, 2007 |
Because soft bouncebacks are generated when an email account is still valid, you don't need to remove them from your email list. Where you want to focus your attention is on hard bouncebacks.
In order to maintain the highest deliverability, you need to constantly remove hard bouncebacks from your email list.
If you continue to send email to addresses that are no longer valid, the ISPs that previously hosted those addresses may consider you a spammer, and block ALL the email you send to any other email accounts they host.
For example, let's say you have 1000 @yahoo.com addresses on your email list and over a period of 6 months 100 of those email accounts are closed and become invalid.
If you still continue to send email to those invalid accounts, Yahoo will assume that you're a spammer sending unsolicited email to random accounts -- and they will block any emails you send to the 900 remaining valid accounts.
The process of managing your bouncebacks is called "list hygiene."
In order to get the highest amount of email delivered to your subscribers, you want to stay on top of your list hygiene and remove email addresses from your list as soon as you get a hard bounceback after sending to them.
More ideas from Internet Marketing Centre at www.marketingtips.com/emailsecrets |
| posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 5:02 PM |
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Bouncebacks and How to Handle them
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Tuesday, September 04, 2007 |
If you use email, chances are you have seen a "bounceback" message in your inbox. You get one whenever you send an email to someone and then -- for whatever reason -- their server rejects the message.
The "bounceback" message usually contains the original email you sent, as well as an explanation as to why the message was rejected.
There are two types of bouncebacks you need to know about:
Type 1: Hard Bouncebacks
A hard bounceback occurs when you send a message to an email account that no longer exists. The account has been closed for some reason, so the mail server that hosted the account will send your message back, notifying you of this change.
Hard bouncebacks are particularly common when you send mail to free email accounts with providers such as Hotmail, Gmail, and Yahoo. That's because many people use these free accounts as a secondary or disposable account for random newsletter subscriptions and such.
When the volume of email to their free account gets too high, people often shut it down, create a new one, and move on.
But unfortunately -- if they forget to send you their new address -- you're stuck with an email address that no longer exists!
Type 2: Soft Bouncebacks
A soft bounceback occurs when you send an email to an account that is still valid but is temporarily unable to receive email. The most common cause of soft bouncebacks is when an email account is too full or the server that hosts the account is temporarily down.
Source: Derek Gehl from Internet Marketing Centre |
| posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 4:54 PM |
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Respect your list
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Sunday, August 12, 2007 |
One of the greatest benefits of email is that it helps overcome buyer resistance by encouraging your subscribers to trust you.
But first, you have to prove you're trustworthy!
You have to respect your list, and think more of THEIR needs than yours. And you have to meet their expectations by delivering what you promise.
For example, if they opt into your list because you've offered them a free report full of valuable information, make sure you GIVE them a free report full of valuable information and NOT a just sales pitch.
Also, resist the urge to hammer your list with promotional emails every single week. The valuable "free info" emails you send should outnumber the purely promotional messages. Otherwise, your subscribers will opt out in droves.
Finally, be sure to include a link to your privacy policy right in the opt-in box on your site. This reassures people that you respect their privacy and won't share their personal information with anyone else -- under ANY circumstances. |
| posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 5:12 PM |
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10 insider email marketing tips
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Sunday, August 05, 2007 |
 1) Build an email list! All online (and offline) businesses should have their own email list. Your list is a cornerstone of your marketing. Every page of your web site should have a sign-up form for your list.
2) Give away an interesting freebie. To get individuals to sign-up for your email list you need to provide an incentive that makes them want to join your list.
3) Use your subscriber's name. Your subscription form should ask for your subscriber's name in addition to his/her email address. Personalizing your emails will generate a better response from your readers.
4) Send valuable information. Email is all about building a relationship. Continue to send interesting content to your readers as well as valuable freebies.
5) Talk about yourself. You might say, what - I thought it was impolite to talk about myself. But in email communication you build rapport with your subscribers when you tell them about yourself and what you're doing in your life.
6) Make the most of the first 30 days. Studies show new subscribers are the most likely to read your emails and purchase from you in the first month.
7) Communicate regularly with your subscribers. Even after the first 30 days have passed do not throw out your list. When you communicate regularly with your list you continually remind them of your presence.
8) Get your own domain. Yes, having your own web site with your own domain is of tremendous importance.
9) Pick a niche market. If you want to stand out and get attention for your business you need to focus your marketing on a target group of people.
10) Test, test and test! Testing is an essential part of marketing and email marketing is no different. What should you test?
This list is adapted from the advice of Abbie Drew's DEMC e-nEWSLETTER |
| posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 7:38 PM |
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Survey is your Road to Success
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Wednesday, August 01, 2007 |
 The Internet has revolutionized survey taking. While there are many methods of conducting surveys, traditional methods such as calling people at their home during dinner, or standing in a mall asking people for their opinions as they pass by, prove less productive.
Telephone surveys have dropped significantly over the last few years due to telemarketing. People just don't want to be bothered any longer. However, a telephone survey you can ask "Is there anything else you'd like to say?". Not all web surveys provide extended functionality such as that.
The advantages of running a survey from the Web include easy distribution, reduced data entry errors, and reduced costs. |
| posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 8:19 PM |
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Long copy works better than short copy
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Sunday, July 29, 2007 |
Long copy works better than short copy in email marketing if it's interesting, captivating and riveting. Call it "edutainment." Copy must be educational and entertaining.
Yet in a handful of cases shorter copy is warranted. But the only real way to know for sure is to test, test and test.
Claude Hopkins, author of "Scientific Advertising," wrote an important axiom:
"Almost any question can be answered cheaply, quickly and finally, by a test campaign. This is the only way to answer them, not by arguments around a table. Go to the court of last resort. The buyers of your product."
Copywriting genius Dan Kennedy (pictured right), once said in a recent interview:
"Now, the person who says 'But I would never read all that copy' makes the mistake of thinking they are their customer . And they are not. We are never our own customers.
There is a thing in copywriting I teach called 'message-to-market match'. It is this: when your message is matched to a target market that has a high level of interest in it, not only does the level of responsiveness go up but readership goes up, too... the whole issue of interest goes up." |
| posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 8:27 PM |
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Can my subject line be confused with spam
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Wednesday, July 25, 2007 |
 If your message's "Subject" line reads like Subject lines commonly used in spam, your recipients (or their email filters) will likely confuse it with spam and possibly file complaints or block your future emails.
To improve the chances of your message getting opened AND to reduce the chances of someone filing a complaint against you, ask yourself these questions when composing your message's Subject line:
If you read only your Subject line and nothing else, would it cause you to question whether the email was legitimate? (Does the tone resemble Subject lines often found in spam?)
Will the Subject line enable recipients to recognize immediately why they are receiving the email? (Does the Subject contain your "brand" name?)
Think about your subject line and message text very carefully before you send your message. Anything that screams of "in your face" advertising may generate complaints from your subscribers, even when using the double opt-in method of acquiring list members.
Terms like these in your Subject line or in the content of your message will likely be red flags to recipients:
URGENT!
FREE!!!
Save
Lowest Prices
Double Your Sales
Breaking News
!!!
***
$$$
Consider giving your list a name and use a similar Subject line each time you send a message. For example, many organizations use this format as their message's Subject line:
Weekly Newsletter: and then include the newsletter's topic for that issue and possibly even the date.
If a recipient sees something recognizable about you in the Subject line, you will likely see an increased open rate while simultaneously reducing or eliminating spam complaints.
Article adapted from MailerMailer |
| posted by Wayne Mansfield @ 9:09 PM |
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Why does direct email marketing work?
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Friday, July 20, 2007 |
 Why does direct e-mail marketing work?
The Internet is a scary place for many people so when these people find a business they trust, they are more comfortable buying again. When you supply a quality product your customers come to trust you and then you can use e-mail marketing to let customers know about new products. With e-mail marketing you can target people that trust you and have expressed an interest in your products.
What do you need for effective e-mail marketing? The first thing you need is a way to collect names and e-mail addresses. Please take a moment and sign up for our e-mail list. You will see how easy it is and receive periodic updates on e-mail marketing chances, tips and products. You will find the sign-up on the right side of the page. |
| posted by editor @ 9:43 AM |
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Difference between b-to-b email marketing and b-to-c
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Thursday, July 19, 2007 |
 It should be noted that you might find some receptivity to email marketing campaigns that are sent out to individual consumers late in the workweek or even early in the weekend. This is the primary difference between business-to-business email marketing and business-to-consumer marketing.
Tuesday through Thursday – These are the three days when all email marketing seems to have the greatest impact. Employees and business owners are fully entrenched in their workweek and the result is their minds may be better geared toward business decisions or consumer purchases.
Interestingly if you can send your emails out around either 9 am or 1 pm, response seems to be better than if you wait for either lunch or the end of the workday.
Essentially what we are seeing is if you can approach consumers and business contacts during the ‘trench’ part of the workweek, when their minds aren’t focused on either closing time or lunch you may stand a better chance at affecting a site visit and potential sale. You may even find fewer opt-out requests when you work within this simple time frame for email marketing.
Remember, no one likes junk mail and they don’t like emails that are thought of in terms of spam. Make sure your content is relevant to the topic the individual signed up for, make sure you can provide information or price reductions on products the customer may be interested in or has purchased in the past. Relevancy and timing are keys to acceptability in all email-marketing campaigns. |
| posted by editor @ 9:47 AM |
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Keep ‘Em Coming Back
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Wednesday, July 18, 2007 |
 A happy customer is a loyal customer, which often means more repeat business for you. Happy customers also tend to refer their friends and family, generating new customers for you as well. Use email marketing to keep in touch with customers, offering them special discounts or add-on items, or letting them be among the first to know when a sale is coming up. Email marketing is a great tool for enhancing customer retention and satisfaction.
With email marketing, it’s pretty easy to get feedback from your customers just by sending a quick follow-up email after the sale. It’s a good way to find out what they think of your products or services, and gives them another opportunity to interact with you, too.
Lots of people use the web to research the products and services they need, then make their purchase locally from a store in their community. In fact, a recent survey by MarketingSherpa found that more than 60% of web users do this on a regular basis! Email marketing can help you stay in touch with the customers in your area, creating awareness for your company and bringing more shoppers through your door.
Be consistent with your email marketing efforts and they may become even more effective than some of your other marketing activities. Email marketing is cost effective, measurable, trackable, and easy to do – what more could anyone want in a marketing strategy? |
| posted by editor @ 9:41 AM |
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Use An Auto-Responder
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Monday, July 16, 2007 |
 To make e-mail marketing simpler you can use an auto-responder. An auto-responder allows you to pre-program messages to be sent to your e-mail marketing list.
The big advantage to this is that you can send these pre-programed e-mail marketing messages to the customers that sign up to your e-mail marketing list, on a regularly basis. Advice on how often to send messages range from every couple of days, to every three weeks, to once a month. The big key is to be consistent so the customer learns to expect and look for your e-mail marketing message. This reliability also helps establish your credibility as a legitimate professional company. Customers feel more comfortable doing business with someone they believe is legitimate, professional and trustworthy.
This in turn leads to more sales for you. |
| posted by editor @ 9:42 AM |
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Averages
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Wednesday, July 11, 2007 |
We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success.
We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do;
and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery.
Samuel Smiles |
| posted by editor @ 4:25 PM |
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