• Ditch The Corporate-Speak: Use Terms Your Subscribers Can Appreciate
    It's one thing to speak in terms your subscribers can understand, but it's something more to speak in terms they can truly appreciate. I often see messaging that's written from the company's point of view-speaking at subscribers rather than connecting with them. Sometimes it's impersonal corporate-speak, while other times it's IT-speak. Either way it's cold and doesn't create the best impression.
  • The Resurgence Of Email Myths
    Among the things hard economic times have brought us is the resurgence of some email marketing myths, as well as some new variations - or strains. Like a dormant and opportunistic virus that has been activated by an exhausted immune system, these myths are gaining strength under the pressures of a weakened economy. They are breaking out in various locations - from the C-Level suite, to brand managers, and even among some of the folks in the trenches. Recrudescence -- an outbreak after a period of quiet -- is an apt description. So let's take on three of some of …
  • Email Marketers: Have You Hugged Your CIO Today?
    Why is it that marketing and IT can't seem to get along? Today, it is more essential than ever to have IT and marketing on the same page. As data becomes the currency of relevance and customers demand real-time interaction with the brands they do business with, it is even more important for marketing and IT to join together and drive efficiency for the business and value for the customer. Here are three important reasons why you need to ask yourself "Have I hugged my CIO today?"
  • Questions Matter More Than The Answers
    I have found that email marketers have a tendency toward black-and-white beliefs where there is a lot of grey. The classic example is "What is the best day to send email?" But the list goes on. Should you use double opt-in or single opt-in? Should you segment by demographics, psychographics, or behavioral data? Should those extra fields on your registration page be required or not? What is the best way to build your list?
  • Hot Fudge on Meatballs!? New Marketing Trends in Email
    Seth Godin's book "Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing Out of Sync?" tackles the challenges presented by "New Marketing." He defines New Marketing as having its basis in "a combination of more than a dozen trends, each of which is changing the way ideas are perceived and spread." Let's look at a few of these trends and consider what you can do to fit them into your brand's email program.
  • An Important Market to Remember
    Barack Obama brings a lot of firsts to the White House, including a BlackBerry. By contrast, John McCain is still working on his Internet skills. I recall the New York Times interview where McCain said, "I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon." I was surprised by this comment, but after some reflection, came to understand McCain's position a bit more, as a member of a generation not brought up in this age of technology. Are we, as marketers, properly managing this very important segment of our customer and prospect databases -- those …
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