• That's Funny! Laughs And Gaffes In Retail Email
    There's nothing like a good laugh -- especially when things are tough. Hard times for consumers mean soft sales for retailers; so now, more than ever, we need humor to lighten us up. And because we're glued to the computer, we need humor delivered directly to the inbox. How to send laughs effectively via email? We gathered some giggle- (and groan-) inspiring examples to find out.
  • Information Wants To Be Free -- Or Does It?
    Since Gutenberg's introduction of movable type in the 1450s, information has yearned to be free. The U.S. Constitution codified the legal basis of copyright in 1787. As long as the printed word and art have been monetized, their producers have been protected from free distribution and compensated for their work. Today, that model is under attack by the transformational technology of the Internet and its ability to simultaneously distribute content. This shift in distribution has forced content companies to devise entirely new business models to maintain profitability. Can newspapers follow?
  • Aloha: The Hello And Goodbye Of Email
    In the Hawaiian language, "Aloha" means both "Hello" and "Goodbye." In email, "Hello" and "Goodbye" are associated with two different ends of the digital relationship -- but, done well, they both help increase engagement and minimize subscriber churn.
  • The Dastardly Dangers Of Over-Mailing
    Our industry is currently facing one of the most significant threats to its health and continued existence. I'm not referring to the threat of social networking, video marketing or other emerging marketing channels. What has me concerned is self-inflicted by those of us within the email space: the rampant over-mailing of promotional messages.
  • Confession Of An Email Marketer -- And An Early New Year's Resolution
    It's 6:45 a.m., and I just had the most startling revelation of my professional career: I am personally responsible for the deterioration of open and click-through rates for email marketers! I am staring at three days worth of email in my personal account, and of the 106 messages, I opened nine.
  • Are You RAMming Your Customers?
    While many of us cooked a Thanksgiving turkey last week, there are signs that many retailers have already started cooking the golden goose -- the email goose. Email is a wonderful tool -- measurable, cost-effective, easily deployable and convenient -- all gold in the marketing world. My guess is you agree, or you wouldn't read this column. However, as the economy falters it is easy to lose track of the fact that while email is a wonderful relationship-building tool, it can do major damage when used incorrectly.
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