My dad called me the other day. He was excited by Google’s doodle honoring Freddy Mercury (it was pretty fabulous, you can see it here if you missed it).
The funny thing is, my dad had no idea who Freddy was. He never heard of him, or the group Queen.
So, no nostalgia, or great memories for dad. He just saw something he really liked and wanted to share it.
If you do something really great, people will want to share it (even if they don’t quite know what it is!).
Image via Wikipedia
It sounds counter-intuitive, but it turns out it works: you can make money with a small email list. You can even earn more with a small list than you can with a large one.
We all tend to think that more is, well, more. But sometimes, less is really more. It also helps to think through what you’re doing and try to make your emails as helpful and relevant to your readers as possible.
Here’s how one IT company reconfigured and streamlined their list and their marketing strategy. They ended up earning more, without increasing the size of their list.
The first change they made was a simple one. They switched the name on the “from” line from the marketing department to the name of an account manager. This made the messages seem more personal and helpful and less “salesy.”
Then, they streamlined the emails. They used less HTML and graphics, and more plain text. This change made the emails easier to read on different devices. It also reduced page load times.
The next change was to the content. Instead of a barrage of emails all at once, the messages were staggered in a series. The early messages offered more help, with free guides and webinars.
More sales-oriented messages were pushed back later in the series (product demos and free trials).
The result?
Read the full article here (open access until Sept. 16)
Now, all emails and lists and marketing is different. However, it does suggest that simplifying, adding more useful content, and carefully showing leads along a path to a sale, can make a big difference.
Start with signing them up, add valuable content, helpful videos, ebooks, etc. Then add in materials that are more directly related to a sale (a demo, a free consultation). Finally, ask for the sale.
Image by AndyRobertsPhotos via Flickr
Even established marketers can make big mistakes. Sometimes, their focus is misdirected. Other times, they use the unsuitable language, or talk too much about the wrong things.
Is Your Website Driving Readers Away? If you’re doing what this well-known guru does, you may actually be shooting yourself in the foot.
The Biggest Website Subscription Fail Ever Newsday (a newspaper in the New York area) just spent $4 million (US) putting their web site behind a paywall. Their intent was to limit access, and earn more money from paying subscribers. That’s not quite what happened.
The Biggest Mistake Advertisers Make This error can cost you sales and alienate prospects. It’s not only a big mistake, it’s also an extremely common one.
Image via Wikipedia
Some tips and tricks to help you improve your landing pages.
Newbie guide to online marketing (from unbounce, which has landing page software)
5 Steps to the Perfect Landing Page (from me)
Create a Facebook Landing Page
Image via Wikipedia
Were you in Irene’s path?
The forecasts conjured apocalyptic visions of NYC transformed into New Atlantis – flooding in the streets, power outages, tunnels full of water.
The subways were shut down. The buses stopped. Millions of people were ‘trapped’ on the island.
Instead of an apocalypse, we got some rain, a small storm surge, and some wind. I’ve been out in a small boat (28 ft) in a nor’easter that was worse. The only damage I can see from my window is a few broken branches. A neighbor’s yard flooded, but dried up fairly quickly.
The dire predictions didn’t come true. The news people seemed almost disappointed that it wasn’t worse.
My question: when faced with a big business problem, or an error, is it better to scare everyone? Shout that the sky is falling? Or advise people of the situation, apologize or make recommendations to fix it, and then do so.
On the other hand, in one week, we’ve had an earthquake and a hurricane. What’s next? Zombies?
What do you think?