About Jodi Kaplan

A Terrible, Awful Day (With a Bit of Light)

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Jodi Kaplan

black ribbon (Photo credit: EdSai)

Today’s weather in New York is nearly a perfect replica of that terrible day 11 years ago. I remember thinking what a beautiful day it was: sunny, clear sky, a perfect early fall day.

Then, suddenly, it was all horribly, horribly wrong.

A few days after the attack, a friend of my brother’s was downtown delivering food to the homeless.

One homeless man insisted on giving him a quarter for The Red Cross to help other people.

I love that story. No matter how bleak things look, there can always be a bit of hope. I try to remember that. I hope you will too.

Friday Fun: Mad Men

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Jodi Kaplan

Mad Men get rickrolled.

Don’t Make These Common Email Newsletter Mistakes

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Jodi Kaplan

Have you made these common email newsletter mistakes?

Here’s how it usually works.

A commercial photographer commented on Bob Bly’s blog last week complaining that email marketing has been destroyed by spammers. That anyone who signed up for one would invariably get spammed.

Another reader said she’d signed up for an email newsletter with the offer of a free consultation, but the sender never followed up.

They’ve both been the victims of poor email marketing.

What’s really wrong?

The problem isn’t really the email newsletter itself (that’s just the tool). It’s the way people are using (or abusing) it. It’s like trying to break an egg with a hammer. It will work, sort of, but it will make a horrible mess.

If you email without permission, build your newsletter the wrong way, or abuse the permission you received, your readers will opt out, ignore your emails, or even report you as a spammer.

Trust is essential

However, if you create a real relationship and they trust you, they will be eager to know what you have to say.

Say, for example, our photographer saw a newsletter from a digital photography software company. Instead of selling software directly, it had tips on how to use the software, where to get the best prices on equipment, and how to earn more money with fewer clients?

What if that newsletter also offered regular, free, useful advice, without being annoying?

Or, what if subscribing got him access to exclusive ebooks or discounts?

How about if he got those things before they were released to the general public?

The problem with the free consultation offer wasn’t the offer itself, it’s that it was never followed up. That’s not a good way to earn trust, and it also seems odd. Why go through the trouble of making a promise you have no intention of keeping? That won’t earn you trust, and it won’t get you new clients either. That’s not a good way to run a marketing campaign, regardless of what medium was used to deliver it.

If you want to break an egg, skip the hammer. Crack it against a cutting board instead. It’s more effective, and a lot less messy.

Image via art-core

Tuesday Travels: Five Ways to Make Your Business Irresistible

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Jodi Kaplan

exotic potatoes at the Union Square Greenmarket(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Potatoes are ordinary, but the colors and shapes of these potatoes help make them stand out. Here are some ways your business can stand out too.

How a small hotel beats the big chains at SEO and content writing – just because you don’t have a huge budget doesn’t mean you can’t win at marketing. Find out how.

Asking the right questions – the questions you ask yourself (and your clients) can make a big difference in the results you get (and the money you make)

The best marketing approach – why the truth is what counts (and hype doesn’t).

Marketing yourself at a networking event – we all go to them, but how do you get the most of your time (and money)?

Marketing mistakes you can easily avoid– when you’re busy, or overworked, it’s easy to get things wrong. Here are three things you should focus on getting right.

(By the way, I’ve been gone because of a family medical crisis. Everything’s settled down now – I hope!).

Bad Email Marketing (and How to Fix It)

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Jodi Kaplan

Photo credit: Steve Snodgrass

Is your email marketing doing more harm than good? Email can be one of the most profitable marketing channels when it’s done correctly. Bad email marketing can hurt your reputation, and get you blacklisted as a spammer.

Nearly every company has a mailing list. And uses it. But not every company uses it well. Are you one of them?

Signs of bad email marketing

The first key component of successful email marketing is a good list. If you built your email marketing list the right way, it can be one of your company’s biggest marketing assets. Imagine, a large built-in audience of people who really want to hear from you, and trust you with their time and email addresses.

Or, it can be a worthless compilation of names, the wrong audience, or people who don’t want to buy anything (and never will).

Signs of a bad email marketing list

A bunch of names you scraped from website email and contact pages.

First of all, if it says “info@___” or “service@___” it’s likely to be a low-level person with no authority to buy from you.

Secondly, they didn’t ask you to contact them with your offers. Those addresses are there to help their customers (or potential customers), not to field sales pitches.

Don’t start your relationship off on the wrong foot!

Names on business cards you’ve collected from networking events and speaking engagements.

Conversations with real people are great. So is exchanging cards. Follow up when you get them. Do it a year later, and those people will think you’re spamming them (not helping them).

It’s technically legal under CAN-SPAM to do either of these things. CAN-SPAM isn’t opt-in, it’s opt-out (more about CAN-SPAM rules here). It’s not a good idea though. Do it too often, and your ESP (email service provider, like MailChimp or AWeber) will think you’re a spammer too; and they may threaten to suspend your account.

Names that you bought (and now “own”)

This applies especially if they were exceptionally cheap (such as $100 for 10,000 names), think services such as SalesGenie.

None of those people asked to be on those lists. Use them, and you’ll get labelled a spammer. There are some email lists available for rent (one-time use), but they’re expensive ($300 for 1,000 names). If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

No personalization

Sending out mass emails without any attempt at making a human connection with the people receiving them. At the very least, address them by name.

Addressing the same email to everyone, rather than separating the names by past purchases, what stage they are in the buying process, or even what topics they’re interested in.

How to build a valuable email marketing list

Add people you spoke to personally, who expressly asked to be on your list
People who signed up directly from your website, and thereby gave you permission to contact them
Your existing customers and prospects: people you already have a relationship with (ask them first!)
Attendees at your webinars
Make sure you ask everyone for permission to continue to contact them. Offer something in return (a recording, a set of slides, or a white paper).
Subscribers to your auto-responders. They’ve said they want to hear from you (repeatedly).

All of this can be a lot to digest. If you want to have a quick conversation about this, email me here (no charge).Inboxes are crowded, and people are pressed for time. You want to build a relationship. Get them to know you, like you, and trust you.

Once those people are on your list, nurture them (don’t spam them with offers for expensive products right away). You wouldn’t ask someone you just met to marry you, would you?