HOW TO HIRE A MARKETING COPYWRITER
I was intrigued by the following instructions from veteran copywriter Jim Sinkinson of Infocomgroup: “Create a one- or two-page ‘copy platform’ for one of your products. Include a solid, well-thought-out description of the audience (including the audience’s biggest problems and untapped opportunities) and a strong list of product features…
read moreEMAIL BEST PRACTICES & DELIVERY TRENDS
It’s tough for those of us selling content when vendors release a freebie that’s really useful. Follow this link to download EmailLabs‘ Best Practices and Delivery Trends reports. Yup, gratis.
read moreWOULD YOU PAY?
MarketingProfs, a mega-site with info for marketers both online and off, is moving to a premium subscription model. Waddya think? Would you pay for access to “exclusive” content, free teleseminars, their discussion forum – and more? They’re calling it inexpensive yet extensive ($199 annual fee). Full disclosure: I…
read moreRE-BLOGGING
You’ve heard about blogging. Now there is “re-blogging.” It’s a site (er, blog) re-publishing the best (related to art, technology & culture) blog posts from around the Web. Take a look…
read moreQ & A on Responsible Email Marketing
Still puzzling over what the new anti-spam regulation means to you as an email marketer or publisher? Here’s a nifty report presented in the form of an online Q & A by Mike Adams of Arial Software. Note that it’s not a PDF download. Rather it’s presented as a…
read moreFORWARD TO A CUSTOMER (3 OF THEM)
You’re familiar with “forward to a friend.” But here’s a clever idea: get visitors to your site to forward a page to a colleague; then reward your evangelizers with a free teleclass (or something else of value). That’s what marketing consultant Robert Middleton does on this page.
read moreUNDERSTANDING ONLINE CONVERSION
Forget the words Excel and spreadsheet… forget I ever mentioned them! Thursday’s teleseminar (i.e. audio conference) is about online conversion and why it’s the key metric behind any successful Web site. We’ll show you the numbers and calculations behind a conversion calculator. Featuring guest speakers Jim Sterne, Web metrics…
read moreFUN WITH EXCEL?
Am I the only person who’s obsessed with mastering spreadsheets? I’m planning an audio seminar next week that will show beginner-level Excel users step-by-step what’s behind a spreadsheet model for online conversion. Folks are not exactly signing up in droves… are spreadsheets a turn-off topic? When you sign up for…
read moreDOES YOUR E-NEWSLETTER SELL?
I did a great interview with Joan Stewart, aka The Publicity Hound, in which she reveals the formula behind an e-newsletter that consistently SELLS your products or services. Read it here. Here’s Part I of my article: Adding up the 3 C’s (Content, Community and Commerce)…
read moreIS 2004 THE YEAR OF BLOGGING FOR PROFIT?
I hope so. Despite contrarians who think blogging is a lot of blather, I’m convinced blogs are here to stay. Why? A blog is an elegant self-publishing (or content management) tool. A blog can turn the most static of business Web sites into a dynamic marketing and communications vehicle. OK,…
read moreWAS 2003 THE YEAR OF THE BLOGGER?
Interesting quote from the Jan. 5 Online Publisher’s Association’s newsletter (thanks to Anne Zieger for passing this along): “In many ways 2003 was the year of the blogger, with weblogs taking center stage as a new and powerful publishing medium offering a voice and methodology for enabling individuals to…
read moreWHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CAN-SPAM
Lots. Exactly how this new law will affect legitimate e-newsletter publishers is not entirely clear. Tune in to a JIT (just in time) teleseminar to learn what changes you may need to make in your From and Subject lines, your sign-up process, your unsubscribes, overlapping databases, list rental, 3rd-party ads…
read moreHAPPY NEW YEAR
Yup, I’ve been out of the loop and (happily) unplugged over the holidays. Here’s the most recent issue of WordBiz Report if you’re looking for some useful freebies. You can download a “Year-End Email Marketing Review” as a PDF.
Happy New Year!
read moreCOOL OR CREEPY?
I’ve been touting the advantages of adding audio clips to your site or emails to humanize them. But how do you know where to draw the line between effective and over the top? Judy Gombita sent me the following link: CLICK HERE to hear a holiday…
read moreIS SPAM CANNED?
The CAN SPAM Act of 2003 was passed by Congress yesterday. It awaits a signature from President Bush.
Is it strong enough? Probably not. Good overview in today’s CNET story about the new anti-spam bill.
read moreMY LEAST FAVORITE TOPIC
Yeah, you guessed it. It’s spam. I know I shouldn’t be putting my head in the sand, but I find myself unwilling or unable to follow every twist and turn of the anti-spam bill which has (finally) been passed by Congress. Will it be the antidote to your flood…
read moreREAL VOICE = REAL PERSON
Publishing an e-newsletter on a regular schedule is a heck of a lot of work. Every now and then a subscriber writes in with a comment that makes my day. Here’s one from Steve Quartermaine: “Debbie, you are one of the few ‘real’ people on the net……
read moreTALK RADIO BLOGGING
That’s how someone described a teleseminar to me recently. Talk radio… as in NPR (National Public Radio) or Rush Limbaugh. Whatever; I guess I’m more the NPR type. Anyway, today’s inaugural WordBiz Blogging for Business teleseminar went off very well! Thanks to guest experts Rick Bruner, Dave…
read moreSTEALING TIME
Have you ever found yourself in another city with a few hours to kill and no deadlines to meet? What better place to steal time than San Francisco. After meeting with WordBiz subscribers for coffee, I wandered up Grant Street…
WORDBIZ IN SAN FRANCISCO
I had the pleasure of meeting today for a leisurely coffee in downtown San Francisco with five WordBiz subscribers. Here’s who showed up to chat knowledgeably about blogs, e-newsletters, online advertising and the challenges we all face right now in our businesses.…