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…

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WOULD 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…

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RE-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…

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FORWARD 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.

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UNDERSTANDING 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…

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FUN 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…

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IS 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,…

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WHAT 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…

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MY 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…

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REAL 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……

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STEALING TIME

shipdisplay.jpg 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…

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WORDBIZ IN SAN FRANCISCO

sanfran_coffee.jpg 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.…

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