Over the last 10+ years of email marketing , there were several rules you could always count on: -   Subject lines are the key –   Make sure you blend text and images –   Keep your key content above the fold That last one might need a bit of revising though.  Readers no longer [...]

Last week’s announcement that Facebook pages could now have VIP-only sections (article here: goo.gl/Mnuar) accessible to those only with a certain Klout score has already caused some of our clients to ask for our POV on this. Removing the arguments about the inherent flaws in Klout, such as its ability to be gamed and questions [...]

In these times, it doesn’t take much to delete a message, toss it in the garbage, unsubscribe, etc… Triage is happening from multiple places, 24×7. As a marketer, you only have a few precious moments before the reader decides where your message will go and if they’ll ever want to hear from you/your brand again. This begs [...]

A common refrain during the last two years has been “we need to stay in touch with our (fill in the blank).”  This is often immediately followed by another frequent euphemism, “let’s repurpose content.” Tactically, those two directives manifest themselves into reusing press releases, community relations stories, and public affairs content; modifying them; and turning [...]

At a recent marketing conference, legendary marketer Bob Thacker jokingly stated when he arrived at OfficeMax the marketing budget was so low, he concluded the only way they could afford to get their message out was to hire the best gossipers they could find. That comment was somewhat inspired in that it correlates with what [...]

While it seems that mail delivery on Saturdays is going the way of Like Cola, cassette tapes, and Sport magazine, let me make a last plea to Postmaster General John Potter.  Are you absolutely sure you want to kill off Saturday home delivery? Saturdays are the one-day each week where Americans have the time to [...]

As a direct marketer, have you ever asked any of these questions: How big should my cell sizes be to test the effectiveness of these new communications pieces? We already did our test…what conclusions can we reach with the response results? I want to hold out a control cell and compare by stimulated group to [...]

Is it just me, or have we all lost our ability to clearly describe what’s happening around us?  The old adage of Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) appears to going the way of the do-do bird. As agencies, we are struggling lately with one of our core “reasons for being” – making things easier for consumers [...]

With client marketing departments ravaged by layoffs and unfilled openings, what really makes the difference in creating a strong Account Services/Client bond?  Here are three somewhat low-tech thoughts often forgotten in the non-stop world of marketing:  1) Open your ears and close your mouth. Bad response rates and tough economic times erode the most stable [...]

There’s been a great deal of press recently on new trends in marketing to Moms.  As a highly influential demo, projected to spend $3 trillion dollars in the US alone by 2012, it’s no wonder Moms are making headlines.  From DM News to Marketing Daily — for marketers, the message is clear that traditional channels [...]