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POWER, NO INTERNET... TIME TO THINK
By Debbie Weil
A gentle whirr, a click... then silence. That's what it
sounded like when the power went out in my home office after
Hurricane Isabel swept through Washington DC on Sept. 18th
and 19th.
We had no electricity for four days. Yes, it was somewhat
inconvenient. But being "off the grid" is the
best reminder of what's important... the safety and physical
closeness of family and friends.
For me, it was also a wake up call. My daily work life is
defined by an umbilical cord to the Internet. It's cluttered
with emails and digital information. It's overwhelming.
And then it dawned on me... so is yours! From your feedback,
I know that WordBiz Report readers are smart,
savvy and plugged-in. No hype or fluff for you. You want
real, substantive content.
Twice a month I've been packaging a lot of information and
emailing it to you. But it's too much. I know you can't
read it all, much less digest it.
And I'm often exhausted trying to create it.
So, here's the scoop. Over the next several months, I'm
going to revamp this newsletter. You'll still get plenty
of good stuff. But in smaller, more manageable doses. That
will make things easier for me - and, I hope, deliver more
value to you.
Stay tuned for changes. And in the meantime, I hope you
find something useful in this issue.
- You can read my review of Sherpa's
new Email Marketing Metrics guide. You get 10% off if
you purchase before midnight Oct. 1st. Highly recommended.
- I've revised and expanded last issue's article explaining
Web-based RSS feeds vs. email delivery
of your content. Follow the Full Story link for the
whole article.
-
Finally, I'm working on an e-book about blogging for
business. I don't want to leave anything out. If
you haven't asked me your single most important question
about blogging effectively, do it now! No question is
too trivial. See below
Yours
in the business of words online,
Publisher & Editor, WordBiz Report
P.S.
Today is your last chance to purchase Alexandria Brown's
award-winning ezine tutorial package before the
price more than doubles on Oct. 1st. I've met Ali (the Ezine
Queen). She's engaging and smart. I like her simple, straightforward
style. I highly recommend her e-book. Follow
this link if you want to save over $100 on her ezine tutorial
package before Oct. 1st.
P.P.S.
In case you're wondering... we're publishing a day early
so you can take advantage of two discounts with Oct.
1st deadlines: the ezine tutorial package described
above and the
new Email Metrics Guide reviewed
below.
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ARE
YOU A B2B MARKETER IN WASHINGTON DC?
Or
looking for an excuse to visit our fair
city? On Tuesday Oct. 14th Mac
McIntosh, Michael Brown and
Mark Amtower (nationally-known
experts on B2B and business to government
marketing) will lead a
half-day seminar on generating leads,
increasing sales, and improving customer
retention.
Attendees
receive step-by-step guides, performance
checklists, free e-books, an audiotape
and other goodies. Get
the details and register today.
Pub
Note: I know both Mark and Mac. They're
exceptionally sharp. I'll be attending
this event; hope to see you there!
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>>
RECOMMENDED: NEW EMAIL METRICS GUIDE |
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REVIEW
by Debbie Weil
The
brand new and revised 2004 edition of MarketingSherpa's
new Email
Marketing Metrics Guide: All-New 2004 Edition
is even better than last year's. It's better organized,
easier to read and more complete. The report includes
121 charts and tables from 65 sources, along with
survey data from 2,327 marketers, that clearly explain
every "metric" related to email marketing.
Most useful is the division of stats into B2B and
B2C. Response metrics can be very different for these
two audiences, as you probably know.
I particularly like the way they've organized this
new edition. It starts off with two chapters titled,
Email Marketing Metrics 101 and 102, that explain
the basics and then how to measure ROI.
Following are sections on Internet and email usage
(great stats here); email marketing (the stats you
die for including open rate and click-throughs, etc.);
list building (includes viral marketing); deliverability
(covers bounce rates and spam filters); usability
(HTML vs text; different email clients including AOL
and Lotus Notes); and finally, email alternatives
(instant messaging and wireless).
Interspersed are case studies from companies like
AT&T Wireless, AOL Time Warner,
Microsoft and MIT Technology Review
showing how they've boosted sales through simple changes
to their email marketing tactics.
I printed out my PDF copy but you might want to consider
purchasing the printed version. It's a hefty 132 pages
and you'll probably want to scribble notes and turn
down pages.
I love a Top Ten for anything and Sherpa gives you
one for this guide:
Top 10 Questions the Email Metrics Guide Answers for
You
1.
What's the average open rate for house lists? Rented
lists?
2.
What's the average click through rate for house lists?
Rented or other 3rd party lists? Ads in newsletters?
3.
How do opens and clicks differ by B-to-B versus B-to-C?
4.
Text vs. HTML (vs. Rich Media): which formats can
email users actually receive properly, and which do
they prefer to receive?
5.
Landing pages -- why are they the hottest thing to
test for 2004? What general usability factors can
affect your results?
6.
Are users more (or less) likely to join your opt-in
list these days, and what would persuade more people
to join your list?
7. How much email is filtered out as "spam"
(even if it's not) before it reaches the end recipient?
What other factors affect your email delivery?
8.
How likely are recipients to delete your email without
reading it? What makes a message more compelling so
it's read instead of deleted?
9.
Which tests are worth investing in, and which don't
produce useful results? Should you test subject lines?
"From"? Personalization? Long copy vs short?
10.
What types of email tactics should you budget for
2004, and which should you consider cutting back on?
How are other marketers changing their budgets?
Sherpa
has a 100% money-back guarantee whether you purchase
the PDF or the printed version (or both).
Follow
this link to get your copy today. Or call +1 973-895-1717
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>> RSS VS EMAIL DELIVERY:
IS EMAIL DEAD? |
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By
Debbie Weil
Before I get to RSS... if you're still scratching your
head over Weblogs and blogging, you're not
alone. Just be sure to ask your single most important
question about blogging below.
A blog is a content management tool
To remind, a Weblog or blog is a simple self-publishing
tool that enables you to post new content to your site (specifically,
your blog page) daily, hourly or as often as you
wish. A number of companies and organizations are
beginning to incorporate blogs into their sites in order
to keep the content fresh and authentic.
Spare me the jargon... what is RSS?
RSS (which stands for Rich Site Summary or Really
Simple Syndication) is another hot new topic. In simplest
terms, it's a way to deliver news and content from your
Web site - without using email.
The connection with blogs is...
Blogs are coded in RSS (as opposed to HTML). This makes
it easy to distribute your blog content to anyone with an
RSS reader.
And the connection with email and e-newsletters?
Some are saying that spam filters and flooded inboxes mean
the death of email as an effective marketing channel.
And that RSS is a more reliable way to publish - or receive
- new content.
That's one side of the argument. The other is that email
marketing is doing just fine, thank you.
Follow the link below for my updated and revised article
that explains RSS vs. email delivery of your content. Great
resource links at the end...
READ
FULL STORY...
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ASK YOUR MOST IMPORTANT BLOGGING QUESTION |
If you missed my email of a few days
ago inviting you to ask your single most important question
about blogging effectively, it's not too late...
Or maybe you thought your question wasn't worth asking.
I want to hear it! Even if your question is: "What
in heck is a blog?" I'm working on an e-book report
about blogging for business and I don't want
to leave anything out.
Also, I'm attending BlogCon,
a blogging conference, in Boston this weekend.
I want to know what YOU want to know about blogging
so I can take better notes.
As a thank you for your time, we'll randomly pick 5
winners who will each get a free copy of this new report.
So,
go for it...
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