Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at
3:52 pm
Do you have an email list? Then you should have a blog too.
If you are a copywriter and a client asks you to write email copy, you should always ask them if they have a blog. If they don’t have a blog then offer to create one for them.
Why? Because you can get more mileage from an email if you turn around and post it on your blog too.
Plus a blog gives your readers another way to interact with you. As a marketer you need to do more than just crank out content; you also have to LISTEN to your market and some people will be more inclined to leave a blog comment than they would to reply to one of your emails. A blog is a great way to tune into the thoughts of your prospects and customers.
Also, search engines love blogs. When you send an email it eventually ends up in the trash or falls to the bottom of the inbox. But a blog post can sit there on the web indefinitely and draw traffic to your website. So your emails can have an extended shelf life if you also turn them into blog posts.
If a client of mine doesn’t have a blog but wants email copy, I tell them that the emails I’m writing for their series give them the beginnings of a blog. If there are seven emails, I offer to create a blog and use those emails as starter posts.
As a copywriter I can provide more value to their business this way and also set up a monthly retainer arrangement that includes both email copy and blog posts.
If you are using email copy in a blog post, it’s best to edit and change it a bit for the blog; don’t just simply copy and paste.
I highly recommend WordPress. Even if you don’t know much HTML it’s easy to install WordPress and set up a basic blog. The plugins and widgets make it easy to customize the blog. If you create a WordPress blog for a client, it won’t be difficult for them to update the blog on their own because WordPress is user-friendly.
VN:F [1.9.11_1134]
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)
VN:F [1.9.11_1134]
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 at
5:04 am
In his book Effective Email Marketing, Herschell Gordon Lewis gives a “dangerous” general rule about email marketing. He says it’s dangerous because stating that something is a general rule opens up one to criticism. But here goes:
Text tends to outpull HTML when your message suggests urgency. HTML tends to outpull text when your message suggests artistry.
Unless you have really strong storytelling skills, it’s easier to create an emotional reaction in your reader when you use both images and words.
But of course not every email falls into the “urgent” or “artistry” category, so do your own testing here. There’s much to be said for text emails in those in between situations.
Which do you tend to use – HTML or text?
VN:F [1.9.11_1134]
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)
VN:F [1.9.11_1134]
Monday, November 10th, 2008 at
7:05 pm
Email marketing is hotter than ever.
According to this article, the Direct Marketers Association says that marketers rake in $45.06 for every $1 spent on email campaigns. Compare that to $7.28 for catalogs and $15.55 for direct mail.
But yet…
Even as email is working and becoming even more popular, people are getting weary of all the email.
The big problem, according to Stephanie Miller, vice president of market development for consulting group Return Path Inc., is that less than 20 percent of retailers’ e-mails are customized even though stores have the capability of targeting messages.
So it isn’t about frequency, ultimately. And it’s certainly not about “hammering” your list (many marketers say you have to “hammer” your list).
It’s the customization and making the email more personal that’s important. So a large retailer could send emails based on the customer’s prior purchases, similar to what Amazon does.
A smaller marketer can do the same, but should also include stories and develop a persona to help the prospect/customer form a bond with you, because, at least in the beginning, you are selling yourself in addition to your product.
VN:F [1.9.11_1134]
Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)
VN:F [1.9.11_1134]
