Some years ago, before email marketing took up all my time, I indulged my inner nerd and created a fanzine website. The number of visitors would be seen as a disaster nowadays, but then it was bandwidth threatening. I learnt a costly lesson when I changed my web-authoring software. I took the opportunity to fundamentally … READ MORE »
There’s probably a saying, no doubt wrongly attributed to the Chinese, that if you think the same as everyone around you, they and you are wrong. (I’ve Googled without success.) Whilst it is a bit shallow, there’s more than a grain of truth in it. It especially goes for email marketing. I’m a great believer … READ MORE »
After reading this paragraph, you might wonder what car mechanics has to do with email marketing lists, but all will be revealed later. I was researching an article on servicing classic cars and was shadowing a mechanic replacing a steering box. He had placed the components he’d removed on a bench I was standing by. … READ MORE »
The internet is awash with reports on email marketing published by various organisations. They should obviously be treated with care and in many cases should be tested in case they are particular. What is dangerous is that most of the shocking conclusions are those which support prejudices. I doubted that most email marketing companies tested … READ MORE »
Everyone is a writer in the same way that everyone is a plumber. You turn on a tap and water comes out. That’s cool. However, if you fail to secure a compression joint the same thing happens only in the wrong place. That’s writing for you. Writing for an email marketing campaign is not easy … READ MORE »
When I was a young, aspiring writer I knew the first names of editors but was frightened of using them. My rejection rate gradually dropped as I fathomed what each one favoured. I was targeting my submissions before email marketing was invented. My next step was to predict the style of image each editor would … READ MORE »
There’s a TV advert for an insurance company where clever use of the language doesn’t so much cover a negative as turn it into a positive. It would appear that the company refuses to pay out on 3% of claims. To someone wanting to insure their property, this might be worrying. On the other hand … READ MORE »
I reviewed a couple of articles I’d written two or so years ago on the subject of how mobile devices are changing email marketing and I was surprised to find words I hardly use nowadays, such as Blackberry. Obviously, many people still prefer them but they are becoming niche. It shows how quickly technology develops … READ MORE »
Words can describe the universe. We’ll have to accept that mathematics does it quicker although no more accurately. On top of that, you need words for poetry where a phrase can define an emotion. One subtlety of the English language is that a word can have a different effect on different people. Much might depend … READ MORE »
Many managers are put off surveys, and for good reason you might think. Aren’t they hard work? Isn’t the return rate too low for dependable results? And surely email marketing software gives the same data but much quicker. All these objections can be overcome. I received an email from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) asking … READ MORE »