By the time you read this, one of my videos, used for search engine optimisation of a website, will hit 10,000 views. Whilst this might not seem a great deal in comparison with overall statistics for the site, the route by which people come to it generates completions. When costs of production are taken into … READ MORE »
The promised flood of video in all things email has been a long time coming and has not yet arrived, much to the frustration of the pundits who promised it would. There are the first glimmerings though. The reason for the current take-up is probably the suggestion that video gives a significant increase in click-throughs … READ MORE »
So how long should a sign-up form be? There is, of course, no perfect length for all requirements but we can give limits: running onto multiple pages is a no-no, as is not asking for sufficient information. There are a number of points to consider when trying to decide how long a particular form should … READ MORE »
A recent advertising blog reminded me of a game some friends and I once played. We had to come up with an honest strap line for the third or subsequent entries in a film franchise. The favourite was for Alien³: ’Just like Aliens but cheaper and with fewer monsters’. It is unlikely that the production … READ MORE »
It is one of the most persistent conundrums of email marketing: whether to include the cost of shipping in the headline price. If subscribers think you are being less than completely honest with them then you will lose sales, but a competitive price is one of the main reasons people will continue reading. UPS have … READ MORE »
We have mentioned before that segregating email marking lists is the quickest route to better returns. Research shows it will improve, amongst other returns, open rates, completion rates and unsubscribes. It also ensures that you don’t waste a window by sending a general, untargeted offer. There are a number of straightforward ways you can split … READ MORE »
One of the most significant risks you take when sending a marketing email is to be irritating. Most subscribers will take the rough with the smooth but limits are often low and easily reached. The difficult thing is to know what might wind them up the wrong way. Ask yourself what irritates you, makes you … READ MORE »
Don’t be irritating. This is sound advice for everyone in all walks of life and for all purposes. However, it is especially applicable to email marketing. If the phrase ‘there’s nothing worse than’ is used for any aspect of an email marketing campaign of yours, then you are doing something wrong. More to the point, … READ MORE »
It is an old argument in email marketing, and one that many thought had been settled long ago: whether to have single or double opt-in for your email marketing list. The advantages and disadvantages of each are largely accepted. For single opt-in the benefits include more rapid list growth and no loss of subscribers due … READ MORE »
Let’s go back a year and see what the pundits predicted would befall email marketing in 2014. For reasons of self defence, I’ll give no sources. 1. Mobiles We start with a success for virtually all of the prognosticators. There was a consensus that more than half of those on our email marketing lists would view … READ MORE »