WinM@il-WinBlogger

Cool Marketing Resource - WDFM.com

I like lists.  They are:

1. Easy to follow
2. Organized
3. Succinct

The email newsletter by Larry Chase called "Web Digest for Marketers" organizes information in a numbered list which is consistent and familiar every time it is published.  The lists are always topic-specific, so I know right away if I am going to want to browse the list or not.

One thing I don't like is how I have to skip past the large advertisement that pops into my preview pane in order to get to the content of the newsletter.  This is an unfortunate misunderstanding of priorities.  I also think it would be helpful to have a table of contents and some back-and-forth navigation.

Still, the information is terrific and I appreciate the lists he sends out on topics like "Top 12 Advance Email Marketing Resources" and "How to Get Email Newsletter Subscribers." 

See more at www.wdfm.com .

Highlight of the Week - American Airlines

As watching videos on the computer becomes more and more common, the idea of adding video and/or audio to email campaigns is becoming more viable and attractive. 

I recently received an email from American Airlines, as I am one of their past customers, and the email is lively and enticing.  It addresses me by name, it reminds me how many rewards points I have, and then it invites me to "Catch the Show"  When I clicked that image, it lined me to a web page that was obviously designed specifically for this email, and it includes some video, some music, and some more choices for me to select.  ( See the related AA web page >> )

I was entice and a little entertained.

It worked!

Best Practices - Worst Practices

Here are ten dead giveaways that tell me a company needs help with their email campaign:

1. I sign up for their newsletter at their web site and nothing happens - ever.
2. I unsubscribe from a regularly scheduled email news publication but I continue to get their news.
3. The email has no automatic unsubscribe option.
4. The same email newsletter arrives to my inbox three or four times.
5. The email "design" consists of nothing but verious fonts in various sizes and colors.
6. The news I receive is redundant, irrelevant, or worse - unsolicited.
7. The most imporant information in the email is at the bottom.
8. The email comes from an unrelated domain.
9. I check the email from my phone and all I see are words like "Mark for Download."
10. The email lacks contact info or physical address.

Any other worst practices?  Sign in and post your's here!

Highlight of the Week - Google Video

Google not only sells their services through completely integrated marketing strategies, they also have a lot of fun!

See this >> http://mail.google.com/mail/help/gmail_video.html

It is a video assembled by their marketing team not doubt, and it is entirely composed from customer submissions.  These are happy Google users made even happier now, while they watch their own video clips at Google.com!

This is a nice reminder that marketing isn't all about survey stats and metrics - it can also be about fun!