[please enter subject line]
This article covers what I've learned from working with hundreds of customers on improving the results that they get from email marketing by optimising the subject line.
Whatever software you use for your email campaigns, these tips are worth reading...
Making your site recession proof through better usability
The recession is an extra obstacle to shopping online. To stop it from being insurmountable, you need to make sure you remove all the other barriers you can.
Last summer I asked if the downturn was leading to greater use of e-commerce? The answer then was 'yes'. The answer is still “yes”, only maybe more so now...
Five ways to finance your new business
Starting a new business isn't cheap. Even on the internet, I've seen
more than a few entrepreneurs experience surprise when they start to
realize how much it costs to get a venture off the ground.
Making sure your new business is well-capitalized is an important part of achieving success. For that reason, it's important to ask the question: how much do I really need and where am I going to get it?
Love your customer service staff, love your customers
There's an old adage about it costing five times as much to acquire a new customer as to retain a new one. So why – in these difficult times - aren't more businesses focused on reducing customer churn, and improving customer service levels, to generate more repeat business?
This is fundamentally a cultural problem for many companies. There needs to be a shift in the mindset of larger organisations, in order to keep both staff and customers satisfied. I'm not sure that the balance is right, and I'm hoping that the next decade will be all about retention and satisfaction, so here I'm going to lobby for love. I want you to give more love to your customer services staff, for they are at the forefront of your push towards boosting customer satisfaction...
What if Google gets into the lead gen business?
This week Google was sued by Lending Tree, a company whose website enables consumers looking for mortgages and other loans to connect with lenders. LendingTree alleges that Google is planning to launch an online loan exchange of its own and that it will use technology provided by one of LendingTree's vendor. The problem: LendingTree alleges the vendor is contractually forbidden from working with LendingTree competitors, which LendingTree clearly believes Google is.
For its part, Google says that it's simply "working on a small ad unit test that will run against a limited number of mortgage-related search queries in the U.S." So while we don't yet have enough in the way of hard facts to evaluate the merits of LendingTree's claims, the lawsuit raises an interesting question: what if Google gets into the lead gen business?
Take five seconds to test your call to action and USP
You may be focused on improving the conversion rate for your website, or simply wanting to ensure that your visitors can quickly get an idea of what you do and offer.
Whatever your goals, having a clear proposition and call to action are two areas that can have a positive impact on your business performance.
In this post I will be talking about a web application that you can use to help you and your business gain invaluable insights from end users.
AmEx gets social for the US Open
That many brands are cutting back on print advertising is no secret.
And it's no secret that more and more of them are focusing their
efforts on digitally-oriented campaigns.
In many cases, such campaigns make a lot of sense. While print can still be a valuable medium in a marketer's toolbox, it's often expensive and depending on a campaign's needs, diverting cash and resources to the internet may provide more bang for the buck.
Information visualisation and usability: Time is on your side
There is something beautiful about making complex information palatable, understandable and even attractive. As the the amount of data released into the world grows, this challenge of assimilating masses of information rapidly will also grow, and the skills of visual designers, information architects and statisticians should be appreciated.
Interview with John Squire of Coremetrics on web analytics
John Squire, Chief Strategy Officer at web analytics vendor Coremetrics, has a wealth of knowledge about the web analytics industry and he shared some insights with Econsultancy about the company's strategy and proposition on a recent trip to London.
Thinking outside the box and other bad advice
Earlier this month I opened CREATE 2009, a forum for academics and practitioners to share creative and innovative ideas for human computer interaction (HCI).
The conference's theme was ‘Creative inventions and innovations for everyday HCI’ so to start things off I outlined my four step approach to help designers find more creative solutions to their problems.
Social media: the best and worst of 2009
Email marketing: six steps to improving customer engagement in 2010
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
