Don’t worry, I’m not going to launch into a rant about rainbows, puppies and unicorns, or the “let’s put it out to the universe” crap that masquerades as positive thinking. (Although that’s not bad idea for a future post.)
This week I’m looking at one example of how flawed thinking can kneecap your marketing efforts (and mine): Inbound marketing purism and the aversion to pop-ups.… Read more
On March 5 of last week, Getty Images, the 800lb gorilla of the stock photography world, announced a new program where they opened up over 35 million images (mostly photos) for free use on blogs and social media.
Boo-ya! Free stock photography, right?… Read more
What’s the one question novelists hate more than any other?
Well, I can’t speak for all novelists (especially since I’m not finished writing my own novel—yet), but one question certainly high up on that list would be, “Where do your ideas come from?”… Read more
Last week we explored what makes a kick-ass blog post headline. Closely related, but with their own challenges, are irresistible email subject lines.
The challenge: Write an email subject line so urgent and compelling that it demands to be opened RIGHT NOW, while at the same time steering clear of SPAM filter triggers.… Read more
A powerful headline is more than a sexy phrase or sentence. It’s the hardest working collection of words in your entire blog post or article. Think of your headline as the gateway to your article.
But, before we get into what goes into writing a powerful headline.… Read more
Having trouble writing your blog posts or getting started on that ebook? Tired of staring at a blank screen while feeling frustrated, embarrassed or guilty that the words won’t come?
It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing a blog post or a novel, writer’s block can stop you dead in your tracks.… Read more
Are you a creepy sales-stalker or just being helpful?
It depends on your timing and how you approach your prospects when using lead tracking software.
Today’s marketing automation and lead tracking software often allows marketers to identify individual leads and track their online activity, including visits to the marketer’s website, plus email opens and clicks.… Read more
Most of January 2014 has seen a debate raging over Mark Schaefer’s “Content Shock” blog post in the content marketing community.
If you haven’t been following this debate through the hundreds of comments and more than 75 follow up blog posts and podcasts, here’s the short version:
According to Mark, new content output is exceeding consumers’ ability to—well—consume it.… Read more
The brouhaha surrounding the recent blog post by Mark Schaefer about “Content Shock” pushed me to finally write this post. I’ve been holding off some time, mostly because I didn’t want to be accused of being a “Negative Nancy.”
People in sales (and, to a lesser extent, marketing) tend to immerse themselves in a cult of positivity, most likely because it’s so damn hard for many salespeople to keep plugging away every day, facing frustration and rejection.… Read more
In my previous two blog posts about mobile-friendly content, I wrote about what I feel is missing from most of the marketing content delivered to mobile devices.
I mentioned technologies that I believed are coming in the near future or are only available now from a small handful of providers (usually at a rather high cost, too).… Read more
My previous post discussed the need for website and email design better suited for viewing on mobile devices–as anyone who has tried to view a non-mobile-optimized website on a smartphone understands.
Responsive design is one of the easiest ways to adjust a website’s layout and fonts to fit the size of the screen being viewed.… Read more
A few days ago, Movable Ink posted their US Consumer Device Preference Report for Q3 2013, showing that 61% of email opens occurred on a mobile device like a phone or tablet. That’s more people opening emails on mobile devices than desktops (“desktop” referring to both desktop PCs and laptops.… Read more
This blog post is the result of a recent discussion started on the LinkedIn HubSpot Partners Group about PDF files and duplicate blog content penalties. (Note: This group is a closed group, so you won’t be able to view the discussion if you’re not a member, sorry.)… Read more
On October 31, I blogged about how one marketer dropped an f-bomb on his mailing list and paid the price with lost subscribers and customers.
It was more of a “what not to do” post.
Now I’d like to explore how you can recover from a blunder like this, the marketing equivalent of a “wardrobe malfunction.”… Read more
I was preparing this morning for my weekly webinar with the LinkedIn Inbound Networkers Group, where our topic was “Marketing Dos and Don’ts.” I remembered a doozy of a marketing “don’t” from two months ago: A pair of emails sent by a WordPress consultant to his email list.… Read more
With the re-launch of the Etika Marketing website under a new design, I thought it only appropriate for the inaugural blog post to discuss WordPress theme selection. The theme I’m using for this site is called Good Bones, by Make Design, Not War (MDNW on Themeforest) and available from Themeforest.… Read more