Archive for the ‘Email Marketing’ Category

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The Best RSS to Email Program

Friday, October 7th, 2011

What’s the best RSS to Email option out there?

Like jetpacks and flying cars before it, RSS still doesn’t have the market share we were promised.

For those of you who don’t know what RSS is, it stands for Real Simple Syndication.

For those of you who have no frickin’ clue what that means, you just need to understand that every time you update your blog, it updates a document with the new post. People can subscribe to your RSS feed and get an updated version of your blog post in their newsreader.

Unfortunately, that’s still confusing to most people. That’s why I created a blog post and how-to video called How to Subscribe to an RSS Feed. Still, you don’t need a how-to video to subscribe to an email newsletter, a magazine or to turn on your TV. RSS is too complicated and esoteric for the average Internet user.

But one nice thing about RSS is that it is extremely flexible. A few years back, some companies started offering automatic RSS to email conversions. This way, people who weren’t geeky enough to understand RSS could still subscribe to your blog via email.

Even though not everyone gets RSS, everyone gets email newsletters.

However, the functionality of most RSS to Email tools is lacking. In fact, it almost universally sucks.

Here’s a list of what an RSS to Email tool needs to be world class:

  • Easily convert RSS > email (duh!)
  • Allow the blog owner to create branded templates for the emails sent to subscribers
  • Allow the blog owner to determine when the emails will be sent out; weekly, daily, or immediately after each blog post (my preference would be the last, because of the following bullet point)
  • Ability to create a unique subject line for each email pulled from the most recent blog post title (this is critical for open rates!!!)
  • Ability for subscribers to override the default delivery schedule (some people just want weekly digest)
  • Ability to track where the signup took place (this will improve my marketing efforts and ROI)
  • Allow the blog owner to send out additional messages to the subscriber base that don’t appear in the blog (special offers, downloads, events, etc.)
  • Allow the blog owner to offer an incentive to sign up, like an ebook or free consultation. (This is how we built our email list in Constant Contact. See this post on email bait for more info.)
  • Ability to use the same system for an email newsletter as the email feed, and cross-promote

I’m not suggesting this should be a free service. I’d happily pay for it. In fact, in a perfect world, it would all be offered by Constant Contact, who we run our regular email newsletters through as part of my monthly service fees.

Because they don’t (yet, I hope) offer RSS > Email I just dropped $200/yr on AWeber, because they come closest to offering everything on the list above. I’ll be switching this blog’s feed from Feedburner to AWeber in the next few weeks…unless Constant Contact is reading this and wants to make me happy and keep all my business. :)

What did I leave off? What would you like to see in a world-class RSS to Email tool?

Rich Brooks
Blog Marketing, Served Your Way

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Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Email Marketing, Web Marketing | 7 Comments »


How to Get Content Ideas with Google’s Wonder Wheel

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

Zombie Wheel. Er, I mean Wonder Wheel on Zombie Survival.Generate keyword-rich content for your website, blog, email newsletters and YouTube videos by using Google’s Wonder Wheel.

If you’re interested in increasing your online visibility, then you need to create quality content that engages your audience. There are many channels that you can use to distribute this content: your website, your blog, an email newsletter, online videos, photo sharing sites, social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, webinars, ebooks and more.

Many businesses struggle with how to create new content after they exhaust a few obvious topics. However, there are plenty of online tools that businesses can use to drill deeper, to find more long-tail search terms that they blog about or could create a webinar that would attract new business.

One of the tools that helps accomplish this–and is fun to play with as well–is Google’s Wonder Wheel. It’s a mashup of a mind mapping tool crossed with search results.

I created a short video of how to to use Wonder Wheel to create new content ideas for your own business.

(more…)

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Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Email Marketing, How-To Web Marketing Videos, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media, Web Copywriting, Web Marketing, Webinars | 3 Comments »


Santa’s Not the Only One Who Needs to Make a List

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

Santa ClausDear Rich,

I’m a mental health professional and I have a website. I’ve been told that I should be building a list of contacts, but I don’t really see the point. Outside of my sessions I don’t really have anything to sell, so what’s the point of building a list of contacts that I’ll never do business with?

–Listless in Lisbon

Dear Listless (heh-heh),

While it’s true you may not have anything to sell to people now, that may change in the future. You’re probably a specialist in something–maybe dealing with children with ADHD, or adults with OCD, or helping repair relationships. Over times, your experience will grow, and so will your ability to help people.

But, you’re still only going to have 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week.

Imagine if you had a free download, such as 10 Tips for Helping Your Kids Manage Their ADHD, or 5 Surefire Ways to Stop OCD from Ruining Your Life, or 3 Strategies to Try Before Calling the Divorce Lawyer, and tied that to an email newsletter signup. Any one of those might be a valuable enough offer to get people to subscribe.

Then you publish a monthly ezine on your topic of choice, archiving each article on your website or blog (for SEO benefits, ‘natch.) Over time, you’re going to develop quite a list of interested people.

So, in two, five or ten years from now, when you’re ready to publish that book (or ebook, or put on that webinar, or develop that online course), you’ll have a ready list of opt-in, interested people who want to learn from you and buy from you, and who will likely share your good name with their networks.

Just be sure to include me in the acknowledgements.

If you’d like to learn more, but sure to check out this month’s flyte log article, List Building: How to Build a List of Contacts at Your Website.

Rich Brooks
Listing

Photo Credit: Bart Fields

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Posted in Business Philosophy, Email Marketing, Entrepreneur & Small Business, Web Design & Development, Web Marketing | No Comments »


Best. Confirmation Email. Ever.

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

Web Marketing Ezine - flyte logYesterday I received the following unsolicited email about the confirmation email that you receive when you subscribe to our monthly email newsletter, flyte log:

I went to fill out the contact form on your website to say this:

I’ve just signed up for your email newsletter and read your web marketing articles…..

I just wanted to say that your confirmation email with the stuff about privacy and not liking green eggs and ham is the funniest and most human I’ve read in a long time….or actually it might be ever. [Emphasis mine, but you can just hear it, can't you? :-P ]

Thank goodness some people still have a sense of humor.

We’re going to use you as a model to inject more humor in our business ……everyone is way too serious these days…….

Sandra Newton
Auckland Web Design Company – Essentee

So I ask you: why are you punishing yourself by not subscribing? Besides what USA Today calls the “greatest confirmation email of all time”* flyte log offers monthly articles that help you market your business online and stay ahead of your competition. Like today’s article, QR Code Marketing for Small Business, which answers all your questions about this new marketing method that is the intersection of physical media, mobile media and the Internet. It’s like the Aim toothpaste of marketing.

Look how easy I’m making it! I’ve even included the signup box right here! No excuses!

Rich Brooks
That Web Marketing Guy

*They said no such thing.

Posted in Email Marketing, Web Marketing | 1 Comment »


Should You Use QR Codes in Email Marketing?

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

QR Code Design ExampleMany of the QR Code marketing articles right now talk about how to use QR codes in email marketing.

I have to ask: why?

Some of the articles talk about the benefits of QR codes, how they act as URL shorteners. I have to ask: who is retyping a link from an email newsletter into their browser’s address bar? Email newsletters are like any other web delivered information, in that they can include links like this one that doesn’t have to show the whole URL. Even if it did, it’s still a clickable link.

From a user standpoint, which is easier: clicking a link (as you’ve been trained to do), or reach into your pants pocket, pull out your smart phone, fire it up, launch your QR code scanner, wait for it to scan the code, and be (finally) taken to the web page in question?

Now, that’s not to say there’s no place for QR codes in email marketing. You may be trying to engage customers who are smart phone users and get them more engaged. (Remember those Columbia Record one penny deals? Getting people to take the extra step of taping a penny Columbia House provided increased conversion rates enough to more than offset the cost of “lost” pennies.)

You might also be trying to cash in on the novelty of QR codes, and in so, be branding your business as ahead of the curve. That novelty will soon wear off, however.

I’m excited about the possibility of QR codes in marketing and communication, but I feel they’re a tool that will work best in certain situations, for certain industries, and for certain audiences. This is a not a one-size-fits-all marketing solution, so don’t get swept up in the hype.

[Update: I just posted a new article on QR code marketing here.]

Rich Brooks
Email Marketer

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Posted in Email Marketing, Web Marketing | 9 Comments »


Web Marketing Articles – A Year in Review

Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

2010 was a challenging year for a lot of businesses, but for those who “marketed through it” fared better than those who put their head in the sand and tried to wait it out.

Social media became legitimized for a lot of businesses who were attracted by the apparent low-cost…forget that it takes serious resources to write compelling blog posts, update your Facebook fan page, create videos, engage in LinkedIn Groups and tweet–just to name a few activities that successful social media marketers delved into in 2010.

We also saw more focus on mobile marketing, which will continue to grow in 2011, with mobile-friendly web sites, smart phone apps, location-based apps, and QR codes to name a few. I expect this will continue as well, as more people upgrade to smart phones…especially if there’s a Verizon iPhone released this year.

As always, I feel that the best approach is an integrated one, where your create a strong content strategy and deliver your message over multiple channels, that may include your web site, blog, online video, and social networking sites. Depending on your audience it might include podcasts, in-game advertising, traditional advertising, in-person networking events and more.

For all of you who take web marketing seriously, and get passionate about growing your business, here’s a quick roundup of the articles we published in flyte log, our email newsletter this year:

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Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Email Marketing, Entrepreneur & Small Business, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media, Web Design & Development, Web Marketing | 2 Comments »


Social Media & Web Marketing Courses in Maine

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

Although the leaves aren’t changing yet, they will be soon (sniff!) and that means that classes are getting back in session.

This year I’ll be teaching not one but two classes at the University of Southern Maine:

Web Marketing for Small Business
In this 4 week course you’ll learn how to build an effective web presence for your small business or non-profit. You’ll learn about search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, blogging, social media, e-commerce, traffic reports, and how to build a web site that generates leads and makes sales. (Please be aware, though: this is NOT an HTML course. You’re not learning how to build a web site, but rather how to make a web site that will build your business.)

4 Thursdays, September 30-October 28, 7-9 p.m.
$215 (8 contact hours/ 0.8 CEUs)
Abromson Center, 88 Bedford Street, USM Portland campus

I’m also teaching a brand new course this fall as well:

Social Media Marketing for Businesses (and the People That Run Them)
Sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are certainly popular, but should they be important parts of your marketing strategy? In this two-class course, you’ll learn how these and other popular social media sites can increase the online visibility of your business, and put you in contact with new audiences.

You’ll learn how to setup and optimize profiles on the most popular, influential sites, how to connect with people in the social media sphere, and how to measure your success. You’ll learn the do’s and don’ts of social media, how to build an audience, and how to listen to what people are saying about you and your business.

We’ll talk about social networking, blogging, online video and all the tools your company needs to master this new arena of marketing.

2 Wednesdays, November 10 and 17, 7-9 p.m.
$115 (4 contact hours/ 0.4 CEUs)
USM Library Computer Lab

Hope to see you there!

Rich Brooks
You Can Call Me “Teach”

Photo credit: Lee Nachtigal

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Posted in Analytics, Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Email Marketing, Entrepreneur & Small Business, flyte news, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media, Web Design & Development, Web Marketing | 6 Comments »


Take Control of Your Social Networking with NutshellMail

Monday, July 26th, 2010

For the past few weeks I’ve been using NutshellMail, an email tool that helps business owners and marketers better manage their time and networks though flexible email delivery.

NutshellMail rocks.

I could stop my review at this point, but you’d probably want some more information before trying out NutshellMail for yourself.

Setting Up NutshellMail

Setup is free and easy. Just visit the NutshellMail web site and click on “Create an Account” in the upper right corner.

From there you’ll be taken to a page where you enter in your email, create a password, and choose which of your social media accounts you want to receive updates from.

Currently NutshellMail supports Facebook, Twitter, MySpace & LinkedIn.

For networks that allow multiple accounts (Twitter & MySpace) you can enter multiple accounts. For Facebook, you can get your personal activity, as well as activity from your pages.

Once you’ve set this all up I recommend going with the default settings at first; once you receive a few emails from Nutshell you’ll be able to tweak your account to maximize its effectiveness for you.

Customizing NutshellMail for Maximum Efficiency

What I may like best about Nutshell is how easy it is to customize the emails you receive. By default, Nutshell will craft an email of all your online activity three times a day, 7 days a week. However, it’s easy enough to have it deliver 1, 2 or 24 times a day. Or not on the weekends. Or only on the weekends. Maybe you just want a daily digest delivered at noon so you can see what’s going on while you eat lunch at your desk.

(BTW, eating lunch at your desk every day is the leading cause of job dissatisfaction, so go out to eat or chat up someone new in the lunchroom. Like that cutie from accounting.) (more…)

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Posted in Email Marketing, Entrepreneur & Small Business, Social Media | 2 Comments »


The Visibility Formula: A Full Court Press for Online Visibility

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

So many business owners who struggle with poor search engine rankings and stumble through social media feeling lost and confused see online visibility as some sort of magic that they don’t understand.

They feel that businesses that end up on page one of Google results must be practitioners of the mystic arts, or companies that generate leads through Twitter and Facebook must have some powerful voodoo.

Put away your totems, scrying mirrors and eyes of newt. (Actually, hold on to those eyes of newt; they go great in arugula salads.) There’s no magic to increasing your online visibility; it’s all science, and it’s a formula that anyone can learn, repeat and improve on.

In this month’s flyte log, our cleverly-named monthly email newsletter, we discuss The Visibility Formula: How Web Marketing Builds Your Business. In the article we talk about:

  • Search engine optimization, both on-page and off-page techniques
  • Social media marketing
  • The power of blogging
  • Email marketing
  • Webinars, and
  • Measuring and improving on your results.

If you’ve been struggling with how to increase your online visibility, drive more qualified leads to your site and convert that traffic into business, check out The Visibility Formula…and then give flyte a call.

Rich Brooks
Droppin’ Science

Photo Credit: Amy Loves Yah

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Posted in Analytics, Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Email Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media, Web Marketing | No Comments »

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