Earning a living, in appalling rendering conditions

For all the email marketers out there - earning a living in appalling rendering conditions - This is for you.
Hat tip to the author Mathew Patterson.
You may also want to check out, or join the Email Standards Project.

Find your brand spam

I had an interesting email exchange with Seth Godin a few days ago - in response to this post.
During this brief exchange Seth wrote, “I hate email.”
It turns out one of my email replies went straight into his spam folder. And he felt awful a couple of days later, because having retrieved the item [...]

Out of Office

In an era of ‘On Demand’ service and the continued blurring between ‘work’ and ‘play’, is it wrong to put up an Out of Office notice on your email these days?
I am beginning to think most people display far too old fashioned notices - and hide behind them.
I am out of the office from x [...]

Please help

Sport Relief
(I should apologise for bringing you here by illicit categorisation and tagging, but I won’t. You might have wasted just 10 seconds. Hopefully you will make the choice to change someone’s world in less than a minute).

The 26 Week Internet Marketing Plan

If I said to you, you can learn about Internet Marketing in a weekend, and implement a thorough Strategic Internet Marketing plan in just 26 weeks, you might react in two negative ways; depending on your perspective. I know I did.
How can you provide me a strategic plan? That’s nonsence.
or
26 weeks? That’s [...]

Outgoing only

I am sure everyone has received one of these before:
This is an “outgoing only” email address. If you ‘reply’ to this message by simply selecting the reply button, we will not receive your additional comments.
Sounds like a wasted opportunity to start a conversation if you ask me.
Seth Godin reminds us that if you [...]

The opt-in hokey cokey. In out, in out….

I am flabbergasted. OMG! I’ve never had an email requesting I re-opt-in to email correspondance, after previously opting out.
Here’s the email in full. Obviously received, read and deleted. The only thing left? A stain on their good name.
—————–
From: xxxx (Intl Vendor) [mailto: xxxx]
Sent: 26 November 2007 09:55
To: xxxx
Subject: xxxx Global [...]

Mr. and Mrs. Average

See how you compare with the UK’s IT and Business Decision makers in these Silicon.com surveys.
Do you think a business blog can be a good way for companies to communicate with their customers?
View Results
What is the biggest expenses claim you’ve ever made?
View Results
When you are on holiday, how often do you check your work [...]

Now available as an email

By popular request, you can now subscribe to this blog by email. Powered by Feedburner,  an email simply shows up in your inbox once a day. It is the same low, low price as the regular blog,  but a bit more convenient for the easily forgetful, or the very busy marketing or technology executive.

A brief history of spam

“Damn Spam”, The losing war on junk e-mail, by Michael Spector of The New Yorker

A Potted History of B2B High-Tech Marketing

A while ago, brands were communicated simply by ‘campaigns’. Blast a message out a gazillion times and the message would hopefully ’stick’, and hey presto…..more sales. A consistent monologue was established. In this era, messages and media were key. Communication was the order of the day. But times [...]

Three letter acronyms (TLAs)

I got an invite to a webinar today.  I get a lot of these.  Tech vendors LOVE their webinars.
I’ve read the title of the invite twice.  Twice.  Slooooooowly.
“TWO WORLDS COLLIDE:  Combining PPM and ALM, from the PMO Perspective” *

Now I’ve worked in technology marketing all my working life.  I get technology.
But the use of two, [...]

The Debate: “Has digital media usurped traditional B2B channels”

B2B Marketing, in partnership with Mardev, will be hosting its 6th event, as part of the B2B Marketing Great Debate series on September the 18th -  “Has Digital media usurped traditional B2B channels.”
Be part of the new media debate and get inspired insight into current thinking behind the new integrated mix; and then network with [...]

FREE Event: Online Marketing 2007

Online Marketing 2007, (26-27 June) brought to you by NMA and Marketing Week, is one of the only UK events to bring together experts and suppliers covering every element of online marketing all under one roof, over two days. It’s now in its third year and the show promises it’s bigger and better than [...]

80% of 1990s Usability Study still holds true

As Web usability testing enters its 14th year, it’s worth asking how early results have held up to recent user research.
10 years ago, Jakob Nielsen wrote an article on the changes in Web usability from 1994 to 1997. A few of his original findings were no longer valid a mere 3 years [...]