Category Archives: Creative

Is “Please Have a Rep Contact Me” a Good Idea?

A client asks: “On every registration form, we give prospects the option to request contact from a sales rep. Is that even worthwhile when we’re going to call everyone anyway? If it is a good idea, what should the verbiage be? Currently the form reads: [Yes/No radio button] I would… Read More

Content that Works: A Conversation with Michael Cannon

What defines great marketing content? Now that most marketing departments are tasked with also being content publishers, is it too much to ask that marketing content also persuade customers to buy? Or is it enough that the material simply generates response? To answer these questions, I sat down recently with… Read More

In Email Marketing, Don’t Ask Questions

If you’re in the, say: Widget Alignment business, you can be forgiven for thinking that your lead generation programs should be laser-focused on finding people who need their widgets aligned. From there, it’s a short and intuitive leap to simply asking people if they need their widgets aligned, or whether… Read More

Email Critique: CMS Vendor Asks Too Many Questions

As data sheets go, the design below from Ektron, a New Hampshire-based developer of CMS (Content Management System) software, has its merits. Unfortunately, it’s not a data sheet, it’s an email, and on that score, it breaks virtually every rule in the book. Let me count the ways. 1. Not… Read More

7 Lead Gen Techniques I Learned From My Junk Mail

Sometimes it pays to look outside your normal circle of peers for inspiration. Here’s a postcard I received recently from the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife. What do fishing licenses have to do with B2B demand generation? Not much. But the very fundamental direct marketing principles on display… Read More

SAP E-Mail Needs a Dose of “Operational Excellence”

A few weeks back I savaged a Webinar invitation from Oracle, so it seems only fair that I critique an e-mail recently received from one of Oracle’s main competitors, SAP. Oracle’s e-mail was ostensibly promoting an event; the SAP campaign is promoting … well, I’m not really sure. That’s because… Read More

Lipstick, Pigs & Lead Generation

There’s been a lot of talk in the news lately about putting cosmetics on farm animals. Naturally, this made me think of lead generation. No connection, you say? Consider this: Most lead generation campaigns are just internal strategy or positioning statements with some stock imagery added. These internal documents, meant… Read More