Category Archives: email marketing

Are Webinars too Popular?

Last week I was interviewed by BtoB Magazine for an article, “Webinars: Are They Worth It?” that appeared online today. The article contains some valuable insights on where Webinars fit in today’s B2B demand generation mix, and is definitely worth a read. As always, however, only a fraction of my… 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

Do Email Open Rates Really Matter?

Open rates are generally paid more attention than they’re due. The ugly truth is this: an open rate is NOT an accurate measure of how many people opened or read an email, neither is it an absolute measure of a subject line’s success. So why are there misconceptions about what… Read More

When Emails Go Bad: A Lesson in How to Apologize

If you’ve been involved in email marketing for any length of time, no matter how diligent and prepared you are for every campaign, something somewhere at some point will go wrong. And when that happens, a very large number of people will receive a message from you that isn’t quite… Read More

A Simple Technique for Reducing Bounces & Unsubscribes

It used to be said that the average US business mailing address (snail mail) changes once every 9 months. (That’s individuals moving, not companies.) Fast-forward to today’s highly mobile workforce, where people change jobs like the proverbial underwear, throw in a volatile economy, and more than one-third of the email… Read More

7 Mistakes To Avoid In Your Next Webinar Invitation

I’ve written a number of times in this space about how to maximize response from email Webinar invitations. The campaign below from Parallels, a Swiss-based software company, provides a handy illustration of those techniques by displaying what key mistakes to avoid. For example: 1. Sell the offer, not the product…. Read More

Tempted to Do Away With Registration Forms? Think Again.

A client asks: “Now that we have our marketing automation system in place, is it really necessary to use registration forms in our lead nurturing (follow-up) campaigns? After all, we already know who these people are, correct? If we offer them direct access to the content assets, we can still… Read More