Optimize email content to strengthen service and trust
Posted on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at 5:27 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
Transactional email messages, such as shipping confirmations, provide an opportunity to improve customer satisfaction and strengthen relationships. But most transactional email content is poorly optimized, leading to poor usability—and many emails incorrectly flagged as spam. Optimizing email content with a clear "from" address, a relevant "subject" line and user-focused body content can help you address many of the issues that undermine your messages.
Write “about us” content that works
Posted on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at 4:01 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
“About us” content is generally better than five years ago. But users have higher expectations, and many sites fail to describe themselves in a paragraph. Usability guru Jakob Nielsen suggests that you can optimize your “About Us” content with a clear homepage link to “About Us” pages, a clear tagline on the homepage, a summary of one to two paragraphs on the “About Us” page, a fact sheet following the summary, and detailed information in separate pages.
How to read minds (to write powerful copy)
Posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 2:39 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
There’s a good chance you’ve made this mistake. (I have. Repeatedly. And for years.) If you’re like most people, you write what’s in your head. Maybe it’s an idea. Maybe it’s a description of your company or product. Well, writing from your perspective can be great for your diary. But it’s self-destructive for your marketing. Instead, you must write from your customers’ perspective.
Why calling yourself “better” is worse
Posted on Friday, September 19th, 2008 at 1:21 AM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
As I write this, Toronto’s oppressed by overwhelming billboards for telecom behemoth Bell. They blare statements like "Internet just got better" and, beside the iPhone-like Samsung Instinct, "Way cooler." If you’re new to copywriting, your first instinct might be to copy these ideas for your internet marketing. After all, if Bell invested so heavily, it must be using proven techniques—and testing them to death. Wrong. If you follow this approach, you’re not only hurting your own business. You’re actually helping your competition.
“New Microsoft” teaches how not to position your company
Posted on Sunday, September 7th, 2008 at 7:24 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
Want to learn how to position your company? Let’s start with a lesson in what not to do, courtesy of Microsoft.
Find and grow a profitable niche with Google Trends
Posted on Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 1:43 AM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
Successful internet marketers know that finding a profitable niche and high-traffic keywords are foundations of a moneymaking online business. Leave it to Google to help with both—and, of course, for free.
Are you giving away enough to make money?
Posted on Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 at 9:22 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
If you’re selling a product online, your biggest concern is probably how to increase revenue. So when people tell you to give stuff away for free, you might think they’re insane. But successful internet marketers would disagree.
Why all your readers are bargain hunters
Posted on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 at 4:01 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
Remember your last big purchase? You probably spent time considering your investment. Maybe you wondered whether you could find the same product—or something with similar benefits—for less. Well, keep that memory in mind as you write for the web. Because just like you, your readers want a bargain.
Create a winning domain
Posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 at 3:07 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
One of the most common questions people have when starting or growing an online business is what to name their website. Well, if you’re looking to name or rename your domain for more traffic and memorability, read on.
Raise readership by “dumbing down”
Posted on Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 at 7:22 PM by Simon Smith | Comments (0)
"More visitors!" you demand. Well, before you order your three-million-dollar Super Bowl spot, here’s a simpler, cheaper solution. It won’t get you more traffic. But it will help you capture 3 out of 10 visitors who probably bounce from your site because they can’t understand your words.
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