Leslie Ye says, “If eyes are the gateway to the soul, a subject line is the gateway to an email. Everything a prospect needs to know about an email is in the six to eight words they see in their inbox: Do you seem human? Do you have interesting insights to share? Does it seem like you could potentially help?Prospects will make assumptions about the answers to those questions the moment they read a subject line. if you choose your words wrong, your emails will never get opened. It doesn’t matter how good your insights are or how cute the GIF you included is — if your subject line... [...]

Sonia Simone says, “Last week, we talked about how to really understand who is in your audience. This week, we’re shifting into what kind of message they want and need from you. Brian kicked off on Monday with a piece of classic marketing advice (exemplified by a classic American comic film): It’s not enough to just know your audience. You also need to put their interests and desires ahead of your own. That might sound impossibly idealistic — but in fact, it’s pure pragmatism. On Tuesday, Beth Hayden gave some specific thoughts on how to do it, by creating extraordinarily generous... [...]

Ronell Smith says, “During the holidays, my youngest daughter apparently had cabin fever after being in the house for a couple of days. While exiting the bedroom, my wife found the note below on the floor, after the former had slyly slid it under the door. Though tired and not really feeling like leaving the house, we had to reward the youngster for her industriousness. And her charm. Her effective “outreach” earned plaudits from my wife. “At least she did it the right way,” she remarked. “She cleaned her room, washed dishes, and read books all day, obviously... [...]

Nikki Gilliland says, “Neilsen recently reported that sales of ebooks were down 16% in 2016 from the year previous. Unlike other entertainment industries, such as music or television, consumers appear to be turning their backs on digital in favour of traditional books. Interestingly, this doesn’t seem to be a generational trend. People under 30 are just as likely to disregard ebooks – a fact reflected by a 35% drop in digital sales of young adult fiction during the first half of 2016, and cemented by an increase of 7.4% in paperback sales of the same genre. So, what’s behind the... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, “With Google’s expanded text ads deadline upon us — as of January 31, advertisers will no longer be able to upload or edit standard text ads in AdWords — it’s time to get very serious about making the most of the new text ad format. Maybe you have been putting off implementation, or maybe you have been experimenting with expanded text ads (ETAs) for months but haven’t been wowed by stellar click-through rates yet. Don’t fret. We’ve got findings and advice that may provide some anxiety relief and motivation for paving your way with ETAs. Findings so far The... [...]

Emma Koehn says, “There are several heavy tomes devoted to the art of mastering LinkedIn, but the platform’s latest facelift could make it easier to show off your expertise to others. LinkedIn is both a networking site and a skills and advice sharing platform, and entrepreneurs and business owners have spent a significant amount of time trying to crack the code for great professional posts that others will actually read there. A new desktop version of the platform, released globally over the coming weeks, aims to streamline the offer and make it easier for audiences to stumble across this... [...]

Susan Gunelius says, “Leveraging the power of content and social media marketing can help elevate your audience and customer base in a dramatic way. But getting started without any previous experience or insight could be challenging. It’s vital that you understand social media marketing fundamentals. From maximizing quality to increasing your online entry points, abiding by these 10 laws will help build a foundation that will serve your customers, your brand and — perhaps most importantly — your bottom line. 1. The Law of Listening Success with social media and content... [...]

Ian McKee says, “The first known instance of ‘influencer marketing’ was in the late 19th century.  Yeah, you read that right — 1873. Jules Verne, a hugely influential author, was known to be writing another adventure novel when he was lobbied by transport companies for mentions. Perhaps if Jules had been a millennial, then ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ would have been an Instagram Story featuring definitely-not-awkward contract-fulfilling selfies taken on the Orient Express. I’m sure the world would have been a richer place. New tricks for old dogs You can see my point, through... [...]

Mimi An says, “Over the past few years, Google has made a lot of changes that can be challenging for modern marketers and SEO experts to keep up with. Recently, Google started indexing according to mobile search results, cracked down on intrusive pop-up ads, and removed right-side ads. What do all of these changes have in common? Google has been making changes to its algorithm, search engine results pages, and policies based on user behavior and preference. They’re observing what users are doing and making the search engine work more intuitively for them. This is great for the frequent... [...]

Rich Kahn says, “The holidays are an extremely profitable time of the year for businesses of all sizes. After all, they can account for 20-40 percent of a business’ yearly sales. But what about after the holidays? Budgets are tighter, consumers are exhausted and it can be hard to make the idea of shopping again appealing at all. Don’t let your marketing efforts go stale in the post-holiday shopping season. Your consumers are tired, but they’re still keeping an eye out for the next appealing product or service. Here’s what you can do to keep your business’s holiday success going. Keep... [...]