Chow says, “As you are getting your feet wet in SEO and PPC marketing, you are obviously on the ball with what is working for companies right now.  On the other hand, you may have forgotten completely about email.  Email is NOT going the way of postal service.  On the other hand, I have met more people that are millionaires because they can run a good spam campaign over people I have met that successfully start online marketing.  Now, I am no fan of spam, and do not advocate you start doing it, but I use it as an example as to how successful email can be to get in touch with your target audience.... [...]

Ritika Puri says, “As an entrepreneur, sales emails are my arch nemesis. I was never formally trained as a salesperson and, to be honest, I don’t like to pitch people via email — particularly when I know people these days feel more bombarded than ever in their inboxes. Some salespeople, understanding this fact, have developed tactics around optimizing email open rates and timing their follow-up messages. While these strategies are valuable, they are simply not my style — and possibly don’t resonate that well with other likeminded business owners or salespeople, either.... [...]

Christopher Ratcliff says, “Email is one of the most effective marketing channels, consistently able to drive high levels of traffic and conversion. However if you’ve been running various campaigns, with different content, subject line variations and goals how do you know whether they’re successful or not? Can you be sure that any uplift is directly attributable to your last ‘brilliant’ email? Do you even know what you should be looking out for? When planning any campaign, on any marketing channel, it’s vital that specific goals are outlined right from the start. As stated in our own... [...]

Adam Steinberg says, “With the rise of big data, the most effective marketers are constantly testing their assumptions and using a data driven-approach to optimize their marketing programs. For many marketers, being data-driven starts with A/B testing. While A/B testing isn’t as sophisticated as multivariate analytics, it’s a simple way for marketers to drive immediate results. For example, one marketer attributed a $200 million gain to A/B testing. While there are many sophisticated A/B testing products available for marketers to use, there are also several basic tests that marketers can... [...]

Kristen Dunleavy says, “If you’re serious about growing your business, you need amazing content. The great news about writing for your business? You’re already the expert! While writing engaging content isn’t easy (most business owners aren’t professional writers, after all), it’s one skill worth developing. Here are 20 ways you can begin improving your writing skills today. Keep these tips handy for the next time you get a case of writer’s block”. 20 Ways to Improve Your Small Business Writing Skills Aweber Blog  [...]

Erin Hogg says, “Sending the right message to the right person at the right time is the key to success for many email programs. The Canadian Opera Company, the largest opera company in Canada, sought to implement real-time email messaging to subscribers and send promotional emails during performance intermissions to encourage additional ticket purchases. See how the team created and implemented perfectly timed sends and coordinating phone follow-ups to achieve a 50% sales conversion rate from follow-up calls stemming from emails“. Email Marketing: 67% open rate for Canadian Opera Company’s... [...]

Jeanne Jennings says, “This small business is attempting email marketing, but it has a lot of room for improvement. Can you apply any of these tips to your strategy? I love email marketing. It makes me really sad when I see a small business trying to leverage the power of the channel making small mistakes which could be the difference between success and failure. Case in point: an email I received earlier this month. It appears below; I’ve redacted the details to protect the organization. To set the scene: I attended a business networking event at this restaurant and dropped my business... [...]

Emily Everette says, “If you’re here, you probably spend a good chunk of your time reading up on marketing and digital to stay current. Social media marketing certainly feels like the wave of the future; every day there are 10 more reasons to focus your time (and budget) on connecting socially to grow your business. It’s a common topic here on the OMI blog, where there are often tips for getting the most out of your social media marketing efforts. But is social really earning its keep at your business? Is it your biggest traffic-pusher, your best lead-converter, your most effective sales-generator?... [...]

Olivia Dello Buono says, “Trying to keep up with the it-apps of the moment can be an overwhelming endeavor. And when every up-and-coming social network is being dubbed “the next Facebook”, it’s easy for a small business owner to feel spread too thin. So how do you determine which social network is the right choice for your business? And furthermore, how do you integrate it with your email marketing efforts to grow your list and optimize conversions? Cue Matt Jabs, founder of the sustainable living and do-it-yourself blog DIY Natural. With a collective social media following just shy of... [...]

Parry Malm says, “You know what one of my favourite feelings in the world is?  Just to clarify, I mean at work. More specifically, one of the best feelings you can get when doing email marketing. I love the feeling I get when one of my subject line tests teaches me something about my audience. What can I say? I’m a super cool dude who gets excited when a subject line delivers amazing response. That moment when the opens, clicks and conversions start showing up and you’re like, “I’m the king/queen of email!” Yeah, I know you know that feeling too”. Three ways most marketers screw... [...]