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50 Email Marketing Words That Scream SPAM

April 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Email marketing can be tricky business if you use words that scream SPAM.

If you don’t want your emails to be deleted, don’t use spam words in your subject lines.

email marketing

email marketing (Photo credit: opportplanet)

This marketing strategy can save you time and money in the long run.

Below is a list of 50 email marketing spam words you don’t want to use.

If you use spam words, your email blasts and newsletters will end up in the “Land of Email Marketing Misfits,” known as the Spam folder.

50 Email Marketing Words That Scream SPAM

  1. Free or F R E E
  2. Buy
  3. As seen on
  4. Urgent!
  5. Make money
  6. Make money online
  7. Make money fast
  8. Extra income
  9. Extra cash
  10. Be your own boss
  11. Affordable
  12. Quote
  13. No hidden fees
  14. No hidden cost
  15. Get out of debt
  16. Get paid
  17. Hello
  18. Dear (fill-in-the-blank)
  19. Increase sales
  20. Increase traffic
  21. Network marketing
  22. Multi-level marketing
  23. Fast
  24. Easy
  25. Lose weight
  26. Weight loss
  27. Thousands
  28. No experience
  29. Off shore
  30. Limited time
  31. Limited time only!
  32. Act now!
  33. Offer expires
  34. Offer expires soon
  35. Don’t wait
  36. Order today
  37. Order now
  38. Bonus
  39. Please read
  40. Guaranteed
  41. Risk free
  42. No obligation
  43. Free quote
  44. Free gift
  45. Compare today
  46. Compare
  47. Risk free
  48. Trial offer
  49. Free sample
  50. Please read

Most email marketing services such as Constant Contact give users the opportunity to check their email blast and newsletter for spam.

A low returns indicates little or no spam. A high return means your email blast or newsletter contains spam words. Ouch!

Before you send out your next email blast or newsletter, make sure it’s not filled with spam words.

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes: They’re probably bombarded with emails on a daily basis. They have information overload! Give them a reason NOT to delete, or even worse, put your emails in the spam folder.

Once you end up in the spam folder, you’ll stay there forever. You don’t want your company’s email marketing materials banished to the “Land of Email Marketing Misfits,” also known as the ‘Spam’ folder. Do you?

What spam words do you leave out? Share.

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7 Dust-Busting Ways to Clean and Refresh Your Blog

April 3, 2012 By 1 Comment

Having a blog on your company’s website or linked to your website is a cost effective online marketing tool. It’s important to provide content that will attract visitors, keep them interested, and convert them into customers. Place social media icons on your blog to make sharing easier. Have a conversation on Facebook and Twitter to show followers and fans that your company is interested in what they have to say. Show your care and concern.

Below you’ll find 7 dust-busting techniques that will clean your blog and make it shine again.

How to Clean and Refresh Your Company’s Blog 

Redesign it.

The design implemented three years ago could be out-of-date today. It’s important to stay on top of the latest design trends. Pay attention to the color scheme. A bold color scheme could work for an entertainment business, but not for your medical practice.

Rewrite blog content.

Rewrite or hire a freelance writer/blogger to rewrite old content. This is a great content strategy to breathe new life into your blog. Perhaps, the content is outdated or didn’t make a good first impression when it was originally posted. Perhaps, blog posts weren’t optimized with keywords/phrases.

Rewrites could dramatically increase web traffic.

Tip: A headline on a blog post is just as important as a headline on a print article. You still have to ‘hook’ readers.

Ask questions.

Asking questions at the end of blog posts is a web traffic building strategy that most freelance writers and bloggers use. A question shows visitors that you want to know what they think — your company’s interested in having and maintaining a conversation with them.

Revise the writing style and tone.

What’s the tone of the current blog content? Style and tone can affect blog traffic. This is why it’s important to know ‘who’ the target audience is. For example, if your target audience is marketing directors, the content should be targeted to this audience by incorporating industry jargon and lingo. However, if your target audience is the ‘everyday’ consumer, avoid using industry terms. Your message will become muddled and lost. Customers will gravitate to your competitors’ content because it’s easy to understand.

Change the structure of blog posts.

There are many ways to structure blog posts. The most common way is:

  • Headline
  • Bullet headline
  • Information

However, you don’t have to follow this pattern. Be bold and try something new such as:

  • Headline
  • Quote
  • Information
  • Headline
  • Quote
  • Information

Tips

  • Keep sentences short and to the point.
  • Use bold headlines and bullet points.
  • When it comes to links, use a different color to stand out from the crowd.

Test different structures to see which ones receive the most ‘tweets’ and ‘likes.’ One thing that never changes is that web content must be compelling and interesting.

Post consistently.

How fresh is your company’s blog content? Is it posted consistently? You don’t have to publish a blog post every day; however, choose a schedule that works for your company. Perhaps, you’ll post twice a week or twice a month. Whatever you do, be consistent.

Try new angles.

Types of posts such as “How To” and “Lists” work because they’re fast and easy to read. But, you may want to ‘shake’ things up by publishing a controversial post here and there. If you disagree with your competitors, say so. If you disagree with industry trends, write about it (or have your freelance writer/blogger, write about it). There’s no harm in voicing your opinions. It’s a great way to jump start a conversation.

Use these blog ‘dust busting’ techniques to wipe the slate clean on your company’s blog. Experiment with different types of posts from “How To” to “Tips.” What works? What doesn’t work? Analyze the results to find out which posts had the most visitors and comments. Remember to keep your target market in mind when posting web content. Once your company discovers a strategy that works, stick with it. But don’t ignore new trends either. Stay on top of the ever changing world of blogging.

What are you doing to prevent your blog from collecting dust? Share.

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Freelance Writer Reveals Secrets to Writing Headlines for the Web

March 22, 2012 By 5 Comments

Effective communication is important for both print and web copy writing. The most important aspect of writing is creating an eye-catching headline. A freelance writer who’s skilled in writing for the web understands that it’s important to write headlines that get noticed. It’s also important to optimize a headline for SEO purposes. Below are a freelance writer’s ‘secrets’ to writing a headlines for the web that will grab the attention of readers.

How a Freelance Writer Writes Headlines for the Web 

oDesk Freelancer-RJ Nieto

oDesk Freelancer-RJ Nieto (Photo credit: thumbbook)

Reads tabloid magazines

A freelance writer knows that tabloid magazines have the best headlines which is why they’ll read them. Are you shocked?

Tabloids grab a reader’s attention and don’t let go. This is why they sell! The headlines ‘hook’ a reader and beckons them to read the articles.

Effective communication such as headline that grab’s your target audience’s attention is important when you write for the web.

It’s important to ‘optimize’ a headline with one or two keywords/phrases. The key is to place the primary keyword in front and the secondary keyword at the end. Or, you could just use the primary keyword.

Here’s an example:

Web Content Writers Crash SEO Companies Server for the Second Time

The primary keyword/phrase is ‘Web Content Writers’ and the secondary keyword/phrase is ‘SEO Companies.’

A freelance writer reads Cosmopolitan 

The publishers of Cosmopolitan magazine understand the importance of effective communication. Their writers create headlines that make readers want to read the articles.

They may even shock them. Talk about effective communication!

Some freelance writers have been known to subscribe to Cosmopolitan and other magazines, only to rip-off the front covers and toss the magazines. This is how a freelance writer builds a ‘headline reference’ file. It’s good for those days when a writer needs help or inspiration to write a headline.

Reads blogs

A good freelance writer reads other blogs. They pay attention to a bloggers writing style to see what attracts readers to a blog.

Effective communication is highly important when a freelance writer writes for the web. Readers want quick information that’s helpful.

In order to grab their attention, a write must create a headline that makes readers stop what they’re doing. Of course, converting them to a customer is another goal as well.

Continues their freelance writing education

A good freelance writer continues their freelance writing education by doing the following:

  • Attending writer’s conferences and workshops
  • Enrolling in writing classes
  • Reading books about freelance writing
  • Networking with other freelance writers
  • Enrolling in communication classes such as public speaking

Specialize in Freelance writing

You may be surprised (or not) to discover a freelance writer began their writing career as a journalist. It’s not unusual for a newspaper or magazine writer to transition into a freelance writing career.

They’re used to meeting or turning in work ahead of time (deadlines increase, it happens) and understand the importance of writing for a targeted audience. A ‘good’ freelance writer can adjust their writing style to ‘fit’ your company’s audience. Of course, they can write headlines that get noticed!

Now you know the secrets a freelance writer uses to write headlines for web content.

What challenges does your company face when it comes to writing headlines? Share.

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Why is Social Media an Important Marketing Tool?

March 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If your company hasn’t taken advantage of social media, you could be missing out on the opportunity to increase business results and profitability. Social networking sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, and others are free to use. When they’re used properly, they can drive traffic to your website, convert visitors to customers, and increase your sales and revenue. Let’s find out why social media is important and how it can help grow your business.

 

Social Media is an Important Marketing Tool

 

Social Media Week 2012 SP

Social Media Week 2012 SP (Photo credit: Fora do Eixo)

Connect and effectively communicate with customers.

Your customers use social media. They’re on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Some of them can be found on StumleUpon and other social networking sites.

The bottom line is that your company wants to be where your customers are.

 

Here’s an Example:

Bank of America uses social media to communicate and assist their customers with any questions they may have.

Customers with a specific question can connect with Bank of America at @BofA_Help. This is a good way for Bank of America to track how many customers use this feature.

 

Your industry has a social media presence.

Google your industry and other businesses in your industry, chances are they have a social media presence. See what they’re doing and find out how you can set yourself a part from them. Don’t get left behind!

 

Social networking sites will continue to develop.

Let’s face it; other social networking sites will be created and the current ones will evolve over time. Choose the best ones that work for your company. The ‘big three’ are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

 

Tip: Social networking sites will come and go. Pay attention to social networking trends and use social networking sites that have staying power.

 

FYI: The newest social networking site is Pinterest. However, make sure you READ ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS because there’s been chatter about the legalities of using Pinterest.

 

Social Media: What Your Company Can Do Now

 

Get employees involved in social networking.

Employees may resist the idea of social networking and social media; however, it would be in there best interest to get behind your company’s online marketing strategy.

 

Mashable’s social media demographics INFOGRAPHIC clearly shows who’s using social networking sites and where they can be found. It’s no surprise that most people use Facebook.

 

Embrace social networking, it can be fun.

It’s amazing that your company can connect with customers on a national, international, or global scale. Have fun with social media — keep the tone light and conversational.

 

Display social media icons on your website.

Make sure icons are visible on your website. Don’t make visitors hunt for them. Place icons at the top and bottom of your website. If you have a blog, include a ‘share’ button on posts.

 

Be active.

Hire a social media manager and or ask a freelance writer to ‘tweet’ and post Facebook status updates (manage your social networking).

 

FYI: Most social media managers put 30+ hours into social media.

 

Automating social media sites could appear mechanical and cold. Break it up by having blog posts automatically post to Twitter and Facebook. But engage in ‘real’ conversations too.

 

How has social media increased your business results and profitability? Share.

 

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Social Media and SEO: Do Your Employees Struggle with Change?

March 7, 2012 By 2 Comments

Social media and SEO are strategies to increase business and profitability. What happens if your employees don’t embrace these latest technologies? Employees may believe social media and SEO is a waste of time compared to the ‘old’ ways of increasing business, profits, and customer satisfaction. How do you get them to support social media and SEO strategies? Find out below and get everyone in the company on board with these 21st century strategies.

Social Media and SEO: How to Get Employees to Support New Strategies
SAN FRANCISCO - NOVEMBER 15: Facebook founder...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Explain the benefits of social media and SEO. Employees may not understand the importance and benefits of being on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Schedule a meeting and explain how implementing these latest strategies will benefit everyone in the long run.

  • A dialogue can be created between a company and its customers on Facebook. It’s a good way to address any concerns they may have. Plus, starting a conversation builds interest in your company.
  • LinkedIn is a fantastic way to connect with other professionals within your industry. Who knows, you may find opportunities to collaborate.
  • Twitter is a great way to share your blog posts, eBooks, articles, and other helpful content. You can also share videos too!

Social media and SEO are here to stay. Like it or not, these technologies aren’t going away anytime soon. It would behoove employees to embrace them; otherwise, they could be left behind.

Social networking increases business and profitability. The key to social networking is to establish and build relationships first. Employees can use this tool to find out the problems that ‘potential’ customers have and then offer assistance to solve them.

Tip #1: Develop and build relationships through social networking. Ask for business (or referrals) when you’re confident business relationships have been built on a solid foundation.

SEO helps a company’s ranking in search engines. Companies use SEO strategies to gain organic web traffic. If your company uses a SEO company, schedule a meeting with them and your employees. Once employees understand ‘why’ SEO is important, they’ll be able to embrace it.

Social media is great for introverts. If some of your employees are introverted, let them manage one of your social media accounts. There’s no face-to-face interaction on social media websites — it’s all internet based.

Tip #2: Introverted employees can overcome their ‘fear’ by getting used to communicating with clients, customers, vendors, etc. Before you know it, they’ll be preparing and giving presentations, attending trade shows, and setting up client meetings.

Social networking can be fun. The internet allows us to communicate with people all over the world. Who knows, your company could gain new business nationally and internationally through the use of social media.

Social media (social networking) and SEO are strategies that help companies increase their web traffic, business, and profitability.

Employees may be hesitant to embrace these technologies for many reasons such as fear of the unknown, fear of losing their jobs, fear they may not be able to ‘grasp’ the knowledge, etc. The obvious theme is fear.

Ease your employees’ fears by informing them that companies use social media and SEO in addition to other strategies/tools such as offline and online marketing, branding, positioning, etc. to increase business activities. Everyone will benefit when the latest tools are implemented.

Are your employees struggling with SEO and social media? Share.

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