Posted on Tue, Oct 25, 2011 @ 03:27 PM
E-mail marketing is a powerful and effective tool, but the success of an e-mail is dependent on several critical "behind the scene" components. To make the most out of your e-mail marketing campaign and improve deliverability, follow these 7 guidelines before hitting SEND!
- Avoid spam words
- Create a sender policy framework (SPF) record
- Use the right techniques for sending to multiple recipients within the same organization
- Comply with CAN-SPAM
- Take a litmus test
- Don’t forget text e-mails!
- Understand bounces
Read the rest of the article with details on American Express OPENForum.
Posted on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 @ 08:45 PM
So, we've all been curious about the little black and white squares that seem to pop up almost everywhere we turn our heads these days. They are on milk containers, subway trains, coupons, for-sale house signs, magazines, blogs, newsletters, everywhere!
What is a QR Code?
QR codes are 2 dimensional bar codes. They are capable encoding more information than your typical 1 dimensional bar code that you find on most products. They were created back in 1994 but have recently gained in popularity because of the various applications and due to the rapid adoption of mobile phones. Most QR codes appear as black squares on a white background, although it is possible to add a different background color as demonstrated in the examples that follow.
What information can you encode in a QR Code?
Almost anything! For most practical uses and applications its important to know that it can store (with certain limitations and exceptions)
Numeric = 7,089 characters max.
Alphanumeric = 4,296 characters max.
You can store things like Alphanumeric values, Email, Phone Number, vCard or a Website URL.
How do I generate a QR code?
Well…there’s software and websites for that as well. We generated the above codes using http://qrcode.littleidiot.be but you can generate one using http://bit.ly as well. Just add ".qr" at the end of your bit.ly URL and voila, you have a QR code!
What can I use to scan a QR code?
To scan a QR code you’ll need a phone equipped with a camera and software or an app that is able to read/parse the QR codes. Don’t worry, there are tons of free apps on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android phones that are capable of scanning these QR codes e.g. i-nigma, QR Reader, QR Scanner, 2D Sense, etc. to name a few.
Little known facts about QR codes...
- QR codes were invented by a subsidiary of Toyota back in 1994!
- QR Codes can be customized to include your logo, as long as it doesn’t interfere or alter the embedded information. Otherwise, it won’t scan. Click here for a an example of a branded QR code!
- QR codes are available without a license!! Go ahead, use them at will.
- The world’s largest QR code is on the rooftop of a scrap yard in Charlotte, NC. No kidding!! It’s almost 10,000 sq. ft.
Posted on Thu, Oct 06, 2011 @ 01:17 AM
Steve Jobs has died. The world has lost an icon but his legacy will live on for generations to come.
My first Apple product was the first-generation iPod. It played music like no other. It had an interface like no other. It was a concept like no other. That is how I was introduced to Steve Jobs. The rest, just like Steve himself, is history.
Steve Jobs. Magician. Artist. Technologist. Marketer. Visionary. Icon. Animator.
The world will never be the same. I’ll miss you Steve.
- Nirmal
Posted on Tue, Oct 04, 2011 @ 01:20 PM
There are times when you want to own the conversation on Twitter using “@” mentions or hash tags. You see, you not only control the conversation but it also saves the user the trouble of entering anything. It’s the Landing Page equivalent of populating our form fields with user information. All the user has to do is click “Tweet” once they click on the link/button you’ve presented. The outcome is more tweets and more shares
Whatever your unique reason, I am sure you’ve asked yourself this question. How do I create a link that will pre-populate the Twitter status message for my users?
Well, the old method of using "status=your message here" no longer works as Twitter has moved to a newer "Web Intents" method. However, fear not, it's still possible, and we'll show you how.
Let's assume we wanted our users to Tweet this message below. Actually, we'd apprecaite if you did!
Check out Boston-based Performance-focused Marketing Services Provider offering #B2B Technology Solutions @BOSMarketer #b2bmarketing
To create a link or a button, follow these steps:
1. Pass this message as a a URL parameter to text in "http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text="
2. Replace your hash tags (#) with its HTML equivalent "%23"
That's it! Putting it all together, we get:
http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Check out Boston-based Performance-focused Marketing Services Provider offering %23B2B Technology Solutions @BOSMarketer %23b2bmarketing
Go ahead. Try it here. And, images work too!
