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Amy Black's Blog Posts
Amy Black is the former editor of Constant Contact's Hints & Tips newsletters on email marketing and online survey best practices. She has more than 14 years of small business and nonprofit marketing experience.
Podcast: Getting Your Newsletter Read
Posted on Thu, 05/15/2008 - 14:53 by Amy Black
One of our customers, Peter J. Kusterer of NvestNtech, sent me an email this morning to let me know about a new podcast he posted to his blog. In it, he did a great job covering some of the key elements of a successful email newsletter. If you are just getting started with an email newsletter or are looking for some tips, visit the NvestNtech blog and listen to his podcast.
To incentivize or not to incentivize, that is the question
Posted on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 17:46 by Amy Black
You are creating a survey and it’s very important that you get a good number of responses to your questions. To motivate your potential survey-takers, should you offer an incentive, such as a discount on their next purchase or a free item?
Pros: If you use an incentive, you are likely to get more responses, especially if you offer something of high perceived value (it doesn’t have to be costly, just seen as valuable) to those you are surveying.
Pros: If you use an incentive, you are likely to get more responses, especially if you offer something of high perceived value (it doesn’t have to be costly, just seen as valuable) to those you are surveying.
The power of polling
Posted on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 17:42 by Amy Black
If you listen to the news on your radio or TV, one statement you hear consistently is “the polls show.” Polls play an extremely important role in the execution of a political campaign. Strategies are developed and decisions are often made based on poll numbers. But this valuable tool isn’t just for politicians; businesses and other organizations can also benefit from the insights polls provide.
Here’s what polls can do for your business:
1) Provide the knowledge you need to make quick decisions. Poll questions such as “Which of the following products are you most likely to purchase in the next three months” and “Which date do you prefer for this year’s school trip?” will give you answers that you can take action on.
Here’s what polls can do for your business:
1) Provide the knowledge you need to make quick decisions. Poll questions such as “Which of the following products are you most likely to purchase in the next three months” and “Which date do you prefer for this year’s school trip?” will give you answers that you can take action on.
The lowdown on spam and deliverability
Posted on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 17:00 by Amy Black
Happy Monday to you. May's Hints & Tips e-newsletter is going out as I write this post. This month's topic is spam. Here's a bit of my intro from the newsletter.
Get your readers to take action
Posted on Wed, 04/23/2008 - 20:29 by Amy Black
Want to get your readers to take action when they receive your emails? What you write will make all the difference. Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing a brief, but powerful, call-to-action (CTA).
It’s a good time to include a coupon
Posted on Thu, 04/17/2008 - 22:15 by Amy BlackTwo recent studies found that in light of challenging economic times, more people are planning to use coupons to save money. According to a study from ICOM, 67 percent of respondents said they are much more likely, or somewhat more likely, to use coupons during an economic downturn. An additional study conducted by Harris Interactive reported that 63 percent of respondents said they would not make a purchase if there was no deal attached.
5 writing tips from Bob Bly
Posted on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 21:52 by Amy Black
Bob Bly is a well-known copywriter who has written a number of best-selling books. He also sends his email newsletter with Constant Contact.
I'm on Bob's list. Today he sent out some great writing advice that I passed on to a bunch of people here at Constant Contact. I asked Bob if I could share it with you too and he said yes. Thanks, Bob! Here's the copy from his email...
Dear Direct Response Letter Subscriber:
Here are a few quick writing tips that can make your copy leaner, less stuffy, and more concise:
Get tips on branding and design
Posted on Tue, 04/08/2008 - 17:25 by Amy BlackThe April issue of Constant Contact’s Hints & Tips newsletter is available for viewing. This month we cover the topics of branding and design and highlight some great email marketing examples.
Deceptive email advertising results in record $2.9 million settlement
Posted on Tue, 03/18/2008 - 23:19 by Amy BlackSeveral months ago, I wrote an entry about the company Adteractive, Inc. The company was charged by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) with using deceptive advertising and they settled at $650,000.
I recently attended the Email Experience Council's Email Evolution Conference where I heard the Deputy Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, Eileen Harrington, talk about how the amounts of these settlements would be increasing in the future. Well, she wasn't kidding.
MarketingSherpa’s 2008 Email Marketing Awards
Posted on Thu, 03/13/2008 - 13:34 by Amy Black
Each year MarketingSherpa holds an email marketing awards contest at their annual Email Marketing Summit. I didn’t get to attend the ceremony this year (I was there last year), but the good news is that they posted the winners and their email campaigns.
