Getting Read

There is a great article over at InsideCRM that lists 101 fixes for your website to help your communicate better and take advantage of your traffic. They very in ease and value, but all of them are worth looking at. Many of the tips, such as #1 – tell readers why they should perform a task, are applicable to emails and other forms of communication, not just websites.

Reputation is an important thing. Often, especially on-line, your reputation is about all you have. With email it can be a make or break proposition. If your reputation goes downhill your email servers can be put on "blacklists" causing many mail relaying servers to refuse your messages.

This should have been a no brainer, and I can't believe I am having to write it at all. But after dealing with a client this last week, I guess that it isn't so obvious. Here is the rule: If you don't want to be perceived as spam, then don't spam! That is rule number one. OK, you think everything you have to say is valuable and that everyone should hang on your every word. Goody for you. You customers don't agree, and it is their decision.

There is a great post over at ProBlogger entitled "How to Write Better Posts, Every Time". What is addressed here is the value of your message to your customer and how to keep them coming back for more. I want you to read the entire article, but let me just give you the little bit.

I have talked a good deal about permission marketing recently and how it contrasts to interruption marketing.

I got a message today from a vendor I am working with. He said that he had something he needed to talk with me about - urgently. I called him back to find out what the problem was and he said that he was just calling because he hadn't heard back from the email he sent last week. I immediately apologized and asked him which email and what it was he needed answered, because truthfully I couldn't remember there being any questions from the week prior. He then told me that he had sent a status update but hadn't heard back.

Sit back while I tell you a little story. A little over a year ago I need to get news glasses. Since I hadn't had my eyes checked in a while I figured it was time for a complete vision exam too. Trying to make my life easier since I was going to be in the mall anyway, holiday shopping time you know, I went to the optician attached to the eye glass store at the mall. Everything went well. My checkup went quickly, the doctor was friendly, they took care of filing for insurance, and I was a happy camper.

This kind of goes along with my review of Seth Godin's book last week, but I read a great post today on Vox Fortis, a great communications site by Susan Emmens, entitled "SEO Isn't Your Salsa." Basically what she says is that you can want that number

Gross as it may sound, this is the title of Seth Godin' new book - Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync?.

When you are working with people, be they clients, prospects or co-workers, it is always useful to know what their personality is. You wouldn't want to address a sale to someone who craves adventure and excitement in the same way you would talk to someone who's core values are stability and security.