Brian Blackman » Blog

Reasons for B2B marketers to explore Pinterests

Brian — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:39:53 +0000

If you haven’t visited pinterests.com then you should stop reading this now and go check it out. It’s an interesting site that allows you to catalogue everything you are interested in. Yes there are plenty of site that can do this, but the way they do it is like nothing I have seen. It is blowing up like nobody’s business and it may already be the next big thing. Here is an article by By Karlie Justus that explains why you should be there. Read more….

Why optimize HTML email for tablet devices?

Brian — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 02:44:46 +0000

By Ros Hodgekiss

I know what you’re thinking – just as we’re coming to grips with optimizing our email newsletters for mobile, suddenly we have tablets like the iPad and Kindle Fire to make things interesting again. So here’s the good and the bad news. The good: if you’ve already created a responsive design for the iPhone, then adapting this for the iPad and similar devices is dead easy. The bad: it still requires extra testing, coding and sooner-or-later, it’s going to be what all your clients are asking for.

Before we provide any solid answers on whether or not we should all be optimizing our email campaigns for tablet devices, lets look at their uptake and some basic techniques for adapting your design for small, yet not-so-small screens. Read more….

Eye Movement Patterns in Web Design

Brian — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 10:28:55 +0000

This is a link to an article I read by Eric Rowell. It is a fascinating article about where visitors eyes go when they open a website. All to often we (designers) are only concerned about the “Looks” of a website and not how our viewers interact with the site. What a terrible mistake for designers not to realize this and incorporate these principles into their designs. I hope you enjoy the article as much as I did. Read more…

Tips for Social Media & Content Marketing

Brian — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:23:06 +0000

This is a link to an interesting article I read by Adam Singer about Social Media and Content Marketing. It talks about what content really is and explains the correct way to use it for people who are just getting started. It has some good information that is easy for beginners to understand. Read more…

Google Gmail Priority Inbox Brings New Meaning to Email Deliverability

Brian — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:12:03 +0000

by Amy Tierney
In an effort to reduce information overload in inboxes, search engine giant Google Inc. is launching a new, beta mail-organizing feature to help Gmail users better categorize messages they want to see most.

Email industry experts say that the enhancement reflects ongoing changes by ISPs to improve email delivery.

A/B Testing: The difference one line can make

Brian — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:40:10 +0000

by Ros Hodgekiss

Many reasonable folks out there spend a lot of time and frustration in the search for the ‘perfect’ call-to-action. The good news is that with A/B testing, you can chose two suitable one-liners, then let the crowd decide which is their favorite!

If you’re curious about the difference one line can make when it comes to the responsiveness of your emails, here’s a quick example. We launched a survey amongst a group of active customers, to help us prioritize improvements to our app this year. As we were keen to receive as many responses as possible, we ran an A/B test using two versions of our survey email. Each email contained a different text-link to the survey, so we determined the winner based on which link received the most clicks. Read more…

Does an online initiative translate to offline sales?

Brian — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:42:53 +0000

by Jennifer Van Grove

Last year Dunkin’ Donuts’ “Create Dunkin’s Next Donut” generated more than 130,000 donut submissions and 174,000 votes. But does that translate into offline sales?

David Tryder, manager of interactive and relationship marketing, said that last year’s contest, “met expectations on the business side,” and the company, “saw a healthy response in donut sales during the promotion period.”

Fedex uses YouTube and Hulu to go after small business

Brian — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:52:47 +0000

NEW YORK (Reuters) – FedEx is famous for memorable television commercials, but like many big companies, it is following customers as they navigate from the television to the computer and in turn, shipping much of its marketing to the Web. One of the package delivery giant’s biggest Web campaigns, running on YouTube and Hulu, is a series of three-minute parodies called “1-2-3 Succeed!” starring comedian Fred Willard.

Read More…

What Street Vendors Can Teach Businesses About Twitter

Brian — Sat, 08 May 2010 19:06:22 +0000

Ok, I’ll be the first to admit that I have been hesitant to jump on the social media bandwagon. That being said, it has been an eye opening experience to see how so many companies are using it to grow their business. This post was written by Ann Handley, the Editor in Chief of MarketingProfs. It is a great example for someone who doesn’t understand how social media can fit into your marketing plan. Read more… What Street Vendors Can Teach Businesses About Twitter

Small businesses go social to stay engaged with customers.

Brian — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:16:14 +0000

Small businesses are beginning to see how social media can help them stay connected to their customers. Last year social media adoption grew from 12% to 24%. Connie Steele, who is a director at Network Solutions (as you probably know a provider of online solutions for small businesses) said that “Social media can be the best friend for small business owners who constantly seek new ways to attract new customers and retain the ones they have at a relatively low cost.” Read more…