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| September 12, 2002 Dear Reader, It's back to school time -- continuing education anyone? There are a number of events coming up that look great... I'm speaking at an event next week in Philadelphia and at the National Directory Conference later in the month (they're our sponsor this week -- click on the ad below to learn more). Then in October I've already signed-up to attend the Marketing Sherpa Email Conference and I'm hoping to also make it to The eMarketing World Expo. There's more information on all of these in this issue. If you're going to be at any of these events, drop me an e-mail and maybe we can meet for a cup of coffee. Also in this issue: Why one e-mailer is moving back to double opt-in, Jakob Nielsen on e-mail and other online advertising, tips for developing paid e-mail newsletters, top five excuses of unsolicited commercial e-mailers, spam issues for SparkList/Lyris e-mail clients and a great 'don't make this mistake' case study. Dive right in, the content's fine! Table of Contents 1. Quotable: Weblogs as a Marketing Tool Tim Bray 2. Publisher's Note Jeanne S. Jennings 3. Why I'm Moving to Double Opt-in Subscriptions Dr. Ralph F. Wilson 4. Proposed Opt-in Law Could Cripple Direct Marketing in Mexico The DMA 5. Upcoming Industry Events in Philadelphia and Washington, DC 6. Consumer Groups Unite in Call for New FTC Spam Rules DMNews 7. Jakob Nielsen on Internet Advertising & Usability avant|marketer 8. But Officer, We Don't Do Spam... E-Tales/Inbox Interactive 9. Customers Blame Spam on Filched Lists CNET News.com Content 1. Quotable From Tim Bray, one of the co-creators of XML, at the Seybold Publishing Industry Conference in San Francisco Used as a marketing tool, a Weblog can provide an inventive way to reach customers and partners with engaging content..."You might want to give serious consideration to humanly publicizing your organization... presenting information in a human voice is the best way to get people to read what you publish." 2. Publisher's Note Jeanne Jennings Just some blurbs from my life and times as an e-mail consultant, helping a client develop a paid e-mail newsletter, sharing information on a new way (but not necessarily a good way!) to build an e-mail list and providing a list of the 'Top Five Excuses for Why Sending Unsolicited Commercial Email is Okay,' along with the points I usually make to counter these arguments. 3. Why I'm Moving to Double Opt-in Subscriptions Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, Web Marketing Today, September 10 2002 For those of you who don't know him, Ralph Wilson is a pioneer in the world of e-mail and online marketing. I've been reading his stuff almost as long as I can remember, and it's always well thought-out. Which is why this article caught my eye; he's moving from single opt-in to double or confirmed opt-in; for those of you who are as old as I am, you can remember when double opt-in was the gold standard in e-mail; then things changed and it seemed that single opt-in was fine as long as your content wasn't sensitive and you didn't experience a lot of third-parties opting in friends (or enemies, as the case may be). I have to say, Dr. Wilson's article makes me consider moving to double opt-in for this e-mail newsletter; if you manage an e-mail newsletter list, this is must reading. 4. Proposed Opt-in Law Could Cripple Direct Marketing in Mexico The Direct Marketing Association, August 27 2002 I have to admit that I don't know all the specifics of this law, but in general I'm a fan of opt-in (after all, I'm a consumer as well as a marketer). For many years I was a member of the DMA, and probably will be again, but I often find myself on the opposing team when it comes to e-mail stuff. Read this press release and decide for yourself. 5. Upcoming Industry Events Who: The Philadelphia Area New Media Association What: Interactive Publishing: A Look Back and A Look Ahead Where: Philadelphia, PA When: Wednesday evening, September 18, 2002 Cost: $10 for non-members (Free for PANMA members) Description: Come learn how interactive publishing can help you meet your strategic goals with featured panelists: --> Thomas Baker, a creator of The Wall Street Journal Online --> Mark Feffer, President and Publisher of Tramp Steamer Media L.L.C. --> Jeanne Jennings, Consultant and Publisher of The Jennings Report (I'm the designated hitter, asked to step up to the plate when a panelist originally scheduled couldn't make it) ~~~~~ Who: Simba Information What: National Directory Conference 2002: Innovative Growth Strategies for Today Where: Washington, DC When: September 22-24, 2002 Description: Sessions Include: *New Product Development *Internet Marketing, with Jeanne Jennings from The Jennings Report as a panelist *Latest Technology Keynote Speakers: *Alan Glass, Chairman, Commonwealth Business Media *Christine Pippin Northwick, VP Circulation, SRDS For more information, call 917-981-2937 ~~~~~ Who: Marketing Sherpa/ContentBiz What: How to Grow Your Email Newsletter Profits: Email Newsletter Publisher's Profit Workshop Where: Washington, DC When: October 14th, 2002 Description: You'll learn: -> How to sell sponsorships -> How to sell subscriptions to an email newsletter -> How to sell eBooks, archives & teleseminars to email newsletter readers Save $100.00 if you sign-up before 9/18! ~~~~~ Who: Lindsay & Company What: eMarketing World Expo: Your Offline Strategy for Online Success! Where: Washington, DC When: October 23-24, 2002 Description: Learn how to create, fulfill, and maintain permission-based e-mail marketing campaigns that increase sales, cut costs and build strong relationships. Register by September 13 and save up to $150! ~~~~~ 6. Consumer Groups Unite in Call for New FTC Spam Rules Ken Magill, DMNews, September 5 2002 I like their analogy that spam is like 'the crack cocaine of marketing,' and agree that something needs to be done, since self-regulation doesn't seem to be working. Don't know if they'll succeed, but I support their cause. If you agree, you can submit your name in support of the petition at their website; you can also submit your own tales of the nightmare that is spam. And yes, I believe this is the group whose website had a problem last week, telling everyone (even those who hadn't opted-in) that they would be receiving additional information on the cause via e-mail (oops! I guess no one's perfect), but I understand that's been fixed. 7. Jakob Nielsen on Internet Advertising & Usability Exclusive interview, avant|marketer, 2002 I'm not sure I agree with him that Proctor and Gamble's attempt to market on the Internet will fail in the long term, but this is still a good interview with Jakob Nielsen, the usability guru. He talks about permission marketing and coins a new term, 'request marketing.' There's also great stuff in here about landing pages and being sure there's not a 'disconnect' for your prospect who had clicked a link to get there. This interview is long, and much of it focuses on websites, but some good tidbits for e-mail marketers as well. 8. But Officer, We Don't Do Spam... E-Tales, Inbox Interactive, September 2002 I like E-tales -- I think it used to called something like 'E-Tales of Horror' (It's clear the folks at inbox have a great sense of humor). What's great about it is it isn't all blue-sky, rosy case studies. They do some of that, but they also provide stories of marketer's 'oops' moments. Like this one, where a marketer is forced to go back and confirm opt-ins on his entire list, all because he hadn't e-mailed them on a regular basis (and because they didn't recognize the e-mail as something they had opted in to). Read it and learn! They always provide practical advice at the end to assure that you won't get caught in the same traps. 9. Customers Blame Spam on Filched Lists Troy Wolverton, CNET News.com, September 11 2002 Are you using SparkList/Lyris to send your e-mail? If so, you'll want to read this article. It appears that some lists housed at SparkList/Lyris have been compromised. To date, Marketing Sherpa, WilsonWeb and numerous other publishers have been effected. Even if your lists aren't housed at SparkList/Lyris, you'll want to read this and make sure your lists are secure. Closing I'm writing this on September 11 and I can't help but think about the events of a year ago. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with everyone who was affected by 9-11-01, especially the families of my two former co-workers who perished on Flight 11. I'll be back with another issue of The Jennings Report on Thursday, September 26. Don't forget to e-mail me if you're attending any of the industry events listed above -- I'd love to meet you for coffee. Best, Jeanne mailto:publisher@jenningsreport.com |
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The
Jennings Report
