MindComet

VSL Gets A Redesign

My favorite daily editorial email, VERY SHORT LIST, has a new layout and design.  It’s more intelligently laid out, now with a pre-header and with more predominant calls to action, especially with the forward to a friend button.  They’re also incorporating social networking tools such as Digg and Facebook to spread the word about VSL.

Everything about this email is consistent, to-the-point and also encourages user sign up and database growth.  There are 3 opportunities for a new user to sign up and 5 opportunities to forward the email or invite friends to sign up.  Also with the new design, there’s a call to action for the web-version of VSL, which has separate content independent of the email.

Kudos to the creators and editors of VSL.  Excellent job on all fronts.

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Posted by MindComet on Aug. 21, 2008

Email as Digital Glue

Earlier last week entrepreneur and overall media junkie Greg Cangialosi spoke in Boston about “Email Marketing’s Role in New Media”.  At the core of this presentation, we’re left with the central theme of email being the “digital glue” that ties all other emerging and established interactive media outlets together.  Through this presentation he determines that even with all of these stimulating and exciting forms of media in today’s market, email is still the most dominant and essential application used.  Here is an overview of some of the highlights of his presentation:

• 92% of all internet users read and send email on a daily basis.
• For ever dollar spent on email marketing in 2007, there is a return on investment of $48.29.
• It is the only common medium that ties all avenues of social networking together.

Compelling stuff indeed.

This presentation was part one of a three-part series by Greg.  Stay tuned for the impending installments.  See the presentation slides here.

Oh, and thanks to Tamara for pointing this out!

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Posted by MindComet on Jul. 22, 2008

Facebook Opens Email Platform

If you’re currently on the social networking site of the moment, Facebook, you may notice that their email options have widened considerably.  Up until recently, you were only allowed to message to you Facebook friends.  But now they’ve allowed the option to message - quote / unquote - normal email addresses through their system.

The issues inherit with Facebook’s email service is that – as it stands now – no on uses facebook as their sole means of email communication.  Like most people, I check my main email account to see if I’ve received any messages from the social networking site.  Then I log on to the site to actually read the message.  It seems a little convoluted…  for now.  If they add a few key features (such as POP, forwarding, etc), then Facebook has the potential to completely turn the email-marketing world on its head.

Source: The Email Wars

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Posted by MindComet on Aug. 27, 2007