AntSaint

Video Poll Results for Email Marketing

Polls like this are good because they remind email marketers what not to do. Want to put a form in your email? Go for it... just don't expect it to work. Same with video. And that really cool javascript thing you got coded up. Don't put that stuff in email, it just doesn't work consistently. Put it on your website, and have the email get people to go there:

Link: EmailKarma.net: Video Poll Results.

"The results are in... with a limited number of respondents I'm not sure how scientific this is, but the results did show a number of very strong trends"

Email Marketing Blogs

These 14 blogs are at the least must-check-outs, but you'll find many are must-subscribes. These have been very handy of late, when keeping up with the email marketing industry, as well as exploring new ideas for marketing messages and campaigns:

Link: Larry Chase's Search Engine for Marketers - Best Email Marketing Blogs Resource Center.

How to Make Accurate Time Estimates

When it comes to estimating projects, I am always far too optimistic. Too trusting of efficient skills and fact-finding, and always a little too forgetful of inevitable hiccups, problems, and stuff that comes up along the way. Reading Steve Pavlina's post was quite the eye-opener. The solution is so simple, really — just figure out your own personal "fudge factor", say 1.5 in Steve's case, and multiple your time estimate by that number. If I'm not careful, I'm going to start coming up with accurate estimates now...

Link: How to Make Accurate Time Estimates.

"My average fudge ratio is about 1.5. This means that whenever I make an off-the-cuff estimate for how long a task will take, on average I’m too optimistic; the task ends up taking about 50% longer than my initial guess."

Favorite Online Marketing Quotes

Online marketing, like any other field, churns out its share of aphorisms and quips. This is a great collection of things that will bring out a big grin on inner online marketing geek (thanks JP for sending it along!):

Link: Favorite Online Marketing Quotes.

My favorite: “Being #1 on MSN is like being Valedictorian of summer school.” — Craig McDonald

The Most Annoying Google AdSense Unit

Also interesting is how the "most annoying AdSense unit" performs, however. Obviously, Antsaint doesn't have much advertising on it, and Ride Three doesn't either. For now I like it that way, but it's good to see studies like this to help find and maintain that balance between ad money and reader happiness:

Link: The Most Annoying Google AdSense Unit Is: The Large Rectangle.

"About 6 weeks ago, I polled our readers on which Google AdSense unit they found to be the most annoying. The results are in and the winner of the most annoying AdSense unit is the large rectangle unit."

Legal & Blogs, Search Spiders, Redesign and Email - Markeing Profs Round-up

Here are some thought-provoking articles from this week's Marketing Profs newsletter:

• Corporate Blogging: Getting Past 'No' If You're Not the CEO – "how does, say, a midlevel corporate marketer or product manager set out to create an "official" blog with the blessing and sanction of Legal?"
• Redesigning Web Sites to Put Customers in Charge of Their Experience – "The role of Web sites in both consumer and business-to-business markets is changing and evolving, enabling customers to engage brands increasingly on their own terms"
• All Search Engines Love Spiders: How Meta Commands Can Help You Love Them Too – "Here are some of the more popular [individual meta commands] and reasons you might want to use them (or not)"
• What Not to Do for Email Marketing Done Right – "Email marketers must keep in mind that consumers who decide to opt in to the brand's email channel is likely a fan of that brand. Do not lose those consumers by making the following mistakes"

Work Open, Work Closed - Get More Done

Now this is my kind of work style. I do similar: when the door is closed and music has changed (though it varies by mood), I'm zoned in to whatever I'm working on. Most times though, everything can be nice and open, and I can stop for chats and interruptions.

Link: Productivity: Get Things Done with Bi-Modal Work Styles.

Basically, I've got two modes of work: loose/open, and focused/closed. When I'm in "open" mode, my instant messenger status is set to available, I'm surfing, writing, checking email, coding, listening to music with lyrics—getting things done, but in a multitasking way, open to interruptions and tangents.

Marketing Profs round-up - Podcasting, OpenSocial and Beyond Sex

Round-up of thought-provoking article from Marketing Profs:

• 11 Lessons Learned From Podcasting by Marketing Profs
• How to Explain OpenSocial to Your Executives by Marketing Profs
• MarketingProfs Podcast: Eduardo Conrado, Using Thought Leadership to Position Motorola by Marketing Profs
• MarketingProfs 'Classic Truths': Sex! Why Getting Your Attention Isn't Always Enough by Marketing Profs

Overcoming Shyness

It's not that I'm shy... it's that I'm just so caught up in my own head, that sometimes I forget to talk. Or forget that it's good to talk. To people I don't know. As strange as that sounds. But I never thought of shyness as selfishly depriving the people around you of your usefulness:

Link: Overcoming Shyness.

Other people need you. They need your intelligence and insight. They need your help to work through problems. By hiding behind shyness, you limit the help you can give to your friends, family members, and colleagues

Marketing Profs Round-up

From how writing offline is now a lot like writing online, to a whiteboard demo of understaning RSS, Marketing Profs has some great articles for the marketing-hungry this week:

• The New Rules of Internet Marketing by Marketing Profs
• MP Classic: 10 Online Writing Concepts That Work Wonders Offline, Too by Marketing Profs
• Micro Branding—Macro Results by Marketing Profs
• Going Global in a Web 2.0 World: A Punch List for Small Business by Marketing Profs
• MarketingProfs Video: RSS—REALLY Simplified by Marketing Profs