The Pending “Death of Email” is Greatly Exaggerated
I’m a firm believer that there are four pillars of Internet marketing with a potential 5th:
- Good content. Articles, videos, cool pictures, podcasts, etc., all qualify as “content.” If your content is good, you can have success online.
- Search. Until someone comes up with a better way to find news or specific info, search engine optimization will be a big part of marketing any business or service online.
- Email marketing. If you can obtain someone’s email address and get their permission to use it, you can open a long-term dialog that will allow you to constantly bring these people back to your website.
- Video. I know that I listed “video” under content, but I think it’s so fundamental that it deserves it’s own pillar. You’ll see continued investment in video here at Spork as this medium is finally starting to generate real business.
- Social media (pending). The fifth pillar is probably social media marketing on Facebook, Twitter, etc., but it’s status is pending. Will social be folded into search or email? Hard to say. Perhaps it’s a semantic argument. Still, I’m not ready to declare social as a separate pillar from content, email, or search until it’s proven that social can generate revenue all by itself.
These are the pillars. Unless something tremendous happens, they will be the pillars for the foreseeable future. However, to hear some people tell it, “email is dying.”
I say bullshit. Here’s why: Read More
3 Reasons Vertical Response Is Better Than Constant Contact
I’m often asked by clients which email service I like the best. The answer of course is “It depends,” – it depends on the number of people you’re going to send emails, how often you’re going to send out emails, and the type of emails you’re going to send.
Generally speaking, for small business owners with less than 50,000 email contacts, I prefer Vertical Response over Constant Contact. Here’s why: Read More