1) Clean up your list.
Some email marketing services don’t automatically remove bounces. Other times, people email you to unsubscribe instead of using the handy-dandy “unsubscribe” link in your emails (crazy, I know). Take the time to go in and make sure that your list is up-to-date. Remove any bounces or unsubscribed email addresses, and add or update any new email addresses.
Three Fast Email Marketing Tips
By: Michelle Pierce | March 10th, 2010
Tags: email marketing, tips
Posted in: Naked Writing
What Our First President Can Teach You About Marketing
By: Michelle Pierce | February 23rd, 2010
For most Americans, George Washington is one of our most admirable founding fathers. As the general for our army during the American Revolution and our first President, he led a long and distinguished life and helped to shape our country in those first years.
Considering yesterday was George Washington’s birthday, here are some words of wisdom from our first President.
Tags: George Washington, gratitude, honesty, marketing
Posted in: Naked Writing
Does Your Website Answer These Five Questions?
By: Michelle Pierce | February 12th, 2010
All first-year journalism students have this fact drilled into their heads: Every story you write must answer the following questions within the first paragraph, if not the first sentence:
Who? What? Where? When? Why?
We’re trained to answer all the major questions readers will have in the shortest amount of space possible. Why? Because readers skim.
People also skim on the web. Does your website answer all the major questions they’ll have? Take a page out of the journalist’s book, and make sure you answer these questions on your home page:
Tags: copywriting, journalism, questions, website
Posted in: Naked Writing
TGIF – Week’s End Links – Happy Birthday, Facebook!
By: Michelle Pierce | February 5th, 2010
First off, happy birthday to Facebook! The social juggernaut turned six on Thursday, which makes them squarely middle-aged online. I started my own Facebook account in 2005, back when they were only open to colleges and you had to have a university email address to open an account. (In fact, I didn’t delete my “ou.edu” address from my Facebook account until late 2009, after said address had been defunct for about two and a half years.)
And while Facebook and I have had our differences over the years, I have to say “thank you.”
Tags: Facebook, links, Netflix, semicolon, Seth Godin, TGIF
Posted in: TGIF
Three Quick Website Maintenance Tips
By: Michelle Pierce | January 15th, 2010
As the AVC editor-in-chief and word ninja, it’s my job to take care of all the little details.
Here are three quick tips that can 1) improve user experience and 2) will make it easier for search engines to read your site.
Tags: proofread, tips, usability, website maintenance
Posted in: Naked Writing
Seven Unbreakable Website Usability Rules
By: Michelle Pierce | January 12th, 2010
1. Thou shalt forgo happy talk and splash pages.
Happy talk is any text on your site that fills up space without actually saying anything. For example, “Welcome to our site! We’re so glad to have you.”
Splash pages are another archaic leftover from the early days of the web. These pages feature little more than a “click here to enter” button, and, like happy talk, they do little more than take up space.
Tags: clarity, communication, design, website usability
Posted in: Naked Writing
Four Unbreakable Social Media Rules
By: Michelle Pierce | January 5th, 2010
1. Thou shalt be active.
In social media, you have to establish yourself as part of the community. Don’t just set up an account, make a couple of status updates or send a couple of tweets, and then decide that it’s not working. Social media marketing is not a magic bullet (nothing is). It takes time, and the most popular people online have been doing it for years.
Tags: Facebook, rules, social media, twitter
Posted in: Naked Writing
6 Aqua Vita Business Resolutions for 2010
By: Michelle Pierce | January 1st, 2010
People have been making New Year’s resolutions since time immemorial. And most of us make numerous personal ones. But what about New Year’s resolutions for your business?
What do you want to accomplish this year professionally?
Where do you want your business to be in December 2010?
I can think of a lot of things that I’d like Aqua Vita to accomplish this year. But here are a few resolutions we have for 2010 to make us better than ever.
Tags: business, consistency, efficiency, marketing, New Year, resolutions
Posted in: Aqua Vita News
Brand Identities, Bunnies, Moms, and Coffee – A Collection of Posts
By: Michelle Pierce | December 23rd, 2009
We’re a grand total of two days away from Christmas (Have you finished your shopping/wrapping? Because I sure haven’t. Oh no.), and while we’re preparing for the holidays, I thought I would share some of the posts I’ve found in the past few days that have really made me think. Or smile. Or in one particular case, laugh until tea shot out my nose. (I don’t recommend that.)
Tags: brand design, bunnies, coffee, customers, marketing
Posted in: Naked Writing, TGIF
Four More Writing Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make
By: Michelle Pierce | December 8th, 2009
This is not the first time I’ve touched on this subject, and I doubt it’ll be the last. Here are four more writing mistakes you should avoid:
Peak/Peek/Pique
A pet peeve of mine is when I see people use the phrase “peak my interest” or “peek my interest.” It’s “pique,” dammit.
“Peak” is a noun, and means [...]
Tags: grammar, mistakes, spelling, writing
Posted in: Naked Writing
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