BeTuitive: create a newsletter

Green Blackle?

Posted on July 25, 2008 by Jennie Huss.

Today I was looking at internet news and found this article about a Google search engine that has a black background. It’s called Blackle. As I read about how it saves so much energy I couldn't help but think "Why hasn't Google changed to this?" Such a small step on millions of computers could help out the environment a lot.

After checking out the site I was slightly disappointed, as the search engine only shows links. It didn't have the added convenience of videos, images, shopping- and all the other things that are expected to be within a click. This is probably the main reason for not using this energy efficient Web site.

However, as I continued reading and searched for further information on the subject, the positive results were limited to certain types of screens. In fact, with some types of screens, the black background uses even more energy than the white screen. Apparently the answer to being energy efficient isn’t as easy as using a search engine with a black background.

With the popular trend towards "going green" businesses and individuals are re-vitalizing the way things are done in favor of the environment. For some this could mean steps as small as getting more energy efficient light bulbs, while others will conduct a full overhaul--perhaps going paperless, installing solar panels or other more dramatic energy-conscious steps.

The idea that helping the environment involves sacrifice is a misconception. The choice to go green, personally or with a business, does not have to be a dramatic change in lifestyle. It can be simple changes to everyday life such as reusing bags, deciding to reuse towels before washing them, or carpooling to work. With these miniscule steps, anyone can make a positive impact on the environment.

July 25, 2008 in Blogs, bulk email marketing, create a newsletter, Custom publishing, e-newsletter, e-zine, html newsletter, mass email, online newsletter, publish online | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Lego: Building Online Marketing

Posted on September 12, 2007 by Kevin G.

Lego, one of the toy companies that doesn’t have to worry about lead paint, has begun a new e-mail campaign with ESP (email service provider) Responsys. The B2C campaign is geared towards generating transactions and keeping buyers updated on new products.
The emails are segmented by geography and purchasing power. Lego has recently been bulking up its internet presence with expansion in the U.K.
Lego Home Page

September 12, 2007 in Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, bulk email marketing, Business Marketing, Business relationships, Company newsletters, create a newsletter, create email newsletter, create newsletter, creating company newsletter, creating newsletter, Customer Intuition, customer magazine, customer retention, E-Marketing, e-newsletter, e-zine, electronic magazine, electronic newsletter | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack

HTML Vs. Text

Posted on July 25, 2007 by Kevin G.

I was reading an article on practices that are working in B2B marketing. Written by Robert Bly, the article supports the notion that even though marketing gurus promote authentic and effective practices, the large majority of them are inconsistent.

It is a challenge to pinpoint what exactly makes a marketing campaign succeed or fail, even when it comes to custom publishing. One point, however, I refused to accept: B2B email marketing is a strategy best served in plain text format over HTML. What?!

Alright, I understand how spammers utilize HTML in various ways to trick filters, personal message are often sent in text format and HTML messages can seem insincere if sent to a bulky list. But to say that text email messages for B2B purposes works better than HTML is a bit shortsighted.

HTML has the capacity to present multiple sources of information in a customized way. If designed well, HTML messages can help promote a company brand while delivering a unique experience for the subscriber. Not to mention that HTML is more expansive in its capacity for tracking and measurement than plain text.

If you think text email messages will set you apart from the rest of the B2B traffic – you’re right. You'll leave your subscribers wondering why you seem to think bland is better.

July 25, 2007 in award winning blog, award winning newsletter, Award winning publications, Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building Customer Community, bulk email marketing, company blog, company newsletter, create a newsletter, create email newsletter, create newsletter, creating company newsletter, creating newsletter, direct email marketing, E-Marketing, Email Marketing, Email Newsletter, email tracking, ezine marketing, how to publish a newsletter, how to publish online, html email newsletter, html newsletter, newsletter design, newsletter publishing | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

8 Ways to Boost Your Click Through Rates

Posted on June 05, 2007 by Kathryn Regina.

From product reviews to information sharing, the Medquoda Daily shares tips from the "Creating Great Free Email Newsletters" session of SIPA's 31st annual conference in Washington D.C. Read the article to learn valuable information about copy writing for promotional-based emails.

These eight techniques will boost your click through rates

June 5, 2007 in Blogs, build credibility, business credibility, Business editorial, Business Marketing, Business newsletter, Business publications, company blog, company newsletter, Company publication, Corporate newsletter, create a newsletter, create email newsletter, create newsletter, creating company newsletter, creating newsletter, custom newsletter, Custom publication, Custom publications, E-Marketing, Email Marketing, how to publish online, how to write a newsletter, how to write and publish a paper, magazine marketing, Marketing Communication, Newsletter content, newsletter creation, Newsletter Marketing | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Obama Focuses Attention on Telemarketing and the FTC

Posted on May 23, 2007 by Kevin G.

It may not be the topic of global warming or the war in Iraq, but presidential hopeful, Senator Barack Obama, offered his concern on telemarketing to the elderly. The FTC and databases like Infousa.com are mentioned in his statement. Read the full article here.

May 23, 2007 in blog publish, Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, Business editorial, Business relationships, Company publication, Corporate Blogging, create a newsletter, creating newsletter, Custom email, Custom publishing, Customizable publication, electronic newsletter, email marketing solution, email service, grow relationships | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

People VS Profits

Posted on April 18, 2007 by Kevin G.

I found an article about the considerations non-profit organizations should take when developing a strategy for an e-marketing campaign. Take a look.

April 18, 2007 in award winning design, award winning newsletter, Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, bulk email marketing, business credibility, Business Marketing, Business newsletter, Business publications, Business relationships, create a newsletter, create newsletter, creating company newsletter, Creative emails, direct email marketing, E-Marketing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Grass-rooted Publishing...by Tree

Posted on March 05, 2007 by Vinnie Lacey.

Glancing through the Chicago Tribune on my morning commute, I read a fascinating article about the tumultuous Darfur region in Sudan. Instead of the typical stories of genocide and rape, the article focused on a young woman from El Fasher (the capital of the North Darfur state) named Awatif Ahmed Isshag. Isshag began a handwritten monthly newsletter covering local events, arts and religion nearly 10 years ago, and found a colorful way to distribute her articles by pasting decorated pages to a large piece of wood and hanging the creation from a tree outside her parents' home. These days, the 24-year-old journalist's grass-roots periodical often confronts the often tragic circumstances in the region, with Isshag conducting all her own interviews and information gathering. Passersby eat it up, some traveling several miles to read her installments. Isshag faces pressing issues--threats to her safety, constant insecurity, the loss of relatives--but she bravely soldiers through it all. "Journalism," she says, "is a profession of risk."

I'll refrain from giving any ill-conceived comparisons to custom publishing, but it's interesting how the struggle to accumulate and disseminate important information can bind us across cultures. Isshag has found incredibly creative--and brave--means to deliver her message to the community who needs it. A community that has largely been without a voice, but where one courageous woman is carving out quite the readership.

If only every publication could take such risks. Catch up on Isshag's story here.

March 5, 2007 in audio publication, award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Blog Outsourcing, blog publish, CMO, company blog, company magazine, company newsletter, Company newsletters, Company publication, Corporate Blogging, corporate magazine, Corporate newsletter, create a newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Reviving Stewardship

Posted on February 19, 2007 by Vinnie Lacey.

In the business of custom publishing, we here at BeTuitive always have to be mindful of copyright and plagiarism. After all, word-smithing is part of what we do, day in and day out. Not to mention that a crucial aspect of our credibility is ensuring the originality and authenticity of the work we produce, both for ourselves and our clients.

But are we, as the model of capitalist societies, too obsessed with the claims of private ownership in our created works? Has the rush to stake claim to their seemingly inalienable rights destroyed the public domain that these works also naturally reside in?

The author Jonathan Lethem gives an excellent treatment of these questions in this month's Harper's Magazine. Lethem's mini position paper, "The Ecstasy of Influence," got me thinking about what we are quick to deem worthy of protection these days. The article does get rather heavy at times, as a good position paper should, but I found some of his ruminations very interesting and worth the time. One of my favorites is Lethem's distinction between a market economy and a gift economy.

Check it out.

February 19, 2007 in audio publication, award winning design, award winning magazine, Blog Outsourcing, blog publish, Blogs, Brand enhancement, Building B2B Relationships, Business newsletter, CMO, Company publication, Corporate Blogging, corporate magazine, Corporate newsletter, create a newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A Winging Sales Plan

Posted on January 22, 2007 by Vinnie Lacey.

By day I help customers make informed decisions on custom publications to improve their business and add value to their relationships; by night I perform, direct and sit in rapt attention of some of the most amazing improvisational theater that this fine city has to offer. As the locals know, Chicago is the mecca for improv and sketch comedy in America, with institutions like Second City, IO (formerly ImprovOlympic) and the Annoyance Theater carrying the torch on social and political satire. At its finest, it's nearly impossible to walk away from a show without an interesting reflection on the human experience. And...oh yes, it's downright hilarious.

Because I am so passionate about the art, I often look for connections between improv and my personal life--discovering answers to important questions like what motivates me, what brings me joy and what leaves me downright frustrated. And as a recent Washington Post article brought to mind, improv remains just as relevant to the world of business.

I was particularly struck by one of the big questions the author raises: How can you teach people to be funny? The query is all too familiar to any improv director wondering how to lead spontaneity, prompt genius, and tackle any other number of seemingly insurmountable oxymorons. Whew.

What I found from my several years of performing and short time directing is this: it's rarely successful to just tell someone what they are doing wrong; the direction that sticks is always a matter of discovery. So I try to lead through challenges (hey, try taking an exaggerated pose before delivering each line!) and repetition (you just said something significant--say it again!). These strategies have been far more effective than my default 20-minute tirade on the merits of "yes anding" your scene partner. And far more rewarding: witnessing the light bulb going off in a performer's brain in the middle of a scene is a pure delight.

How does this relate to the world of sales? I'm willing to bet few complex business deals have ever met success with a colorful brochure, a strong handshake, and a canned sales pitch. That--like my previous bad direction--is simply telling. And telling gets old fast.

So how to reach that promised land where their needs and our solutions thrive in glorious harmony? It's mostly a matter of the right Q & A. The targeted sales questions that lead a customer down a path to discovery--that is, verbalizing YOU as the solution to their imminent problems--is exactly what makes the best ideas stick.

Whether in improv or business, that is the "A HA!" moment that makes it all worthwhile.

January 22, 2007 in audio publication, award winning design, award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Blogging Tools, Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building Customer Intuition, bulk email marketing, Business publications, Business relationships, company newsletter, Company publication, corporate magazine, create a newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

News Source Fit for a (Burger) King

Posted on January 08, 2007 by Vinnie Lacey.

My first experience with news snobbery appeared in high school. I distinctly remember a certain world history teacher--an ex-nun with a condescending flair for anything she deemed non-intellectual--criticizing my choice of Time magazine as a research paper source. McNews she called it. Ouch.

Times have, of course, changed (no pun intended). The landscape of our news sources--like all our information--has certainly undergone quite a transformation with the arrival of the web. Credibility? Eh. News worthy? We'll need a vastly underdressed celebrity for that.

It was with great trepidation (and yet hope) then, that I learned Time had revamped its website, which I discovered through a posting on Adrants. Time 2.0. The ex-nun would have probably called it 0.5--all things new being the most suspect and ripe for ridicule, of course.

My first impression was favorable. The site seems less like a poor advertisement for the magazine and more like a full scale news source. Features to check out are the news aggregator and blogs from some of the more insightful columnists. Extra points for ease of navigation and a crisp design. The best new feature, though, has to be the revamped archives. Time backlogged all of their old articles and covers, and the result is a wistful stroll across 90+ years of the weekly news magazine. All for free. Like it or not, Time is part of the collective American consciousness as much as apple pie and the Big Mac.

In fact, all was going healthy and well until I ran into the quote of the day. From Angelina Jolie. I frantically clicked away, only to end up caught in a photo journal of a day in the life of Barack Obama. Yikes! I navigated until I reached safer waters. And for just one second I felt the hot breath of a certain ex-nun on the back of my neck asking, "Is this how you spend your time, Mr. Lacey?"

But don't mind my Catholic guilt. Decide for yourself here.

January 8, 2007 in award winning blog, award winning design, award winning magazine, Award winning publications, Blogs, Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building Customer Intuition, bulk email marketing, Business Marketing, Business newsletter, Business publications, Business relationships, company blog, company magazine, company newsletter, corporate magazine, Corporate newsletter, create a newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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