AshPointLane.com

Today we launched the WordPress Showcase, a display of some of the best and brightest WordPress users, who are using it to do a whole lot more than blog.

Pick your flavor and check out the possibilities available through WordPress MU, WordPress.com, WordPress.com VIP and WordPress.org.

Site screenshots are constantly updated, so what you see is a realtime look at what’s going on with our hottest users.

Don’t see something there that should be? Suggest an addition! We’ll check it out and add it to the bunch if we think it makes the cut.

You didn’t think I would let Halloween pass without showing off some of our favorite costumed Liams did you?  My favorite is Rappin’ Liam, but since Dracula is a more famous character I thought I would give Count Liam the top position.

Hope all of you out there have a happy and safe Halloween!

In honor of this most creepy of holidays I would like to address a truly frightening phenomenon.  On a dark and stormy night one of your subscribers sits at home, checking their inbox.  Suddenly they see your email, thunder crashes, and as terror takes over they instinctively opt out of your email list.  But what exactly spooked them into taking themselves off of an email list that they actually asked for in the first place?  

Waiting too long to send the first email

If a subscriber doesn’t remember signing up for your list, chances are they will unsubscribe as soon as they see the first email from you.  Never wait to send an email to a new subscriber!  When someone signs up, you should immediately trigger a welcome email to remind them that they just subscribed.  After they’ve signed up, add them into the rotation of emails and continue to send emails on a regular basis.

Sending emails too often

Another frequency-related issue is over sending to your list.  Email users are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of email they have to deal with day to day, and sending to emails them too often could cause them to just opt out altogether.  Set the proper expectations on your opt-in page to let them know how often they will hear from you, then follow through with that promise.  It’s also a good idea to give subscribers the option to choose their preferred frequency in a subscriber preferences center.

Content that isn’t relevant

When a new person signs up for your list they are essentially saying that they want to read more about what you have to say; however, if the content of your email strays too far from their expectations, subscribers could get bored and opt out.  Give new subscribers the option to sign up for any or all of your different communications, and provide detailed descriptions of each type on the opt-in page.  Then make sure you follow through by sending meaningful, relevant content in every email. 

Don’t let the dreaded opt out phenomenon happen to you.  Keep your emails timely, consistent, and relevant, and your subscribers will never be spooked again.

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In honor of this most creepy of holidays I would like to address a truly frightening phenomenon.  On a dark and stormy night one of your subscribers sits at home, checking their inbox.  Suddenly they see your email, thunder crashes, and as terror takes over they instinctively opt out of your email list.  But what exactly spooked them into taking themselves off of an email list that they actually asked for in the first place?  

Waiting too long to send the first email

If a subscriber doesn’t remember signing up for your list, chances are they will unsubscribe as soon as they see the first email from you.  Never wait to send an email to a new subscriber!  When someone signs up, you should immediately trigger a welcome email to remind them that they just subscribed.  After they’ve signed up, add them into the rotation of emails and continue to send emails on a regular basis.

Sending emails too often

Another frequency-related issue is over sending to your list.  Email users are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of email they have to deal with day to day, and sending to emails them too often could cause them to just opt out altogether.  Set the proper expectations on your opt-in page to let them know how often they will hear from you, then follow through with that promise.  It’s also a good idea to give subscribers the option to choose their preferred frequency in a subscriber preferences center.

Content that isn’t relevant

When a new person signs up for your list they are essentially saying that they want to read more about what you have to say; however, if the content of your email strays too far from their expectations, subscribers could get bored and opt out.  Give new subscribers the option to sign up for any or all of your different communications, and provide detailed descriptions of each type on the opt-in page.  Then make sure you follow through by sending meaningful, relevant content in every email. 

Don’t let the dreaded opt out phenomenon happen to you.  Keep your emails timely, consistent, and relevant, and your subscribers will never be spooked again.

ShareThis

I am not sure if you often look at the adwords surrounding your emails in your Gmail box but this one stood out. I saw a post about in in an advertising blog that caught my eye as it was a clever use of the interview with Michelle Obama last week when she stated that she shopped online and her outfit was from JCrew. 

So being smart marketers, or having a smart media buying agency working with them, they bought that keyword (which I bet cost a pretty penny) and used it in the inbox. It is a good example of getting smarter around email marketing and using the social media and behavioral lift that natural or organic terms and search can give you in the inbox. 

I have not seen that many clever campaigns yet but this one is a great example of thinking about the inbox and how you can leverage word of mouth to drive your conversions around relevant and timely content. 

Nice work!

Click on the image to see it full size.

If we all believe we need to be the "Purple Cow," why do so many marketers behave like sheep? If it's so important to rise-above-the-clutter-think-outside-the-box-break-from-the-pack, why are there so many me-too messages out there?

Yeah, it's a rhetorical question. Because we all know the answers -- the usual suspects: fear, inertia, obsession with the competition. Sometimes a lack of imagination. Sometimes sheer (or in this case, shear) laziness.

But I do suggest a path out of the sheepfold and into the light. You can see/hear my thoughts in the accompanying video:

If you’re not a newspaper reader or if you read the paper online, it might seem like the life-threatening problems facing the nation’s newspapers have no impact on you.

David Carr, a media reporter at The New York Times, wrote an excellent story in Tuesday’s paper (yes, it’s online too) that explores and explains the problems newspapers are having as readership declines, ad pages slip and desperate cost-cutting is resulting in cuts in newsroom staffing. Carr makes a good case showing why the newspapers’ problems will impact our lives in a very real way. It’s a lot more than just a preference for getting news as ink on paper or on a computer, Blackberry or iPhone screen.

We’re also seeing the world’s largest and, possibly, most trusted newsgathering organization – the Associated Press – under fire and possibly fighting for its wellbeing as many member newspapers threaten to drop their AP membership to trim costs. The AP not only provides newspapers with news content, but it also feeds news to all the broadcast networks, most local TV and radio stations and many online news and information sites.

CNN is about to try to woo newspapers with a newswire service it hopes to offer, which may place further pressure on the AP.

But why should we care about newspapers when there are so many other places to get the news?

Newspapers, except for The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and, to a degree, The New York Times, are local. Daily newspapers, with their locally-based reporters, do a crucial public service by being our eyes and ears in thousands of city halls, police departments and state houses, in school board meetings and in local courts. Fully-staffed newspapers can be all the places most of us can’t, reporting, asking questions and probing beneath the surface. Newspaper reporters, without the pressure to get something online virtually as soon as it happens, have the luxury of digging deeper, searching for more background, getting and filtering comments from involved parties. The resulting stories often do much more than report facts. They give us a perspective to help us better understand the day’s events. As David Carr writes, it’s the reporter whose probing eyes help keep our elected officials honest (or as honest as possible).

So when we read of a 40 percent cut in the newsroom staff at The Star Ledger in Newark and similar cuts in newsrooms at Gannett, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe and many others, it should be clear that the newspapers’ problems become ours as well.

As Carr explains, it’s not as simple as newspapers selling their growing readership online to offset their shrinking readership in print. Print pages bring in a lot more revenue than banners, clicks and other online ads. It’s not even close… so far.

Like everyone on the web, newspapers are trying to figure out how to best monetize their sites. Advertisers and their agencies are also trying to find some formula they can feel comfortable with, be it click-throughs, impressions, ROI.

I don’t have the answer. I wish I did, because aside from enjoying reading newspapers in print, I understand and value the role they play in our society. Whether their content is delivered on paper or online is rapidly becoming a non-issue. Just keeping them alive and functioning as viable news organizations has become THE issue.

Many activities in life require proper authorization and documentation. Driving a car requires a license. Visiting foreign countries requires a passport. But what about using your imagination or fostering innovation? For that you need a Creative License.

With companies, clients, and customers struggling to make heads or tails of these uncertain times - creative problem solving is more necessary than ever.

It just so happens, I have worked with the proper authorities to secure and issue a limited number of Creative Licenses.

OFFICIAL CREATIVE LICENSE DOCUMENTATION

Instructions

1. Click on the link above to download the official Creative License documentation.
2. Please print, complete, and add your signature to the attached documentation.
3. Post your completed license in a conspicuous place where you may refer to inspiration requires.

After following these steps, consider yourself properly and officially authorized to be as creative as you would like with no limitations.

Inspired by "The Imagineering Workout: Exercises to Shape Your Creative Muscles" by the Imagineers (Amazon | Amazon UK)

I can’t stop spreading the great work that the NYC eROI office is doing with our clients.

And Chris there takes it to the next level with giving us weekly treats on his life, weeks, meetings, and great campaigns he sees. He followed the Diesel campaign from email, to street, to event the other week and put together some great footage of it all. 

This week is gives us a treat about the things going on this week, and things we are all thinking about. The great ideas and work he shows us week after week makes us so happy to have him as part of the team and working with our clients there. Want to meet him? Let us know.

See you in NYC this week after London Chris.

The Freakout from Christopher Masagatani on Vimeo.