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Archive for January, 2010

Are There Too Many Webinars?

January 19th, 2010 by Bob Bly

An article in BtoB (1/18/10, p. 21) says, “Given the plethora of webinars these days, it isn’t altogether surprising that some companies report a decline in attendee registration.”

I love webinars as an offer, especially in e-mail marketing. But can BtoB magazine be right? Is the market becoming oversaturated with webinars, just as some people say it is already oversaturated with white papers?

And if so, what offers can we use in BtoB lead generation in lieu of webinars and white papers? What other offers are in your bag of tricks for B2B lead gen?

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Category: Direct Marketing | 76 Comments »

Marketing with Content: More than Writing an Article

January 13th, 2010 by Bob Bly

Every guru says that content is the key to effective online marketing.

So you write an article or two. Nothing happens. And you wrongly conclude that content marketing doesn’t work.

The problem is that marketing with content, deceptively simple on the surface, is a little more involved underneath.

You have to know a bunch of things like: what kind of articles to write … what length articles to write … when to publish them … where to post them … where NOT to post them … what key words to incorporate into your articles … recycling and repurposing content … marketing with press releases — and many other details that seem niggling but are vitally important.

The solution is to attend a 2-day teleseminar called “Content 2.0: The Missing Piece in the Internet Puzzle to Traffic, Leads, and Sales.”

In this event, you will learn the techniques and methods that can enable your content to generate more traffic, raise your search engine rankings, and direct a flood of new prospects to your site — all on a shoestring budget.

For more information on our upcoming “Content 2.0” tele-seminar … or to register for just $19 … visit:

www.blyteleseminar.com/content2

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Category: General | 71 Comments »

The Best Typefaces to Use Online

January 2nd, 2010 by Bob Bly

You always read the old rule ?use serif type which is easier to read than sans serif.?

That may be true in print but it?s not online.

Reason: the lower resolution of the screen vs. print renders the serif imperfectly, making it less attractive and more difficult than sans serif to read.

With that in mind, here are the best typefaces for online marketing:

>> For e-mail marketing messages, use either 12-point Arial or Verdana.

>> Do not use Times Roman for web pages ? it?s a serif type and difficult to read online.

>> Recommended typefaces for web sites include Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, and other popular san serif fonts.

>> If your web pages are too light to read on screen or when printed, use a boldface font like Helvetica Bold Condensed.

>> The most common error in web page design is using too small a type size. Use at least 12-point type. Even 16-point won?t look awkward, and larger is easier to read than smaller.

>> For web page headlines, use Impact or Arial Bold in 2 or more point sizes larger than the body copy.

>> Avoid gray or colors other than black for headlines, except if you want to emphasize a word or short phrase within the headline, put it in red.

>> Georgia is a good font for subheads. Bold Times Roman can work for copy subheads in a pinch. As can bold Arial.

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Category: General | 63 Comments »