The Blog - Where Business Collides with Human Nature

One of the most crucial skills a marketing professional can master is segmentation — dividing a potential audience into groups and pinpointing with whom the marketing message is most likely to resonate. In fact, in today's fast-paced world, segmentation proves to be more vital than ever.

Buyers make split-second purchasing decisions, especially when they're shopping online. Segmentation helps the right message reach the right person with plenty of time to spare.

As you continue to hone your marketing skills, make sure segmentation is at the top of the to-do pile.

You may celebrate Christmas or you may celebrate for many other reasons in December. Saying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" is your choice and as it comes from the heart, you make someone's day. 

Christmas (Holiday) cards in the snail mail can be a delight. They can be artistic, thoughtful, relevant, and include photos to show 'the latest' status.  I love those pop-ups cards!  It takes time to lick a stamp, an envelope and manage to get them in the mail. In our new world of digital, a Christmas card in the mail is more valuable than ever. (Not everyone agrees though, as you will read here.)

Then email became the mechanism of choice. Anyone can send out an image with a few words to millions of people, in an instant, at a very low cost.  And so companies small and large do just that.  The Christmas (Holiday) card email is a task and the staff checks it off as done.

Some will pay to use a tool like eCards2go but it takes more work and more cash. Jacquielawson.com has been around since 2000 and brings some unique creativity to holiday (Christmas) cards but again, it is difficult to click one button to send to many. 

Fortunately, stock photo websites have a plethora of Christmas (Holiday) images. You can get generic greeting images or an unusual photo to bring a smile.

To help consider the how and why of Christmas holiday emails, here are a few notes and resources.

What does it take to investigate, search, dig and 'spy' for new information  about a prospect? AeroLeads has an answer that looks promising.

Search and Add prospects and leads at AeroLeads to get their Verified Email addresses and Business Phone Number. Find business emails of decision makers with title, location and company emails with phone numbers, address etc.

ThrowAwayMail.com

is a disposable email address service. When you visit ThrowAwayMail.com a new email address is generated for you. The generated email address can immediately receive email. Any email that is received will show up on the main page. No one other than you will see the emails that are received.

It is important to note that an email address expires after 48 hours. When an email address has expired, the email address and any received emails will be gone. A new email address will be generated upon visiting this website.

There are many reasons for using a disposable email. You may want to give someone an email address without revealing your identity. Or you may want to sign up for a website or web service but you are concerned that the website will send you spam in the future. Completing surveys, completing forms on a site you are unsure of, to put off an annoying sales person, or when a company email address won’t do… these are but a few examples.

If two days of email review, erase or respond are missed, the inbox is overflowing.  In the days of old when there was a real "inbox" sitting on a desk at your business, the visual impact of overflowing paperwork had impact on your psych.  With the virtual inbox hidden behind the bytes and ram, the stack is not quite as dramatic.

It is getting worse.  I have added to the problem by providing the Best Email Marketing Services List for Business on the Planet.  While the list is profoundly helpful, it does give more opportunity to fill your email inbox (and mine).

It may be time for email bankruptcy.  (For those times when a computer crashes or is replaced, illness, vacation, etc.)

A quick glance at the latest data from MarketingCharts.com may help you think more quickly your marketing budget.  Live TV viewing remains the first choice vs. DVD, Internet, smartphone or streaming via TV.  Along side this data you will note how search remains the method for traffic on top of email and social trails behind.

That is a pretty brave claim to say this is the best email marketing services list on the planet!  If you think not, please point out another.  Included here are free email marketing service options along with options for large volume companies.  I threw in a few fun email tools to keep it interesting.  Never again say, "What are the options to send customers email?"  Or, "What email management systems are out there?"  At last count, there was 138. At least 10 are free.