Melon Corporate Blog
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One quick and easy way to improve your email marketing campaigns
Kevin Garber (General Manager) - Apr 07, 2008
I have noticed that many of our self managed customers often leave out one element of their html email creatives that can easily improve their click through rates.
All research and previous campaign experience indicates that both web and email users just LOVE clicking on things.
They try to click on text, images, headers, footers, they just seem to have a thing for clicking!
Search Engine Optimisation Myths #1 – “Don’t use Javascript”
Adam Benson (Chief Web Systems Architect) - Apr 04, 2008
This entry is the first of what will be an ongoing series I will write aimed at clearing up a lot of the confusion and “voodoo” behind Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
There is a lot of misinformation behind SEO techniques with some people thinking that SEO specialists have exclusive access to insider knowledge.
A lot of illogical or unfeasible “myths” for search engine optimisation have sprung up and have become false common knowledge.
The main issue with these myths are that you can land up paying for services based on misinformation and deny the use of useful technologies on your websites.
Don’t squish! Resize! Images and Html Emails
Fiona King (Graphic Designer) - Apr 03, 2008
How many times have you seen an image in an html email that just looks wrong… too many times! It may look streeeeeetched ... or sqshed!
This is because people have attempted to resize an image in an html program without actually resizing the image itself (gif, jpg, or png).
Html editors are partly to blame as they allow users to do this.
So instead of the actual image size changing, what is happening is the html is representing the image of one size, as another size. Kind of like trying to squeeze a kid that has grown into his old clothes.
If the "aspect ratio" (proportion between width and height) of the new resized image at least stays the same as the original image then the image will look ok but appear either crunched or stretched.
However when people resize images in an html program often the aspect ratio changes from the original image and the image looks quite different to the original image.
Below is an example of an image squished into an aspect ratio that doesn’t match the original image.
So if you need to resize an image into a defined space that has an aspect ratio different from your original image you’ll usually need to crop the image to fit.
If you don’t have an editing program such as Photoshop a solution to resizing and cropping your images can be found within your Microsoft suite of applications.
Have a look for Microsoft Office Picture Manager within your applications.
A step by step tutorial for resizing images can found here.
Make sure after finishing your changes you save using a new file name to avoid copying over your original file. Mac users can resize and crop using iPhoto which comes packaged with the Mac.
Museum Calls for email archive submissions
Kevin Garber (General Manager) - Apr 02, 2008
Yesterday Microsoft and The Powerhouse Museum announced that they are accepting emails into an email archive of sorts.
I am unsure if this initiative has gimmick value only or could be a wise move to take an ongoing snapshot of our modern world.
Email tends to exist somewhere between conversations (think telephone) and more formal communications (think letters).
Internet Retailing in Australia a Failure for Big Name Stores
Kevin Garber (General Manager) - Apr 01, 2008
I was interested to see an article in today’s Financial Review commentng on how online sales have been disappointing for stores such as Harvey Norman and David Jones.
You can see the article here.
The fact that major Australian retailing icons can’t make a success of online marketing reflects more about the companies attitude towards online retailing than online retailing per se.
Don’t forget about your offline email list building initiatives
Kevin Garber (General Manager) - Mar 30, 2008
I went to a 3 day festival over the Easter break.
When I left the festival at the exit gate there was a volunteer wishing everyone farewell as they left.
He also had a clipboard and a pen and asked each and every person to fill in their details if should they want to be kept in the loop about the festival via email newsletters.
It reminded me that although it is crucial to have opt in boxes and other online forms in place offline initiatives are just as important.
Aussies now use the internet more than TV
Kevin Garber (General Manager) - Mar 20, 2008
This week Nielsen Online released the “Nielsen Online’s 10th Australian Internet and Technology Report” (100KB pdf).
One of the important metrics that came out of the study is that for the first time Australians are using the internet more than they are watching TV.
The study found that Australians were spending around 13.7 hours per week surfing the ‘net, while average television viewing was around 13.3 hours per week.
The study also showed that the most popular online activities undertaken regularly were email (98%), banking (72%) and accessing news, sport and weather updates (72%). Growth areas in online activities in the year ahead are expected to be accommodation bookings and instant messaging, both of which are predicted to growth by around 20 percent.
Email is only predicted to grow by 0.4%.
This is probably due to the fact that email penetration is already so high combined with the fact that people are their saturaton point with respect to processing emails. Important factors for email marketing professionals to consider.
See more details of the study here (100kb pdf).
Interview With Tamerlaine Beasley
Kevin Garber (General Manager) - Mar 20, 2008
Interview with Tamerlaine Beasley from Beasley Intercultural.
What rhymes wih Rex - powerful subject lines
Kevin Garber (General Manager) - Mar 20, 2008
What rhymes with REX...
This was the subject line in a newsletter that I received from Tricom Equities Stockbroking about a year ago.
The email contained research regarding the Regional Express Airlines that is listed on the ASX with code REX.
The subject line was so good that I haven’t forgotten about the email over a year later!
Such can be the power of an effective subject line...
In a recent survey (same as previous link) 59% of recipients said that they determine the value of each email by the subject line.
So what makes a good subject line?
Powerful subject lines should generally be short and tap into peoples’ curious nature - they should generate a thought in the recipient along the lines of "I wonder what that is all about, tell me more".
Subject lines need to pack a proverbial punch as well as generate intrigue or have a “twist”.
With a little intent the most ordinary of subject lines can be repackaged into a powerful subject line.
Interview with Mark Zuckerberg - founder of Facebook
Kevin Garber (General Manager) - Mar 13, 2008
Mark Zuckerberg was interviewed at the recent South by Southwest Interactive Festival.
The interviewer is annoying in her flirtatious style but it is an interesting insight into Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg. Mark Zuckerberg was recently named the youngest self made billionaire ever by Forbes magazine - a very impressive financial achievement.
What struck me during the interview was how Facebook are still not quite sure how they are going to generate income. He tries to put a new spin on the advertising angle but it doesn’t sound all that different from keywords (contextual ads).
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