More and more these days I see marketers buying “articles by the pound” for their web sites.

By that I mean they go to the cheapest source, buy a bucket load of short articles packed with their key words, and post them on their web sites in an effort to raise their search engine rankings.

Two things they seem not to care about are (1) the quality of the writing and (2) the actual content of the articles (other than key words).

But those two things are important. Why?

As far as (1) is concerned, people judge you by the words you use. If your writing is inadequate, they assume you are inadequate, too.

For (2), search engine optimizers forget that prospects — not necessarily the bulk of visitors, but serious prospects — actually READ  your articles for the information they contain and to see if you know what you are talking about.

I was just contacted today by an entrepreneur who told me, “I read many of the articles posted on your site, and you demonstrate an understanding of the market we are trying to reach that I have seen no where else.” And he wants to hire me to consult with him.

This is a reaction you do not get when you buy and post generic, keyword-loaded articles by the bushel. So don’t.

 

In the forthcoming motion picture Real Steel, human prizefighters are replaced by boxing robots.

This fate may be reality, not science fiction, for writers.

A company called Narrative Science (www.narrativescience.com) claims their technology can “transform data into high-quality editorial content … without human authoring or editing.”

If it’s true, this is bad news for freelance writers who produce articles and other content. These writers could be replaced by a machine.

I say “if” it’s true because the Narrative Science web site offers not one iota of proof that they can do as they claim. There are no videos, demos, white papers, webinars, testimonials, case studies, or explanations of how their software allegedly writes content.

Without proof, I am highly skeptical. But if Narrative Science has actually done it, some content writers may be forced to find a new way to make a living.

 

The other day, one of my online subscribers, CR, complained about the e-mail marketing of a famous Internet marketer.

 “I unsubscribed from his list,” she told me haughtily. “As soon as I joined, I got e-mails from him once or twice every day – and there’s no one I or anyone else needs to hear from that much.”

 That begs the question: how frequently can you e-mail your online subscribers?

 Or: how much e-mail is too much?

 People have lots of opinions about this issue, which they support with arguments that are both passionate and logical.

 The problem is: their opinions are wholly subjective.

 The fact is: there’s an easy way to objectively and accurately determine the optimal e-mail frequency for your online subscribers.

 How does it work?

 Well, every time you send another e-mail blast to your list, a small portion of your subscribers will opt out of your list.

 Why?

 They decide that your content is no longer of value to them … or you are doing too much selling … or they don’t like your style … or you are e-mailing them too often.

 The “opt-out rate” is a Web metric that you can measure: the percentage of online subscribers who unsubscribe from your list per e-mail blast.

 A 0.1% opt-out rate means that if you have 10,000 online subscribers, 10 unsubscribed after getting your most recent e-mail.

 When your opt-out rate is around 0.1% or less, you can rest assured that you are not sending too many e-mails to your list too often.

 If you were, the opt-out rate would be higher.

 On the other hand, when your opt-out rate gets much above 0.2 to 0.4%, you are losing subscribers at too rapid a rate.

 For instance, if you have 10,000 subscribers and an opt-out rate of 1%, you lose 100 subscribers every time you send an e-mail to your list.

 You should measure and keep track of your opt-out rates with every e-mail you send.

 Adjust your e-mail frequency, ratio of sales pitches to content, message length, and topics until your opt-out rate hovers around 0.1% to 0.2% or less.

 Now, watch what happens if you increase the e-mail frequency – for instance, go from one e-mail per week to two e-mails per week.

 If you get a sharp upward spike in the opt-out rate – double or more – your subscribers are telling you they don’t want to hear from you that often.

 And you should probably eliminate the extra e-mail.

 On the other hand, if you add an extra e-mail per week and the opt-out rate does not rise significantly, you are safe in continuing at the higher frequency.

 But should you?

 Yes.

 We have lots of preconceived notions about what our market wants — and doesn’t want.

 And one of these preconceived notions is that people don’t want too much e-mail.

 But when the opt-out rate is low, your subscribers are telling you they DO want to hear from you often via e-mail.

 That’s important, because the more times you can reach out to your list with a valuable offer or content, the more money you make online.

 My colleague Amy Africa, a top consultant in B2B e-marketing, says that one of the most common online marketing mistakes is not e-mailing your list frequently enough.

 And by making that mistake, you are leaving money on the table.

 

You frequently hear digital and new media evangelists say that print in general and direct mail in particular are dead.

If that’t the case, how do you explain the Winterberry Group’s forecast that direct mail spending will grow 5.8% to $47.8 billion this year?

Why would marketers spend nearly $50 billion this year on direct mail if it doesn’t work?

 

 

Here’s my pet peeve: being sent books I didn’t ask for.

If you are an author, don?t send me a copy of your book unsolicited in the mail. Ask me for permission first.

My office is overflowing with business books authors have sent me ? books I will never have time to read but hate to throw out, thereby resulting in annoying clutter. (You should see the place!) One author sent me 2 copies of his book after I asked him not to.

If I agree to review your book and it is an e-book, don?t e-mail me a PDF; send me a hard copy print-out in the mail. I don?t want to consume my paper and ink printing out your book.

Fair enough?

In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, we lost Internet, fax, PC, and power for 2 days, not to mention we had 18 inches of water in the basement and no hot water.

Having? your data backed up doesn’t do much good if you can’t turn on your PC. And my UPS (uninterruptible power supply) kept the PC going for only 20 minutes or so.

That’s why I recommend you get another back-up device for your PC: a portable generator.

Every homeowner reading this should own a generator. The time to buy it is now, before the next power outage. Once disaster strikes, you won’t be able to get one.

Note: You also need a 5-gallon gas can to transport gasoline and several long extension cords. These too will become sold-out and impossible to get when the next crisis comes.

Lately we’ve been hearing about proposals to abolish the United States Postal Service (USPS). Is this a good idea?

Proponents of getting rid of the USPS point out that (1) bills can more cost-effectively be paid electronically, (2) correspondence is sent today via e-mail, not letter, (3) packages can be sent by alternative delivery services including FedEx and United Parcel Service (UPS).

Those who favor keeping the USPS operating point out that not everybody has a PC and an Internet connection. Some people don’t want them and others can’t afford them. Does the federal government have a right to force everyone to buy them?

My Uncle Paul is in? his late 80s and loves to send us letters with newspaper clippings; he doesn’t use a PC. Should he be shut out of communicating with us because he is low tech?

What about greeting cards? Yes, there are electronic greeting cards. But these are difficult to place on the mantel.

Many advertisers depend on direct mail for their business; they cannot get the same response or reach as broad an audience with e-mail marketing.

If it were up to you, would you keep the Post Office operational? Would you downsize it? Or would you close its doors forever?

For an article I am writing, I would like to hear of your experience marketing professional services on LinkedIn.

Specifically:

1. HOW do you use LinkedIn to promote yourself? What tactics are successful?

2. What is your goal? To build relationships? Or do you actually produce leads and sales on LinkedIn?

Thanks!