"There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.
It's easy."
("All You Need is Love" - The Beatles)

Email Marketing campaigns are far from bulletproof.  There are not 100% effective and rely more on the advertising premise than mere distribution.  A fancy, well done template can help you get your message through, but you're on your copywriter's hands now.
That's when the fun begins.  For your competitors, at least...

I know it, you know it, and we all know it:  email campaigns are a quick way to reach loads of potential customers.  It increases your chances of closing deals, making conversions and building up a worthy database.  Statistics broaden possibilities but, just between you and me...

... The size (of your campaign) doesn’t matter if you're just bragging and your mouth fails to be where your money is.

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Web Banner designs easily become obsolete.  Every single improvement on technology adds a layer of difficulty to advertisements.  It’s not only a matter of having an upper hand anymore:  if you’re not on the know, trust me:  you’ll sink and hit rock bottom.

I don’t claim to be an expert on human nature (otherwise, I wouldn’t have as many arguments as I have with my girlfriend), but there is one safe thing to say:  we get bored easily.  Think of those times on which you get one tiny bit of a song embedded in your brain and you can’t get it out.  You want it to stop, you try to think of other tunes but you can’t shake those three notes off of your mind.

Annoying, isn’t it?

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Landing pages became an exercise on language.  Writing for them became one of the most zen-like exercises I've had to face as a copywriter. This is my story

I remember when I began to write for these blogs.  Most of my time, surprisingly enough, wasn't spent on research (and, I have to say, I take research as the only tool that enables me to write about any topic at all).  Deadlines would pile up and office time wouldn't suffice me to keep my production steady.  What was wrong with me?  I mean, this isn't (writing essays about) rocket science, so why is this taking me so long? 

Old habits die hard.

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Video-based Social Networks, at first, were my dystopian nightmare coming true.  I must admit that, sometimes, I don’t see the future as this gleeful cyber-utopia.  The way media came into our houses and showed us how unlikeable we were made me cringe.   I don’t like any reality show because I strongly believe reality is just the sum of every point of view, not just a chosen few.   Plus, the tackiness and the lack of finesse on which people (yes, even burnt-out celebrities are people) is displayed struck me as inhuman.

For a while, I thought these video networks would finally destroy the idea of a private life.  A camera on every home, linked to a master source where the Head Honcho (whoever this mighty figure is right now) would have access to our most intimate thresholds.

Fortunately, some people saw this beyond the veil of pessimism I usually carry with me.

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A welll-designed landing site can be two things:  a useful tool to make online businesses or a voodoo amulet.  It rarely is both at the same time.

Once, on a previous post, I mentioned something called "magical thinking":  The kind of mindstate on which supernatural properties are attributed to an object.  I think that we need to have faith in something, but this not exactly a productive thought when it comes to Internet marketing.  Many times we believe that a particular detail (a certain kind of graphic or web design, some contents, some elements at the Home page) will guarantee that people will be eager to make effective conversions.  Although it is true that some kind of hook is needed to attract customers, solid bases are needed to transform each visit in a closed business.

Landing pages, in the end, serve a function:  deliver a call-to-action.  They give useful information about products and services, they provide the channels to contact the company and we can get information about customers and prospects.

I ask you: is that enough?
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Web banners seem to be designed for aggressive, competitive publicity. They're bright and, when well done (taking into account design, message, location, volume and such)they send the message through massively and accurately. A marketing campaign should always consider the use of these because they get your customers clicking.

However, there is an aspect to banners that hasn't been exploited deeply yet: institutional campaigns.

So far, we have focused (not only in this blog, but within the complex machinery of many marketing agencies) on advertisement. We breathe and sweat ads at this point and we have to make sure that our products and services reach the last of the people that make our target. But sometimes it can't be all about selling and buying. Some messages must get through not because of their impact or the products they support, but these must be delivered to the population in order to improve everyone's quality of life.

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Social Networks is the answer to the teary prayers of many marketers. Oh, my:  An affordable, quick, dynamic way to build up a customers' database with plenty of channels to deliver and receive communication about products and services?  "Cut me a piece of that!", they say.  It's a fact that Social Networking sites limit targets, geographical areas, interests and professions in an effective, to-go way.  So it's just a matter of picking up a group or network, spread the word and they'll come.

To be young and full of dreams...

The main problem with trends is that some lazy marketing campaigns rely too heavily on them. Every time a niche opens, everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon and make some quick bucks in the process.  When Stephenie Meyer's novels became famous, a myriad of vampire-related books (old and new) not only appeared but tried to mimic the aesthetics of the real thing.  When IPods appeared, millions of phony products adopted the design Apple crafted.  Trends have a short life, though, so making bets on fashionable tendencies is a risk.

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The launch of an email-based marketing campaign should be easy, right?  It's cost-effective, it can get you quick results and help you reach millions of  new customers with just one click... right?  Just tell them what to do, where to find you and your selling rates will hit the roof in no time... right?

Reality check:  ANY kind of marketing campaign requires thoughtful planning.  The Internet does not operate on magic.  it would be nice if emails were brought to us by pixies.  Much to our dismay, there is a logic to it and marketing experts are always trying to break its code.  Sorry, there's no magic in email marketing.

Unfortunately, some people still believe in fairies, pixies and such. Not exactly the best outsorcers for a marketing campaign... More...

Animated web banner ads operate on the same principles commercial cartoons were based upon:  human eye is attracted to movement.  But it can be taken beyond that.  A well-balanced blend of design, content and performance can transform a bland banner into something memorable. Yet, somehow, the idea of a timeless web banner somehow defies our preconception.  It's never been done before.  Many designers have tried to infuse these banners with something worth to remember laced with the message they're trying to convey.  It is probably a bit too early to talk about lingering online ads, probably due to the nature of the media and the way people use it.

However, the Internet is becoming a part of every home.  Families share contents with each other and, although it's mostly used for quick searches, users make the most of the web and enjoy movies, tv shows, radio programs and newer media formats like podcasts.  Could it be that we're facing the dawn of a new (and improved) Idiot Box?  If so, the smartes thing to do is to shift from a pragmatic mindset that tries to deliever information ASAP to a kinder, mellower consciousness that makes space for iconic, valuable content. People spend more time in front of their computers and they dedicate a bigger part of that time to entertainment.

With that in mind, is it possible to think that animated banners are ready to encompass contents that can be... fun?

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So you already have a nifty, brand new layout for your social network profile.  What a great start!  It probably feels like wearing a Power Suit with a matching t-shirt, nice Italian shoes and silver cufflinks.  The layout design is flawless and it encompasses every single aspect of your company’s image, philosophy and products.  And it feels so good to look at it.  You know your product’s most intricate aspects and you have carefully outlined and organized every single aspect of your Social Networks’ marketing campaign:  targets, communities, channels, visuals…

It is opportune to ask: have you thought of the language you are going to use?

A question like this can’t be taken lightly, since there is an implicit code on social networks.  You might be wearing your fancy Power Suit and you might even have an amazing Spanish leather case for your state-of-the-art laptop, but if you don’t know how to behave in presence of potential customers, fancy clothing won’t help you make deals.  There is a way and a tone to delineate marketing deals and it goes beyond having a pretty layout.  Know how to carry an elegant campaign and people will trust you. 

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