Wisestamp: A Great Email Signature Tool!!

This is a follow up to my last post about email signatures. I use an application by Wisestamp.com. This basically lets you kick up your email signature a notch!! Basically this application lets you incorporate RSS feeds into your email, ebay auctions into your email, twitter posts into your email, famous quotes into your email signature....and so on and so on!! 

Below is their about us info:
"WiseStamp’s vision is to build an Email Apps Platform that enables users to utilize their emails with social, productive and engaging Email Apps. There’s a huge gap between email and the social and dynamic web of today. Our passion is to bridge this gap by building a strong platform with a variety of Email Аpps that on one hand lets users make a better use of their daily emails – adding a whole new level of functionality and interaction – and on the other hand enables publishers (social services and brands) to distribute their content and engage users in one of the biggest online markets – email."

They have several different options as far as pricing goes. I would recommend trying the free version to start and see if you need to upgrade.

I am currently using the free version and I so far think its great.


Check out their website at:   www.wisestamp.com


Also check out my website at www.robertcipolla.com

Business 101: Email Signatures are Important!!

This one is something that most small business's including myself have been guilty of....and that is forgetting to put a "professional" email signature embedded into your email setup. 


I know...why is this such a big deal? A few reasons!!


1) If your client/prospect has to go back to your website to remember your phone number or basic contact information....then you are at risk of losing them as a client. A big NO NO is to have your client get distracted from your email or website and not come back!! Keep them in the loop at all times!!


2) Adds professionalism to all your outgoing emails. Perception is extremely important today and its the small things that can make you lose a client or prospect. Something so small as you not having an email signature but your competitor does could be the ultimate deal breaker!!


3) Adding social media buttons and rss feeds into your email signature is a way to keep your client in the loop of your blog, current promotions and more importantly spread your name out there even more!!


Check out my blog later for some good email signature tools.


“Paying attention to simple little things that most men neglect makes a few men rich.”  - Henry Ford


Check out my website at www.robertcipolla.com

The Double Opt-in List...a SAFER way to opt-in!!

When developing opt-in lists you have to be careful on how you actually develop the list. Your biggest fear is that you develop a bad list that can be blacklisted by google.....then you have a nightmare on your hand. 

This is why you need to develop an actual list and not buy one!! If you develop the list yourself with a DOUBLE opt-in box, you know that your list is legitimate and don't have to worry about this.

Below is some information on how the double opt-in works courtesy of mailchimp.com.  Mailchimp.com lets you do bulk emails with your list, send newsletters with your list, mobile emails...etc etc. Check out later posts on how to use Mail Chimp.

Here's how double opt-in works:

Generally, double opt-in requires that someone sign up, and then click a link to confirm that they want to be subscribed to your list before actually being added. When using the MailChimp signup forms, double opt-in looks like this:

1. Someone wants to join your email list so she fills out a signup form on your website.
2. A message is displayed telling her to check her email to confirm.
3. She checks her email, and finds a message with a link she must click in order to be added to the list. If the link isn't clicked, she's never added to the list.
4. She clicks the link and is taken to a thank you message so she knows she's been added.
5. Behind the scenes, our system collects her IP address and the date and time she confirmed as proof that she indeed opted in to your list
6. A Final Welcome Email is sent with the information she submitted, for her records, and information about how she can unsubscribe.

You can customize each step in the confirmation process, too, if you'd like.

Advantages of the double opt-in method over opt-out, single opt-in, and confirmed opt-in methods:

1. Friends, foes, grandmas, co-workers, etc. won't be able to sign up other people (who never gave you permission) to your list. This means fewer spam complaints, and a cleaner list.
2. If a person (or malicious bot) enters an email address with a typo, you won't be sending campaigns to some poor recipient who never opted in or to an email address that will bounce. Here's a real life example of this.
3. Your competitors can't sign up to your list, then maliciously report it as spam (yes, people actually do stuff like this). Since we collect IP addresses when using our forms, you'll have proof that someone confirmed their interest in your list.
4. People won't be able to sign up with fake, non-existent, or dead email addresses. They must have a valid email account to opt in.
5. Only people who truly want to hear from you will click to confirm. So your list will be more engaged and responsive (we've seen differences of up to 20%!) and you'll waste less money sending emails to people who don't care to hear from you.

Your losing money if your website does not have an OPT-IN Box!!

Its great if you have a pretty website and it promotes your business well but alot of websites are really missing the boat by not having an OPT-IN box. An Opt-in box really is a Call to Action marketing tool. Its designed to collect your viewers information that you can eventually use to help your business. 


Lets use a restaurant for example....your website should have an Opt-In Box that gives the viewer and chance to win a $25 gift certificate each month. All the viewer has to do is enter their name, email and maybe a shipping address....and in return they get put into a drawing for this gift certficate. So basically your giving in order to get their information. 


Now once you collect that information....you put it in a database or spreadsheet and eventually do a mass menu mailing to these customers. You can also email your customers from this opt in list your weekly specials and so on and so on.


Many companies pay big bucks just to collect information as information is very vital today! So you should kill two birds with one stone by doing this. Check my next blog on how to exactly use this information!!


Information is the most valuable tool when it comes to marketing!!

Check out my portfolio for more opt-in boxes at www.robertcipolla.com

Print Advertising....Try to Think OUTSIDE the box!!

Ok...this is kinda a funny one. I can't say this was completely my idea with the ad but it really came from a joke that my buddy sent me. I put two of my business cards on his work truck a few days ago at lunch. He sent me this picture back saying "I know what to do with your two cards" !!


At first I thought it was pretty funny but then a light bulb went off!! I thought of a good ad concept for my next month of advertising.  I wanted something a little different and that might get branded in a consumers head. Now to be honest, I don't know what type of response I'm gonna get but its always worth it to take a creative shot at something....especially if your current ads are getting stale. 


To see more of my work check out www.robertcipolla.com


Below is the actual ad concept that I derived from my friends funny text. ...the verbage might need tweaking but I'm gonna go for the hail mary on this one!!

Thanks DAN!!! LOL

Don't Believe the HYPE!! No Company can "Really" Guarantee you on Google's First Page!!

Once again  I am gonna use it "Erroneous" (Wedding Crashers)!! I hear alot from my clients that they get sales pitches from marketing and web companies saying...."We can guarantee you First Page Results on Google within 2 months". I will tell you right now that is completely BOGUS!!


Only way you can get on  first page in that time frame is if you work for google and they owe you a really big favor!! Next time someone tells you this.....RUN!!!!!!!!


The truth is they can get you at the top of the search engines but for only certain keywords and most likely keywords they will be so vague or not applicable that it wont really help you and it proves to be a waste of time.


For quicker results...I would suggest Google Adwords but even that is a challenge because you really have to watch your budget as well as what keywords you really push!! I would suggest if you do this yourself you should really do your research first. Checkout blogs and articles how google adwords for beginners. 


See the problem I have with these companies pushing SEO (Seach Engine Optimization) on you is that Google is constantly changing its algorithms!! An Algorithms is a numerical formula that is the key to google's search engine criteria. Its what develops the all important Page Rank!! So if these companies are using SEO techniques according to current algorithms and then google alters the algorithms....then everything you just did basically was for nothing and put you back at the bottom.


My best advice is DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE and do your research first. Ask for hard evidence from SEO companies as well as written guarantee's!! Once you ask for these items, then you will REALLY know where you stand. 


Check out the video below on Google Adwords:


Also checkout my website for more designs at www.robertcipolla.com

Why flash websites are a NO NO!!

One of the first things my clients usually ask me when building a website is....can you do it in Flash? When I get this question...I want to take off my shoe and hit myself in the head with it (not them because then they would probally not hire me if I hit them with my shoe...just a thought).


I'll admit that flash sites are really pretty and fancy....but they are becoming the dinosaur of technology. I mean think about it....the manufacturer ADOBE doesn't even have their website done in flash?? Right there that should be a HUGE red flag!!


But there are more reasons why!!


1) Limited Mobile Viewing:  Mobile Devices, Ipads and Iphones do not have flash support. So basically if you build all or most of your website in flash....it can't be seen on these applications.


2) Bad for SEO:  If you want your website to appear in the search engines....flash is a BAD idea! Search engines don't index flash pages....so it will be tough to find you!!


3) Slow Content Loading: Standard websites have content that show up instantly...with a flash website it has to load...kinda like a video game....this is because flash does not have streaming capabilities. 


4) 3rd Party Dependancy:  You need Adobe's Free Flash Player plugin in order to even view flash....so really that's another step needed to just see your flash website. If you don't have it, then you have to download and install it. By that time, your prospective viewer is long and gone baby!!


5) Bookmarking Issues:  Basically a flash website has one url link for all the pages....so you can't bookmark a certain page you like in your browser. Seems like not a big deal but it could cost you a returning viewer. 


If a flash website can't be seen.....then what good is it for your business? There are other alternatives that I will post on another blog.


I hope someone gets the humor in the picture above (especially my little alteration...sorry but its 5am and I'm feeling silly)


Check out my NON flash websites at www.robertcipolla.com