Boosting Site Traffic with Email Marketing, by Martin van Hemert

My name is Martin van Hemert, and my website Utah3D.Net has seen tremendous growth in the past year, almost solely through email and other social media. The site is a showcase for spherical panoramas. So what's a spherical panorama? The best explanation is an example. Click on the image below, then click and drag directly in the panorama after it has loaded. You will be able to move in any direction, including up and down:

If you experience any motion sickness, you're moving too fast!!

As our traffic has grown, we've paid attention to the sources of that traffic. Here's where things get interesting. Less than 1% of our visitors come through search engines. Reports show large percentages coming through email links, and other social media links. These same reports show the largest percentages as "direct". In other words a URL entered into an address bar. If we had a catchy, short URL, people might be manually typing it in, but here is the URL to our most visited panorama:

http://www.utah3d.net/panoramas/SulpherCreek_swf.html

Not very easy to type, is it? It even has a misspelled word in it! Yet, this page has had over 6,000,000 page views this past year, a number we can hardly believe, and for which we are grateful. We feel a very large percentage of this direct traffic is actually through email referrals.

Here is where FeedBlitz comes in, and no, Phil did not ask me to say this. For our audience, the best way for us to get the word out about a new panorama is through email. We view this as the kick the ball needs to start rolling. I started with another email update service (which shall remain unnamed), but after checking with 6 email addresses and finding only one was receiving anything, I quickly switched to FeedBlitz, and am glad I did. The service is great, and the emails get through. When I have a question, the answers have been quick, and they've even come directly from Phil. We currently have a little over 3400 subscribers.

The next time you need to take a trip, but can't book a flight, I hope you'll visit Utah3D.Net.

About the Author

Martin van Hemert is an architectural and fine art photographer based in Utah. Much of his early work was produced on 4x5 inch sheet film, and he has been involved in many phases of photography and custom photo printing. Over the past several years, he has become obsessed with creating spherical panoramas. In fact, he is probably thinking about panoramas right now. When he’s not shooting or fine tuning photos, he can be found feeding his wife’s horses, growing alfalfa to feed his wife’s horses, and taking long walks on the beach.

   

Would you like to Guest Post on FeedBlitz? Call for Articles

Last October we ran this post inviting you to guest on the FeedBlitz News blog and received a great response! Thank you. We have since published eight great guest posts so far, about one a week, ranging in topics from building thriving Facebook communites, a couple of video tutorials and many more.

If you'd like to expand your audience and have a fun story to tell that's relevant to social media, SEO, email and online marketing, please reply and let me know. Articles should be four to eight paragraphs - say 500 to 1500 words long - and, again, do tell a story if you can. Metrics are helpful to back up any claims you make, plus don't forget to include a bio and photo. If you are writing a testimonial (more than welcome but not required for guest posts) please ping me for some additional guidelines. Please ensure that your post and links are safe for work, which is what the FeedBlitz News audience expects. Posts may be edited for space, style and content; we'll obviously link back to you.


So, to reiterate, we're currently looking for bloggers to guest post on FeedBlitz News. If you have a story to tell about your use of FeedBlitz specifically, email or social media marketing in general, or have an article that you believe would benefit FeedBlitz's audience, please let me know. It can be a case study, a how-to, editorial, or something else - we're going to be very open to relevant submissions. It doesn't have to be FeedBlitz-centric (although that would obviously be cool! :-) ).

This is a great opportunity to have your post featured on a blog with some 31k subscribers, as well as on most pages of FeedBlitz.com (and the FeedBlitz home page is PR7, so that might be of interest if you're interested in SEO).

Interested? Then please email me (phil at feedblitz dot com) or tweet me (@phollows) and we'll get the process started. I'm really looking forward to getting those submissions!

   

One Less Thing to Do, by Scott Howard

One Less Thing to Do

It was supposed to be a paperless society.

It was supposed to save us time.

"It" was the personal computer.

Then the Internet.

Followed by Email, and social media which includes Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and about 40 to 400 more options that will come and go.

Each new advancement in communication is supposed to make us more money and/or save us time.

But there is a tipping point, a point where you might feel that it is all pointless?

Your email marketing campaign, your blog posts, your tweets, status updates, all take time and who is reading them anyway?

So you contemplate dropping one, two, or three of them, not really sure which ones to keep doing.

There is another option that I discovered a few years ago, and you are reading it right now.

FeedBlitz.

I write 36 blog posts every single week, on three different blogs. Plus about 4 other posts a month on a couple more blogs.

I do this in my free time along with working 50+ hours a week in advertising and marketing for a group of radio stations, serving on a few local boards and advisory committees and having family time and a weekly date night with my wife.

Each blog covers different subject material, and appeal to different people.

Instead of me composing a newletter, FeedBlitz does it for me. Readers can subscribe to any and all or just the one that most suits their interest. FeedBlitz pulls my blog posts and sends them via e-mail to subscribers.

One Less Thing to do, thanks to Feedblitz.

About the Author

Scott Howard adopted the name ScLoHo several years ago so he would not be confused with the Michael J. Fox charater in the 1985 movie "Teenwolf".

His 25 years of advertising and marketing business includes radio, print and a variety of social media outlets.

He is most active on Twitter @ScLoHo and his blogs which can be found at http://www.scloho.net/; or simply Google ScLoHo and you'll find him.

He can be contacted at 260-710-7078 and Scott@ScLoHo.net

   

Simplify Technology and Increase Readership

Guest post by Juli Camarin.

I have issues. I want to publish my written work to the world only to find out that I am limited in time, money and, some might argue, talent. After a little R and D, I found a great solution called RSS, really simple syndication. When I built my RSS feed first, I thought I was living the high life. Imagine... a tool that allows you to publish to your blog once and then replicate the information seamlessly in multiple ways... Bloglines, Google Reader, other websites and yes, even the ever popular iTunes. I thought I had it made! After all, everyone knows that 'if you build it, they will come'... right?

Wrong! Although RSS feeds have made my life as a writer easier, unfortunately society as a whole doesn't understand them and people's eyes tend to glaze over once you mention subscribing this way. The problem isn't in the technology; the problem is that subscription can be cumbersome if you don't intuitively understand this technology. Because of it, less tech savvy individuals are reluctant to implement them for daily use. So, I was back where I began...tons a great information and minimal readership. There had to be an easier way!

I realized that if I was having this constant problem with RSS feeds, then chances were that millions of other bloggers were experiencing this issue as well. So then, the question became how could I utilize this amazing tool and make it easy for my readers at the same time? What I found was FeedBlitz. I realized I could let technology do the grunt work while I sat back and enjoyed the pure pleasure of writing. Sounds simple and easy right? Well with the right tools, it is just that...simple and easy!

FeedBlitz creates a delivery method for my feed that millions of users are familiar with... email. Simply put; this tool translates RSS feeds into email. What is beautiful about this application is by enabling a simple and easy sign up form on my website; users can subscribe and unsubscribe themselves to my feed without any additional work. And after the initial 3 minute setup, you can let this tool go to work and then forget about it. Your blog post comes into their inbox and looks just like a typical message. Since it takes no configuration on their part, it takes the guess work out of the subscription process.

Since implementing this tool my subscribers list has multiplied eight times. I have been able to connect with my readers on a proven platform instead of hoping they come back occasionally to read my posts. I’ve also noticed an increased amount of conversation and reposting on Facebook. This was none existent before but by adding the ever popular 'like’ button to my email, readers effortlessly promote my blog. The result was my fan page jumped from 50 fans to over 200 in a matter of one month without any additional marketing on my part.

Another great thing about this tool is that it dynamically lists past article titles, with links, in each email it sends. They neatly display under your current post. This is a great way to catch the skimmer's eye, converting to readership. Perhaps they didn't have time to read yesterday's article so simply reminding them it is there may bring them to the site to read it. A total win in my book!

Equally important is that this tool converts your posts to tweets without ever having to login into Twitter through the website or your smart phone, it does this automatically for you. It is important it is to keep presenting your information to your followers, and by connecting your RSS feed to your Twitter account this tool does the work for you. One reason I love this is that I am constantly forgetting to tweet. Twittering is quick and easy either way you do it, but why not automate the process when possible?

Along with the amazing features I have already described, FeedBlitz also gives the ability to do newsletters, surveys, subscriptions and advertisements. These can all be geared to making money in the process. All for one low monthly fee, based on the number of subscribers, it amounts to mere pocket change. This tool lets you buy in for cheap and costs only increase as readership grows, which fits nicely into my long term plans. Plus, it offers a dynamic analytics package, so tracking opens and click through is a breeze. If you haven’t used it yet or are thinking about trying it out, I give it two thumbs up! Try it today to start building your readership while simplifying technology!

About the Author

Juli Camarin writes a daily blog that explores the Bible and gives insight into scripture. She is currently blogging verse by verse through the book of Hebrews. After serving on a pastoral teaching team for over five years, she felt called to focus on writing down and sharing what the Lord constantly reveals to her. A teacher at heart, her passion is to teach the word of God as it comes alive trusting that it will also come alive to her readers. You will find her daily thoughts and inspiration at jcblog.net.

   

If you’re going to do it, do it right, right from the start by Andy Bailey of CommentLuv

When it comes to starting a blog there are a number of resources and tools that you will need to consider. There are literally thousands of tutorials and blog posts out there that will take you through the top ten plugins or the seven things you absolutely must do when you start a new site, even down to the way you arrange your home office to get the best productivity.

Some of these things you can just ponder about for a while until the mood takes you like plugins to enhance your site or choosing an East facing computer desk but, there is one thing that you will want to get right if you are at all serious about this thing called blogging.

All you need is love subs

It doesn't matter if you want to write a blog right now for pleasure or for business, you will almost definitely need one and if you leave it too long or got the wrong one in the beginning and then change your mind later on then it's going to feel like you have to start all over again.

You'll see it on those "must do" lists and read the dilemmas on forums where people debate which is the best or when to get one. What is it? It's what is sometimes called, “The List” and sometime in your blogging career it's a certainty that you are going to want your own one and ask people to subscribe to it.

What, why, when, where and how much?

What

A product that will handle your feed for feed readers, send out your feed for feed by email subscribers AND send out emails on demand.

Why

Without a way to notify your readers of what your news/products/services are then how will they know to come back and read/buy/hire them?

When

Right now! Strict anti spam laws requires a double opt in for email subscribers. If you start off using a free service or an inferior one that doesn't allow emails related to marketing then moving to a new provider means that you will have resubscribe everyone again, probably losing half of your subscribers!

Where

Feedblitz.com. That's it, one site does it all.

How Much

From as little as $1.49 per month. That's affordable right now and you don't need to put the pressure of having to pay (for some sites) up to $30 every month right from the start even before you have any subscribers.

3 little words

I run The ComLuv Network for over 30,000 registered users of the widely used CommentLuv blog plugin and I've been using FeedBlitz services for over a year to send out RSS feeds, subscribe to feed by emails and on demand newsletter services (something you can't do with FeedBurner).

I recommend FeedBlitz to all bloggers old and new because of 3 little words:

1. Reliability – it sends out thousands of emails in one shot in literally minutes and works every time
2. Value – you pay on a sliding scale which is perfect for smaller blogs who don’t need a fully $30 a month service.
3. Support – Phil Hollows, its founder, listens to users. You can send him emails, tweets or even shout loud enough and he’ll respond! (He worked with me to ensure CommentLuv users links were given special treatment in comments)

Try it and see for yourself

If you are at all serious about publishing content online, it doesn't matter if it's stock market news or pet food recipes, you'll want to let people know about it. When you do, you should use something that is going to be reliable from day one. Phil offers a free 30 day trial and it takes just a moment to set up. This applies to all bloggers, young, old, new or seasoned - You NEED FeedBlitz!

About the Author

Andy Bailey is the creator of the CommentLuv plugin and ComLuv Network. CommentLuv rewards your readers by automatically placing a link to their last blog post at the end of their comment. It encourages your community and helps vsitors discover new posts.

Follow Andy on Twitter (@CommentLuv) or visit his blog at comluv.com

About FeedBlitz Guest Posts

Guest posts at FeedBlitz are a weekly series from bloggers about email marketing and social media. You do not have to be a FeedBlitz user to guest post here, nor do you have to promote FeedBlitz (but we sure like it if you do!). If you would like to guest post at FeedBlitz News click to find out more here.

   

Would you like to Guest Post on FeedBlitz?



 We're currently looking for bloggers to guest post on FeedBlitz News. If you have a story to tell about your use of FeedBlitz specifically, email or social media marketing in general, or have an article that you believe would benefit FeedBlitz's audience, please let me know. It can be a case study, a how-to, editorial, or something else - we're going to be very open to relevant submissions. It doesn't have to be FeedBlitz-centric (athough that would obviously be cool! :-) ).

This is a great opportunity to have your post featured on a blog with some 31k subscribers, as well as on most pages of FeedBlitz.com (and the FeedBlitz home page is PR7, so that might be of interest if you're interested in SEO).

Interested? Then please email me (phil at feedblitz dot com) or tweet me (@phollows) and we'll get the process started. I'm really looking forward to getting those submissions!

   

Putting the Personal into Customer Service, by Julia Scott

I compared a handful of email newsletter software sites when I launched BargainBabe.com in January 2009 and Feedblitz came out on top. It offered all the features I was looking for, had tons of custom options, and (at the time) was free!

I like Feedblitz because I can upload my site's banner into my newsletter and write a custom message that goes out with each mailing. I can track my subscribers, see who is clicking on what, and monitor sign ups. I send my daily and weekly email newsletter out manually, which takes me all of three minutes. Pretty snappy!

When I emailed customer service about a delay in my newsletter - one day it got stuck behind a massive emailing - I got a personal message back from the founder, Phil. He answered my questions and set up a time to talk to me about an upgrade I was interested in.

I was thrilled to meet Phil in person at the Savvy Blogging Summit in Colorado. When I suggested an improvement in the appearance of the Feedblitz widget, he instantly suggested we sit down and make the changes I wanted on BargainBabe.com. Phil spent 30 minutes with me working to find a solution, cracking jokes while coding. You can't beat that customer service!

Julia Scott is the founder of and chief blogger at BargainBabe.com, which has strategies to save on everyday expenses like groceries, gasoline, and gifts. She adores Feedblitz.

   

Fear of Switching - Subscriber Loss, by Stephanie Langford

I was initially very concerned about losing subscribers in the process of switching over from FeedBurner to FeedBlitz, but the process is made quite smooth and uncomplicated by the FeedBlitz team.

In reality, I did still lose subscribers, which I think is inevitable to some degree, but I believe that I lost far fewer than I would have if FeedBlitz did not have such an excellent way of guiding you through the switch and making it as painless as possible.

Now I’ve moved over, I can access competent and useful help when I need it, and always in a timely manner. My feeds have become stable and constant (at long last -- goodbye, FeedBurner!).

Though there is a cost for the email newsletter service, I find it to be reasonable, and I can have as many RSS feed subscribers as I want for free. The email customizations help me to send out more professional updates to my subscribers, include my company branding and with the features and options that suit me (and my readers) best.

FeedBlitz has removed the issue of feed and subscriber headaches from my very long list of things to do, which makes it well worth the cost!

Finally, I appreciate the personal touch that Phil Hollows offers. It isn't often that you find such a professional business where the owner still takes the time to greet, interact with and personally help his customers.

When she isn’t looking after her family, Stephanie Langford blogs about naturally inspired living for Christian homemakers at Keeper of the Home; and about living healthily and spending less at Saving Naturally. Follow Stephanie on Facebook or on Twitter as @KeeperHome.

   

Why I switched to FeedBlitz, by Carrie Isaac

After months of responding to emails from readers saying they weren't getting my FeedBurner email updates, I decided to check out FeedBlitz. As I started looking at it more closely, I not only got excited about using a service that actually offered customer support and diagnostics, I also got excited about the branding options I'd have with their custom email templates.

Having just finished a new site design, I was excited to be able to expand that branding to my email updates as well. As a local blogger, I frequently run into readers "in real life", and many times they say "I love your email updates"! I wanted to make sure that they understood that there was also a website as well, so I designed my custom email template to look more like the site and contain more links that pointed back to my site. I got lots of compliments on how nice the new updates looked!

I'm often asked if FeedBlitz is "worth the money". Am I seeing a dollar-for-dollar return on investment? It would be hard to say definitively "yes, I'm paying $xx per month for FeedBlitz and I see exactly $xx in revenue from it", but that's almost impossible to quantify. I consider my FeedBlitz subscription fee an investment in my readers. They appreciate being able to receive the updates they requested regularly, rather than experience periodic pauses in services as I often saw with FeedBurner.

I also consider FeedBlitz an investment in my site in that I'm able to monetize the email updates by making a sponsor banner part of the custom email template. I offer site sponsorship packages and it's important to me to be able to include a nice banner for my site sponsor in my email updates, which adds value to my advertising packages.

Though I'm just starting to explore the analytics that FeedBlitz offers, I'm excited to be able to look at what's working in my email updates and what's not. Rather than just "shooting in the dark", I can implement changes and then use FeedBlitz's analytics to test what works best. Which email subject lines induce the most "opens"? What time of day are people likely to read the emails I send out?

In short, the FeedBlitz service has been well worth the money! I'm looking forward to developing my RSS to email newsletter even more, and I'm excited to see what FeedBlitz will roll out in the future.

Carrie Isaac blogs about one-thousand-and-one ways to save money in Colorado Springs at Springs Bargains. She also handles internet marketing for her husband, a Colorado Springs Realtor. You can connect with her on Twitter @carriei.