15% time loss due to email interruptions!

In preparing for tomorrow's Email Marketing class, I came across this article about email productivity.

"Each time I am interrupted and check email I am going to allocate a 90 second penalty. This penalty is against the break in my focus and the time it takes me to regain the flow on the task that I was performing. So, during the working day I have 62 such interruptions. 62 * 90 Seconds equates to 5580 seconds, or 93 minutes. Just over one and a half hours out of my nine and a half hours of productive working time (not counting lunch). Maybe 90 seconds penalty is a bit high, maybe it is too low.

The bottom line, and the basis for my next post on this fascinating subject is that I am losing roughly 15.8% of my productive time due to email interruptions."

Full article

Twitter as a Networking Tool

http://tinyurl.com/l6j99q  Good article about using Twitter as a networking tool. Also discusses the differences in Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Coffee News of Scottsdale Email Marketing

Patrick Lyons, owner of Coffee News of Scottsdale, is a long time YCL client but email marketing is new for him. Pat turned to Your Computer Lady for assistance.

Challenges:

• The opt in form on the Coffee News web site needed to do double duty. First, the entrant needed  to be added to a group for a specific time frame to allow Coffee News to pick a winner for the $100 cash prize. Second, the entry form has critical marketing info to gather to guide Coffee News on meeting their customers' needs. Third, the same form needed to add the entrant to Pat's email list for future email messages. Your Computer Lady was able to create a form that fit all 3 purposes!
• Implement the new opt in form without losing entrants in the transition. We were able to do it!

The first Coffee News of Scottsdale email message

“It was my first email message but the response was excellent. I received several phone calls in response including some from interested advertisers! At minimum, I got my name in front of people that I would have missed otherwise.”

Patrick Lyons
Coffee News of Scottsdale
www.CoffeeNewsofScottsdale.com

Acosta Landscape Web Site

Mind the Gap Marketing came to YCL for assistance on this web site. The site had recently been built but it was completely done in FLASH so there were very limited Search Engine Optimization options.  Acosta Landscape wanted the ability to do some SEO work and possibly Pay-Per-Click advertising.

Challenges

• Improve the site without a large additional expense.
• Maintain the design and function of the FLASH elements since everyone liked them.

View the completed website.

Your Computer Lady worked with one of our programmers to embed the FLASH sequences into regular HTML pages. This kept the appearance of the FLASH while allowing us to prepare the site for Search Engine Optimization. The cost was much, much lower than re-creating the site from scratch.

YCL added Google Analytics to the site for gathering critical traffic information. YCL also created a site map and made the submission to Google to get the site indexed by Google.  Many other search engines utilize Google's indexes so they are the very best place to start search engine optimization.

Slater Metal Sculpture Website

The renovation of this site involved a new site design along with the addition of many new photographs. The project was managed by Mind the Gap Marketing.

 Challenges:

• Sizing the photos. There was a mix of old and new photos of all sizes and shapes. YCL had to   standardize the photos to fit the design as well as how the sculptures to their best advantage.
• Display a large number of photos, many with captions, is an eye pleasing format to encourage browsing.

Slater Metal Sculpture Website

Email Subject Lines

35% of email users open messages because of what's contained in the subject line - Jupiter Research (2007)

Words that were identified as innocuous words that won't trigger a spam filter but will negatively affect your open rates: help, percent off and reminder. - MailChimp (2007)

So subject lines for your email messages are important. How do you write good ones?  Here are 3 articles to help you from experts at Constant Contact.

6 Tips for Writing Better Subject Lines
Subject Lines That Click
Subject Lines & Calls to Action

Finding Opportunity in a Down Economy

A Back-to-Basics Approach to Successful Marketing in Difficult Times.  This 14 page article from Constant Contact offers a lot of good suggestions for honing your marketing strategy and taking advantage of email marketing as a tool. Excellent read!

Finding Opportunity in a Down Economy Article

Word 2003 AutoText & AutoCorrect

Using Your Computer To Work Smarter

 “Like an ant on a stick both ends of which are burning, I go to and fro without knowing what to do,…”

All of us have days that just seem to get away from us.  But there is hope!  There are features or tools in most of our software programs that will help us be more productive.

AutoText – If you have a group of text that you type regularly – the signature block on your letters, a table you use for quoting new projects, the page you use for listing steps in a job – you can use AutoText to save the text and formatting then insert it whenever you need it.

To create the AutoText:

1. Type your text.
2. Format your text.
3. Select all of the text and formatting.
4. Go to Insert on the menubar > AutoText > New
5. In the window that opens, name your text group. EX: my signature block.
6. Click OK.

When you’re ready to insert the text in a document:

1. Place your cursor where you want the text group to go.
2. Start typing the NAME of the text. EX: my signat
3. A small box will pop up over your curser with a sample of the AutoText.
4. Hit the Enter key on your keyboard.
5. The entire AutoText that you created and named “my signature block” will type into the document with the same formatting you gave it.

AutoCorrect – If there is a long word or phrase you frequently type such as your full company name, a product you sell, a service you offer, you can list it in AutoCorrect so Word will type it for you! 

To create the AutoCorrect:

1. Type the text you want to insert and format it. EX: Your Computer Lady.
2. Select the text.
3. Go to Tools on the meubar > AutoCorrect Options
4. Click on the AutoCorrect tab
5. In the “Replace” field, type your abbreviation or short version. EX: “ycl”.
6. In the “With” field, you will see your selected text.
7. Above the “With” field, you can select to insert your corrected text as either “Plain text” or “Formatted text.” EX: Your Computer Lady (Plain text) or Your Computer Lady (Formatted text).
8. Click the Add button.
9. Click OK.

When you’re ready to insert the text in a document:

1. Place your curser where you want to insert the text.
2. Type your “Replace” text. EX: ycl.
3. Hit the space bar on your keyboard.
4. Word will type the whole text for you. EX: Your Computer Lady

AutoCorrect can also be used to automatically correct words that you spell wrong!  EX: Replace “Pheonix” With “Phoenix”  Every time I mis-spell the city, Word fixes it for me!

Word 2007 Building Blocks & AutoCorrect

Using Your Computer To Work Smarter

“Like an ant on a stick both ends of which are burning, I go to and fro without knowing what to do,…”

All of us have days that just seem to get away from us.  But there is hope!  There are features or tools in most of our software programs that will help us be more productive.

Microsoft Word 2007

Quick Parts / Building Blocks (AutoText in version 2003) – If you have a group of text that you type regularly – the signature block on your letters, a table you use for quoting new projects, the page you use for listing steps in a job – you can use AutoText to save the text and formatting then insert it whenever you need it.

To create the Building Block:

1. Type your text.
2. Format your text.
3. Select all of the text and formatting. Note that this can be used for headers and footers including those with graphics.
4. Go to the  Insert  tab on the ribbon
5. Click Quick Parts > Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery
6. In the Create New Building block window that opens:
1. Name your text group. EX: my signature block.
2. Choose which Gallery you want the block to be saved in. Note that AutoText is one of the Galleries.
3. Choose a Category for the block. Optional.
4. Describe the block. Recommended.
5. Leave the Save in as Building Blocks.dotx
6. Choose your insert options. 
7. Click OK.

When you’re ready to insert the text in a document:

1. Place your cursor where you want the block to go.
2. Click the Quick Parts icon. The most recently used Building Block will be previewed in the window. Left click to use that block.
3. Select Building Blocks Organizer
4. A list of all of the blocks will open. You can sort the blocks by clicking any column heading (Name, Gallery, Category, etc.).
5. Left click to select the block you wish to use. You can see a preview of the block on the right side of the window.
6. Click the Insert button.

AutoCorrect – If there is a long word or phrase you frequently type such as your full company name, a product you sell, a service you offer, you can list it in AutoCorrect so Word will type it for you! 

To create the AutoCorrect:

1. Type the text you want to insert and format it. EX: Your Computer Lady.
2. Select the text.
3. Click the Office Button > Word Options in the bottom right corner
4. Click on Proofing on the left side navigation of the Word Options window.
5. Click on the AutoCorrect  Options button.
6. In the “Replace” field, type your abbreviation or short version. EX: “ycl”.
7. In the “With” field, you will see your selected text.
8. Above the “With” field, you can select to insert your corrected text as either “Plain text” or “Formatted text.” EX: Your Computer Lady (Plain text) or Your Computer Lady (Formatted text).
9. Click the Add button.
10. Click OK.
11. Click OK to close the Word Options window.

When you’re ready to insert the text in a document:

1. Place your curser where you want to insert the text.
2. Type your “Replace” text. EX: ycl.
3. Hit the space bar on your keyboard.
4. Word will type the whole text for you. EX: Your Computer Lady

AutoCorrect can also be used to automatically correct words that you spell wrong!  EX: Replace “Pheonix” With “Phoenix”  Every time I mis-spell the city, Word fixes it for me!