Earlier this month I blogged about the importance of investing time to craft an email signature that communicates an appropriate impression of you and your business (eSignatures: What’s Yours Telling Me about You? (Part 1)). Today’s blog covers how to construct eSigs that do double duty for you.   eSig Building Blocks A typical eSig includes two key messages: This is who I am. This is how you contact me. Wise businesses include a third promotional message: a succinct ... – Read More

Unexpectedly, Laurier Optical just rang my phone. The new glasses I ordered on Tuesday (today is Thursday) are ready for pickup. (Actually I ordered two pairs; too difficult to narrow the choice to one ;-) Because the optician had set an expectation that the new glasses would arrive on Monday, today's call was quite un-expected. Not so strangely, I'm more satisfied with the optician. It's such a pleasant surprise when a supplier is early rather than late. Exceeding ... – Read More

With the proliferation of YouTube, companies are turning to video to communicate their messages. I’ve also seen some very cool web-based interactive brochures that use video. Click here for one developed by Cyan Solutions based in Ottawa. The key to getting your message across appropriately is to ensure your body language enhances the message rather than detracts (or distracts) from the message. For this reason, whether you’re the person being videotaped, the ... – Read More

A friend told me a story this weekend. A story that marketers will find interesting. Just before Christmas my friend purchased a flora lamp from Lee Valley Tools. A week ago she received a letter from this same retailer. Inside was a cheque for $18 and a letter explaining that they had dropped the price of the flora lamp in their new catalogue. $18 was the difference. Wow! Leveraging a powerful data mining tool, a bit of time, and $18, Lee Valley Tools is elevating their brand reputation ... – Read More

I’ve seen a lot of email signatures—eSigs as I like to call them. I’ll bet you have too. Like conjuring a face from the voice you hear on the phone, an eSig conjures an image of the sender. As is all too frequent, the person is rarely identical to the mind’s eye. But, because an eSig is a powerful tool that will move from PC to PC to PC as you connect with influencers and decision makers about your product or service offering, as a marketing communications ... – Read More