threeboxes

We all have different ideas of what makes a website not only look good but also work well. In the end though, what we’re all trying to achieve is pretty much the same in that we’re striving to engage users so they interact with your business and at the same time do a bit of drum-banging by telling others about how good it is.

Our opinion is that you don’t need to create the best website in the world in order for it to work. But what you do need to is to make sure that whatever it is your website is about, that it captures the users imagination and makes them want to find out more.

Visual appeal goes some way to achieving that and the level you take it to depends on what your website is about – but Coca Cola, as an example, have used some neat tricks so that when you take a look at each product in their range (http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/default.html) the screen zooms around to give a little flashy presentation.

You might not want to go to that level, but using techniques like Coca Cola have done means you can get a  lot more info on your website without overloading it. With only so much space on websites and impatient users that want things and they want them now you need to think very carefully about what your most important user-engaging features are and hit them with it straight away.

Continue reading »

Delivering messages into your clients inbox is one of the biggest challenges in email marketing, the technical solutions employed by service providers have grown at the same rate as the rising tide of spam in an effort to protect us all – gone are the days of simply navigating a spam filter!

The reputation of your mail server is one of the most critical factors in delivering your message so we have put together a “rough guide” to becoming a reputable sender.

Continue reading »

To make your email marketing campaigns a success you’ve got to spend time, effort, and money keeping your data clean. Otherwise, the inevitable will happen and  it will vanish over time.

Keeping your data clean means your business will ultimately achieve reduced marketing costs and greatly improved response rates through better data management, and at the same time ensure compliance.

If you think about it, the cost to cleanse your existing lists may be significantly lower than acquiring a new customer or prospect. Is having a clean, deliverable database of contacts who have maintained a relationship with your company worth the investment?

…of course there’s only one answer to that question – ‘Yes!’

Continue reading »

Once your email campaign templates have been designed you’ll more than likely find that any regular campaigns you run are very similar – and it’s really only the text and feature images that change.

You might alter the layout slightly but the main header, footer and link elements aren’t going to change that often.

What we know is that there are quite a few problems that need to be overcome when creating email templates and that if things like email standards and design issues are overlooked then they can cause you major headaches with deliverability, readability and Junk mail.

The good news is that we’ve just cracked it with our new customisable email templates that you can edit online in a similar way to how you would update a Word document.

We’ve taken care of ensuring that templates are fully tested and complaint and that the layouts appear correctly in all major email clients.

A big benefit of using customisable email templates is that you only pay for the template to be designed once! …after that you just amend, re-use and save yourself some money at the same time.

Continue reading »

After you’ve spent valuable time planning and designing your email campaigns, do you spend more hours testing it in all the major email programs and spam filters?

Well… You’ll need to and it can be a massive job in terms of setting up accounts with Gmail, Hotmail, Lotus Notes et al.

…then, you’ll be into checking the inbox of each email program and fixing issues one by one. Not the best job in the World and also one where mistakes and errors can easily be overlooked.

On the other hand, you could just cross your fingers and click send! We wouldn’t recommend that though, especially as there is a much better and easier way of making sure your email designs render correctly in all major email programs and so they don’t get trapped in Spam filters.

Continue reading »

Many people enter into the new year with a personal goal of living a healthier lifestyle and shedding the unwanted pounds brought on by another season of holiday excess. The same commitment should also be applied to the messages being sent to your subscribers-messages that may have slowly packed on the pounds right under your nose without being noticed.

Continue reading »

It seems like everyone’s talking about the downturn this Christmas. But while sales on the high street are shrinking, online sales are up about 15 percent on last year.

Ok, so you’ve missed this year’s Christmas rush. But as we move into 2009, getting smart with what you do online is definately the best way to beat the crunch.

Continue reading »

Many businesses consider adding email marketing to their marketing mix but are put off by the perceived start-up costs or they’re unsure whether email marketing will provide enough of a return on investment.

A common myth about email marketing is that only large corporations can afford the technology and reap the benefits. The truth is that it can benefit businesses of any size and no matter what your idea of success is, you can get great results using email marketing – it’s quick and relatively cheap too!

“54% of small businesses surveyed rated e-mail as the top online promotion to drive site visitors and customers to their web sites and storefronts.”
DMA Interactive
Continue reading »

the campaign didn’t work because it must’ve been the wrong time!

is there a “right” time to be sending email?

After all the time and testing that goes into producing a polished email campaign, a common fear among marketers is that when they send will have a greater influence on success than what they send.

To an extent, these fears are warranted, but the idea that there exists any “right” day and time to send email is an easy trap to fall into.

Instead, try keeping a few key points in mind the next time a last-minute image swap delays your email deployment and panic begins to set in.

Continue reading »

What is “Accessibility”? What is the point of “Accessibility”? There are a number of definitions out there for “Accessiblity”, but the one that I think best sums it up is the following from the Java Look and Feel Guidelines

The degree to which software can be used comfortably by a wide variety of people, including those who require assistive technologies like screen magnifiers or voice recognition.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at why you need to make sure that your website is accessible. Continue reading »