So where are you reading this blog post from? Your home in Minneapolis. Your office over the River in St. Paul? Or a coffee shop in Mexico?

You know they call it “the world wide web” for a reason. And as the infrastructure to support it expands around the globe – and as the technology to access it becomes more affordable and readily available – the Internet truly is facilitating communication across widely dispersed geo-political boundaries. So visitors to your website could be coming from anywhere on earth, really.

Lots of smart interactive marketing professionals recognize the Internet’s burgeoning capability to facilitate international transactions. Recently, 200+ members of the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association (and guests) met at W Minneapolis for our July event, featuring a presentation by Joe Kutchera an expert in online marketing and building sales in Latin American markets and founder of dotGlobal, an international e-commerce and media consultancy.

Joe spoke to the group about concepts related to localization and internationalization, using Latin American markets as an example. Here are select highlights from his full presentation.

Localization trends
Joe gave us some examples of how geographic boundaries can affect shopping behavior.

Price. According to Joe, who lives in New York City, many people in Manhattan cross the Hudson River to save on groceries and gas, because prices are less expensive and taxes are lower in New Jersey. Or compare the prices for the same products available on Dell’s U.S and Mexican online stores (both prices given in USD).
• Inspiron 13” – Dell.com: $499; Dell.com.mx: $665
• Studio Slim Desktop – Dell.com: $399; Dell.com.mx: $702
• Dell V305 Printer – Dell.com: $99; Dell.com.mx: $132
(Sources: Dell.com and Dell.com.mx, July 2009)

Availability. Joe shared several anecdotes about Latin American friends who frequently seek out U.S. sources to buy products because they often have greater selection and better quality. For a local example, who among us as creative and enterprising MIMA members have not crossed the St. Croix River on a Sunday afternoon at least once to replenish the liquor cabinet after a rollicking party the night before, because of Minnesota blue laws prohibiting alcohol sales on Sunday?

Internationalization trends
Joe provided a variety of figures verifying what we already know: the Internet is an increasingly international space. A look at the top 50 ostensibly U.S. websites shows that many are getting more traffic from abroad than from U.S. visitors. The New York Times web edition gets 42% of its readers from abroad, Twitter 51%, YouTube 81% and Facebook 82%.

Where could these visitors be browsing your website from? According to Internet World Stats, the top five most used languages on the Internet are: English (430.8 million), Mandarin (276.2 million), Spanish (124.7 million), Japanese (94.0 million) and French (68.2 million).

Indeed. For those of you who think visually — or for you verbal people like me who need context to put large numbers into perspective — try this on. The Minneapolis Star Tribune print edition reported two days after Joe’s presentation that China now has more people who are online than the entire population of the United States.

Opportunities for marketers
How are Latin Americans and Spanish-speaking people in the United States finding your website? By typing Spanish terms into their favorite search engines. Joe suggests making sure your SEO strategies include optimizing your site for Spanish (and other important international languages).

Look at your media plan. Joe said to think about your audience’s international language needs or professional interests horizontally across the vertical media channels in your strategy.

Target your messaging. Joe said there are a lot of ways to deliver messages to international audiences.
• By IP address or geographic region
• Re-target (follow up)
• Behavioral/linguistic
• Contextual (by subject)
• Profession/company/social network
• Country

Explore emerging g-commerce best practices. Joe said there is tremendous opportunity for marketers in the United States who make it easier for customers from around the world to buy their products.
• Give your visitors a choice of geographic denominations to transact in and make your offers available in multiple denominations.
• Give your visitors a choice of geographic locations to pick up products they order. If you do not have a physical presence in a foreign market where consumers are looking for your product or service, partner with a business there who can serve as a distributor for you.

Chances are you have a number of different inboxes, all competing for your attention. Professional and personal e-mail accounts. Voicemail and instant messaging at the office, your mobile device and at home. And now there’s all the social media inboxes – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Yammer, YouTube, Flickr – the list goes on and on.

Talk about your inbox insanity.

While many internet marketing professionals thrive on exploring ways to use these tools to generate and share content, we are a clear minority. Indeed, a vast majority of our customers and prospective customers are finding the proliferation of inboxes overwhelming. And as a result, 1:1 social media networks are beginning to fragment in the same way traditional media did before.

These are all insights Jeffrey Rohrs, Vice President of Marketing for ExactTarget, shared with about 150 MIMA members and guests at our February workshop. Speaking to us on a snowy morning at the Depot in downtown Minneapolis he also shared these observations on the current state of email marketing, some tips for successful practice and a vision for the future.

Observation one – Marketers are not in control. Consumers now scan and delete messages that do not appear relevant to them to manage their busy inboxes. Plus, they appreciate the greater control over the source of messaging they receive offered by social media inboxes. So email marketing messages must become more personal and less promotional to be opened, read and acted upon.

Observation two – Marketing communications increasingly exist by invitation. This is especially true for Millennials.

Observation three – Invitations are easily revoked. Remember the recent Burger King “angry Whopper®” offer for a free burger to anyone who got rid of ten Facebook friends? Demand was so high, they had to shut down the application.

Observations one, two and three demonstrate that permission and relevance matter. Fail to heed this simple rule and risk being deleted from the inbox or dropped by the consumer.

Tips for implementing a successful email marketing program
• Create conversations, deliver meaningful offers and don’t push for the sale
• Give consumers the information THEY want and the respect THEY deserve
• Don’t “pollute” the inbox with irrelevant communications
• Position your communications as customer service opportunities
• Create “subscribers” who opt-in and look forward to your communications

Based on these observations and tips, Rohrs said to be effective email marketing programs must be built on smart use of market data. Shockingly, he cited research from the CMO Council 2008 that reveals that few of us are prepared to succeed.

• Only 6% of CMOs surveyed said they have excellent knowledge of their customers.
• More than 50% of CMOs surveyed said they had little or no knowledge of their customers’ demographic, behavioral, psychographic or transactional data.

Clearly, these numbers need to change. Rohrs suggests marketers strive to transform from thinking like siloed businesses to thinking like publishers. Based on this concept, he and his firm, ExactTarget, believe that the future of email marketing will belong to those who take an agnostic approach where subscribers rule.

Key take aways
• Serve individuals
• Honor their unique preferences regarding communication, content, frequency and channel
• Deliver timely, relevant content that improves their lives (always send value)

Would you open this e-newsletter?

E-Newsletter 1.12.09

It’s from an organization I know and trust, but really, how boring is this?

E-Newsletter 1.09.09
E-Newsletter 12.11.08
E-Newsletter 12.04.08
E-Newsletter 11.20.08
E-Newsletter 11.12.08

My inbox is full of these — unopened. Suppose I had opened one, and found something I wanted to refer to later. The chronological labeling doesn’t help me in the least.

Other similar examples:

AIGA Minnesota Distiller January 2009
AIGA Minnesota Distiller December 2008
AIGA Minnesota Distiller November 2008
AIGA Minnesota Distiller October 2008

These AIGA e-newsletters are gorgeous and full of interesting content. Why are they hiding behind such a dreary door? In my inbox, the “From” line is also AIGIA Minnesota, so I really don’t need the branding repeated in the subject line.

Entice me with real content! C’mon, you only have about 50-60 characters in an email subject line. Don’t waste them on your name (I can read it in the “From” line), the month (which I already know), and the year (which I also know).

Here’s another set, with a slightly different style:

AIGA Communique Vol 8 Issue 10
AIGA Communique Vol 8 Issue 9
AIGA Communique Vol 8 Issue 8
AIGA Communique Vol 8 Issue 7

Quick fix: Put AIGA Communique in the “From” line, save the Vol 8 Issue 9 information for the masthead, and give me a delicious taste of what’s inside with a subject line like this:

Design leaders see stronger design economy coming

This is what Chad White calls a one-interest trigger subject line. Use it if your story is compelling. Or use multiple interest triggers, as in this example:

Design for Democracy, Winterhouse Writing Awards, AIGA Fellows

Here are some other unopened e-newsletters languishing in my inbox. Would you be willing to click?

Your January/February issue of I.D. Magazine is here.
Reminder – Your January/February issue of I.D. Magazine is here.
Your November/December issue of I.D. Magazine is here.
Reminder – Your November/December issue of I.D. Magazine is here.

I’m getting the “Reminder” email because I didn’t open the first email. Maybe it had something to do with the subject line?

Here’s yet another set:

Gwyn, Your January Issue of Interface Has Arrived!
Gwyn, Your January Issue of Gate-Way Has Arrived!
Gwyn, Your December Issue of Interface Has Arrived!
Gwyn, Your December Issue of Gate-Way Has Arrived!

I appreciate the personalization (although my name is Gwyneth), and I do rather like the breathless, we’re-so-proud-to-present-this-to-you enthusiasm. But really it’s better left to a personal message: Our New Baby Has Arrived!

And, please, let’s watch that Title Case. Because Everything In The Subject Line Isn’t Really That Important!

I don’t know about you, but my inbox is full of intriguing, urgent messages that grab my attention far faster than a ho-hum label and a date. A few examples:

From the ubiquitous Jared M. Spool:

UIE Tips: Failure is Not an Option — It’s a Requirement
UIE Tips: Four Essential Skills for Information Architects
UIE Tips: How to Innovate Right Now

From MarketingProfs Today:

5 Tips For Developing a Corporate Blogging Policy

What Not To Do on Facebook, How to Create a Successful Video Blog, Nurturing the Right Leads

How Obama Did It, How a Good Bistro is Like a Good Web Business

The MarketingProfs emails are really pushing the character-count limit. But they can because they’re interesting, intriguing, informative.

Here are some subject lines from Larsen inSights, the email newsletter I edit. Do these capture your attention? Our open rates say “yes.”

Color: 5 trends important to your business
Presentations: 8 Mistakes Everyone Makes
Brand identity: When should you refresh?

Finally, here’s an email subject line I couldn’t resist:

Email Insider: Subject-Line Absolutes: Are There Any?

Did you click? You should. It’s a great article.

P.S. See you at the upcoming MIMA event: Inbox Insanity: The Future of Email Marketing. Perhaps Jeff Rohrs will share the boring, the bewildering, and the best from his inbox.

Political oratory at its best can inspire, inform, and incite millions to action. (A bit like great web content, huh?)

Don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to hear Obama’s inaugural address. (Anything else I might blog about the day before this historic speech seems insubstantial.) So in anticipation, I took a close look at Obama’s inspiring November 4th presidential acceptance speech. Let’s start with the opening sentence:

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

This is a fine example of a periodic sentence with expert parallelism and skillful repetition:

Like all periodic sentences, this one builds to a rousing conclusion. Just like election night itself, holding our interest hour after hour as the votes are tallied, this sentence holds us in suspense until its final inspiring statement:

tonight is your answer

The use of second person — your answer — speaks boldly and directly to this doubting anyone Obama mentions, as if to convince the stubborn holdout of the historic significance of this moment. How much weaker the sentence would be without second person:

The choice of anyone, rather than someone is also notable: If there is anyone out there who still doubts …

I particularly like the word choice out there. It suggests, quite literally, that you are really out there (out on a limb, out of it, out of touch) if you’re not moved by this historic moment.

And take a look at the two embedded independent clauses:

America is a place where all things are possible
The dream of our founders is alive in our time

My only quibble is that the third phrase in this grouping should also be an independent clause. So instead of this structure:

America is a place where all things are possible
The dream of our founders is alive in our time
The power of our democracy

It might be:

America is a place where all things are possible
The dream of our founders is alive in our time
The power of our democracy is unshakable

The sentence would then read:

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions if the power of our democracy is unshakable, tonight is your answer.

So that was the first sentence. (I told you I liked this speech.) Let’s move on, quickly.

After proclaiming the ringing phrase tonight is your answer in his opening sentence, Obama skillfully reinforces it in the second, third, and fifth paragraphs:

It’s the answer told …
It’s the answer spoken …
It’s the answer that led …

He also evidences a skillful use of the humble prepositional phrase:

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

Count ‘em. There are four:

of what we did
on this date
in this election
at this defining moment

And guess what defining word they lead us to? Change.

And of course, there are the carefully crafted soundbites:

We cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation … block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

A new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

What’s that? You’re not a fan of this rhetoric? Well go ahead then: Write Obama’s inaugural speech yourself.

Or take a less arduous path and read how noted presidential speechwriters are suggesting Obama craft his inaugural message.

So I ask all of you interactive marketers reading this today: Can we create web content with the same power and influence as an inaugural address?

Yes we can.

Do your clients face a barrage of bafflement? Do your colleagues visualize your synergistic solutions?

(That wasn’t very funny, was it?) All I’m asking is this: Do folks understand your writing? Your proposals? Your emails? Your web content? Your white papers?

I’m sure many of you are planning to attend the upcoming MIMA seminar: Too Much Information? Surviving Data Overload. The enticing event description asks: How do you filter to find truly useful information, fast? A companion question might be this: How do you create truly useful information, fast?

Your clients need clarity. Your colleagues deserve comprehension. Here are some fun tools to help you swiftly eschew obfuscation:

Web Economy Bullshit Generator
My Larsen colleague Gordon McIntyre-Lee recently forwarded this. (Hope you don’t recognize your writing here.)

Why Business People Speak Like Idiots: A Bullfighter’s Guide
Not new, but always fresh.

Fight the Bull
Surely you’ve visited this perennial favorite. The partner website to the book above. Download free Bullfighter software. (Unless you’re a Mac user. Sigh.)

Merriam-Webster’s Open Dictionary, Business Category
Just plain fun. You can read about customerizing your products, prevealing your redesigned site, and insourcing your greenification.

Coffee mugs for daily inspiration
My favorite: “Shift my paradigm before I’ve had my morning coffee and I’ll core your competencies.”

Have additional resources? Please share.

Here’s a closing quote from Lincoln that should help keep your writing as honest as Abe himself: “He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.”

He’s not describing you, is he?

MIMA is home to quite the variety of interactive marketers. Even on the board, the mix includes some folks with blogophobia and some very diligent bloggers.

To keep giving you the MIMA content you’re craving, we’ve added three guest bloggers to the roster for your reading enjoyment. Keep coming back to the MIMA blog for more entries from the board and these contributing writers:

Chris Dohman is self-employed with North Rock Publishing …
* Favorite blog: SEOmoz
* Also contributes to: A new blog at North Rock Publishing that focuses on helping Minnesota small business owners with web development and Internet marketing tips.
* Quick tip for aspiring bloggers: Figure out who your target audience is and remain focused on them. It’s OK to go off track occasionally but the bulk of your content should be on-topic and written for this target audience so they can get the most out of it.

Gwyneth Dwyer is the director of writing services with Larsen …
* Favorite blog: Michael Beirut’s Design Observer
* Also contributes to: Marketing Profs Daily Fix, the top 25 marketing blog connected with MarketingProfs.com and LarsenIdealog, the Larsen blog on design, writing, marketing, and digital media.
* Quick tip for aspiring bloggers: Find your niche, keep it fresh, start a conversation.

Karen Sams is an interactive marketing manager with Ameriprise Financial …
* Favorite blog: Search Engine Land
* Also contributes to: Her own interactive marketing blog
* Quick tip for aspiring bloggers: Make sure you blog on a regular basis to keep visitors coming back.

You know what’s consistently a challenge for me as an online writer? Headlines. Here’s an example: I once wrote a banner ad promoting a basketball package that started with “Hoop! There it is …” I’m serious. I wrote this. And it got used. And now you might have just realized that you are/were at one time a fan of Tag Team.

So over lunch, I decided to play the game of “What happens when you Google ‘headlines for the web’?” to see what information is out there for the headline-challenged.

Here are the top-four results:

Newspaper headlines lost in web translation
Summary: Newspapers have to write headlines for search engines AND readers.
Headline help: This is an important thing to mention — you’ve got to write for the engines as much as you write for humans — and it applies to everything on the Internet, not just newspapers.
Julie recommends: Excess Voice Here you can find REAL tips for online copywriting (beyond just headlines) and even sign up for a newsletter on the topic.

Tips for writing web headlines
Summary: People tend to skim when they’re reading online, right? So your headline needs to be something that can reach out and grab eyeballs.
Headline help: Web headlines should be short, search-friendly and tested.
Julie recommends: The Online Copywriter’s Handbook Learn the basics with this book from Bob Bly.

Headline Depot
Summary: There is place called the Headline Depot and I didn’t know this until NOW? Here you can browse categories to “add highly targeted real-time headlines and news to your web site.”
Headline help: There is none here for copywriters. This is a place to learn more about getting a headline feed on your website.
Julie recommends: The Onion Headline Generator If you’re looking for a hilarious headline that has nothing to do with work, go here.

Star Wars – The Official Site
Summary: Includes official news, information on episodes, and images.
Headline help: I kid you not. This is the #8 result on Google for the search “headlines for the web.” So … no help here, either.
Julie recommends: Uh, this Star Wars site, of course.

Although this exercise was fun for me … I feel like I’m right back where I started. Do you have any good resources to share? Start sending ‘em in.

Last week I was writing an article on top family vacation spots in the upper Midwest. As I Googled Wisconsin Dells and the other destinations on my list, I thought to myself, “Wow, I’m glad I don’t have to go to the library, visit a travel agent or call an endless string of people for this information.” Do you know how much time that takes?

Yes, I’m totally spoiled. Aren’t we all?

My husband and I recently threw away every phone book in the house. Why not? They were just collecting dust on top of the refrigerator while we looked up phone numbers on DexOnline and used Google Maps for directions.

While we were at it, we stashed our big health reference guide. Who needs it when you have WebMd?

As a writer, I’m addicted to checking off my handwritten to-do lists(oh, the rush!), so it’s hard for me to give up my daily planner. But that doesn’t stop me from using Google Calendar.

I know there is a lot more out there that I don’t take advantage of yet. Check out these Top 10 Research Tools rated by CNET.

I also just found Noodle Tools. It helps you choose your search tool based on what you need to do (define your topic, do research in a specific discipline, get opinions, get different types of media, etc.)

Do you know of some hidden online treasures that make research easier? The faster I get what I want from the Web, the happier I’ll be.

Welcome to the official blog for MIMA, the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association.

Here you will find updated news about MIMA, events, projects and activities as well as interactive marketing industry news. We welcome and encourage your readership and interaction.