by Sue Horner | Nov 30, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Some of my neighbours have had Christmas lights up for weeks. U.S. Thanksgiving is done like turkey dinner, and we’re hurtling towards the Festive Season. So, time for my third annual roundup of gift ideas for writers, readers and word-and-punctuation nerds. 1. “I’m a...
by Sue Horner | Nov 23, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Noise is a big issue around airports. A jet taking off can produce an average of 100 to 120 decibels. That’s as noisy as it is in the front row of a rock concert. If, like airports, your business makes noise that’s affecting your neighbours, you want to show that...
by Sue Horner | Nov 16, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Long? Really long? Or short? You’ll find all kinds of advice on the internet about how long you should make your blog post. This is top of mind these days with the results of Orbit Media’s 2017 survey of 1,000+ bloggers, which show: The average blog post is 1,142...
by Sue Horner | Nov 10, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
“How much content is too much content in a newsletter?” wondered reader Danielle Wintrip after my post with quotes about e-newsletters. Good question. The quick answer is that “too much” varies, but you’re best off keeping your e-newsletter short. With attention spans...
by Sue Horner | Nov 1, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Do you use an email newsletter to reach customers, prospects, blog readers or employees? If so, you know that e-newsletters are far from dinosaurs, and an online search for comment shows they are alive and well. Here’s some praise for e-newsletters: “Email...
by Sue Horner | Oct 26, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Email newsletters are one of the most effective ways non-profit organizations can stay in touch with supporters, and an “effective channel to send prospects to your fundraising page.” So says John Haydon, a digital marketing expert who helps non-profits and charities...
by Sue Horner | Oct 19, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Like many Canadians, I was dismayed to hear of the death this week of Gord Downie, just 53, quirky lead singer of Canada’s Tragically Hip. His diagnosis with an incurable brain tumour last year made the ending inevitable, but it still came as a shock. Like many...
by Sue Horner | Oct 12, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
When a company fails to follow up with a customer who is ready to buy, or who has stopped coming back for service, you have to wonder. Is business so great the people running the place don’t care? No, more likely the problem is lack of followup. Customers want help...
by Sue Horner | Oct 5, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The subject line – “Done like Thanksgiving dinner” – probably seemed appropriate, casual and timely to the marketers who sent the email. It rounded up things that would help you prepare and serve a Thanksgiving dinner, like a roasting pan, pots, glasses and dishes....
by Sue Horner | Sep 28, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a fancy way of describing how to get you or your business in front of search engines like Google. The ideal is that someone searches for your name, of course, but SEO helps if the searcher doesn’t know you or have your name in mind....
