Taking the Moleskine Plunge

Two of my favorite bloggers got me thinking about Moleskine. Moleskine, for the unitiated, is an Italian line of notebooks and planners,

“used by European artists and thinkers for the past two centuries, from Van Gogh to Picasso, from Ernest Hemingway to Bruce Chatwin.” (Product literature)

First, Kathy Sierra showed us how she turned an off the shelf Moleskine into a high powered PDA.

Then, Tony Clark endorsed the Moleskine in a recent post about personal productivity.

If the Moleskine is good enough for these two (to say nothing of Picasso), I figured it was good enough for me. I started with the basic Pocket Ruled…

Using Business Cartoons in Newsletters

This cartoon was created for use in a newsletter about Web analytics. Now, even the most ardent search marketing fan does not find Web analytics the most stirring of subjects. Applying a touch of humor, along with something visual, inspires newsletter readers to click-through.

When I started developing business cartoons for clients, I assumed certain businesses, like law firms, would never be interested. Not only was I wrong, I was 180-degrees wrong.

Attorneys, well aware of their stuffy image, want to humanize themselves and add a bit of comic relief to their gravely dry Web content.

Financial planners and realtors leave no stone unturned in the…

How to Make E-Newsletters Work

Why are you sending out e-newsletters?

1. To attract new customers;

2. To inform existing customers;

3. To lead or support product promotions;

4. To build a community among employees;

5. To do what everybody else is doing;

6. All of the above;

7. None of the above.

Whatever your goal, the effectiveness of your newsletter depends on execution. Here are some tips.

1. Slow and steady wins the race. For most newsletters, publications once a month is plenty–more often and recipients start tuning you out; less often and they never tune you in.

2. Content is king, design is queen. To state the obvious, people are drowning in spam. Without a…