CarbonGraffiti - Email and Online Marketing

When designing and coding email designs, more often than not you’re forced into using your browser to render the HTML code you’re working on, and have to wait until you’re ready to test across multiple inboxes to find the per-client issues (looking at you, Hotmail, Gmail and Outlook 2007). Working towards that point is probably the most important in the development phase, as the better you create your base file, the less likely it is you’ll have to tweak and hack to accommodate those pesky email clients.

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Freelance Folder have just posted a fantastic list of more than 35 of the best social media tools that are sure to help make your life easier. From juggling multiple social networking profiles to digging up your old high school friends, this list has ‘em all.

View the full post at: http://freelancefolder.com/35-social-media-tools-make-life-easier/ or keep reading for the quick n’ dirty version.
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Although as a whole online marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing channels out there, some online marketing methods can still eat into a yearly budget faster than you can say ‘Google’.

Take PPC (pay-per-click) for example. According to MarketingSherpa, US SEM spend is expected to hit $16.5 billion by the end of 2008, with Google accounting for 71% of all US search traffic (74% for the UK). Add to this the news of Google’s recent deal with Yahoo, and the search engine marketing landscape (with paid ads in particular) is shrinking. With less competition, we’re witnessing the formation of a quasi-monopoly that can only drive keywords costs up. As a cost-aware marketer, you’ll still have to rely on the long-tail keywords to maximize conversions, but you won’t be able to avoid some competition over pricey keywords and your online budget will take a hit.

However, the true beauty of online marketing is the multitude of choices available that are either cheap or free. In this time of impending economic doom and gloom, below is a list of various marketing tactics you can do that won’t break the bank… and if anything they’ll only add to it.
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Noupe.com have recently started to take off with great lists, but this one takes the cake (so far). Noupe have compiled a list of 13 websites, tools or resources to help you create a better website for SEO, see what your competition is doing, check your SE rankings, and a whole lot more. Check out Noupe’s list here, or here’s a quick summary of the tools on offer:

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