If you think of dating as a metaphor for direct response marketing

If you work in my industry, online marketing, and specifically direct response marketing design, there is a mantra and even an acronym for elements being above the fold (ATF).

It is a term that has been carried over from the newspaper print world where the most important piece of information or an enticing image had to be above the line where a newspaper would naturally be folded in a newsstand; the purpose then was that if you enticed them enough, they would buy the whole paper. View Full Portfolio Piece

Defining Your Specific Value Proposition

In the Heuristic we are using:

C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) – 2a

Wherein:

C = Probability of conversion
m = Motivation of user (when)
v = Clarity of the value proposition
i = Incentive to take action
f = Friction elements of process
a = Anxiety about entering information

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This article is the first in a series of articles to help readers use some of the best practices for Direct Online Marketing Design.

Small businesses delving into online marketing often take for granted how important design is to an overall online marketing campaign.  If you are going to succeed you’ll need to tackle the sometimes daunting world of online marketing, from email to websites to social media, it is the fastest growing advertising channel.

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I am a direct online marketing designer; I have focused on this aspect of design for more than 4 years. I developed this guide to help me take a project from the inception to a polished campaign, ready to be sent in an efficient manner.

I think of it as a project road map and it has helped me from getting lost many times in the past.

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Seen also on the iContact Blog

In this post, I will use Twitter as a microcosm, or case study, for how to separate your personal and professional identity online, and how this applies to corporate communications and marketing of one’s business. View Full Portfolio Piece

This is a guide that I developed in order to get a stronger sense of the process that is needed to be followed in order to take a project from creative brief to quality deliverables in an efficient manner.

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“JD Hooge founded Gridplane to help clients bring their stories to life. Gridplane specializes in unifying practical user interaction with engaging design to craft unique experiences.”
I think this work is the perfect convergence of information and design. Please check out www.gridplane.com

This article shows the various options for the Obama Campaign. I like some of the options but I think they ultimately made the right choice.

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Critique of Sprints FREE Samsung Banner Ad from matthew Barton on Vimeo.