Email is still a vital component of every content marketing plan. Some would even argue that as more and more people rely on tablets and smartphones for email, email marketing is beginning to become more relevant. Fine. But where do newbies start with email marketing? And how do mere mortals achieve email amazingness? Fear not, marketing mavens! We’ve come up with a list of easy-to-remember and even easier-to-implement email marketing tips that any size business can rock out.

1. Get Friendly: The No. 1 question small businesses ask when starting an email marketing campaign is, “Who do I email?” Sounds kind of silly, but the concerns of who are we marketing to and where do we get these mysterious emails are legit ones. We always suggest starting with your company’s database of frequent customers and your personal contacts.These folks, presumably, already get emails from you and therefore are a terrific place to start. Friends and loved ones aren’t just less likely to delete your emails, but they’ll also usually give you honest feedback.

2. Post Exit Signs: You want people to be engaged with your email marketing, but the last thing you want is to make them angry. So play by the rules and clearly post a unsubscribe option. As Cara Aley writes, “Nothing says spam like a lack of ability to remove oneself from an email list. Make sure that every email you send has a clear option for removal for your readers; it’s a part of the CAN-SPAM law, and you could be fined $16,000 for not abiding by it.”

3. Deliver the Goods: If your email list isn’t growing, could it perhaps be because your emails stink? We’re sick of digital clutter, and now we are all quick to react to companies who email us with boring spammy content on a daily basis. Instead, challenge you and your marketing team to come up with emails and email newsletter content folks will actually want to read. Consider adding value and really creative content to your subscribers’ in boxes and watch your list grow like a weed.

4. Get Real People: If you have an office or a brick-and-mortar retail shop, don’t forget to gather emails in person! Being able to explain how awesome your emails are to your customers face-to-face is truly priceless and an opportunity that should not be missed.

5. Creativity Wins: ModCloth, Fab.com, Amazon, Starbucks and Epicurious all create the kind of email newsletter we stop and read. Why? Because they all look great and are incredibly creative. Use your favorite email newsletters as inspirations and take them to your marketing team and designers before you start.

Each Monday, we take a look at the blog writing and blog marketing habits of some of the world’s biggest brands. From airlines and luxury jewelers to social networks and toy companies, we’ve seen how brands of all kinds use blogging to connect with a global Internet audience. Even brands thought of as “old-fashioned” are taking to blogging with resounding results. This week one such brand, Bigelow Tea, is using blogging to take the company into the next millennium.

Constant Comment is the tea flavor that put Bigelow on the map, and still is the company’s top-selling product today. To pay tribute to this fact while nodding to the very nature of blogging, Bigelow has cleverly named its company blog “Constant Comments.” The cleanly-designed and image-rich blog has more of a food magazine look and feel than a boring old blog blabbing about tea. As tea is often associated with relaxation, the uncluttered design and short, easy-to-read posts are surely intentional. That isn’t to say the blog posts are uninteresting, though. The company is obviously passionate about tea and it shows in the varied and entertaining posts. Customer contests, recipes, tea-themed party ideas, profiles of Bigelow-sponsored events and behind-the-scenes videos are the kind of dynamic posts featured on Constant Comments. Bigelow has taken a lot of care in curating the kind of posts its audience will like to read.

Every detail is thoughtful and well-executed here, and that’s inspiration any size blog can take away. Thinking about your brand’s image and personality before you start blogging is a wise idea and really helps your blog’s message be clearer. Consider your branding, your logos, your other ad campaigns and images and then integrate those idea into your blog. Using already existing ideas and language also helps alleviate the stress of creating a blog language from scratch. Bigelow’s brand thoughtfulness in regard to its blog pays off in a well-written, great-looking and fun-to-read blog which lines up perfectly with the rest of the company’s image.

Feeling overwhelmed and out of the loop? Take a break and catch up with five fantastic stories from the worlds of online marketing and digital branding! Grab a coffee and enjoy our weekly list of five things you might have missed.

1.) Awareness, Orchestrated: In an effort to raise money, CRIS Against Cancer organized a classical music concert in Madrid. According to I Believe in Advertising, “The idea was that the orchestra played the 9th Symphony of Beethoven according to audience response. But, each bar of the score corresponded to a seat in the National Auditorium, therefore any un-sold tickets would mean an unplayed bar, and silence in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony score.” This incredible video shows what happened.

2.) Bestseller Blogs: If you are an indie author planning on using blog marketing to help sell your latest book, this article from Huffington Post is a must-read. In it, the Writer’s Relief staff outlines three essential blogging tips for any budding writer wanting to grab the attention of readers and publishers alike.

3.) Disappearing Ads: If, even as a marketer, the ads on Facebook Mobile drive you nuts, we have some good news. In a story you might have missed, Facebook mobile now lets users hide annoying and plentiful advertisements that pop up on our smartphones. The innovation comes right on the heels of an article from The Atlantic which griped about the irritating ads.

4.) Skinny Machine: “Never underestimate the power of style” is the moral of this little soda story. Diet Coke’s “Slender Vender” is one of those clever marketing ploys that plays perfectly with the brand’s image while producing a memorable visual. The thin, silver vending machine looks as cool and stylish as Diet Coke’s new bottles and cans. Plus, the song in the video is super catchy, too.

5.) A Mother’s Day Marketing Miracle: Finally, we think there’s no better illustration of how to use social media marketing to put your tiny, homespun business on the map than JumpSacBaby. This incredible article from Mashable is as inspiring as it is inspirational for anyone trying to use social media to grow their business and find ways to give your brand a social media makeover.

When it comes to getting ideas from consumers and followers, nothing quite beats Twitter. Questions like, “What do you guys think of this hot new product?,” “What sort of specials would you be interested in?” and “How do like our new logo?” are the kind of crowdsourcing questions that can really inspire tons of responses from consumers.

And when you think about it, this sort of information is invaluable. Back in olden marketing days, we used focus groups and other ridiculous avenues to try to figure out what consumers were thinking. Now, we can hop on Twitter and ask a few questions to see what’s on their minds.

But when it comes to crowdsourcing on Twitter, it’s important to remember we won’t always love the answers our following will provide.

British pop star and reality TV show judge Tulisa learned a tough lesson about Twitter crowdsourcing recently when she asked fans on Twitter to help her pick a name for her new perfume. Most of the ideas from smart-alecky fans, however, stunk. Amateur Twitter comedians came up with perfume names like “Desperation,” “Unemployed,” “Chip Shop Reject,” “Capri Sun” and “Chavalicious.” While hilarious, this smartassery isn’t exactly helpful. Nevertheless, the failed crowdsourcing attempt did help me discover Tulisa and probably helped thousands of others do the same.

Sarcastic responses on Twitter won’t ever be avoided completely (and some may argue this kind of thing is the sole purpose for Twitter’s existence). Yet as Twitter marketing experts, we can minimize this sort of thing by asking more specific questions when we crowdsource. Had Tulisa given her fans a choice between names, maybe the sassy responses would have been fewer. Also, to get the most of crowdsourcing on Twitter, it is best to routinely turn to your followers for ideas and engage them regularly with fun, interesting and engaging questions. Lastly, remember that Twitter users are quick with one-liners and witty retorts, so just make sure your questions aren’t setting you and your brand up to be the butt of a joke.

As blog writing and content marketing gurus, we are quick to dish out expert advice when folks ask about launching blogging-for-business campaigns. Not to toot our own horn, but having launched corporate blogs for a diverse and large group of clients, we feel qualified to talk about such matters. Nevertheless, it’s always a wise idea to get tips from other blogging and content professionals. With that in mind, here are four of our favorite blogging tips from around the web.

Length Matters: Abidemi Sanusi wrote a terrific column yesterday for The Guardian about business blogging, and the best piece of advice featured in the article was about length. Sanusi recommends keeping posts short and we agree. “As a guide, a blog post should be about 400 words. If your post is longer than this, think about serializing it. People tend to scan web content, so make every word count,” he writes.

Remember Your Audience: Knowing who you’re blogging for is key before you get started. Or, as Elizabeth Saunders told Mashable awhile back, “Your blog content should appeal first and foremost to your customers and potential customers. Think about what they would want to read and form your content around meeting their needs in a unique way. To increase readership, you can include links to these articles in your company email newsletter.”

Get the Picture: Images, photos and videos make for blogging gold, and several posts a week should be rich in these things. “I highly suggest all posts have some kind of graphic,” writes Jacqueline Wolven. Wolven says “go crazy” when it comes to blog images, just play by the rules. “A note about photos and images — PLEASE use your own when possible or give credit when you are using someones and a link to their site.”

Spit it Up and then Clean it Up: Nothing slows down the flow of creativity and great blogging than the endless (and mostly ridiculous) pursuit of perfection. Getting the words and ideas down first is paramount. You can always fix the boo-boos, bad spelling and weird sentences later. “When you try to edit as you are writing the post, it can stifle creativity and take longer to produce. Get everything written and then go back to make the necessary modifications after you are finished,” writes Matthew Brennan for B2C.com.

Those are some of our favorite blog creation tips. Readers, now it’s your turn to tell us some of yours!

While we marketing types tinker away on our Facebook-for business-campaigns, the “numbers people” have discovered something sort of shocking about the world’s most used social network. According to a report in The Guardian, new users aren’t exactly flocking to Facebook anymore and growth has appeared to stall.

The Guardian explains the Facebook drop-off like this:

“In the last month, the world’s largest social network has lost 6m US visitors, a 4 percent fall, according to analysis firm SocialBakers. In the UK, 1.4m fewer users checked in last month, a fall of 4.5 percent. The declines are sustained. In the last six months, Facebook has lost nearly 9m monthly visitors in the US and 2m in the UK. Users are also switching off in Canada, Spain, France, Germany and Japan, where Facebook has some of its biggest followings. A spokeswoman for Facebook declined to comment.’The problem is that, in the US and UK, most people who want to sign up for Facebook have already done it,’ said new media specialist Ian Maude at Enders Analysis.”

In other parts of the world, however, Facebook is still growing and folks are still signing up. In Brazil, for example, Facebook sign ups grew by 6 percent last month. Yet without significant growth in more developed markets, Facebook will have hit a glass ceiling. Social media experts are wondering if an inevitable “MySpace effect” is coming next for Facebook.

Can another hipper, younger and more dynamic social network knock Facebook off its perch? Perhaps, but for small businesses and mega brands alike, Facebook marketing is still valuable and worth our time. Sure, it isn’t the end of the digital marketing rainbow some once thought it was, but Facebook is a great tool for informing folks about your business and for engaging your customers and following. No other social network gives you the ease and access to so many people worldwide to talk about your brand.

But that’s what we think. You tell us: Is Facebook marketing still relevant or on its way to becoming extinct? Sound off below!

Blog creation is a full-time job when your company has lots of products, services, divisions, personalities and general stuff to talk about. Juggling every aspect of your company in one tiny blog can be exhausting — and can make your blog feel schizophrenic. But multiple blogs devoted to every arm of your brand isn’t exactly a walk in the park, either. So what’s a super busy brand to do? If you are network television giant ABC, you blog a lot… but do so selectively.

Television networks, as we can imagine, are busy places with hundreds of programs and campaigns to promote. Therefore, ABC doesn’t even try to blog about every single show, star and entertainment event on the network. Instead, ABC uses blogging to chat about buzz-worthy OMG shows that folks talk about around the water cooler at work. Juicy dramas like Revenge, Scandal and Once Upon a Time are a blogger’s paradise as the episodes feature all sorts of moments fans can talk about. ABC skips blogging about sitcoms and some of its older, more established hits in order to, presumably, blog about newer shows that need promoting.

The conversational nature of blogging also works well for ABC’s News division, which has dozens of blogs on everything from sports and entertainment to global headlines and business news. Blogging the news can still be reputable and trustworthy while inviting conversation from readers.

Another smart blogging idea from ABC is being smart about how and what your business blogs about. Realize that not everything your company does, while important in its own way, makes for great blog reading. Instead, use blogging to talk about the goods and services you love. Because nine times out of 10, the things you are passionate about are the topics that make for great blog posts.

Whether you’re running a network or a cake decorating company out of your garage, blogging is a super way to talk to your client base. Use provocative and interesting blog topics to find out what your followers are thinking (and don’t forget to heavily encourage to them to leave comments).

Can blog writing lead to a book? Is crossdressing on Facebook a sign of good marketing? And which shoe brand made a major Boston blunder? The answers to these and other questions can be found in our weekly list of Five Things You Might Have Missed.

1.) Not Skirting the Issue: Want to draw attention to a hot button national issue and raise awareness? Use Facebook marketing and do it in a dress. Or at least that’s what seems to be working for men in the Kurdish community in Iran who are showing their support of women and gender equality. Photos of Iranian men in traditional women’s clothing started popping up online yesterday on Facebook. The page currently has 10,000 supporters and over 150 photos of guys in women’s clothing. Meanwhile the campaign has made international headlines.

2.) Meat the Burglars: Kent’s Meats and Groceries of Redding, Calif., solved two problems with a new online video. By using real-life footage of a recent the bungled burglary attempt by a portly dude in a bandana, the store turned a headline into a potentially viral video hit and put its brand name on the map. Plus, the stranger-than-fiction comedy features that awesome theme music from Benny Hill.

3.) From Nightmare to Dream Come True: If you’re still wondering about the power of brilliant blog creation, the story of Shane Burcaw should convince you to start blogging. Burcaw is a 20 year old with spinal muscular atrophy and he blogs about his daily life with humor and heart on his Tumblr “Laughing at My Nightmare.” Publishers took notice of the truthful and highly-followed blog and Burcaw just got signed to Roaring Book Press.

4.) Tougher Twitter: Worried about security breaches on Twitter like the disastrous one that happened to the Associated Press this week? So is Twitter. On Wednesday, the social media giant announced plans to make future attacks even more difficult. The company promises it has new ways, including a two-step verification process, to thwart Twitter hackers as outlined in this article from The Consumerist.

5.) Boston Boo Boo: We wrap up this week with an unfortunate t-shirt from Nike which read “Boston Massacre” and was splattered with fake blood. The shirt, which was made long before the tragic events at the Boston Marathon earlier this month, was meant to “reference the Bronx Bombers sweeping the rival Red Sox during a key regular season series in 1978 and in the 2006 MLB Playoffs. The phrase itself was borrowed from the notorious 1770 incident in which British solders opened fire on civilian protestors in Boston, killing five and wounding six,” according to AdAge. Nike quickly pulled the shirt and apologized profusely for the t-shirt.

We’ll admit that when Google released its social media platform, Google+, awhile back, we weren’t thrilled. I mean, another social network to market on — and an untested one at that? The whole prospect seemed exhausting… especially considering that Google had tried and failed before at the social game. Besides, how many more networks do we need? Even the most nimble marketers have reached their limit. Yet something strange has happened since Google+ was released in 2011: Google+ has become really cool, relevant and super simple to use.

In terms of registering and getting started on a social network, no platform is easier than Google+. If you have a Gmail account, this process takes about two minutes; if not, it’s still easier than getting started on Facebook (and a lot more fun). Google+ wisely wants its users to get in the action right away, so “start screens” take new members through the best of the sites features and how to use them. Setting up a branded page is just as easy and can be done in a matter of moments. Once a company is ready to go and get schmoozing, a great place to start is the Communities section. Every possible interest and topic is covered in these groups and they are a great place to meet followers, promote your brand and explore how Google+ really works. Like any new social media account, it takes some time to find people and make connections, but Google+ is truly unique and well worth the little investment it takes.

Social media marketing on Google+ means your brand gets all the benefits of Google, including the search engine, YouTube, Calendar, Chrome, Wallet, Maps and Hangouts — to name just a few. Yes, by marketing on Google+, your posts stretch to all of Google products. Powered by the most-visited site on the planet gives every social move you make longer-lasting power than it would have anywhere else.

Writer for Copyblogger Demian Farnworth says there’s another powerful reason to consider Google+.

“Where a tweet or a Facebook post has a shelf life of 30 minutes at the most, a Google+ post can be found during a search by someone in your network … no matter how old it is,” he writes.

But these are not the only reason to consider Google+. It also has dozens of unique features and is incredibly image and video friendly. And all you need to get started is to visit Google. Does it get any easier?

Not too long ago, article marketing was the be-all and end-all for a successful content strategy. Articles, we thought, were a sure-fire way to get our brands, websites and products noticed on search engines like Google. Marketers touted their power to brands; SEO professionals told clients to get on the article marketing train or perish.

Six or some years later, however, things have really changed. Thanks to social media marketing, the image sharing revolution, digital PR and stricter search engine algorithms, the way we market online rarely relies on articles anymore. So should we still bother with the practice of article marketing?

“Yes, article marketing still converts and converts well, but only if it is done right,” writes journalist and SEO expert Warren Wooden in a recent blog post for Business2Community.com. “Where most people fail at article marketing is they are not placing their articles on sites that get read much, they are not writing about a related topic, and they don’t bother linking to their site with an appropriate link.”

Wooden isn’t alone in the opinion that article marketing is still worth marketers’ time. In fact, the channels for distribution have quadrupled over the years, making it even easier for folks to read your articles. Sites like LinkedIn work wonders for getting technical and professional pieces in front of the right eyes. Twitter is another great social media channel to promote links to articles. Also, business and industry blogs have exploded since the inception of article marketing and there now thousands of blogs to market your articles to.

Yet there’s just one little catch about today’s article marketing: Unlike in the past, only good articles with dynamic and engaging content stay alive and put you on the search engine map. Crappy, spammy articles with no soul will be bounced and are essentially a waste of your time. As Wooden put it, “Just know that article marketing is something that many people are still doing and because of that you should know that it still works. The only way to get article marketing traffic to convert is to make sure you stay on top of it and are constantly publishing new articles on article directories, guest blogs, and Web 2.0 sites. Trust me on this one, article marketing traffic will convert much better than you can imagine as long as you write high quality content.”