Need help going to sleep?Check out the email marketing subreddit.It's dry as toast and often yawn inducing, but reading forums and trade newsletters is how I stay on top of the latest tech issues.Like what's causing your emails to end up in spam.You can have all the things set up correctly (DKIM, SPF, DMARC etc.***) and still have your emails stuck in the void.If you're like me and want to avoid your artisanal copy from ending up in inbox purgatory (or want to help your clients avoid it)...
22 days ago • 2 min read
I opened the envelope and muttered "he knows I've been putting this off."It was a letter from the lawyer who created our family trust and medical directives.It's so simple - a quick note asking if anything has changed in our lives and if we'd like him to review our files for a low fee. And of course we need to update beneficiaries (not exactly the most fun of tasks, so it's been on my to-do list for months two years).It's probably one of the smartest things he does for his business -...
29 days ago • 2 min read
Dude. It's a lot right now.I've had more than a few voice messages in my DMs this week about just how burned out people are. I know my general outlook can vary based on what time of day I've read Heather Cox Richardson's latest missive.So finding tools that bring ease into my life is paramount as I'm starting several intense client projects that require hours of daily meetings. I'm not looking to make my work life any harder than it needs to be. Last year a designer friend recommended using...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
At this point I think *I* should be the one going to grad school.The last few months have been filled with texts from my nephew that read "u free in 30?" Code for: can you help me rewrite this essay that's due tomorrow?Cue to: 3 hours spent helping him turn a mountain of chatgpt gobbledygook into something that makes sense for the program application.I was also pretty delulu my senior year. I actually applied to be a head curator when my limited experience consisted of being a docent at my...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
"Are you still happy with your couches? Could you talk to mumsie please?"My text messages are rarely rife with scintillating conversations.My college roommate Justin is the unwilling accomplice of his mother's never-ending couch saga (poor dude is on year 5 of her epic search).Now my current set up isn't fancy - it's a perfectly serviceable (read: washable) set from West Elm. We have too many visiting dog friends to indulge in a chi chi fancy couch (hello there dream seats from Roche...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Seven. Ooh, ooh there's eight.Last week my neighbor and I instituted a new rule - we can't end our daily walk until we've seen at least 20 dogs. Generally not a hard ask—dogs in Richmond are about as ubiquitous as tattoos.But yesterday we walked a new route—and we'd only seen 8 by the 45 minute mark. Blame the snow, blame sleeping dogs lying in, but the pups were not out.No problem, I told her. I've got a cheat code.There's almost always a few dogs roaming around in the museum sculpture...
3 months ago • 2 min read
"What do you know about selling merch?" asked my client Ann Handley."Enough to be dangerous." I replied.Web designers get asked to do a lot of things. Move a pixel or two and people think you're a tech genius. For the record, I detest setting up Wi-Fi networks, configuring printers, and re-grouting showers. Ann hit a viral moment a few weeks ago with her LinkedIn post regarding the much-maligned Em Dash. So many people asked for merch she asked if I could help set something up. I've never...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Can I use your credit card to buy something off a random website?Not my favorite words to hear hollered up from my husband's office.But a black week pre-access deal must be had on some sketchy table tennis app (and for some reason my amex won't flag it).The Black Friday countdown deals feel mad early this year. Maybe you're in the midst of creating your own offers but not sure what all needs to get done.So I've got you covered with my Black Friday Offer Checklist - a free Google Sheet...
4 months ago • 1 min read
quick invite: I'm hosting a live peek inside my email strategies with Kit Nov. 26th.Grab your free spot here. Post surgery-restrictions mean I'm not much fun right now. No dancing, no reaching cookies on high shelves, and definitely no hot tubs (or "bacteria factories" as my surgeon calls them).But I'm not that sad about unfettered time to catch up with friends and watch long-form documentaries like the epic one about Billy Joel.I was catch-up voxing last week when my friend told me she was...
4 months ago • 3 min read