When you’re in business, you’re always looking for new ways to work. Here are some online tools worth checking out.
TestSubject (https://zurb.com/playground/testsubject)
It’s official: more email is being read on mobile devices than any other device. But odds are you’re composing, and testing your marketing emails on a lap or desktop.
The challenge is, smartphones truncate subject lines and email previews. Truncated in the wrong place, an email about loads of pool toys can end up being about loads of…something else.
TestSubject is a simple and free tool for testing how your email subject line and sender name look on the most popular mobile devices and email clients. Just copy and paste your text to get instant previews.
Email Subject Line Grader (http://emailsubjectlinegrader.com)
While we’re talking about email subject lines, here’s a great tool to test out the overall appeal of email subject lines before you send. This one is free, and no registration is required — my favourite things in a tech tool. As someone who works in a creative field, I love getting confirmation I’m on the right track; it’s even better if I find out I’m not, before I hit send.
Canva.com (https://www.canva.com)
Canva is pretty well-known because it is easy to use and the results look really polished and pro. If you haven’t tried it yet, you’re missing out. Easy to register, easy to use, and very low-cost or free. Canva’s stock photos cost $1 to $2 for one-time use, which is a smart way to ensure you are using images legally, with no worry about copyright complaints coming back to bite you later because you used something you found using Google.
Cold Turkey www.getcoldturkey.com
Easily distracted? “Squirrel!” If you need to block out distractions, Cold Turkey will lock up your devices and get you focussed. They offer a free version, and a pro version, for $29 for the true procrastinator. Stop getting sucked in by clickbait and get more done, starting today: www.getcoldturkey.com.
Hubspot (https://www.hubspot.com)
Ready to try out some new approaches to digital marketing? HubSpot’s dazzling array of hundreds of downloadable e-books and templates are free for the downloading in exchange for your contact information. I’d be irresponsible not to point out two things. First, if you get excited about new marketing ideas, you can spend hours on Hubspot, so be warned. Second, if you don’t like your inbox flooded with exciting and distracting offers, use a secondary email address. Just be sure to check it, because Hubspot sends out great stuff.
Stephanie Regan is a writer and editor who gets her husband to hide her laptop at night. Some of her work can be seen at www.durhamwritingservices.com.