2014’s Most-Read Online Articles

Target Marketing readers are a discriminating lot. In 2014, the subjects they cared about most were copywriting, mobile email design, direct mail, LinkedIn, legal matters, and the relationship between print and digital marketing. The tally of the most popular Web articles of 2014 is based on the site's analytics and begins with the articles the magazine published online this year. Next up are pieces from past years that readers clicked on in 2014. Both numbers reach through to Monday's totals. 2014's top five most-read articles TargetMarketingMag.com posted this year are:1. "Postal: What If the USPS Disappears? With a Postal Service on the brink, marketers are weighing the once unthinkable" by Chet Dalzell. In March, Dalzell hits a nerve with the audience. Exactly 112 social shares, seven comments and two thumbs up from readers later, and he has the most-read online article in 2014. He walks readers through several scenarios, including privatization. This, for a postal service that now delivers on Sundays for Amazon, delivers groceries for AmazonFresh and remains without a quorum on the USPS Board of Governors. 2. "And the Best Subject Line Is … " by Heather Fletcher. On Aug. 1, I definitely hear from readers—many of whom are outraged by the thought of one-word subject lines having the highest open rates. 3. "The Worst Sales Letter of the Year (So far …)" by Denny Hatch lands online on Sept. 9. Hatch provides 13 lucky takeaways about what Marketer Margaret gets wrong. 4. "Does Direct Mail Have a Future?" by Summer Gould. On Jan. 6, Gould writes about the past, present and future of direct mail. Hint: Think "The Jetsons" may already be closer than most marketers think. 5. "Does Digital-Only Work?" by Summer Gould. In August, she elaborates on the "real symbiotic relationship between [print and digital marketing] that benefits both, and when that relationship is ignored, results can be effected, sometimes negatively." In 2014, TargetMarketingMag.com readers visited these five older pieces:1. "Message & Media: Copy Starters—48 idea-starters for letter and email openers" by Pat Friesen. Her article, published in March 2012, is huge. Her 48 writing prompts start with these three: "If you're like me …" "What if …?" "Because you are a …" 2. "10 Email Design Best Practices for a Mobile World" by Christina Galbornetti. This piece from April 9, 2012, tends to get hits almost every day. It's lines like "iPhones allow for a 300-pixel width when held vertically and a 480-pixel width in landscape format" that keep pulling readers back in. 3. "Cover Story: The Top 50 Mailers—The sixth annual listing of top mailers, as measured by volume" by Thorin McGee, Hallie Mummert and Melissa Ward. This September 2011 article was, as it says, also the print and digital magazine cover story. It runs down the statistics while having a bit of fun. "You've probably seen so much of GEICO's gecko, cavemen and the googly-eyed stack of money that you're not surprised to see it anywhere now," writes McGee. "But it's been five years and about $5 billion in revenue since the TV-slick and Web-savvy insurer last mailed enough to make the list." The piece includes profiles of direct mailers Publishers Clearing House, Arbor Day Foundation and ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Hospital. 4. "How to Write a LinkedIn InMail (Or Any Email) That Gets Clients Talking" by Jeff Molander. The blog post from Nov. 22, 2013, guides marketers through how to improve their messaging templates by focusing on recipients rather than themselves. 5. "Is Your Contest Illegal? 33 Important Legal Considerations for Contests and Sweepstakes" by Jesse M. Brody and Alan L. Friel. On May 8, 2013, the duo extensively explain the difference between sweepstakes and skill contents. Understanding the legal aspects of each is indispensible now that social media marketing is in the mix, they say. What subjects will be the most read in 2015? Please respond in the comments section below.

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2014’s Most-Read Online Articles

Heather Fletcher

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Heather Fletcher