I love chatting with Hannah Paramore on the phone. She's the President of Paramore/Redd Online Marketing, which is based in Nashville, and her accent is just delicious.

As we were shooting the breeze last Friday afternoon before kicking off for the weekend, she said two really smart things in quick succession that made me grab for my pen so I could scribble them down for you.

Pledge #1. To make your email more successful in 2006

"Less copy, better headlines, and let's sell it on the landing page."

Pledge #2. To make your site more successful in 2006

"Repeat after me: My site is a dynamic marketing tool and it will never be finished ... and that's ok."

Hannah told me that she actually starts all client meetings by making everyone in the room, from big-time CEOs to lowly marketing assistants, raise their hands and say the appropriate pledge out loud.

I love that idea -- having everyone in a creative meeting start by pledging out loud the overarching rule behind success.

Whether you agree with these two rules (obviously I do) or you have your own house rule that is even better (another good one might be, 'test it, test it, test it) why not start your next marketing meeting by having everyone take the "Pledge"?

Anne Holland - Publisher
MarketingSherpa

P.S. As always, our Case Studies and articles are open access for about 10 days. Then they go into SherpaLibrary where you can research for a small fee. The links always remain the same.

#2. The Viral Holiday Email Card That Broke the Boredom Barrier

Back in 1998, emailed holiday cards were a fun novelty. These days marketers sending emailed holiday greetings have a tough time impressing anyone besides their own accounting department.

However, this December one agency's e-card was so creative that it landed major media and blog attention, 50,000 mainly viral visits, and gained the agency proposal requests from five new brand-name clients.

Yes, our exclusive Case Study includes creative samples:
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/sample.cfm?contentID=3154
(Open access until Jan 15th)

#3. Search Engine Marketing: Top Five Eye-Tracking Laboratory Test Results

When consumers use Google, Yahoo or MSN Search, what do they really look at when the search results show up on their computer screen? How about shopping search engines?

Here's a quick five-point results overview of three eyetracking lab tests recently conducted on major search engines and shopping search engines:
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/sample.cfm?contentID=3152
(Open access)

#4. How Subscription Sites Can Wage War Against Fraudulent Chargebacks ($90 Million for 2006)

According to ContentBiz estimates, online subscription sites will lose a combined total of at least $90 million to fraudulent chargebacks this year.

That's about 3% of your bottom line. Even with extra labor costs, you'll probably become 2% more profitable if you simply fix your chargeback problem. Our how-to article includes:

- The 6 myths of chargebacks
- 6 specific tactics to fight chargebacks

Plus a handy worksheet to quickly estimate how much chargebacks are costing your ecommerce site:
http://www.contentbiz.com/sample.cfm?contentID=3153
(Open access until Jan 15th)

#5. How E-LOAN Improves Search Marketing ROI by Testing Landing Pages

Whether you're in a highly competitive search marketing niche with fierce bidding for your best keywords, or you'd just like to improve PPC campaign results, this story's for you.

Features six landing page a/b test lessons, plus two ways to improve results on online registration forms:
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/sample.cfm?contentID=3156
(Open access until Jan 19th)

#6. Fame Briefs: 3 New Awards to Enter w/ January Deadlines

Here's your quick listing of the latest marketing, ad, and PR awards you can nominate yourself for:
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/sample.cfm?contentID=2632
(Open access = permanent)

#7. Help Wanteds: 19 New Jobs & 2 Seekers Available

The past week's new posts include positions from Avon, Conde Nast, AskJeeves.com, iMetrikus, Slsforce.com, and Trend Micro. Plus, learn how to post your own opening (complimentary service).
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/sample.cfm?contentID=2522
(Open access = permanent)

#8. New Giveaway: The Design of Things to Come: How Ordinary People Create Extraordinary Products

According to a new book by authors Craig Vogel, Jonathan Cagan, and Peter Boatwright, you don't need to be a genius to come up with an innovative "hit" product.

Instead, ordinary executives following a formulaic innovation process can design the new "purple cow" products and services the world will be raving about tomorrow.

Published by Wharton, "The Design of Things to Come" includes inspirational stories (Oxo, Aeron, etc.). But mostly you'll find a great deal of practical advice for the every day tasks behind innovation -- everything from office politics to patents.

If you've always dreamed of inventing the new hit, this is the book for you. The authors have donated five copies to MarketingSherpa's weekly giveaway... click to put your name in the hat for one of them:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=93070279812
(Ends 01/15/06)

+ Winners of last week's giveaway are...

These five lucky marketers will get their own copies of "The Power of the Purse: How Smart Businesses are Adapting to the World's Most Important Consumers--Women" by Fara Warner.

• Sue McAlpine, MARS, Southfield, MI
• Lilian Bragg, MarketBridge, San Francisco, CA
• Brendan Mcnulty, Zylom, Netherlands
• Melanie Belasco, Houston Comets, Houston, TX
• Jimmy Zimmerman, Provo Labs, Provo, UT