Today, we got the funniest note from one of our customers, Michelle Riggen-Ransom at Batch Blue Software. She was one of 5,000 people who descended upon Austin last week for South by Southwest Interactive and had the pleasure of sporting an Emma-sponsored lanyard for the five days of the festival. Here's how Michelle described it, in her funny, cheeky way:
"Hello Emmateers-
I just wanted to say thank you for providing such a durable and attractive lanyard from which to hang our South by Southwest badges. As a new Emma customer, I was pleasantly surprised to see Emma's name and sexy/geeky girl logo gracing the necks of thousands of sexy/geeky conference attendees. Then I thought, of course! Emma is the perfect company to be usefully, tastefully embracing the SXSW masses.
I'm pleased to report that the lanyard held up very well. Its bright green color looked so smart with conference attendees' spring wardrobes in a way that was both fresh and modern. And what craftsmanship! Even in a sudden downpour, the lanyard steadfastly displayed my badge, serving the all-important job of providing me access to conference panels, parties, unlimited events and opportunities. The magnetic release clasp was like a love letter from home – if you get in trouble dears, it seemed to say, I will sacrifice myself so that you may be safe.
It was very bittersweet when, on the last day of SXSWi, the cheery green Emma lanyards began to be overtaken in number by the gothy, navel-gazing black of the music lanyards. I took a look around, packed my badge and Emma lanyard in a special spot in my suitcase and cleared out.
SXSWi2008 may be over, but thanks to the lanyard, I will always have my memories. Thanks again for being part of the magic."
Thanks for the note, Michelle, and for coining the term "Emmateers." Like a well constructed lanyard, it's a keeper.
[tags]sxsw, sxswi, sxsw2008, batch blue software, myemma.com[/tags]
Every month, we plant 5 trees for each new customer who chooses Emma for their email marketing efforts. Last month, you voted to plant 1,685 trees in beautiful Georgia, and now it's time to decide where to put March's little forest. And not to worry – we partner with Plant-It 2020 for our planting efforts, so these are indigenous trees – planted in non-harvest locations – which are cared for and protected their whole lives. All that's left to do now is decide where they go, and that's your job, compadre:
South By Southwest kicks off this Friday with the Interactive portion of the festival. For geeks like us, little gets us more excited than to sit in a room full of other geeks talking tech (yeah, we need to get out more). But don't be fooled. SXSW began (and remains) high on the cool chart, because it all started as a music festival. What's cooler than a music festival, right? Over the years the conference has expanded to include three categories: Interactive, Film and Music. All categories are now considered equally cool. Even though The Sadies aren't playing at the Interactive portion. Whatever.
Anyhoo, we're proud to be a sponsor of SXSW this year. You won't miss us if you're attending the Interactive portion because we'll be wrapped around your neck, um, literally, as this year's lanyard sponsor. Have a closer look at the lanyard and you'll see a special project we're working on with Plant-It 2020. You can help us plant 1,000 trees if you're attending, and more information is available here.
If you're planning to be at SXSW Interactive, we would love to meet you in person. Whether you're an Emma client, a fan or just interested in learning more about what Emma does, perhaps we could find time to grab a beverage, or a snack, or even a meal.
We're downright flattered to be mentioned in this month's edition of Inc. Magazine as a part of their profile of several email service providers out there. Emma's featured as the best email marketing service for design help, which is just lovely.
Here's your chance to do some good without doing too much. Every month, we're planting 5 trees for every new customer that signs on with Emma, and it's up to you to tell us where they should go. In January, Emma customers voted to plant 1,715 trees in California. Where February's trees go is your choice, dear blog reader. Cast your vote!
[poll=2]
Speaking of lazy environmentalism, we met the self-proclaimed Lazy Environmentalist Josh Dorfman at the Opportunity Green Conference last year (which we proudly helped to sponsor). His pitch is that you can add some green to your lifestyle with no mess and no sacrifice. He focuses on the little things, like telling you about the company that'll fix that old, broken second generation iPod, so it stays out of the landfill. Or letting you know how to reduce the junk mail you get. The tips from his blog and radio show are designed to help you learn how to live green without disrupting the way you live, and we really like what he's up to.
Go on, admit it. We can tell by your hipster shoes and your artfully tousled hair that you're trendy. So if you're wondering how to add a bit of style to your html email campaigns this year, check out the latest edition of our Ask Emma Q&A newsletter. We offer up 5 email design trends to watch for this year, and there'll be another 5 trends coming your way in the next edition. Sadly, none of them involve pomade.
What does this all mean? How will this affect me? Hopefully, it shouldn't, since the switch isn't a big deal. In fact, you should continue receiving new posts in your feed like usual. But if you don't notice anything new from us in the next few days, simply subscribe to the new feed by clicking that big, pretty orange RSS icon on the right.
Of course, if you have any questions, please leave us a comment here.
Here at Emma, we're big fans of trees. From the noblest Redwood to the teeniest Dwarf Willow, we love them all, and we suspect that you, dear reader, do too. With that in mind, we recently forged an exciting partnership with Plant-It 2020 to give our Emma community an easy way to participate in non-harvest reforestation efforts across the globe. The idea is simple – for every new account we open, we'll plant five trees with the help of Plant-It 2020. Already in the first month of the initiative, we've donated the money to plant nearly 1,000 trees in the lovely state of Oregon. And with nearly 300 fabulous organizations joining us each month, we hope to donate more than 15,000 trees this year.
Founded by John Denver in 1992, Plant-It 2020 plants an indigenous tree for every dollar they receive. Their savvy approach to reforestation ensures that the trees they plant will live a long and happy life. They'll be nurtured in their natural environment with ample light and water, and they will never be harvested. Perhaps they are also lulled to sleep at night by "Rocky Mountain High." Okay, we can't guarantee the lullaby, but it's a nice thought. If you’re curious to learn more about Plant-It 2020, visit their website and subscribe to their email newsletter (powered by Emma, of course).
As we grow as a company, we look forward to forging more partnerships with cool companies dedicated to positive change. We invite you to be directly involved in making our world a more sustainable place. So, go forth and plant some trees, do-gooders! We salute you.
[tags]plant-it 2020, reforestation, trees, myemma.com, environment[/tags]
We decided to adopt a family for the holidays through St. Luke's Community House, a fabulous organization (and past Emma 25 honoree!) that provides a wide variety of social services for the West Nashville community. Everybody chipped in to help, and we were able to give our family some fun stuff, like a tea party set and Lightning McQueen race car, as well as some practical stuff, like winter coats and bedding. Not that winter coats aren't fun. Just don't try and race a parka.
Anyhoo, a big thanks to St. Luke's for giving us the opportunity to give back. Between the bake sale to raise money, the present wrapping bonanza and the many shopping trips, we had a great time doing some good. To find out ways you can get involved with St. Luke's, visit their website or sign up for their email newsletter (powered by Emma, of course).
In the picture, from left to right: Kendall, Taylor, Emily, Kathleen, Christina, Erik, Sara, Erin, Rachael, Dave, Cliff, Gina, and Kris.
[tags]St. Luke's Community House, volunteer, adopt-a-family, myemma.com, Emma 25[/tags]
That's the motto for our Emma 25 program, the annual initiative where Emma customers tell us about the great non-profits in their communities, and we pick 25 and award them with a free email marketing account, html email template, and service that's renewable year after year. In its fourth year, we hope that giving away free accounts through Emma 25 makes it easier for deserving charities to get the word out about what they're doing, stay in touch with donors, organize events and do even more great work.
And these organizations are all about great work. They're doing all sorts of fabulous things, like organizing a 4000-mile bike ride from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska to raise money for cancer research, providing cost-free arts programs to underprivileged kids in Australia and raising money to fight hunger in Massachusetts, just to name a few. For the complete list of this year's Emma 25 honorees, including their websites, visit the Emma 25 landing page.
Oh, and here are some Emma staffers who pitched in to help with the selection process, standing in front of the infamous Emma 25 Selection Process Whiteboard. We really should think about a new name for that. From left to right: Christina Griffith, Cliff Corr, Gina LaMar, Kathleen Cotter and Suzanne Norman. Thanks to Laura Key and Dave Delaney for helping as well, although we have to give them the dreaded "not pictured" label.
[tags] nonprofits, charity, email marketing, Emma 25, myemma.com[/tags]
