If you don’t read the Larry Chase’s “Web Digest for Marketers,” I suggest you start. It is a weekly newsletter that features a timely marketing topic, highlighting some of the best free and paid services on the web. This week’s issue was all about Direct Response Marketing online, and I am proud to note that we were one of the featured tools. Not only that, but Larry gave mention to the blog you are reading right now! Check it out online at http://wdfm.com/current.html Unfortunately, it looks like that is only a link to the most recent issue, so it might stop working if you don’t get it quick.

I arrived in San Francisco this morning to attend the AD:TECH conference. My initial impressions were WOW, there are a lot of people here. The keynote was pretty much standing room only, and I thought it was very well done. John Costello, Executive VP of Mechandising and Marketing for The Home Depot gave an inspiring case study complete with sample creative, describing how they further penetrated the womens market using a combination of media. Then Mary Meeker from Morgan Stanley stepped in and gave a rousing prospectus on the state of the internet economy. The key take-away for me is that combined, the largest 5 internet companies are now worth more than they were at the height of the boom in 2000.

In two weeks, I will be attending the AD-TECH convention in San Francisco. Although not exhibiting, I will be there. If you are around and feel like meeting for a handshake, drink, lunch, coffee or discussion, email me here. I will be out from Monday morning the 25th, to Tuesday night (26th.)

I get a lot of questions from customers about what to test, and especally what to test first. There is a very simple rule of thumb here. Almost always, your headline will have the greatest impact on overall conversion rates. A great headline can literally make or break your campaign, so start here.

The esteemed John Caples, author of “Tested Advertising Methods,” estimates the headline makes 50%-75% of an ad. Must be why he spent and entire 5 chapters on headline writing and testing alone. If you don’t have this book on your shelf now, and you are serious about improving your online sales copy, I suggest you get it immediately. It’s probably the smartest fifteen bucks you could spend.

Brian Carrol of the B2B Lead Generation Blog posted a new entry yesterday. His podcast features a great interview with MarketingSherpa’s Anne Holland.

During the interview, Anne provides some highlights of the information in their new Landing Page Handbook, including the top mistakes people make on their landing pages.

View his blog entry now, with a link to the podcast!