I’m proud to share an update about a recent advancement to our email infrastructure. We now adopt a new technology called DMARC, which stands for “Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance.” It is a new and emerging email authentication protocol which helps both email senders and receivers prevent against domain spoofing and phishing.

DMARC provides a method for receivers to identify and take action against spoofing attempts, by utilizing the already widely-adopted authentication protocols of DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and SPF (Sender Policy Framework). Since this new DMARC protocol does not require any new technologies (just requires DNS record updates) it makes this a promising tool to become widely adopted by both email senders and receivers.

Essentially, DMARC performs a check against both the SPF record as well as the DKIM of the sending domain and gives the recipient MTA (Message Transport Agent) the information it needs to perform action against a spoofed domain. Coupling these two authentication protocols makes it virtually impossible for a malicious sender to spoof a sender’s domain. While not completely bullet-proof on preventing against all kinds of spoofing, it does provide a reliable method against domain-specific phishing attacks. Infusionsoft has been utilizing both DKIM and SPF for many years, so adding DMARC was an easy decision as we continue to evolve and strengthen our email systems.

DMARC is useful to both senders and receivers because it safeguards against domain fraud as well as end-recipient consumer privacy protection. Meaning, large and popular senders can protect against domain and brand spoofing, while the large recipients (AOL, Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, et cetera) also benefit from ensuring their users are not receiving maliciously spoofed emails claiming to be from legitimate organizations in order to capture email addresses and other private and personal information. This technology has already received wide support from brands you trust including Google, Bank of America, PayPal, LinkedIn, Fidelity, Facebook and more.

DMARC is implemented by making an addition to the DNS (Domain Name System) TXT-type record for the given domain. Once a DNS has had time to propagate throughout the Internet, the receiving-side will pick up on this new DMARC addition and begin sending reports on potential spoofing attempts. This helps in identifying any abusive senders who would attempt to imitate your brand in order to compromise recipient privacy, which would only hurt your company branding and reputation.

Earlier this week, I had my team implement DMARC here at Infusionsoft. We are monitoring and testing this new technology. As the leading sales and marketing software for small businesses, Infusionsoft sends a lot of permission-based email on behalf of our customers. As an ESP (Email Service Provider), we will now better identify if and when our domain is being spoofed, and report such abusive practices accordingly. In short, DMARC is another tool in our email systems toolbox to help Infusionsoft’s email reputation and email deliverability stay strong.

P.S. Infusionsoft’s partner, Return Path has built a DMARC record creation tool which is available on their website. Additionally, by sending an email to checkmyauth@auth.returnpath.net, Return Path will send you a report back so you can see whether or not your email is authenticating with SPF/DKIM as well as whether or not your domain is ready to start using DMARC.

Now’s the time for spring cleaning and technology is no exception. In partnership with the Arizona Technology Council and Westech Recyclers, our office is one of the locations that you can conveniently drop off any retired tech gadgets for Technology Recycling Day. The donations will be refurbished and reused or safely recycled in a responsible and environmentally-friendly manner.

This makes a great opportunity to clear out your closets of old keyboards, outdated computers, unused monitors, lonely USB cables, unwanted printers or other tech equipment that you’re not using (see the list of acceptable items below). You can donate equipment even if it’s no longer functioning.

Our offices are located in Gilbert, just a few minutes south of the US-60 on Country Club Dr. Here is a map of our office. Donations will be accepted between 8AM and 3PM on Saturday, January 21, 2012.

Acceptable equipment includes:

Computer Equipment – Personal Computers, Laptops,  CRT Monitors, Flat Panel Monitors, Modems, Switches, Hubs and Routers, Storage Devices, Main Frames, Servers, Power Supplies, Tape Libraries, Circuit Boards, Power Cords, Printers, Wire and Cabling, Surplus Metals, Mice, Keyboards, Hard Drives, Floppy, DVD and CD Drives, etc.

Point of Sale Equipment – Credit Card Machines, Printers, Scanners, etc.

Telecom Equipment – Telephones, Cell Phones, Switches, CSU/DSU Multiplexing Equipment, Phone Systems, Answering Systems, etc.

Printing Equipment – Printers, Fax Machines and Copiers, Calculators, Typewriters and Printer Cartridges

Audio/Visual Equipment – Stereos, Radios, Amplifiers, Projectors, Satellite and Cable Equipment, Video Equipment, Video Game Equipment, Surveillance Equipment, Cameras, etc.

Electronic Components – Capacitors, Diodes, Resistors, Transistors and Integrated Circuits, etc.

Miscellaneous Electronic Items – Televisions, Test Equipment, Lab Equipment, Medical Equipment, Cables and Wire, Connectors, Ballasts, Batteries, Power Strips, etc.

Surplus Metals and Wire and Cable – Aluminum, Copper Wire, etc.

For more information on this event as well as a list of additional statewide drop-off locations, visit the AZTechCouncil.org.

Since the creation of the Internet, marketers have fallen in love with landing pages simply because they convert traffic into leads. However, not all landing pages are created equal, so I wanted to share helpful tips for your next landing page.

What is a landing page? A landing page is a page where you drive targeted traffic in order to convey a message with a specific action in mind. Calls to action would include writing a letter to Congress, donating to a cause, requesting more information or a quote.

No landing page is perfect, but there are a number of ways to improve the effectiveness and performance of your landing page so it builds trust and gets conversions.

A Powerful & Consistent Headline

Visually speaking, the headline should grab people’s attention, lure them to the content on the page and be interesting. Using a consistent headline that closely supports the copy and is closely related to ad-copy (if you’re advertising) is critical if you want to achieve high conversion rates. Google has a few tips on writing landing page headlines.

Build Trust with Social Proof

Nowadays, if you don’t show social proof to support your offer or message, a landing page is simply an advertisement. Let others build trust in your offer by showcasing their quotes, videos or even comments in social media. This post from Ion Interactive shows how you can use social proof in landing pages.

Put Your Copy on a Leash

If there’s one thing I love about Twitter, it forces one’s ideas to be conveyed concisely. The copy on the landing page should support the headline, outline benefits and address common objections. Keep it short and to the point – you can explain more details later after people opt-in. The debate between short and long copy is hot, but the point is to aim to keep your landing page visible above the fold. Google has a free tool to visualize if your page is above the fold.

Use a Direct Call to Action

A call to action should be direct and be compelling and rewarding for people to complete. The word “submit” is so dry; liven it up with powerful, actionable words. Additionally, the fewer fields the landing page requires, the higher the conversions will be. Here are several ideas to help you choose the wording of your form submission button.

Optimize the Page for Fast Loading & Mobile

Not only does website speed factor into search engine rankings, it matters to people who visit the landing page. These days, people use mobile phones more frequently, so always test that your page is usable even on mobile phones. Utilize the best practices offered by Yahoo! and Google for optimal website performance and use WebPageTest.org for benchmarking.

Measure & Optimize Conversions with Analytics

It’s vital to measure how people interact and use your landing page. Google Analytics offers goal tracking and can be combined with split-testing from their Website Optimizer.  The lessons learned from even a few slight variations can be the difference in an average campaign and a killer campaign. Six Revisions breaks down how to use Goal Tracking in Google Analytics from A-to-Z.

Keep it Simple

It may be tempting to address each and every question and concern visitors could have about your offer. Keep your page relatively simple, easy on the eyes and quick to consume. For some inspiration, here are some landing pages we’ve done: The Edge of Success, Strategic Marketing Blueprint – Denver and Infusionsoft Holiday Discount.

Employing these techniques on your landing pages will help you capitalize on your inbound traffic effectively. Landing pages are a great way to help you collect leads and convey a very clear message to those who visit.

Within our sales and marketing software for small business, it’s so easy to deploy a landing page that meets all these ingredients. Using Hosted Web Forms, users can build landing pages quickly and easily with practically no technical knowledge.

Have you created a sweet landing page recently? Drop a link in the comments and tell us about it. I’d love to feature it on the blog!

QR Codes are hot amongst the marketing community, but it feels like many marketers who implement QR codes skipped the chapter on how they actually work. Knowing how QR Codes work and how people (like you and I) use them will help you implement them successfully.

What is a QR Code?

Quick Response (QR) Codes are images that contain data, like barcodes. They are displayed so people can scan it with their mobile phones. The data is held within the code itself and can be used for web addresses or other information like names and contact information.

QR Codes are typically used offline such as on advertising, signs, post cards or even in live presentations. Looking for a live example of using QR Codes with Infusionsoft? Read how Infusionsoft user Jeremy Moskowitz implemented QR Codes in his live presentation.

Simply, a QR Code is a shortcut to information. Often they take the form of driving people to a website, an application or simply sharing information. Instead of writing down a web address or texting a number, users would scan a QR code to get there. You can generate your own QR code free, and watch the magic happen! 

How do I use a QR Code?

To read a QR Code (which is an image), you’ll need a phone with camera capabilities and an application to interpret the image. If you have an iPhone, Android or Blackberry based mobile phone, you will need to pick up a QR Code reader. (Until phone manufacturers offer native QR Code recognition, this will remain a real-world obstacle in widespread adoption.)

All QR Code apps work practically the same. Search for “QR Code” in your phone’s App Store or Marketplace and download a reader app. Then, simply open the app and hold your phone up to the QR Code so it is sufficiently detected and the app will either present you the data or direct you to the web address within the code.

Why Would I Use a QR Code?

QR codes would be best used as a way to direct people to your website – and more strategically, to a mobile-focused campaign. Because QR codes aren’t understood until someone scans it, the use of them can leverage people’s natural curiosity.

As a user, you would use a QR code to learn more about a person, product or service. It’s also convenient since you won’t be writing down their website only to later forget or misplace it. Also, scanning QR codes can be fun … you never know what’s on the other side. Here are 13 great QR Code ideas to get you going from FastCompany.

What about Microsoft Tag?

Microsoft Tag behaves like QR Codes, but they operate slightly different on the backend. A QR Code itself contains virtually any type of data, not just URLs. That data is permanently fixed in the image itself and never changes. Microsoft Tag data is routed through Microsoft’s servers so you can update the web address, track the response, GPS location, device and other interesting details not easily possible with QR Codes. You can learn more about Microsoft Tags on their site at tag.microsoft.com.

For maximum accessibility, it would be smart to include a Microsoft Tag anytime you would use a QR Code.

QR Codes are a great way to engage an offline audience. The adoption of QR Codes is slowly increasing. With that said, it’s still valuable to know how and why you would use them. The question business owners must answer at the beginning and the end in using QR codes is, “Is this solving a real business problem?” If the answer is no, it’s probably best to hold back in adopting it in your marketing campaigns.

I’d love to hear about how you use QR Codes to drive business – let me know in the comments below!

Quick Response (QR) codes and Microsoft Tags have soared in popularity among businesses. I was driving around the other day and saw one on the side of a bus advertising home-cleaning services!

With more people armed with smartphones than ever before, they enable an offline audience to immediately take action wherever they are — without memorizing (and forgetting) web addresses.

During my “real job,” I’m a professional speaker, where I usually speak on Microsoft technology at conferences. During my speeches, I used to collect business cards each time I gave a speech, bring them home and have my assistant put them into a spreadsheet. Then I would upload them, en masse into Infusionsoft, tagging each “batch” during the import with a lead source.

Then, I switched to using an Infusionsoft-integrated SMS service to help me get more automated. I’d tell my audience to “Text me at <NUMBER> with <KEYWORD> with your FIRSTNAME and EMAIL.” I’d have to repeat that out loud several times, and, instantly, I’d see LOTS of people in my Infusionsoft database. The problem was, they were in there with incorrect email addresses and attendees reporting back to me after the speech that “It didn’t work.” Oh, and I only got their First name and Email address — not exactly what I was hoping for.

It wasn’t the SMS or Infusionsoft service that was broken, it was attendees who were having a bit of a hard time with following instructions. Besides that, the SMS service didn’t work internationally.

So, I had a bright idea to try QR codes and Microsoft Tags during my speeches to encourage people to sign up for my tips and newsletters. The people in my audience are very technical, and in fact, this last conference I spoke at used Microsoft Tags for lots of reasons. I was sure there would be a large part of the population who had QR and/or MS Tag readers pre-installed on their cell phones.

Using QR Codes and Microsoft Tags

Before my speech started, I showed what you can see in the first picture.  Actually, I’ve made a mockup, for us to use as an example. And, if you like, you can test your QR or Microsoft Tag reader app with this example, for fun.

Note: If you choose to fill out the form after scanning the code, you will be signing up for my Infusion360  announcements, where I give Infusionsoft-related tips and updates about my iPhone and iPad app.

By having the QR and Microsoft Tag on the screen, it encourages them in the 15-20 minutes before I even start my speech to sign up — and many people did! All they needed to do was whip out their phones and hold it up to the screen and it worked!

Here is an actual screenshot from my iPhone showing what attendees saw when they used the QR or Microsoft Tag reader.

Note: If you scan the tag in the previous example, you’ll see a very similar form, you can use, live to test the experience; but this will sign you up for Infusion360.com tips and updates.

Setting up Infusionsoft with QR Codes

To set this up, I used the Infusionsoft Web Form Builder, and hosted it right at Infusionsoft. I didn’t even need to contact my web dudes to create a new page! For ideal formatting on the iPhone, I would suggest to change the layout to around 285 pixels wide, as shown in screenshot above. Save and get the URL to the Web Form in the Publishing section.

Encode the URL into your QR Code or MS Tag. You can quickly generate a QR Code from Google or Bitly. Microsoft has an online area to create and manage MS Tags. It’s what I did and it only takes a couple minutes to create.

Also note the very direct “PRESS HERE TO CONTINUE” call to action instead of a wishy-washy “Submit” or “Next.” I recommend changing this text so it’s relevant to your offer and expectations.

Finally, to configure each checkbox, I made each checkbox pre-checked and performed actions upon each checkbox – asking if they wanted to get my tips or information about my software. You can see when users select the first checkbox, they get:

• Two tags (which get set right now; one for my weekly tips and one to express what event they were at.
• A sequence which doesn’t fire off until one day later. If they confirm their registration, they are removed from the sequence automatically. If they fail to confirm this email, they are followed up by my team, I mean, Infusionsoft.

The whole setup took me about 30 minutes because I was neurotic in checking everything 20 times. It will likely take you less time.

As a bonus, in the way I’ve set this up, I don’t have to create new QR codes or Microsoft Tags for each event. I simply use the same QR and Microsoft Tag for every event, but update the Infusionsoft actions for the checkbox depending on the event. Specifically, in the above screenshot, when the next live event rolls around, I’ll remove the “Apply 1 Tag: TechEd2011-Atlanta” and exchange it for “Apply 1 Tag: WinConnections2011-LasVegas”.

Parting Thoughts and Results

When my speech was over at this event, I simply whipped out my iPhone and looked at my email. Infusionsoft will (by default) send you a confirmation of any Web Form submissions. So I chose two attendees at random to win my book as giveaway prizes! It was awesome!

Even though QR codes are very popular, I think MS Tags have the upper hand. This isn’t because of my “Microsoft loyalty,” there’s actually a good reason here. With QR codes, the actual web URL, or information is “baked in” to the QR graphic itself. If the target URL changes, the QR code is still going to point at the original page, it could be a problem for some circumstances.

With Microsoft Tags, you get the graphic and can redirect the link when necessary. You can also view stats on their website including when and from where people scanned your Tag.

That’s my QR and Microsoft Tag adventure. With 287 people in the room, I got a little over 50 instant signups (but still some people gave me cards to manually input). I tried to analyze why the signup ratio wasn’t higher. Here are my initial thoughts:

• Some people didn’t have the QR or Microsoft Tag reader software loaded or didn’t know what a QR code or Microsoft Tag was.
• Some people in the audience knew they were already signed up for my Tips and Newsletter. So I’m guessing some folks didn’t think they needed to register again (even though there was a book drawing.)
• The codes weren’t visible to all attendees’ smartphones in the back of the room. I saw some people trying from the back of the room, failing, and then walking up, take the picture then go back. I suspect when the crowd got sufficiently big before start time, people got a little embarrassed coming up to the front of the room.

Therefore, this technique might work best in small to medium sized venues, and might not be ideal for large venues. It was a fun experiment, and I plan to continue working this way, and see if I can get my opt-in numbers to go higher for next time.

This is a guest post from Jeremy Moskowitz, who runs the Group Policy Answers community and PolicyPak Software, a software solution for Microsoft IT departments. He’s a passionate fan of Infusionsoft, which he uses to automate his businesses. Recently, he created the critically-acclaimed free Infusion360 iPhone and iPad app for Infusionsoft users which can be downloaded from Infusion360.com.