It seems that each day we learn about a new marketing innovation.  From adding video posts to your website to having you listed in the new virtual yellow pages, there's always someone trying to get your attention. This is the present and future of marketing.  But how effective are they at getting your attention? Sometimes the simple and time-tested marketing strategies are even more effective than the new marketing strategies.  Take a direct mail postcard.  Sure, it's a simple, perhaps boring way to reach out to your customers, but let's analyze its effectiveness.   Guarantee. One great thing about direct mail campaigns is ...

Albert Einstein once said "Insanity is doing the same thing the same way, day after day, and expecting a different result." Hopefully you've been giving some thought to the way you interact with your customers and you're ready to make a few changes.  We've covered some basic communication groundwork in Part I and Part II. To help you move from talk to action, here we look at more trends and offers tools to keep you on top of your marketing campaign. We've established that the value of your company's brand, products, and solutions is reflected through astute marketing communication. Part of creating ...

In Part I, we established a few basics of marketing communication that lets your customers know they are the focus of your conversations whether by phone, e-mail or in-person. Let's shift our focus to look at a few components within communication marketing. In today's fragile economic times, client-centered communication takes on a whole new meaning. Customers are more sensitive to the various channels of marketing. As a business owner, it's up to you to gauge which methods to use that would benefit your specific customer base. In other words, it's not always what works for another business that might work for ...

How often have you done a search on the Internet and wished it were more tailored to your needs? Well, it seems that Google is the "fly on the wall" of many of our thoughts and their latest SearchWiki tweak to web searching proves efficient. For those who have a Google account, anytime you sign in before you search, you can personalize your searches by moving around the results you get by moving them up, down, or off the list. For example, let's say you do a search for "black Friday shopping". If a result you like is listed at the bottom ...

Study Shows Personalization Trumps Other Factors In Improving Direct Mail Response Rates In 2004 a study was commissioned by InfoTrends/CAP Ventures entitled The Impact of Color in Graphic Design.  The basis for the study was to show how color, when used boldly and well in a design, can greatly increase the response rate of direct mail campaigns.  While the study successfully showed that a color direct mail piece drew a greater response than a black and white piece, a closer look at the figures reveals something more interesting.  Personalization of the direct mailer was the most important factor in driving up ...

Your business, solutions and products are constantly being marketed even when you might not intentionally be trying to "make a sale". Over the next few blogs, we'd like to take some time to comment on current communication trends, as well as suggest efficient communication techniques to enhance and solidify your marketing relationships. Rather than having random methods of communication, creating a culture of communication will provide more effective results. Remember, successful marketing begins with you as a business owner. As first impressions do matter (despite what you might have heard), it's imperative to maintain client-centered communication at all times. Being client-centered includes ...

A long-held truth amongst marketing professionals is that an accurate, clean, well-populated database of client info is key to connecting with your customers.  This is especially true when it comes to utilizing variable data printing and personalized URL marketing.  If you are looking at VDP and PURL you already know that every customer is different and you want to find a way to tailor your sales pitch as much as you can (we have explored in previous posts just how beneficial this area of marketing is).  Database management will greatly increase the effectiveness of your project. There are many creative ways ...

Starting November 23, 2008 all mailing addresses must be updated every 95 days to meet the new USPS regulations.  All mail pieces are included in this regulation, not just automation rate and pre-sorted rate mail. Link to New Regulation: http://www.usps.com/mailpro/2008/mayjune/page5.htm ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE NEW USPS POSTAL REGULATION?  

The Taser Inc. case finally gives us evidence. The theory of using a personalized web page to grab a potential customer's attention is a good one, but where are the figures to back this up?  Personalized URL  (PURL) is certainly an exciting new addition to marketing strategy.  Never before have marketers been able to connect with their customer base in such a personal way.  There is a widely-held belief that VDP (Variable Data Printing) and PURL greatly increase response rates in campaigns and drive down the cost of each new marketing lead.  Until now, however, there has been a paucity of ...

What Is A Call to Action? A call to action is simply a strategic communication in your marketing materials telling your customer what to do next.  So many marketers create persuasive and alluring marketing materials, but forget to give interested parties a concrete method to move forward and make a purchase.  Your call to action is the most important part of any marketing communication because it gives your customers the information they need to take advantage of your services. Imagine The Questions and Provide Answers. The best way to write a simple and effective call to action is to put yourself in the ...

On the front lines of brand management, marketing professionals interact regularly with potential customers who are seeking solutions to their problems in valuable and dependable products and services.  How we engage prospects in sales conversations is a powerful indicator of how our products will be received.  These three value-driven marketing techniques will help your prospective clients to see the value in your products and services instead of focusing on the price tag.  1.  Forget about selling and start with listening. Too many marketers dominate the beginning of a sales conversation by leading with a strong sales pitch, enumerating the many wonderful qualities ...

During an economic slowdown, business owners face distinct challenges in pricing their products and services.  Today's marketers strive to extend affordable prices to consumers who are making purchases with more apprehension and consideration, but lowering prices to attract careful customers also lowers the profit margin.  Large corporations can afford to slash prices to move higher quantities, but this technique is less effective for small to mid-size businesses. How can small business owners maximize their profits without reducing their prices?  The answer lies in a "teamwork" model of pricing strategy designed to move high priced merchandise. The primary objective for small business owners ...