tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28557027416021237052024-02-18T19:49:25.467-08:00RRW Consulting's Direct Marketing BlogHere's our take on all things related to direct marketing. Whether it's the latest CRM tool, the newest approach for targeting and segmentation, or just interesting industry news, RRW reports on it here!Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.comBlogger370125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-78178400359617256502009-05-14T20:00:00.000-07:002009-05-14T20:51:07.946-07:00Email Marketing to the Millenials<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPKkr8SbT3ZxevpIx9xacSm62-gmfgp3hXzP-iPdHdhXtqm1ZVxfa8VAf0ID3-dAIGf7qjPyIAwpm4BtTUr6pV9gn_UQXbMrNVpoihGknpqt89NUBw8B7APPmWoQlG2z9MF7CxAyYd48/s1600-h/j0422734.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPKkr8SbT3ZxevpIx9xacSm62-gmfgp3hXzP-iPdHdhXtqm1ZVxfa8VAf0ID3-dAIGf7qjPyIAwpm4BtTUr6pV9gn_UQXbMrNVpoihGknpqt89NUBw8B7APPmWoQlG2z9MF7CxAyYd48/s400/j0422734.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335893095253452354" /></a><br /><div>Understanding generational differences and what it means to marketers is a topic that continues to fascinate me.<br /><br />See this article from B2B Magazine, called <a href="http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090514/FREE/905149993/1085/FREE#seenit">Marketing to Millenials</a>. It's a concise read on how the Millenials (sometimes called Generation Y--people born before 1982) perceive email marketing, and includes tips on what works with this group. Perhaps more importantly, it provides insight into what <span style="font-weight: bold;">doesn't</span> resonate with Millenials.<br /><br />The two tips that I found most interesting:<br /></div><blockquote>1. <strong>Create “automated relevance</strong>.” Behavioral marketing works, but when you’re marketing to Millennials, you’ve got to be faster and more precise, Wilson said. “Millennials are almost wired to block out advertising and marketing. They are capable of finding what they want when they want it, so you have to be fast and give them something relevant as soon as you see a specific ‘hand-raising’ activity,” he said.<br /><br />2. <strong>Get personal about the right things.</strong> There are differences in what you’ll need to know to market to Gen X, for example, and Gen Y. For one thing, Gen Y is less likely to answer personal questions about what they buy and why, Wilson said. “I’m amazed at how often marketers ask people about the wrong things,” he said. “If you can ask questions in a genuine way, you’ll get answers, though.”<br /><br />Instead of asking how Gen Y thinks about and uses your products and services, Wilson said, ask about what’s important to them instead. “Instead of asking which products are important, ask what’s important to them in the buying cycle. Is it having a personal reference? Ask how often they purchase rather than what they are purchasing.”<br /></blockquote><p>Good stuff!</p><p>If you'd like an overview of the five living generations, it's your lucky day :)<br /></p><p>RRW has put together a White Paper that provides traits and differences between generations, called <a href="http://www.rrwconsulting.info/Generational_Marketing.html">Generations Overview </a>(catchy name, eh?). We'd be happy to share. </p>Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-55787866248972377422009-02-09T19:00:00.000-08:002009-02-10T08:01:34.313-08:00Unsolicited B2B Email - SPAM or Not?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDyRpUJhAFN3Yugyikihg4cZ6Rjbr6md3Vyhi4cnRPkOXZDxV1-OM4taUTRFseLOGODGZDA5EmXyaLgMcGsv-SUMDSE6jTiGyjBH73O0BSTDHWP3urmGa8w5eg5TcYh-g-OXyApT5RqU/s1600-h/j0433165.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300964618335602050" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDyRpUJhAFN3Yugyikihg4cZ6Rjbr6md3Vyhi4cnRPkOXZDxV1-OM4taUTRFseLOGODGZDA5EmXyaLgMcGsv-SUMDSE6jTiGyjBH73O0BSTDHWP3urmGa8w5eg5TcYh-g-OXyApT5RqU/s400/j0433165.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Ever since CAN-SPAM came out, I've been struggling to answer this question:<br /><br />Since unsolicited email to business-people is <strong>not</strong> prohibited by CAN-SPAM regulations, is this a viable lead-generation activity, or is it something that we direct marketers should steer clear of?<br /><br />Is it SPAM, or not? </div><div><br /> </div><div>The industry seems to be handling this a few ways. Many of the leading data firms (such as Experian and Acxiom) will not append email addresses to prospect lists; they'll only append emails to customer files, citing their strict focus on consumer privacy and compliance. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>And, some providers of email marketing services first send an email to their list warning recipients that they're about to receive an email from Company X. This step allows the mail recipient to opt out of a specific offer. </div><div><br /> </div><div>On the other extreme, you see news stories like <a href="http://directmag.com/email/0109-email-list-sales/">this one from Direct Magazine</a>. The story outlines how one email list company may (or may not) have stolen a list of conference attendees and is now selling the file. The accused company claims that they legitimately collected the email addresses and have every right to sell them. Hmmm. Sounds fishy to me. </div><div><br /> </div><div>So, what say you? Is unsolicited B2B email--emails to people who you don't know--something that you support? Do you have any success stories? Horror stories? </div>Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-2434999515261517152009-01-12T07:45:00.000-08:002009-01-12T07:48:21.048-08:00Small Businesses Concerned with Economy...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHq1VeDTp44RkccmZxJNFzpcyCxLskmxgo40YlYkQyPQfQvLxBoFjk5MxA88qLbSLZ3hWHxBolfHPUOg6fhgjUEJIon3Tni9pglxgxbQGa9Kp43xma4tATYvRJ_8wMb_zwNEpLtROtsOU/s1600-h/Queen.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHq1VeDTp44RkccmZxJNFzpcyCxLskmxgo40YlYkQyPQfQvLxBoFjk5MxA88qLbSLZ3hWHxBolfHPUOg6fhgjUEJIon3Tni9pglxgxbQGa9Kp43xma4tATYvRJ_8wMb_zwNEpLtROtsOU/s400/Queen.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290434600511829234" border="0" /></a><br /><div>For some reason, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28544320/">this article </a>really brought home today's economic reality. The article presents results of a recent survey of small businesses. Essentially, it talks about how concerned small businesses are with the state of the economy. It reiterates how the economy has had a huge impact on this sector, in particular.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><blockquote>The survey found that 66.4% of small business owners have been affected for<br />the worse by the recession -- and that a full 80% see the economic crisis as the<br />primary mandate for the new government.<br /><br />Small business is the backbone of the U.S. economy representing 99.7% of all employer firms, and generating 60 to 80% of new jobs annually over the past decade, according to the Small Business Administration.</blockquote><br />Perhaps this news, in particular, resonates because my small business has also been negatively impacted by these trying times. RRW has a focus on providing direct marketing solutions to financial services firms--an industry definitely hit hard by this economy. Our business has suffered.<br /><br />You know what? I'm mad. I'm sad that I lost a business partner and feel for some clients who've either had their marketing budgets cut dramatically, have laid off a good portion of their staff, or (in the extreme) have gone out of business entirely.<br /><br />Yet, I cannot even imagine thinking that someone out there will magically appear and throw money at RRW. As much as I'd like to, I cannot think that there my fairy godmother will show up with her magic wand and a purse full of clients with huge budgets.<br /><br />So, hearing about huge companies looking for their fairy godmother in the form of our tax money simply irks me.<br /><br />OK, I'll get off of my soap box and start the day. I'll get back to work and come up with a value proposition, a direct marketing idea that one of my smart clients will pay for. Isn't that the way this country works?<br /></div>Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-84986643179018381712009-01-06T09:03:00.000-08:002009-01-06T19:53:21.242-08:00More US Postal Service News<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNmf2PMtuhzPPOLxk3vccDuZsgguCjbmQkfJzfk_gsJwrE56T8nEt_WKQhS6Q5v6ryOXpFY9fg0-fCxthTDWa0tvHhO3n398PNflV8b-62kgawCOr0bQSqfRk0xw90qVLprtziRla04U/s1600-h/Stamps.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNmf2PMtuhzPPOLxk3vccDuZsgguCjbmQkfJzfk_gsJwrE56T8nEt_WKQhS6Q5v6ryOXpFY9fg0-fCxthTDWa0tvHhO3n398PNflV8b-62kgawCOr0bQSqfRk0xw90qVLprtziRla04U/s400/Stamps.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288394716157862994" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I can't believe that my first blog of the new year ends up being about the US Postal Service. Gee, I guess I AM a direct marketing geek.</div><br /><div> </div>In November, I <a href="http://rrwdatabasemarketing.blogspot.com/2008/11/should-usps-change-its-delivery.html">posted on a similar topic</a>--ways the USPS may be able to save money through cost-savings initiatives (such as cutting out delivery days).<br /><div> </div><br /><div>Today's slightly depressing postal news comes to us from National Public Radio: <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99027132">Postal Service Sees Less Mail In Slumping Economy.</a> The article cites the serious decline in mail and revenues the USPS is currently experiencing. </div><blockquote>The recession is reaching well beyond the automotive industry or the mall.<br /><p>It's even hitting the U.S. Postal Service, the nation's third-largest employer. From holiday cards to credit card offers, mail volume is down. And the Postal Service is losing money.</p></blockquote>I guess it's no surprise that companies (and even consumers) are mailing less. In the hey day of the mortgage boom, tiny mortgage companies were mailing millions of pieces a month. And the giant financial services firms were in the multi-million volumes (I remember one company, in particular, who mailed upwards of 10 million pieces each month--that's a lot of paper...).<br /><p>What brought the postal decline home to me was this quote from the article:</p><blockquote><p>Stephen Kearney, senior vice president of customer relations for the Postal<br />Service, says the drop in mail volume "accelerated throughout the year. ... Our<br />mail volume had its greatest decline since the Great Depression."</p>In the fiscal year that ended in September, mail carriers delivered 9.5 billion fewer letters and packages than the year before. Kearney says the Postal Service made aggressive cuts and still lost $2.8 billion. Fiscal year 2009, which started Oct. 1, isn't looking any better, he says.</blockquote><p><strong>My take on this</strong>: I do believe that direct mail will remain a viable channel for some marketers. However, I think that the trend of cutting mail volume is here to stay. Gone are the days of super-duper high volume direct mail, blanketing anyone who seems close to the target audience. DM will be used judiciously and only where it makes sense. </p>Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-52495729754710664012008-12-30T08:39:00.000-08:002008-12-30T09:00:17.207-08:00Case Study: Sweepstakes and Mobile Marketing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyF6dg_KeuI2EvS1VwJi991_lMoJ6mGwQW_3F4B3sL0ovJs3tmpQsVL3VWXdj6lhFt4apXAIltWjQ-HHmm3g7DMdChIWC1sVzeYZm2XBJHZo2PSPWMtJhwrAky-Pnec4R_KnLXDmZvGg/s1600-h/Giant+Check.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyF6dg_KeuI2EvS1VwJi991_lMoJ6mGwQW_3F4B3sL0ovJs3tmpQsVL3VWXdj6lhFt4apXAIltWjQ-HHmm3g7DMdChIWC1sVzeYZm2XBJHZo2PSPWMtJhwrAky-Pnec4R_KnLXDmZvGg/s400/Giant+Check.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285628994091779506" border="0" /></a><br />Publishers Clearing House (PCH) is one of the longest lasting direct marketers around. I don't think there's an American out there who hasn't wished and dreamed that Ed McMahan and team would show up on their doorstep with a giant check for millions of dollars. This visibility and recognition is a true testimony to Publishers Clearing House's longevity and marketing ability.<br /><br />Whether you're a fan of sweepstakes or not, I don't think that anyone can argue that this direct marketing expert, PCH, has used sweepstakes successfully over the years. What's more, they've been able to expand beyond direct mail (and they were darn good at getting consumers to open their mail and interact with their piece); PCH has embraced a true multi-channel strategy.<br /><br />Well, now they're jumping into Mobile Marketing, and with a vengeance. My opinion: when PCH decides to use a new channel, it's probably time for all direct marketers to take note and learn some things.<br /><br />Take a look at this article from Mobile Marketer: <a href="http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/gaming/2363.html">Publishers Clearing House outlines 2009 mobile strategy</a><br /><blockquote>Publishers Clearing House, a longstanding sweepstakes giant using the direct mail and TV channels, is targeting a younger demographic with online and mobile initiatives.<br /><br />“We are the premier sweepstakes company in the U.S., so people know who we are, but the challenge is maintaining relevance for the changing population that is using Internet and mobile applications more and more,” Alex Betancur, vice president/general manager of the PCH Online Network, Port Washingon, NY.</blockquote>The article outlines PCH's strategy in developing mobile marketing apps with a focus on entertainment. It also briefly discusses their social marketing tactics. For anyone considering incorporating Mobile Marketing into their direct response mix, this article provides some nice detail.<br /><blockquote>“It will be interesting to see how it (mobile and social marketing programs) takes, because it’s a different demo, different customers that we’re targeting,” he said. “We are direct response marketers, so we test the waters, and once we get the formula right, we push advertising to make it successful.”</blockquote>Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-84447515828429795512008-12-04T21:05:00.000-08:002008-12-04T21:07:06.030-08:00Coupons Work in this Economy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Pa9pUvh9EKsUFc_02oh9X_xNPACJ3m-VSUKI9ieaCttp2qUAQhFIWsKlwEt6l1PWAUqIEieKCZqHjg8NcttRhwZKY1e_r2aypzq3PylXSuQceNXYlN2xl-o4_wZUgdYFwtek1vlFN08/s1600-h/j0402620.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Pa9pUvh9EKsUFc_02oh9X_xNPACJ3m-VSUKI9ieaCttp2qUAQhFIWsKlwEt6l1PWAUqIEieKCZqHjg8NcttRhwZKY1e_r2aypzq3PylXSuQceNXYlN2xl-o4_wZUgdYFwtek1vlFN08/s400/j0402620.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276167610503884578" border="0" /></a><br /><div>A weak economy presents challenges to all marketers. How do we do more with less? How do we sell things to people, or companies, who can’t afford them?<br /><br />But sometimes, this type of economic environment presents unique opportunities for direct marketers. After all, our results are measurable. Marketing costs can be justified by clear, countable results.<br /><br />This point is highlighted pretty nicely in this recent NY Times article: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/business/media/04adco.html?_r=1&ref=business">This Season’s Must-Have: The Humble Coupon<br /></a><br />From the article:<br /><blockquote>The faltering economy could mean renewed interest in coupons as shoppers refocus<br />on the cost of the products they buy — that is, if they do actually buy anything<br />these days.<br /><br />Coupons that offer cents off — or percents off — the price of things like groceries, clothing and restaurant meals are particularly popular when consumers need to stretch their dollars. So word that a recession began last December could bring an increase in the number of coupons offered by marketers, as well as redemption rates by consumers.<br /><br />“Thrift is the new normal,” said Lance Saunders, executive vice president and head of account planning at Campbell Mithun in Minneapolis, an agency owned by the Interpublic Group of Companies.<br /><br />“There’s no stigma to getting anything on discount,” Mr. Saunders said. “Instead, there’s a sense of pride.”<br /></blockquote><br />The article goes on to discuss unique couponning strategies, from some unusual suspects (high end Lucky Jeans, for example) and more usual suspects (P&G). </div><br /><div><br />It also discusses the use of new marketing channels such as mobile marketing.</div><div><blockquote>New technologies are also helping to renew interest in coupons, especially<br />for younger consumers. There are scores of Web sites where coupons can be<br />obtained by clicking rather than clipping; among them are coupons.com,<br />couponcabin.com, couponcode.com, couponmom.com, 8coupons.com, fatwallet.com and shortcuts.com. Many also deliver coupons by e-mail messages.<br /><br />And coupons are increasingly available on cellphones and other mobile<br />devices from companies like Cellfire and Outalot. Among the marketers offering<br />mobile coupons are Arby’s, Caribou Coffee and GameStop.<br /><br />An advantage of coupons delivered through new technologies is that they can<br />be customized and personalized, which could help make them more effective<br />and efficient for the sponsors.<br /></blockquote>Ah, trackable, customized and personalized—music to this direct marketer’s ears!</div><br /><div>Another lesson learned: even if your marketing strategy has never included couponning, simply because it didn’t seem to be the right fit for your products and/or your customer-base, you may want to rethink that strategy in this economy. </div><br /><p></p><br /><blockquote></blockquote>Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-45615557530259323852008-11-17T15:32:00.000-08:002008-11-17T18:35:16.386-08:00Should the USPS Change its Delivery Schedule?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrZQqsmPVrVJc3-ZjV7esWMY_fJ16XtNOFp1EIzlB7N73YqmvrS2TOyMh9LLTzrGRW1AQm8kXDftNqOTABVh_d-c4r-hIS8ESoZuivW-yxp8OjLQsnPxO9hbVmm_i__cner8n6rIC5YA/s1600-h/j0406691.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrZQqsmPVrVJc3-ZjV7esWMY_fJ16XtNOFp1EIzlB7N73YqmvrS2TOyMh9LLTzrGRW1AQm8kXDftNqOTABVh_d-c4r-hIS8ESoZuivW-yxp8OjLQsnPxO9hbVmm_i__cner8n6rIC5YA/s400/j0406691.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269820212758911282" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I thoroughly enjoyed <a href="http://www.dmnews.com/Should-the-USPS-stop-one-delivery-day/article/120945/">this article </a>from DM News. It’s all about cost savings ideas for the US Postal Service, with the ultimate goal of keeping postage steady for direct marketers. The article cites two postal mail industry experts who have provided their comments on cost savings efforts.<br />Specifically, each expert discusses ramifications of the USPS cutting a day of mail service—cutting delivery from 6 times each week, to only 5.<br /><br /><strong>Expert 1</strong>: C. Hamilton Davison, Executive director, American Cataloger Mailers' Association<br /><strong><br />Primary point</strong>: Thinks that other options should be considered first—prior to cutting a day of mail delivery. For example, he suggests that the USPS look at closing some branches. He provides an interesting comparison of USPS facilities to McDonalds.<br /><br /><blockquote>“Do you think McDonald's is everywhere? Well, McDonald's has 21,000 restaurants<br />worldwide; the USPS has 37,000 retail locations in the US alone. Isn't it<br />possible that we have too many post offices?” </blockquote><strong>Bottom Line</strong>: Mr. Davison recommends exploring any and all cost savings options if it means keeping the USPS competitive.<br /><br /><strong>Expert 2</strong>: William Burrus, President, American Postal Workers Union<br /><strong><br />Primary point</strong>: Mr. Burrus is adamantly opposed to a reduction of mail delivery days. </div><div><blockquote>“If such a reduction leads to an increase in Priority, Registered, Certified,<br />FedEx, or UPS deliveries, customer costs would increase, and productivity<br />would decline.” </blockquote><strong>Bottom Line</strong>: He suggests that this change is too radical because it would delay mail significantly, especially in holiday schedules.</div><div><blockquote>“This change would begin the process of dismantling the United States Postal<br />Service, which is the primary objective of those who advance this terrible<br />idea.”<br /></blockquote><br /><strong>My take:</strong> I believe that the USPS needs to explore any cost-saving idea it can come up with. In this economy, every single business is exploring ways to save. The USPS shouldn’t be any different.<br /><br />And, the solution clearly isn’t significant postage increases. I hate to see the direct marketing industry (which is a huge cash cow for the USPS) continually hit by rate increases that seem overwhelming and unfair. Further, taking away a day of mail delivery would not be the end of the world to most consumers who no longer rely on postal mail to receive important personal and business communication.<br /><br />So, if a day must be cut to keep postal mail flowing, so be it. </div>Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-67647398560325817432008-11-14T10:40:00.000-08:002008-11-14T10:47:18.752-08:00Search Engine Optimization - Free Webinar!SEO continues to be more of an art than a science, don't you agree? When you find a search expert who delivers measurable results, consider yourself lucky.<br /><br />That's how we felt when RRW found Daryl Clark of Internet Search Marketing. He not only helped RRW rank higher with Google and the others, but he's the one who encouraged us to start this blog. Now, when you search for Direct Marketing Blog, our tiny firm consistently ranks in the top 5. Pretty cool!<br /><br />Daryl is doing some amazing work with large and small firms. And, even better, he's offering a free webinar next week to share some of his SEO expertise. Check out <a href="http://internet-search-marketing.com/seotips/?p=379">his blog </a>for more details.Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-33933396760187572812008-11-10T15:02:00.000-08:002008-11-10T15:13:32.064-08:00Case Study: Social Networking<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkG9ZX37bUqZWXxiv_t1EWHkE6GNlqh7TmkSHRmM91mvZJRx52LUa7OsT6jSk66W3HI-yX4MnG1y8mIZm8F_cPIqzPDMow-VEEHlckZFjKMcDWMqJ6xmEMi51zTj38243KidoJP_0xuk/s1600-h/First+Wives.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267170918238498962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkG9ZX37bUqZWXxiv_t1EWHkE6GNlqh7TmkSHRmM91mvZJRx52LUa7OsT6jSk66W3HI-yX4MnG1y8mIZm8F_cPIqzPDMow-VEEHlckZFjKMcDWMqJ6xmEMi51zTj38243KidoJP_0xuk/s400/First+Wives.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Today's case study comes to us from <a href="http://www.chiefmarketer.com/">Chief Marketer</a>. It's an interesting discussion about how the Broadway musical, First Wives Club is using social networking to build a fan base, and an audience for the musical. What I learned? For the right target market, making the effort to build and manage a social network absolutely makes sense.<br /><br />Below is the case study in its entirety.<br /><br /><a href="http://chiefmarketer.com/disciplines/online/1028-first-wives-social-networking/">First Wives Club Engages in Social Networking </a><br /><br />When you're going through a tough time, you need friends more than ever. And if they an identify with your experiences, even better. FirstWivesWorld.com recently debuted social networking features to help divorced and soon-to-be-single-again women do just that—and have laugh or two in the process..<br /><br />The venture began when Jonas Neilson and his partner Paul Lambert acquired the rights to produce a Broadway musical based on the 1996 film "First Wives Club."<br /><br />In the process of reinterpreting the movie for the stage, the duo ran a series of focus groups with divorced women. Unlike typical focus groups, champagne was served.<br /><br />"It was really kind of interesting, because they were more like cocktail parties," says Neilson, it wasn't long into each session before the ladies were laughing, crying and exchanging business cards. "There was an unspoken bond between the women. They had a commonality which immediately created a sense of belonging to the group."<br /><br />There was a real need there that wasn't being met online, says Neilson, for women to connect with other people who were going through the same experience.<br /><br />Over time, the site morphed into a destination for divorced women to find networking, resources and entertainment, such as "Hot Flashes," a fictional blog by Mimi Schmir, a writer who has written for "Grey's Anatomy," that take a humorous look at failed marriages.<br /><br />While some might think a site devoted to divorce would be maudlin, Neilson says with First Wives World that is most certainly not the case. He says most divorced women he's talked to say they were miserable in the marriage, and the divorce became a shot at a new life.<br /><br />Neilson says he thinks that the next frontier for successful online communities is taking those relationships offline, into the "real" world.<br /><br />As for the musical, it will premiere at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego in July 2009, with a goal of hitting Broadway in 2010. Getting the word out via the site is a natural fit since the profile of many users—women who are 40+—dovetails what who buys the majority of theater tickets.<br /><br />The portal is generating about 100,000 page views per month. Right now, Neilson says FirstWivesWorld.com is concentrating on building an audience, rather than measuring a hard ROI.<br /><br />"We want to keep the network 'sacred' for women" who are gathering information on how to deal with their divorce, Neilson notes. "We don't want to inundate them with banners. We want them to feel this is their space."<br /><br />Of course, he notes, that doesn't mean that the site isn't looking for unique ways for sponsors to integrate their marketing messages into the site. It's a good demographic, Neilson says, because at this point in their lives, these women are very open to changing things like brand loyalties.<br /><br />Ultimately, Neilson says the site will help fund the musical. "Instead of creating the product and then trying to find an audience, we're building the audience first."</div>Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-45023624292923921742008-11-04T07:16:00.000-08:002008-11-04T07:30:58.872-08:00Today, it's all about coffee<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2FTI9V8xQrK8fj6h5bAMWSXvWN1lm2Hx1LiWNTElAokiTBIcl9G0PdTlXHhtUyoAAiDEwH2rswCx7WcU6RdMl6znf-ymMA5H9-RbQSqzqGZNSCJq2bgCIDKYOlsGDFadL2o_xfRWDoI/s1600-h/Starbucks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 253px; height: 363px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2FTI9V8xQrK8fj6h5bAMWSXvWN1lm2Hx1LiWNTElAokiTBIcl9G0PdTlXHhtUyoAAiDEwH2rswCx7WcU6RdMl6znf-ymMA5H9-RbQSqzqGZNSCJq2bgCIDKYOlsGDFadL2o_xfRWDoI/s400/Starbucks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264825243331717250" border="0" /></a><br />So, what's a direct marketing blog doing talking about coffee? Well, it was on my mind today and the more I browsed around, the more coffee news I came up with, and felt the compulsion to share with you.<br /><br />You've probably all heard about Starbucks' offer to give everyone who votes today a cup of joe. For free. Without requiring any proof of voting. I love that! We've been faced with so much depressing economic news (and don't get me started about the overkill on the election coverage...), that news about getting anything for free, especially one of my favorite things, puts a grin on my face. Kudos for Starbucks for being good to their customers and encouraging us all to vote. Oh, and kudos to them for garnering all of this good press and building customer good-will at the same time.<br /><br />While I'm on the topic of Starbucks, check out this <a href="http://www.dmnews.com/Starbucks-launches-new-loyalty-program/article/120127/">DM News article</a> about their launch of a new loyalty program. If you spend more than $5/week at Starbucks, you will definitely find value in this card, even though it's not free. You know my take on this, as a database marketer--I'm drooling over the opportunities to mine the customer data and figure out new ways to sell more things and grow customer loyalty.<br /><br />Here's an overview of the program, straight from the article:<br /><blockquote>The new Gold program, which goes into wide release on November 4, offers a 10% discount on most in-store purchases. Gold membership costs $25 annually and offers its own card, which users are encouraged to register for additional benefits such as complimentary beverages on their birthdays. Starbucks Card Rewards, the program that launched earlier this year, provides members with free drink customizations and WiFi hours with the use of a pre-loaded Starbucks card.</blockquote>And, if that wasn't enough coffee news, take a look at <a href="http://www.dmnews.com/Caribou-Coffee-debuts-mobile-coupon-offer/article/120205/">this item</a> (also from DM News) that talks about Caribou Coffee's launch of a mobile marketing campaign. I can see how this channel could be ideal for retailers like Caribou--catch your demographic (in this case, they wanted to boost sales to 18-34 year olds) when they're out and about and shoot them a valuable coupon ($1 off a large drink). Nice application of mobile marketing, wouldn't you agree?<br /><br />So, there you have it, an update on direct marketing of coffee--with some loyalty ideas thrown in at no extra charge!<br /><br />Gotta go--need to drink my Venti!Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-13671263112925798492008-10-27T07:23:00.000-07:002008-10-27T07:32:01.266-07:00Case Study: Using Analytics to Identify Business Opportunities<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QO4QMdxg2EYoW7U0ZlVoNDJ8kjYDXwuvW7Wx6_6MUJhtFe5bawlZBNDhYvYLnhJaDuXQj_MplunVw2d3KIJmecXhhf-cxSzCP2MaGE64v5YrQ7oW4qrRo1123zhD1444vSDq3urUBDY/s1600-h/Bullseye.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QO4QMdxg2EYoW7U0ZlVoNDJ8kjYDXwuvW7Wx6_6MUJhtFe5bawlZBNDhYvYLnhJaDuXQj_MplunVw2d3KIJmecXhhf-cxSzCP2MaGE64v5YrQ7oW4qrRo1123zhD1444vSDq3urUBDY/s400/Bullseye.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261841314130157906" border="0" /></a><br />Today's case study comes to us from <a href="http://www.sigmamarketing.com/">Sigma Marketing Group,</a> a full-service database marketing firm. They've highlighted work they've done for their client, Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE) helping them with regional economic development programs. I like this one because it incorporates analytics and cleverly uses data to generate a successful program.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Challenge</span><br />GRE is a regional economic development organization supported by a team of private and public sector leaders dedicated to improving economic performance in the Rochester, New York Finger Lakes region. Its primary goals are to:<br /><ul><li> retain and expand existing business;</li><li> professionally market the region as a competitive, vibrant, and high-profile place for business location and growth;</li><li> support business attraction, expansion, entrepreneurship, and innovation by collaborating with local businesses, universities, not-for-profit organizations, and government leaders.</li></ul>Because of Rochester’s rich history of thriving high-tech companies, GRE determined that the region was best suited to attract three types of industries:<br /><ul><li> Fuel Cell</li><li>Biotechnology</li><li> Optics</li></ul>To that end, they approached SIGMA Marketing Group with the following challenge:<br />Focusing on these three industries, help us identify companies across the country that are likely to:<br /><ul><li> Expand operations</li><li> Consider Rochester as a potential site for expansion</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Breakthrough</span><br />SIGMA developed an analytic-based direct marketing program with the following methodology:<br /><ul><li> The Lists: Build search criteria, customize lists from a variety of sources, then target decision-makers in the three industries across the country.</li><li> The Mailer: Create a cost-effective, compelling direct mail piece that includes specific information on why the company should consider Rochester for its expansion needs. Specifically, SIGMA created bi-fold brochures that were customized for each industry.</li><li> The Data: Include an attractive offer in the piece that would entice the recipient to:</li></ul><ul><ul><li> Log onto a new GRE Web page</li></ul><ul><li> Provide self-reported data via a simple online questionnaire</li></ul><li> The Offer: For those recipients willing to go to the site, GRE provided them with:</li><ul><li> A free S.W.O.T. analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) written by a leader in the recipient’s industry.</li></ul><ul><li> A link to a website that allowed recipients to choose amongst several business-related gifts or charitable contributions.</li></ul></ul><ul><li> The Analytical Model: SIGMA then created a model that analyzed the results into three categories:</li></ul><ul><ul><li> Alert: These are highly qualified prospects who should be called immediately.</li></ul><ul><li> Semi-Alert: These are qualified prospects who should be called within 30 days.</li></ul><ul><li> Future Contact: These prospects are not qualified for immediate follow-up, but should be contacted on an as-needed basis.</li></ul></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Win</span><br />“SIGMA designed an effective direct mail campaign that yielded double our projected response. In addition, the self-reported data incorporated in this campaign delivered insightful quantitative research that has helped us further refine our marketing efforts.”Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-83981029050710225192008-10-24T07:05:00.000-07:002008-10-24T07:24:44.805-07:00Direct Marketing Links<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UL9ktxiZlHsNRzqal4JFBr_HwYQA7Jh6jwBtiLFMxXA00UTClRfPUBMAN4K3UbvjwAIZJBzHqqv3ujXXFCwTBC3dFQZ-8z0tlqikg2_SqZoCCHOJ63pC5TBNNEvAY9mOffmrRY-sQEQ/s1600-h/Blog+Log.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 67px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UL9ktxiZlHsNRzqal4JFBr_HwYQA7Jh6jwBtiLFMxXA00UTClRfPUBMAN4K3UbvjwAIZJBzHqqv3ujXXFCwTBC3dFQZ-8z0tlqikg2_SqZoCCHOJ63pC5TBNNEvAY9mOffmrRY-sQEQ/s400/Blog+Log.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260723233143472290" border="0" /></a><br />TGIF!<br /><br />As always, I'm happy to bring you some of the articles that I found interesting this week.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pasttense.info/2008/10/22/how-to-win-the-social-marketing-war/">How to Win the Social Marketing War</a><br />OK, I'm not sure I would categorize social marketing as a 'war', but author Pete Kulenek posts a nice summary of how businesses can/should include social activities such as Facebook and My Space in their marketing mix to help build traffic to your website. Learning: The key is to adopt this simple “5 H’s” approach: <ol><li>Humor</li><li>Honesty</li><li>Have fun</li><li>Help people</li></ol>Works for me!<br /><br /><a href="http://minethatdata.blogspot.com/2008/10/being-multichannel.html">Being Multichannel</a><br />Speaking of channels, take a look at this thought-provoking post from Kevin Hillstrom. He talks about how difficult it can be for marketers who practice in a variety of channels to truly dominate any one given channel. His advice (paraphrased by me, of course): focus on the customer and deliver the content and useful information that the customer needs. Make it easy for the customer to find you and figure out ways to 'pull' the customer to you as opposed to pushing tons of messages to her.<br /><br /><a href="http://sandeep-giri.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-went-wrong-with-market.html">What went wrong with the market...</a><br />As a businessperson who's worked with the mortgage industry (yikes!) throughout all of my years of marketing, this post by Sandeep Giri hit a tad too close to home. He's provided a tongue in cheek explanation of today's current economic woes. Check it out for a laugh (and maybe some cries, too).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2008/10/google-analytics-releases-advanced-segmentation.html">Now Be a Ninja!</a><br />For those of you out there who religiously measure your blog with Google Analytics, you'll appreciate this information from Avinash Kaushik. He explains some new releases from Google, including their advanced segmentation. I'll definitely take the time to explore these new features.Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-85553086620753520512008-10-22T11:29:00.000-07:002008-10-22T19:26:49.544-07:00Mobile Marketing Advice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69h9ldA8KUNX4lJQvFLj11GhY2w7xW6TDTQ2Zw9mi4dB5h1pTmPgA2We_SEY7XeZbgYfyLrOFFa-uEpDTZs978b1VHjsa2iEcQi87qRUQbvyFVB7QEQ-c_ruT4tZHQlreW1MGGBfFgyU/s1600-h/j0422327.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69h9ldA8KUNX4lJQvFLj11GhY2w7xW6TDTQ2Zw9mi4dB5h1pTmPgA2We_SEY7XeZbgYfyLrOFFa-uEpDTZs978b1VHjsa2iEcQi87qRUQbvyFVB7QEQ-c_ruT4tZHQlreW1MGGBfFgyU/s400/j0422327.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260170007846254882" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I continue to struggle with ideas on how to incorporate mobile marketing into my direct marketing tool-box. Specifically, I’m having a hard time getting my arms around practical applications, and thinking of real-life ideas that will benefit my clients. Yet, this is an industry that is huge and growing. Mobile marketing is a channel to be reckoned with and maximized for the right opportunity.<br /><br />This <a href="http://www.dmnews.com/Choose-the-best-mobile-campaign/article/119643/">article from DM News</a> provides some interesting insight. The article presents four different viewpoints and tips on how to make mobile marketing work—how to incorporate this channel into your marketing mix.<br /><br />The first tip is from David Spear, EVP of sales and marketing, mobile technologies, LSN Inc.<br /><br />Takeaway: With mobile Web campaigns, it's best to keep the design elements simple<br /><blockquote>“Whether a campaign is designed to drive brand awareness, deliver knowledge or influence direct response, it must be easy for the subscriber to understand, engage and extract value from it. Make sure you consider all elements when reviewing a campaign for simplicity. If the campaign is designed to be simple and straightforward, then traction will follow and viral will grow organically and successfully. If the campaign is overly complicated, it will disappoint in almost every aspect.”</blockquote><br />The next tip, recommending Short Message Service (SMS), also known as text messaging comes from Steve Siegel, VP of brand solutions, HipCricket. His reasons for SMS are pretty compelling:<br /><ul><li>The reach of SMS—everyone uses text messaging.</li><li>The ability to measure results (you know I love this benefit!)</li><li>SMS allows for remarketing opportunities</li><li>SMS can be used to gather important data points from consumers (another benefit I love!).</li></ul>Next, Bryan Morrison, President, Ipsh, brings us great information about mobile marketing’s ability to exploit proximity strategies. He says: “Proximity is the concept that makes mobile special.”<br /><blockquote>“While the Internet forced marketers to learn interactivity, mobile layers context on top, making your location the most important benefit the medium can offer. Understanding proximity allows brands to provide consumers genuine utility in their day-to-day lives.”</blockquote>Just consider the possibilities—retailers can offer you coupons or special offers, at the point in time that you’re entering the mall! Timely, and valuable to consumers.<br /><br />Finally, Michael Chang, CEO and co-founder of Greystripe, offers insight into the benefits of in-game mobile marketing—essentially embedding your advertising within a game people play on their mobile device (phone). More info on this concept, from the article:<br /><blockquote>“In-game ads are primarily priced on a CPM basis, reflecting the strong branding opportunities available from full-screen ads and rich data-gathering features. Pricing is also impacted by targeting. As with WAP banners, regional targeting is almost always available, and some providers offer more refined targeting such as by carriers, types of handset, or based on user demographics.”<br /><br />“Advertising in mobile games provides bigger and richer ads than SMS or WAP banners, as well as a positive brand association for the advertiser. In-game advertising offers unique features, a great user experience and allows advertisers to benefit from a positive association with fun mobile content.”</blockquote><br />Hopefully, these four unique perspectives have shed some light on practical applications of mobile marketing. I know that they’ve given me some great food for thought! </div>Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-18913916367652191872008-10-20T18:56:00.000-07:002008-10-20T19:03:16.468-07:00Case Study: Alltel, Acxiom & A Marketing Database<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIutaxcA9peXu-wfgeGP8GA9jZW82RyiXdJ1SPneoxWDiZsAhrZt1CHro8pNhXmNT4OygIGKAMiDxICoyHLB4HeOmuB58XIbLAXbOjeiDhE0sXUQ1V-nzBL1qwmtRp0uI7RJ1U5dKOl4/s1600-h/Data+Mining.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIutaxcA9peXu-wfgeGP8GA9jZW82RyiXdJ1SPneoxWDiZsAhrZt1CHro8pNhXmNT4OygIGKAMiDxICoyHLB4HeOmuB58XIbLAXbOjeiDhE0sXUQ1V-nzBL1qwmtRp0uI7RJ1U5dKOl4/s400/Data+Mining.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259421919090193922" border="0" /></a><br />It's Monday, and that means it's time for a direct marketing case study. This one comes to us jointly from Acxiom and Alltel Wireless. (Check out this <a href="http://www.acxiom.com/alltel_case_study">link</a> for a podcast on same topic, plus the opportunity to sign up for the full case study).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Customer Lifecycle Management</span><br /><br />When Alltel Wireless engaged <a href="http://www.acxiom.com/">Acxiom</a> to improve the precision, relevance and sophistication of its direct marketing communications, the company’s siloed sources of customer data and limited prospecting data were restricting their abilities to engage with customers and prospects. Acxiom worked closely with the Alltel Wireless team to deliver a set of solutions that anchored the entire campaign process. Acxiom combined its data products and customer intelligence with Alltel Wireless customer data and prospect list for targeted segmentation based on actual customer behavior and real household composites.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Opportunity</span><br />Alltel Wireless wanted to increase customer acquisitions, improve retention and grow customer revenue with more targeted, relevant communications.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Solution</span><br />Acxiom’s marketing database solution assisted in driving two top objectives:<br /><ul><li> New customer growth</li><li>Reduction in customer churn</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results</span><br />265% increase in incremental customer postpaid additions tied to direct marketing efforts. “My Circle” campaign gross take rates exceeded 6% from existing customers. Direct customer communications have increased 285%.<br /><br /><br />Wow--pretty great results! Truly illustrates the power of a database.Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-90601792334186239512008-10-16T08:30:00.000-07:002008-10-16T08:50:16.269-07:00DMA Recap<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBMA2k-3eL91v9CuoG88XqVEjpz5ohqC7fMr0UVMfsvloaaiJfB-is3dQWuWAWn8gwaN0owAZsVpH1BdmHv2jI40wvA5cHqGSLFkco8AbfnKMhGLbIxBFmk0EUwh5Mc0qB_ct0tjYbs8/s1600-h/DMA08_266x156.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBMA2k-3eL91v9CuoG88XqVEjpz5ohqC7fMr0UVMfsvloaaiJfB-is3dQWuWAWn8gwaN0owAZsVpH1BdmHv2jI40wvA5cHqGSLFkco8AbfnKMhGLbIxBFmk0EUwh5Mc0qB_ct0tjYbs8/s400/DMA08_266x156.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257779356870941298" border="0" /></a><br />Home from Vegas. Phew! Good to be home, for sure.<br /><br />I thought I would wrap up my commentary on the annual Direct Marketing Association's conference by sharing some of the highlights.<br /><br />1. DMA's self-reported biggest accomplishment this year: the creation of a Do Not Mail plan. See the following from <a href="http://www.the-dma.org/cgi/dispannouncements?article=1181">an article </a>on DMA's website:<br /><blockquote>Rappaport (Donn, outgoing chairman of DMA's board of directors), who is chairman/chief executive officer of the American List Counsel, Inc. (ALC), began by highlighting the Board’s efforts to combat proposed state Do Not Mail legislation.<span style=""> </span>“This year, the DMA Board marshaled all our collective talent, energy, and experience to forge a Do Not Mail action plan to tell our story to Congress, to the media, and for the first time ever, directly to the consumer."</blockquote>2. Direct marketer of the year: Ebay. Last year Microsoft got this honor.<br /><br />3. From John Greco's (DMA's President and CEO) opening keynote address, where he speaks about the state of the industry:<br /><blockquote>Here’s DMA’s estimate of the size of the entire direct marketing pie — well over two trillion dollars worth of sales this year, driven by direct marketing offers across all the addressable, interactive, direct response channels.<br /><br />Sales driven by Internet and email marketing will exceed $500 billion this year. That number has grown very quickly over the past year. At the same time, a total of more than $702 billion of sales is being driven by the mail channel — including nearly $155 billion in catalog sales. Telephone marketing accounts for another $364 billion in additional sales, and direct response advertising in newspapers, television and other media drive $451 billion more in sales this year.<br /></blockquote>He goes on to discuss direct marketing accomplishments such as a focus on recycling. The entire transcript of his speech can be found <a href="http://www.the-dma.org/cgi/dispannouncements?article=1180">here</a>.<br /><br />4. Theme of the DMA: "r u Connected?" Personally, I find this kinda juvenile--but that's just me...<br /><br />5. Expected number of attendees: 12,000 (not sure that this many actually made it).<br /><br />6. Best party: OK, I only attended two this year... But, I'll give the award to Experian and their nightclub experience at Pure in Caesars Palace. You have to agree that the projection of their name on the side of the casino was pretty cool.Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-15140114138987102402008-10-13T08:14:00.000-07:002008-10-13T08:29:40.804-07:00Update from DMA!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqmvL6E3hyphenhyphen9tYX7tsjYeLtJJxdc079P3l2h3VXeaD5uGl7H0_9RulqRaWHELZ1UdFBlorGxOMJ6gVzXHwTIsMamcRmOEo88T5DCC9A0wvEYf2T_l8UTUpmh4YDReb2IlIF68Ifs9MukI/s1600-h/j0422536.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqmvL6E3hyphenhyphen9tYX7tsjYeLtJJxdc079P3l2h3VXeaD5uGl7H0_9RulqRaWHELZ1UdFBlorGxOMJ6gVzXHwTIsMamcRmOEo88T5DCC9A0wvEYf2T_l8UTUpmh4YDReb2IlIF68Ifs9MukI/s400/j0422536.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256660984782465762" border="0" /></a><br />It's Day 2 of DMA and I still have most (well, some) of my brain cells.<br /><br />Arrived in Las Vegas yesterday. Cold and dry weather. Lots of traffic and people. Too much walking (but, that casino 3 miles away <span style="font-weight: bold;">looks</span> so close...). I dropped $10 in video poker, but won it all back. I'm such a high roller :)<br /><br />Attended the opening exhibit hall session yesterday afternoon. My immediate impressions were: the show was quiet and MUCH smaller than years past. I'd say a good 1/3 fewer exhibitors. And, the big firms didn't have the same level of ostentation--you know the huge, crazy booth spaces. Of course, we can't blame anyone for scaling back in this economy. The other odd thing, I didn't hear of a single party held last night (Sunday). Did I miss something good?<br /><br />There were some positives, though.<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good vibe.</span> People were actually stopping to talk to exhibitors. I saw a lot of conversations going on.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">New vendors</span>. I've already met some new providers to the direct marketing industry, and I'm looking forward to meeting more.<br /></li></ul>So far, I've made my way through about 3 of the approx. 12 aisles of vendors. Some interesting companies I spoke to: <a href="http://www.boingnet.com/">Boingnet </a>(offers personalized URLs on the cheap) and <a href="http://www.jigsaw.com/">Jigsaw</a> (they compile business information from business cards, allowing marketers to hone in on those hard-to-target industries and titles).<br /><br />As always, I enjoyed my time at the <a href="http://www.acxiom.com/">Acxiom</a> booth watching their famous magician (they've had this guy for over 10 years, and he's simply amazing--nice, too).<br /><br />Well, I'm off for more DMA action. I'll be meeting many more firms today and I'd love to hear comments from others here at DMA with their discoveries, too.<br /><br />As a bonus, check in tomorrow for an update on the two big parties: Experian and Acxiom!Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-37992833412117578612008-10-10T09:51:00.001-07:002008-10-10T10:23:20.647-07:00Direct Marketing Links<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1-otoKplSDBPPjyNrPVh_9yrUG3MtHeiTWATzunD2aoLaD-qLQIX2H0JlMJHKghiwoTvT-lATF2Hw5uuNnojE-nrUooKBPNGKfOlUlkmDJLN2amAt11TBy2vAO_kB4Jbd0qYeLs7YKk/s1600-h/Blog+Log.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1-otoKplSDBPPjyNrPVh_9yrUG3MtHeiTWATzunD2aoLaD-qLQIX2H0JlMJHKghiwoTvT-lATF2Hw5uuNnojE-nrUooKBPNGKfOlUlkmDJLN2amAt11TBy2vAO_kB4Jbd0qYeLs7YKk/s400/Blog+Log.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255577067723420386" border="0" /></a><br />Another Friday is upon us, and that means it's time for me to share some of the interesting articles I found this week.<br /><br /><a href="http://blog.hagginmarketing.com/?p=463">Why People Buy - Online</a><br />Let's start out with a new blog I was happy to find this week: Direct Dispatch from Haggin Marketing. This article talks about what consumers value must when they're shopping online. It's surprisingly different than what we value when we shop in a physical store. The article also presents a list of the 50 retailers who are doing it right, online. It's no surprise that Amazon tops that list.<br /><br /><a href="http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/10/merketing-profe.html">Marketing Professor Adopts Radiohead Business Model for Textbook</a><br />You know I'm a sucker for interesting price plans. And, like most people out there, the word <span style="font-weight: bold;">Free</span> is one four letter word I LOVE to hear. That's why I got a kick reading this article about a professor who is letting his students pay what they will for his book, the required course reading.<br />And, he's letting them set the price AFTER the course is complete. Love this concept, and hope to hear results of this pricing experiment.<br /><br /><a href="http://lgbusinesssolutions.typepad.com/solutions_to_grow_your_bu/2008/10/social-medianet.html">Social Media/Networking a Marketing Flop</a><br />I couldn't agree more with one of my very favorite people, Lewis Green. On his blog that focuses on how to grow business while keeping people first (love the concept, don't you?), he tackles the issue of social marketing and discusses how failures in this area can often be due to companies not aligning their social media efforts with the overall corporate marketing strategy. Just makes good sense.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.damniwish.com/2008/10/when-you-go-the.html">When you go the extra mile</a><br />Customer service is so darned important. And, it can be the one differentiator you may have. Good service can help keep your company strong (or at least keep you stronger than your competition) in bad economic times. This post from Andy Sernovitz's Damn! I wish I'd Thought of That! blog brings this point home. Good read.<br /><br /><a href="http://note-to-cmo.blogspot.com/2008/10/note-to-cmo-future-of-debates-vs.html">The Future of Debates vs. Dialogs</a><br />From the Note to CMO Blog, this post got me thinking. The author makes a valid point that there is so much content out there, and asks the question: are people really reading and discussing, anymore? He contends that "there is a growing shortage of conversation, with only massive parallel monologues taking place." Excellent food for thought.Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-69353486760774917502008-10-08T09:05:00.000-07:002008-10-08T09:23:48.705-07:00Eliminating the Pain from CRM Implementation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MlrOB2Yp53CKGynod03LI81E9C20OZFISgf9-aDgqT-O_1LLvIe3kpv-rPIrjK1FEk9dqOL-R9VVCqDjTun7y4CjQcE61sqkuR2vZyc8cez0EOsVkrZZOQ82p6l1pW-p0xLzJawWBtk/s1600-h/j0402193.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MlrOB2Yp53CKGynod03LI81E9C20OZFISgf9-aDgqT-O_1LLvIe3kpv-rPIrjK1FEk9dqOL-R9VVCqDjTun7y4CjQcE61sqkuR2vZyc8cez0EOsVkrZZOQ82p6l1pW-p0xLzJawWBtk/s320/j0402193.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254819564025124018" border="0" /></a><br />I can't tell you how many articles I've read throughout the years that provide advice on how to make CRM technology implementation less painful. I've posted on <a href="http://rrwdatabasemarketing.blogspot.com/2007/08/know-thyself.html">this topic</a> a few times myself, right <a href="http://rrwdatabasemarketing.blogspot.com/2007/08/4-keys-to-crm-success.html">here </a>on this <a href="http://rrwdatabasemarketing.blogspot.com/2007/06/fear-of-commitment.html">Direct Marketing Blog</a>. It begs the question: why can't some smart firm come up with a solution here?<br /><br />Regardless, since CRM implementation (and the pain associated with it) remains a 'hot' topic, I thought I would share some tips from this <a href="http://www.insidecrm.com/">Inside CRM</a> article titled: <a href="http://www.insidecrm.com/features/it-managers-crm-implementation-100808/">10 Ways IT Managers Can Make CRM Implementation Painless.</a><br /><br />I've listed each of the tips below, but you can read the full article for more detailed explanations and suggestions.<br /><ol><li><strong> Watch your alignment. </strong>In other words, start at the top and make sure your CRM efforts match your business goals.</li><li><strong>Spread the word. </strong>To hook CRM applications into a company's core products and services, IT managers will likely have to beat multiple drums in order to be heard.</li><li><strong>Sell it to the sales department. </strong>While end users across an organization must commit to diligently using and updating CRM systems, success may well depend on the acceptance level of the sales force.</li><li><strong>Root for the home team.</strong> End users are not the only ones who will likely be in need of constant CRM coaxing. To best lead a staff to CRM victory, IT managers must constantly champion attainable corporate goals.</li><li><strong>Stay ahead of the curve.</strong> Along with keeping the team happy, the most effective IT manager will work constantly to keep up with an industry known to change at warp speed.</li><li><strong>Change from the inside out. </strong>External factors are not the only change agents at work. IT leaders will also want to ponder the internal impact of a new CRM system.</li><li><strong>Raise the bar.</strong> Regulatory matters and other factors up the ante. Thus, IT managers must make sure that major decisions surrounding CRM initiatives are not relegated to those toiling in the trenches.</li><li><strong>Visualize results and use carrots instead of sticks. </strong>The most capable CRM managers are high-level leaders, who are hyper-aware of CRM’s ability to shape an organization.</li><li><strong>Take it on the run.</strong> In order for the sales staff or other departments to use CRM to get to know customers better, users will likely need a way to tap CRM applications remotely.</li><li><strong>Pick your battles. </strong>Without question, a CRM initiative is laden with snags that can challenge even the best IT manager. Hence, a significant number of organizations chose to pass the lion's share of the chore to outsourcers.</li></ol>Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-44648432484542147762008-10-07T08:37:00.000-07:002008-10-07T08:48:00.143-07:00Direct Marketing Employment Projections<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjq2oRxEBvQkVZ98NmrrFLP2HObiYRokdE7wQ_u2WZLsBzqu3Y81W44aMUf5fE_tnk32tyVEtTKNaluSQsdIgNyT_bnBKoXluhO_PBidqVhIYlOE7mKPppVuS6L15WByISm1J-6wIVZQ/s1600-h/j0387706.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjq2oRxEBvQkVZ98NmrrFLP2HObiYRokdE7wQ_u2WZLsBzqu3Y81W44aMUf5fE_tnk32tyVEtTKNaluSQsdIgNyT_bnBKoXluhO_PBidqVhIYlOE7mKPppVuS6L15WByISm1J-6wIVZQ/s320/j0387706.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254439000445927298" border="0" /></a><br />You know I hate to add to the economic doom and gloom news... But, I guess it's no surprise that the most recent <a href="http://www.bernhart.com/">Bernhart and Associates</a> survey reports: <a href="http://www.emediawire.com/releases/Direct_Marketing/Recruiter/prweb1419134.htm">Direct Marketing Industry Cutting Back Sharply On Hiring Plans.</a><br /><blockquote>Direct marketers are coping with the slumping economy by making deep cuts in their hiring plans for the remainder of 2008, according to the latest <a href="http://www.bernhart.com/" onclick="linkClick( this.href );" target="_blank" title="Bernhart Associates">Bernhart Associates</a> employment survey. "Every one of our major employment indicators showed significant declines compared with summer and now stand at their lowest levels since the survey began 8 years ago," said Jerry Bernhart, owner of Bernhart Associates Executive Search.</blockquote>There is a slight bright side to this story, however.<br /><blockquote>"Despite the gloomy outlook, nearly one-third of survey participants are still hiring and most don't have a hiring freeze," Bernhart added. "Certain job categories are holding up much better than others." When asked what positions employers intend to fill during the coming fourth quarter, Bernhart said sales and analytics dominated the list.</blockquote>Marketing is always hit hard when the economy softens. Typically direct marketers are a tad safer than other disciplines that aren't able to justify their activities with hard facts--numbers and results. Yet, this news is disturbing.<br /><br />It will be interesting to gauge the mood at the <a href="http://www.dma08.org/index2a.php">DMA conference</a> next week (that is, if anyone shows up...). Look for live reports from DMA on this blog!Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-70010503067914563482008-10-06T09:17:00.000-07:002008-10-06T09:30:03.308-07:00Case Study: Contact Management<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X-eFK3Wv9z2jD1JcA6udDgpTaYURU04pLX60trHNla5zrvQUjnt3wjs97SbPUjzZYTmv8VRo3Qdxn6J106Em2Ub36kJgbQgaiHAgj3bnYGD1yj7VDWHhXxM1zWtqZlzPNZinSVWPztI/s1600-h/j0401994.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X-eFK3Wv9z2jD1JcA6udDgpTaYURU04pLX60trHNla5zrvQUjnt3wjs97SbPUjzZYTmv8VRo3Qdxn6J106Em2Ub36kJgbQgaiHAgj3bnYGD1yj7VDWHhXxM1zWtqZlzPNZinSVWPztI/s400/j0401994.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254078931896470258" border="0" /></a><br />First of all, some personal business! Our wedding was perfect--very romantic and beautiful. It was so nice to spend time with family and see old friends. Maui was pretty awesome, too.<br /><br />But, believe it or not, I missed posting to this blog and it's good to get back into the swing of things. It's Monday and time for a direct marketing case study. I thought I would build on the concept of B2B lead management practices that <a href="http://rrwdatabasemarketing.blogspot.com/2008/09/lead-generation-best-practices.html">I reported on last month</a>. Today's case study comes to us from <a href="http://www.directalliance.com/">Direct Alliance</a>, a firm that provide business process outsourcing (BPO) competencies in sales and marketing. It highlights how important analytics can be in understanding and impacting customer behavior (a concept that I firmly believe in).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Description</span><br />Customer analytics results score big with client and drives improved targeting and increased sales.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Business Challenge</span><br />The Client is a world leader in developing, manufacturing, and supplying printing solutions. Faced with increasing direct competition, the Client needed a cost-effective customer management strategy that would enable them to better understand and anticipate customer decision-making and buying behavior. Specifically, they wanted to understand the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns, determine their market position by type of business–such as small-medium and large enterprise–, know which products contributed most to their bottom-line financials, and reduce their cost of sales.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Solution</span><br />Direct Alliance developed a customer database analytical modeling program to review customer monthly, quarterly and annual purchasing patterns over a three-year period. From this, Direct Alliance developed scoring model to identify customers with a high-propensity to purchase within a specific quarter. The second part of the solution was the development of personalized product offerings to accommodate the customer’s quarterly buying cycle that were supported by personalized electronic direct marketing and call campaigns. Weekly pipeline reviews were conducted to continually evaluate the progress and success of customer contact and sales efforts.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Metrics</span><br />The Direct Alliance scoring model predicted customer buying patterns with 90% accuracy and customer touch improved to 100% from an average of 30%. Improved accuracy and effectiveness led to a 98% increase in first quarter revenues vs. only 69% in prior quarter, and buying accounts increased 42% percent year-over-year.Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-70273508589196827062008-09-23T07:30:00.000-07:002008-09-23T07:44:04.963-07:00Love, Wedding and Maui!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYDejDjLMNhCCu7pO1Exr5ZnvCV1h7sjEHwp1Nz6RvYzzRtf4YgykoUimDCOUsmxLkhyepQ_1PysO6XvUIfjWSFmzaAC7FV_ALioxvlLH3xhyWstic37iyfDcIDpNtmXiyv0skB60aMs/s1600-h/Paradise.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 357px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYDejDjLMNhCCu7pO1Exr5ZnvCV1h7sjEHwp1Nz6RvYzzRtf4YgykoUimDCOUsmxLkhyepQ_1PysO6XvUIfjWSFmzaAC7FV_ALioxvlLH3xhyWstic37iyfDcIDpNtmXiyv0skB60aMs/s400/Paradise.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248930749095200882" border="0" /></a><br />It's been a year of changes. Probably the biggest change, and the one that I most look forward to is right around the corner, for me.<br /><br />I'm getting married next Saturday! To my best friend and love of my life. I'm a happy girl. We travel to California for the wedding and then we're off to Maui.<br /><br />You can only imagine that it'll be a bit tough to keep up on my blog. Rest assured, though, that I'll be back in action early October with more direct marketing updates.<br /><br />Aloha!Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-30485923917591603542008-09-22T08:42:00.000-07:002008-09-22T09:36:09.885-07:00Case Study: ASPCA and DR Television<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhdAr6kIB13epSik3tgYEKlrh7eGT4hhdEW1jLEw-ZNTIh2S-UXO1LPd5AwaDW-5EjLi1IOmCKHxua1UgUoZa1tcAEmRlHdnjeJVkaMCjXhXmnQKpd52NdXMCPFIaPudOYkCZ5JCI-gK0/s1600-h/Copy+of+untitled.bmp"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhdAr6kIB13epSik3tgYEKlrh7eGT4hhdEW1jLEw-ZNTIh2S-UXO1LPd5AwaDW-5EjLi1IOmCKHxua1UgUoZa1tcAEmRlHdnjeJVkaMCjXhXmnQKpd52NdXMCPFIaPudOYkCZ5JCI-gK0/s400/Copy+of+untitled.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248885292245296402" border="0" /></a><br />For the right marketer, direct response television can be an excellent channel for lead and sales generation. Or, in this case donation-generation (is that even a correct term?).<br /><br />Take a look at this DM News article: <a href="http://www.dmnews.com/DRTV-shows-off-new-tricks/article/118153/">DRTV shows off new tricks.</a> The article goes into nice detail about short-form verses long-form and articulates the challenges of measuring a multi-channel strategy. I've summarized their program by quoting bits and pieces of the article below.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Background</span><br />Television footage featuring adorable dogs, cats and other household pets elicits an emotional response from nearly everyone. So it's no surprise that direct response television (DRTV) has come to play a major role in the marketing strategy of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), which relies on one-time and monthly donations to fund programs related to animal-assisted therapy, animal poison control, animal cruelty, humane education, legislative services and shelter outreach.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Multi-Channel Challenges</span><br />“There's not just one mode of response [anymore],” says Loreen Babcock, CEO of agency Unit 7, which handles a wide variety of DRTV programs. Dealing with multiple call to action options can be challenging, she adds: “We have a pretty good feel for the benefit of having more than one type of communication, but not necessarily the frequency and the timing.” <p>Michelle Cardinal, CEO and president of Cmedia, agrees that one call to action just isn't enough anymore — today's DRTV campaigns must also drive to a URL. “You won't survive if you don't understand that it's no longer just about 1-800 numbers,” she says, pointing out that DRTV and the online channel used to be on “different planets.” Now, she explains, “[companies need] to bring them together to see how they complement each other.”</p> <p>Froehlich has seen this firsthand, as the ASPCA's DRTV program has evolved since its inception. “There's been a lot of crossover and multichannel fundraising going on,” he says. But the length and target audience its DRTV spots have also changed significantly, because of the changing television space, proliferation of channels and shifting viewer habits.</p>Experts emphasize that companies that have made DRTV a central part of their marketing over the years now need to cover all their bases with a broader spectrum of media that can integrate with the DRTV channel. Froehlich insists that the ASPCA now has a “pretty savvy” Web strategy, and that ASPCA's direct mail efforts have improved over the past few years — which he suspects is due to consumers' increased brand awareness from the DRTV program. <p>“There's that wonderful ‘halo effect,' which is the rub-off that TV brings to aid in the sales of products through other distribution channels,” explains Kirby. “So television educates, informs and creates emotion and impulse, but the consumer may elect to execute the transaction online.” This is why it's critical to link the digital and TV experiences in terms of the messaging and the creative, he continues.<br /></p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Results</span><br />“DRTV is successful when you take a highly complex and emotional problem and offer a simple solution that passionate people can do on their own,” says Steve Froehlich, senior director of direct response at the ASPCA, which has raised more than $40 million since its DRTV program launched in February 2004.<br /><p>“DRTV still leverages the [dominant] mass medium of our time — television,” Kirby says, pointing out that the channel lends itself to emotion and impulse, which are important elements in making a sale, and it is also accountable. “So, while TV media is very fragmented, DRTV can still build awareness for a brand and make cost of advertising self-liquidating when the product is sold directly to the consumer,” he continues. </p> <p>“The future is about understanding the relationship between DRTV and online behavior,” Peterson adds. “When you can show direct correlations, that's the endgame for anyone in DRTV.”</p>Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-79321816541714581532008-09-19T08:39:00.001-07:002008-09-19T09:09:26.972-07:00Direct Marketing Links<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yjfnMUSaquQiXWgMOmPyvVtwDSDgg_bBnpbn0Wa2IcfQW0Lgr-9GY7NNIb995VBLhfrRDKPdM8ZAYZC1mEwkxpRZfi73QudquDZ2QGEHIe_twtaze0PRzS_flaqIRcV5gFSLvRdyOY8/s1600-h/Blog+Log.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yjfnMUSaquQiXWgMOmPyvVtwDSDgg_bBnpbn0Wa2IcfQW0Lgr-9GY7NNIb995VBLhfrRDKPdM8ZAYZC1mEwkxpRZfi73QudquDZ2QGEHIe_twtaze0PRzS_flaqIRcV5gFSLvRdyOY8/s400/Blog+Log.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247765197611749250" border="0" /></a><br />As always on a Friday, I'm happy to share some of the interesting articles I've been reading this week. Enjoy!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/epic">The future</a><br />I'm a sucker for predictions of the future, so I was very pleased to find this video that recaps recent developments in computing, including the rise of social media and changes in e-commerce. It also projects out to 2015 (it predicts the demise of the 4th Estate, the press). This is definitely worth a listen.<br /><a href="http://www.kiplinger.com/businessresource/forecast/archive/Snail_Mail_Goes_Digital_080918.html"><br />Snail Mail Goes Digital</a><br />Great news for direct marketers. New technology is coming (to be introduced in May 2009) from the US Postal service that will allow businesses to track the movement and delivery of each piece of mail sent. This means that you'll know exactly when a prospect has received your piece, allowing you to time telemarketing or email follow-up precisely. Conversely, if a customer tells you that the 'check is in the mail', you can track their payment and know exactly when to expect it (or verify that, indeed, the check was sent). This technology will be a boon in measurement and tracking. Good news, indeed.<br /><br /><a href="http://johnsondirect.wordpress.com/2008/09/13/99-tips-plus-one-for-good-measure/">99 Marketing Tips</a><br />Speaking of measurement--the Johnson Direct blog (Marketing That's Measurable) is offering a book on how to make your marketing more measurable. At no charge, this sounds like a worthwhile investment :)<br /><br /><a href="http://marketinggeek.blogspot.com/2008/09/information-arbitrage.html">Information Arbitrage</a><br />Coined by the Marketing Geek's blog (doncha love that name?), the idea of information as a competitive advantage is intriguing. "Information arbitrage is occurring when a marketer takes advantages for his own brand over other brands due to one of three potential arbitrage situations: More Information, Better understood Information, Better used Information." Good food for thought here.<br /><br /><a href="http://blog.startwithalead.com/weblog/2008/08/marketingsherpa.html">More on Lead Nurturing</a><br />The B2B Lead Generation Blog has an excellent post on lead generation and nurturing. It also happens to be an excellent complement to <a href="http://rrwdatabasemarketing.blogspot.com/2008/09/lead-generation-best-practices.html">my post </a>on the same topic.Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-54946697580972578402008-09-17T16:36:00.000-07:002008-09-17T17:02:04.184-07:00Lead Generation Best Practices<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYMIl8HKMgeCHJMt3MiB9c4WUzfJvdIoMg1vvGl3XQV5JMK4E4iGiV75WJ3Kbl8hucZe51VL-Od_Vie2gNBnizh4umBBCJDSXSkV9GFG36AJ0AldhK1cI4LJdrFCOSg6res7GX_4fY_c/s1600-h/j0402194.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYMIl8HKMgeCHJMt3MiB9c4WUzfJvdIoMg1vvGl3XQV5JMK4E4iGiV75WJ3Kbl8hucZe51VL-Od_Vie2gNBnizh4umBBCJDSXSkV9GFG36AJ0AldhK1cI4LJdrFCOSg6res7GX_4fY_c/s400/j0402194.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247144876320489074" border="0" /></a><br />I've spent a LOT of time this week discussing the mechanics and best-practices of lead generation and lead nurturing programs. Some great conversations with some very bright marketers got me thinking that it was time to highlight this topic in my direct marketing blog.<br /><br />Take a look at this <a href="http://www.marketingsherpa.com/tele/B2BHB08.pdf">presentation</a> from Marketing Sherpa, titled "B2B Marketing Fast Fixes: How to Generate and Nurture More Qualified Leads." The presentation provides ten excellent tips and best practices. I've highlighted a few here that I found especially helpful, but I urge you to take a look at the entire presentation, if you're involved with--or interested in--lead generation.<br /><br />This tip blew me away: "Time Telemarketing Follow-up Calls Better." Essentially, the quicker you can follow-up a web-generated lead, the better. Marketing Sherpa presented results that showed that if a follow-up call is made within five minutes of your prospect completing your online form, you are 85% likely to actually connect with that prospect. Contrast this with what happens if you wait even 30 minutes to make that call. At 30 minutes, the likelihood of connecting with the prospect drops dramatically--to about 10%. Lesson learned: initiate a process where a follow-up call is initiated immediately after the person has registered on your site.<br /><br />As a direct mail advocate, I was pleased to see this tip: "Add Postal Mail to the Lead Nurturing Process." It's easy to discount direct mail as a channel. Who wants to kill more trees? And let's face it, direct mail is costly, especially when compared to email. But, direct mail can be an effective channel. For example, you can get very creative with format. When done right, direct mail will not only get opened, but it will get noticed and make an impact.<br /><br />Finally, this tip (a bonus tip, no less!) just makes good business sense: "Identify and Schmooze Evangelists." We all know how hard it is to gain a loyal customer. A loyal customer who not only stays with you, but one who shouts your praises is a rare and wonderful thing. I like the idea of taking the time to figure out which of your customers are evangelists and then treat them like royalty.<br /><br />In addition to the above, Marketing Sherpa presents ideas about using blogs to generate leads, landing speaking gigs as a way to collect highest quality leads and more extremely useful information.<br /><br />Good stuff!Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2855702741602123705.post-41091569108899001242008-09-15T08:46:00.000-07:002008-09-15T09:14:40.659-07:00Case Study: Office Depot Maximizes Multi-Channels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQ1854w-h81FG0KAA08PJo_2J2OUOOTqzs8vVMTsFVEnMVQSjgmCevoNZQ2rttd-PmTHTm-rMX3YfDIo1Jk7F9sCm27BJyx56FxNagHaAWLXVvU0vxQtEd0oL-CcTDMyHf2bahbFMf50/s1600-h/j0430783.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQ1854w-h81FG0KAA08PJo_2J2OUOOTqzs8vVMTsFVEnMVQSjgmCevoNZQ2rttd-PmTHTm-rMX3YfDIo1Jk7F9sCm27BJyx56FxNagHaAWLXVvU0vxQtEd0oL-CcTDMyHf2bahbFMf50/s400/j0430783.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246282176489715314" border="0" /></a><br />I'm always looking for quantifiable results that prove that a message received through multiple channels beats those received from a single channel. The concept of multi-channel marketing just makes so much sense, but it's oftentimes hard to measure. One has to wonder--would that customer have purchased or responded if they had only heard from us through a single channel? Were the extra costs of a multi-touch strategy justified?<br /><br />Today's <a href="http://advertising.microsoft.com/research/office-depot-brand-metrics">case study</a> comes to us, from of all places, Microsoft. They've cleverly measured the impact of various components of Office Depot's online advertising campaign, quantifying stand-alone results and the impact of multiple customer touches.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Background</span><br />Office Depot, Inc. is a global supplier of office products and services that sells to 44 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. With a number of sales being processed online, Office Depot wanted to optimize the effectiveness of their online advertising campaigns.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Challenge</span><br />Office Depot teamed up with Microsoft Advertising to conduct a study focused on understanding the brand lift an Office Depot search or display campaign receives when running together with other online channels. They wanted to determine which combinations of search, display, and content ads best drove Office Depot’s brand metrics.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Creative Solution</span><br />The study was conducted among 120 participants who were evaluated with eye-tracking tests and post-session surveys. The participants were exposed to various combinations of Microsoft display, search, and content advertising methods and evaluated for brand metrics like message recall and purchase intent.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results</span><br />The study revealed that while search, display, and content ads are effective online channels for driving brand metrics, when combined they generate more powerful results. The following chart is the best illustration, I believe of the power of multi-channel marketing.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74cIgyc4lRgzY0icC_R_QW89iHwYNnUnWmilKGGT0mMQj-4yxy6stw6BMXMtTVfDGpoIgjou6VdQ_xcESEqUz8bTYlJ9uuM-Hi8nY4jg8GBWJsSPCf8n20eYXcgLP8UG9ekUl9Fa5rCU/s1600-h/Microsoft+Results.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74cIgyc4lRgzY0icC_R_QW89iHwYNnUnWmilKGGT0mMQj-4yxy6stw6BMXMtTVfDGpoIgjou6VdQ_xcESEqUz8bTYlJ9uuM-Hi8nY4jg8GBWJsSPCf8n20eYXcgLP8UG9ekUl9Fa5rCU/s400/Microsoft+Results.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246281384103502162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Office Depot Search Campaign Study</span><br />Adding both display and content ad offerings to the search campaign is more effective than adding only one additional channel offering. Results achieved include:<br /><ul><li> 46.5% incremental lift in ad recall</li><li>49.1% incremental lift in brand recall</li><li>19.7% incremental lift in message recall</li><li>21.6% incremental lift in purchase intent</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Office Depot Display Campaign Study</span><br />Adding both search and content ad offerings to the display campaign is more effective than adding only one additional channel offering.<br /><br />Multiple exposures through search, display, and content ad channels translate into 2.41 times the amount of user interest (measured in relative fixations and gaze time) over search alone. Results include:<br /><ul><li> 20.8% lift in ad recall</li><li> 45.0% in brand recall</li><li> 15.8% in message recall</li><li> 13.7% in purchase intent</li></ul>Suzanne Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02454692691964469323noreply@blogger.com0