Favorite Weekly Links

Can you believe that it's already Friday again? Dang -- I love these short weeks! Anyway, here are our favorite links this week. Hope you enjoy them.

I love this first post by the Servant of Chaos. Entitled "Seeing the Wonder in Technology," Gavin Heaton discusses how cool it is to be able to engage with the technology today and communicate real-time with folks across the globe. And it's all at our fingertips. It's very cool and as I pointed out in a comment, it hasn't been that long ago that none of this was possible. I remember when internet access was restricted at AT&T in the 90s because the leadership team thought people wouldn't work if they had access to the internet. Can you even imagine doing your job without it today? And that doesn't even take blogs, podcasts, instant message discussions and the like into consideration. Great post!

The next post we really liked was my 2 cents: Holding the bag? Author David Reich discusses the recent announcement by American Airlines about the additional cost of checking even one bag. Reich wonders if this announcement and the resulting consumer uproar makes for a great marketing opportunity for rival airlines -- or not (because they'll follow suit). I personally think the bigger issue is that, unfortunately, the airlines now treat us all badly -- it doesn't matter if you're a once-a-year flier or some super-executive-plutonium-platinum frequent flier status. Anymore, it's just not a good experience with the airlines. They tend to be surly and confrontational, as opposed to customer oriented. That's fallen by the wayside. I think this post will resonate with many!

As a post-script to this, however, I've got to give my friends at Southwest a shout out! They do, really try to treat their customers better. And, I think that they've separated themselves from the rest by keeping their customer focus -- and by doing things like writing a blog where customers can interact with them. If you haven't checked out their blog, definitely do -- it's a good one! By the way, the most recent post features a video from their CEO talking about the fact that "Fees don't fly at Southwest." See what I mean?

Can you think of all of the advertising you've seen lately on being green? Well, if you read our blog, you know we're environmentally friendly marketers and a big fan of Kermit the Frog. On a recent Melodies in Marketing post, blog author Mario Vellandi posts "10 Signs of Greenwashing" by Futerra Communications. It's a cute post that gives us both pictures and words of some of this over-the-top marketing that may be just that . . . over-the-top. Some products (take cigarettes for example) just can't be made to be green, no matter how much the manufacturer may try!

Enjoy these posts and a lovely weekend to all!

How to Get a Raise

Let me start off by saying (just to be perfectly clear!)--today's post is not only for the direct marketing industry.

With that said, I think all of you direct marketers can benefit from this sage advice I found today on Laura Rowley's Money and Finance site on Yahoo. The article provides Seven Ways to Get a Raise in a Soft Economy.

Essentially the article acknowledges the soft economy we're facing today, but urges people not to let the economy stop them from seeking a pay raise.

"Employers will shed 45,000 jobs a month on average in the current quarter, forecasters predict, and unemployment will rise to 5.5 percent from 5.1 percent by the fourth quarter.

At the same time, companies are expected to hand out raises of 4 percent this year, according to a survey by the Washington-based Economic Research Institute."

Here are her tips to help you get that 4% raise (or even a bigger one!):

Mistake No. 1: Assuming you can't ask for a raise. In a nutshell--if you don't ask, you won't get one!

Mistake No. 2: Justifying your request for a raise. Don't make the raise contingent on something going on in your life (just had a baby; wife lost job; etc). Instead communicate the benefits that you've brought to your company. Talk about your successes as a reason why you deserve that raise.

Mistake No. 3: Asking at the wrong time. Don't ask for a raise right when you're back from a nice vacation. Instead ask right after you've done something really great for your company.

Mistake No. 4: Tooting your own horn too loudly. Instead of talking about how good you are, demonstrate it.

Mistake No. 5: Promoting your unconventional style. Instead, try to emulate the corporate culture you're working in. This will get you much further--your company will be more apt to want to keep you, AND give you that raise.

Mistake No. 6: Listening to what the company says instead of watching what it does. Pay attention to the type of actions the company rewards, not what they state are their values.

Mistake No. 7: Quitting when you don't get the raise you want. Now, understanding that your company doesn't value you enough to give you that raise might be a good reason to start looking. But, quit after you've landed the new job, not before.

As a closing note, yes, this economy might be tough, but we believe that direct marketers absolutely have the tools to thrive and to get those raises. After all, our work is based on measurable results. Be prepared to show, in writing with graphs and figures, exactly how your marketing efforts equated to new customers acquired, new sales made or profitable customers retained.

We direct marketers are lucky that a key component of our job (the measurement piece), the very essence of what we do every day is also that very thing that we can also use to justify our raises.

What Does Poor Data Quality Cost You?

As you work hard to squeeze the most out of every direct marketing dollar, one of the most important ingredients -- and one that is often overlooked -- is data quality. And, as we market to our customer databases, it is so important that the data that is housed within it is accurate.

In a recent article in BtoBOnline, Bob Orf, President of Data Mentors describes how the cost of direct marketing with dirty data can wreak havoc on already stretched budgets. As Bob points out, "As one-to-one relationship marketing becomes more the norm, databases are expanding at exponential rates. In fact, corporate databases double in size roughly every six to nine months. These two factors alone should be sufficient stimulus for businesses to get their databases in order in a cost-effective manner. The average business database contains a staggering amount—15% to 40%—of bad data. That means roughly one in four pieces of marketing material mailed is worthless."

Yikes! That'll keep you up at night -- 25% of your direct mail is not getting to the intended recipient? I can imagine the C-Levels all over the country clutching their hearts over this statistic. In an economy that demands that every dollar be spent as intelligently as possible, you would think that this would be totally unacceptable at any company.

When you think about it, it isn't that difficult to clean up your customer database. Let's face it -- the widely available data hygiene tools are cheap and readily available in the marketplace. There just isn't a good reason anymore to have dirty data.

And, once you get your data assets cleaned up with these hygiene tools, it's easier and more cost effective than it used to be to keep your data managed effectively. Not only does this save you money, effective data management enables you to touch your customers efficiently. Once you've got this orchestrated, this will positively impact customer satisfaction as well.

The savings realized by effectively fixing your data quality issues can be staggering. Let's look at Orf's example:

Let’s assume a company’s 10 million-record database consists of 15% bad data. The company uses the database to conduct synchronized direct response mail and one-to-one relationship marketing campaigns. It touches the entire customer base quarterly. That’s an annual total of 40 million pieces of printed material at an average unit cost of approximately $1.05 each (labor, material, postage). Shaving 10 points off the bad data percentage would translate into a gross savings exceeding $4 million.

$4 million in savings will make anyone look like a hero in their organization. When you add in the positive impact to customer satisfaction and all of the time and resources saved by implementing a sound data quality strategy, you've hit a home-run!

Practical Social Marketing

Just like all of you out there, I read lots of news, blogs and articles each and every day. Part of this curiosity is my need to keep up-to-date on what's going on in marketing, and part (quite honestly) is to ensure that we keep coming up with new info to share with readers of this blog.

So, when I come across information that I can take action on and use almost immediately, I get really happy. That's what happened this morning when I came across a super article on how B2B marketers can make use of social marketing. Be forewarned--this is not the usual advice on how corporations need to create a blog to initiate a dialog with their customers (although we believe that IS important). It also does not give the same advice to put up profiles on places like Facebook, just so your brand can have a presence there.

What it does provide is practical tactics centered around using social marketing for B2B marketers. The article, which essentially consists of an interview with Bianca Garcia, a media planner for Overdrive Interactive is titled: How a Social Media Campaign Fits into a B2B Media Plan.

Here are some of tips I found especially interesting:

• Go beyond LinkedIn. Be on the look-out for industry-specific social networking sites, but don't ignore the sites for the masses such as Facebook, because many businesspeople are participating on a business level. (Check out this Direct Marketing Facebook group that we participate in actively.)
• Ms Garcia advises us to "look at online campaigns holistically, meaning I don't just think of a social media campaign as establishing a mere presence in the social networks, but I always tie in banner ads, blog outreach, e-mail blasts, newsletter sponsorships, etc., into the media mix."
• She reminds us not to forget about YouTube, as this is a fabulous opportunity to get your product info in front of interested viewers. "Some B2B companies might dismiss YouTube as simply a youth-oriented, amateur-video site, but it is far from that. YouTube has turned into such a powerful and relevant social media tool that anyone can leverage its reach and viral effectiveness. There are thousands of education, science and technology, news, and how-to videos about and produced by various B2B brands and companies."

All in all, a thought-provoking way to look at maximizing your investment (even if that investment is only time) in Social Marketing--specifically tailored to B2B marketers.

Our Fave Five!

Welcome to our Memorial Day Weekend version of the Friday Blog Log! Get those barbeque's fired up people!

Here are our favorite links of the week:

In honor of the season approaching, here's a great post from the Extreme Horizon Surfing Blog. Author "Northcore" posts many compelling questions about being a true surfer on this blog. In this post, he discusses how to determine if you are a true surfing addict. This is an entertaining blog and a good one to get us all ready for Sum-Sum-Summertime!

Next, we'd like to feature the Diva Marketing Blog. In this post, our favorite Diva interviews Richard Binhammer on how Dell has integrated Social Media into its marketing plan. Binhammer provides some great insight on how a large corporation is utilizing social media successfully to have more meaningful conversations with it's customers. Great interview and lots of thought-provoking insight!

Our buddy, Robert Rosenthal, featured a very compelling post on Freaking Marketing. Entitled "The Downturn May Not Be the Only Thing Keeping You Down," Robert discusses how many marketing groups are run by dictatorial know-it-alls who refuse to move from the old, stale ideas to try the new, fresh ideas that are more relevant today. Not only does this post really make you re-think the economic slowdown, the commentary from the many commenters is really interesting. Take a look -- we know you'll enjoy the idea exchange!

On the opposite side of the table, you have the Marketo Blog, where blogger Jon Miller talks to Susanne Lyons, a CMO who has over 25 years of experience with companies like Visa and Charles Schwab. Miller interviews Lyons on a podcast on how she has built power and respect through marketing accountability over her career. Here is an example of where those truly forward-thinking marketers continue to make a difference by embracing those fresh ideas that are relevant today.

Finally, in my own self interest, today is my twin-pug-brothers 3rd birthday. And, doggone it, I wanted to share that with all of you. Here's a picture of Willy and Woody -- the 2 little monsters in my life. Happy Birthday Boys!

Have a great three day weekend, all!

Identity Theft Happens...

I try at all times to keep my inner cynic at bay. But, I have to tell you that every time I see the commercial for LifeLock come on TV, I cringe. You know the one--there's a big truck printed with a guy's social security number and the ad is touting his service that is designed to stop identity theft. He's so sure that his service works, that he doesn't mind sharing his social security number--with everyone.

To me, that's simply an invitation for a cocky thief.

Well, apparently, a smart criminal rose to the challenge and has succeeded. Check out this article just in: ID-protection ads come back to bite pitchman. From the article:

"Davis (the president of LifeLock) acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that his stunt has led to at least 87 instances in which people have tried to steal his identity, and one succeeded: a guy in Texas who duped an online payday loan operation last year into giving him $500 using Davis' Social Security number."

The failure to protect even his own identity has sparked a number of lawsuits (big surprise there...).

"The lawsuits, for which Paris (attorney leading the action) is seeking class-action status, highlight the fundamental limits on how much security identity-theft companies can provide.

Companies like LifeLock can help guard against only certain types of financial fraud by helping consumers set up alerts with credit bureaus, which inform them when someone tries to open a new line of credit or boost their credit limit to finance a buying binge, for example."

I guess the moral of the story is--identity theft is something to be taken seriously, and there really are no easy answers. You simply don't need a company like LifeLock to help you monitor your own credit report--go directly to the bureaus for that. You can also ask them about fraud alerts and how to use them to fight identity theft, too.

As direct marketers, we too, need to always be on the look-out for areas where data might be stolen or misused. News like this reminds me about how we are often privy to sensitive customer info in the course of our day-to-day data mining and analysis projects. Accidents and theft CAN happen. We need to make sure that we have the appropriate measures in place to ensure that they DON'T happen.

Customer Preference Key When Planning E-Mail Campaigns

We're big believers in letting the consumer or business dictate which channel and how often they prefer to receive communications. By paying attention to these factors, direct marketers can make the most out of each DM campaign. This is becoming increasingly important when it comes to e-marketing.

According to DM News today, Habeus, Inc., has just conducted some research that concurs with our thoughts. The study looked at how e-mail and online interaction with businesses overall is being adopted by consumers. A few key points that came out of the study were that, overall, more consumers prefer to receive e-mail messages from direct marketers -- in fact, it is the channel of choice most of the time.

Here's a snippet from the article: “'E-mail is still vital, and it will continue to be,' said Des Cahill, CEO of Habeas Inc., of the fact that 67% of respondents prefer e-mail as a communications channel compared with other online vehicles and 65% believe this will continue in the next five years." Sixty-seven percent is nothing to sneeze at!

Folks are busier than ever these days, and if they can go to their computer to do their shopping and purchasing because companies are sending out targeted, relevant e-mails, it's no wonder that this percentage is so high.

The other two findings were (1) that consumers, in particular, are still very wary of spam -- both to their computers and wireless devices. So, while they prefer e-mail, they don't want to be spammed; and (2) they'd like to have more control over both the frequency and the content of the e-mails that they receive. “Consumers want more control, so we are recommending our customers set up preference centers,” Cahill said. Just imagine . . . as part of our direct marketing efforts, teams are being created to determine customer preferences. This is the ultimate in letting the customer dictate the marketing that they receive, and demonstrates that pull versus push marketing is becoming more of the norm.

We really like this trend -- and we'll be tracking it for you as it continues to evolve.