The economy expands and contracts in response to thousands of independent variables – one such variable, the COVID-19 coronavirus, is just the latest in a long list of examples. Still, periods of economic and social instability can be a scary time. In the interest of recalling lessons from past periods of uncertainty and helping brands Read More COVID-19: Lessons Learned from the Front Lines
Author: Michelle Houston
Holiday Results Are In! And They Might Surprise You
Hardly a day goes by without a business pundit predicting the demise of another retailer and whether brands continue to be relevant to consumers. This holiday season, our retailers continue to fight that narrative with a variety of strategies and tactics with a mixture of results. Now that the season is almost over for online Read More Holiday Results Are In! And They Might Surprise You
Print is the New Digital Champion
Recently, I sat down with Lois Brayfield, CEO of J.Schmid, to chat about challenges and opportunities around brand position across channels. During this conversation, she mentioned the phrase, “Print is the New Digital Champion” and how they are using this in their client conversations. That discussion and Brent Niemuth’s video resonated with me so much Read More Print is the New Digital Champion
It Pays to Incorporate Segmentation
This year at our annual Integrated Marketing Summit, I taught a workshop discussing the ways retailers should incorporate segmentation to boost topline sales and increase bottom-line profits. Segmentation and relevancy would also help to counteract the continued decline in open and click-through rates as indicated in our annual benchmark report below. As the volume of Read More It Pays to Incorporate Segmentation
Using “Tried and True” Direct Marketing Tactics to Improve Email Performance
By most ROI analysis, email is one of the top ROI channels, but contributing to this high ROI figure is the very low cost of sending an email on a per customer basis. And that is part of the problem – ease and cost. I challenge you to think about this…. you are probably over-emailing Read More Using “Tried and True” Direct Marketing Tactics to Improve Email Performance
The One Test You Should Perform This Year!
By now, you’ve probably heard the term triggered postcard program. The question now is, why aren’t you testing this as part of your integrative marketing efforts? In today’s cluttered marketing environment, many retailers are challenged to find innovative ways to stand out in the print and digital marketplace. The beauty of triggered postcards is that Read More The One Test You Should Perform This Year!
Crush it This Holiday Season with 10 Great Tips
Whether you’re a seasoned vet or newbie, you know firsthand how important marketing is for the holiday season. Now with the holiday season quickly approaching, an integrated marketing strategy is even more important for customer satisfaction and company profits. Here are my top 10 initiatives to implement immediately: 1. OPT IN APPEND. One of the Read More Crush it This Holiday Season with 10 Great Tips
Using Website Data to Understand Intent
We all use purchasing data to guide our marketing plans. The recency since last purchase, frequency of purchases, and the total amount spent have been the cornerstones for predicting customer performance in direct marketing for over 50 years. We have gotten better at refining RFM using other purchasing signals, such as products or category purchased Read More Using Website Data to Understand Intent
Engage and Integrate Facebook Into Your Marketing Plans
Obviously, Facebook needs no introduction! Not only has it survived, but it has thrived. Today, Facebook has 1.8 billion active audience members and has become the largest and most popular social network. Because of this massive user base that uses every type of content distribution, it’s one of the most heavily used social platforms in Read More Engage and Integrate Facebook Into Your Marketing Plans
Drivers and Catchers; As different as Apples and Oranges!
Drivers (Catalog, Email, Search) and Catchers (Store, Web, Phone) – the distinction between drivers and catchers and why understanding the difference is important The key to running any marketing-driven endeavor is to deploy marketing dollars to the best advantage of the business. While this statement is simple, the task has become increasingly complex as more Read More Drivers and Catchers; As different as Apples and Oranges!