Direct Marketing | Boost Your Marketing ROI

Yesterday’s Business Provides Lessons To Boost Marketing ROI

By Craig Barnes on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 | No Comments

Have you ever wondered why so many small businesses were successful years ago? The answer is simple. They really knew their customers.

I’m reading a book about Latonia, Kentucky right now. It’s where I grew up. A couple of chapters are devoted to stories and images of small businesses in the town and how they served their customers.

My grandparents owned and operated a jewelry store in Latonia that my great-grandfather started in the 20’s. As I read the book I was reminded by the way my grandparents nurtured their customers. They would (mostly my grandmother) would send handwritten notes to those who made purchases thanking them for their patronage. They also sent birthday and anniversary greetings. If they saw an engagement announcement in the paper they would cut it out, laminate and mail it to the bride’s family with a congratulatory note. Railroaders needed to have their watches regulated (I guess at some point trains ran on time) and they would mail reminders so that the engineers and yardmen would all be in sync.

Here’s the lesson from those stories that can help you boost your marketing ROI.

It’s critical to fully leverage the customer relationship to maximize lifetime value. While my grandmother kept a card file of names and addresses, we can utilize data mining and automated delivery systems to stay in front of our customers. And because my grandparents’ customer universe was small, they could get to know those who traded with them personally. Today, we have sophisticated profiling tools today that help us know our customers and enable customizing communications based on those understandings.

Occasionally it’s good to look back to see where you can go.

Panhandler Offers A Marketing Lesson.

By Craig Barnes on Monday, March 9th, 2009 | 1 Comment

I was in San Francisco for meetings the past few days and one of the city’s growing number of panhandler’s offered up a marketing lesson in cutting through the clutter.

As we were walking to a restaurant on the wharf we encountered no less than eight or nine individuals asking for money. Some had cups they simply held out, some were standing, and others sitting and making a general motion in our direction, suggesting what they wanted.

But one guy had a sign that read: “Why lie. I’m gonna spend it on booze.”

This is not to minimize the struggle of those who find themselves in desperate situations or the issue of alcoholism

But, this particular individual was grabbing the attention of everyone who passed by and his cup was full. Talk about effective direct marketing.

The point is that if you are in a highly competitive, cluttered market, you need to make sure that your message manages to stand out, and as a result you boost your marketing ROI.

Digital Marketing Can Boost Marketing ROI of Direct Pay Health Care Providers

By Craig Barnes on Thursday, January 15th, 2009 | No Comments

My last post about our dentist resulted in another dentist following my Twitter updates. First, I was impressed that a health care provider was using Twitter and then when I went to his Web site … I have to applaud his digital marketing acumen.

Check out his site. It is an excellent example of using multiple digital markeitng tools to boost marketing ROI. The site:

Uses video which is a great tool for SEO
Has two “opt-in” offers that result in list building of qualified prospects
Features video testimonials from patients
Targets mid-life dentistry issues
Contains a blog with an RSS feed

As the economy struggles along it’s vital to develop a realtionship with prospects through a two-way dialogue. Those who offer direct pay medical services can learn a lot from this site. And, that goes for anyone else who is trying to maximize their marketing ROI.

Let me know what you think of this Dentist’s efforts. He’s my marketer of the day!

Good ROI On Your Reading Time …Three Quick Reads.

By Craig Barnes on Monday, December 1st, 2008 | 2 Comments

Here are three really quick reads that you may find interesting. Let me know what you takeaway from them.

Three Of Five Adults Shop Online

A new report from The Media Audit indicates that three in five adults shop online at least once a year, while one in five shop at least once a month.

Online Reviews Second Only To Word Of Mouth In Purchasing Decisions

New data from Rubicon Consulting demonstrates the importance of online product reviews and word of mouth when deciding on what to purchase.

Most Fortune 500 Companies Have Low Internet Visibility

A new report from “Conductor,” a New York based search agency indicates that most of America’s biggest corporations have limited Internet visibility, as indicated when doing a natural search, using the keyword phrases most commonly associated with their services or products.

What did you learn from those three quick reads? Here’s my takeaway:

1. Even if you’re not selling a product online, you can build a list of interested prospects by offering to give them something for free in exchange for their information. For example, you could offer a “free report” on some aspect of your industry.

2. Ask your customer to comment on your service or product. Testimonials work!

3. If you’re a smaller company, use your size to your advantage. Claim your Internet space and slay the giant.

The opportunity to boost ROI is all around us. We just need to pay attention and act. Let me hear from you.

Customer Engagement and Segmentation Top Trends for 2009.

By Craig Barnes on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 | 5 Comments

I read an article on the “B to B” site today announcing top trends for 2009 that included customer engagement and segmentation. Social media was also in the top three.

While I applaud marketers for recognizing the importance of both, it’s not new to me. As a direct marketer, intelligence-driven decisions are part of my DNA.

Read the entire article … it’s worth the read. Here’s a quote from Eduardo Conrado, corporate VP-global marketing and communications at Motorola Corporation. ““We will be increasing interactive, coupled with strong analytics for database marketing and better segmentation.”

It’s a good reminder that if you’re not invested in a data-driven marketing strategy, now’s the time to do so.

Your marketing ROI is dependent upon completely understanding your target and then leveraging that knowledge through imagination to produce results.

That’s not a trend. It’s a fact.

Does Certifed E-Mail Boost Marketing ROI?

By Craig Barnes on Tuesday, August 12th, 2008 | No Comments

E-mail is the most widely used channel in all of direct marketing according to the Direct Marketing Association. Among its many benefits, e-mail is excellent for creating a personalized conversation with prospects and customers. And its proven that lift occurs when you can develop a one-on-one relationship.

However, there are influencing issues with e-mail that should be considered. Because of ISP spam and phising blocking efforts, a percentage of mail may not find it’s way to the intended reciepient, or some functionality like embedded video may not play.

I read a recent article on clickZ.com about the online ticket broker StubHub’s effort to minimize such incidences. They practice what we advise clients to do … maintain an on-going dialog with your customers. StubHub found that distribution of their monthly e-newsletter was being blocked by AOL about 25% of the time.

They decided to test an e-mail campaign (I love companies that understand the value of testing) a certified e-mail solution from Goodmail against their normal distribution technology. The results were dramatic.

Open rates lifted 26% and ticket order lift was 17%. According to the article, once it implemented certified e-mail more widely, StubHub also enjoyed a 36 percent increase in sales that could be directly attributed to its use of Certified e-mail.

Talk about boosting your marketing ROI!

Note: If you want to learn more about certified e-mail, here is a link that you may find helpful.

www.certifiedemail.net

Can We Learn From Obama’s and McCain’s On-Line Strategies?

By Craig Barnes on Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 | No Comments

My guess is that by the time the November Presidential election is over we will have an excellent case study of the true power of an integrated on-line marketing strategy. Both Senators Obama and McCain are creating a digital dialogue with their supporters. Read the rest of this entry »

Better ROI Through Market Prioritization.

By Craig Barnes on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 | No Comments

Let’s face it. Everyone wants to be in the place of most potential. Market prioritization enables you to successfully do just that.

Here is the path. Read the rest of this entry »

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