June 29th, 2009 | by Cynthia Fedor
After a crazy couple of weeks filled with sad news regarding the passing of notable public figures such as David Carradine, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett as well as the legendary and infamous Michael Jackson, I was yet again surprised to hear of another, well this time, pseudo-celebrity death. Sunday morning I logged onto Twitter just in time to see a post from @YoungBillyMays announcing the passing of his father, Billy Mays, earlier that morning.
I know, he was an infomercial / commercial pitch man, maybe not what anyone would call a celebrity. However, his charisma, excitement and talent was embraced by many consumers… and got a lot of people to buy OxiClean! As he promoted dozens of products through TV infomercials, he developed his own personal brand that many people trusted… and some parodied.
So, what was it that made him and his infomercials so successful? Take a look at this past blog post, “Act Now! And Learn a Thing or Two from Infomercials,” for some highlights and takeaways.
June 29th, 2009 | by admin
How to Construct a Great B-to-B Email Newsletter
via infocenter.emailtransmit.com B-to-B newsletters should not use heavy, technical language. They should sound personable and genuine. Recipients should be enlightened, not surprised, by your content. Since many newsletters are constructed within a graphic template, it is important to be mindful of how your information is displayed. Best practices for newsletters include: * Subject lines should be short and describe the newsletter content accurately * Content categories should be listed clearly at the top of your message. For example, show the headlines in an “In This Issue” area that links to more information below
Product image 360 in Email
via stylecampaign.com my first – You’d think 360-degree animated Gifs would be common in email, but I received my first – out of 286 I’ve collected since 06 – last week from UK retailer Evans. Check it out here. Inspired, I headed to the studio to re-create the technique.
B2B Marketing Outlook Improves
via www.marketinginsightstoday.com Look for the biggest gains in B2B marketing to happen in the following three media forms: * Online * Direct mail * Events
How Nationwide more than doubled its sales with a new CRM strategy
via www.utalkmarketing.com By using Unica as part of its in-house CRM system, Nationwide has implemented one to one marketing to make tailored and personalised customer offers through direct mail, internet banking, and in-branch and call centre customer interactions.
June 26th, 2009 | by admin
Chuck Pruitt Is Mad! | The Agitator
via www.theagitator.net Chuck Pruitt of A.B Data thinks the dire predictions of the death of direct mail are groundless. … Chuck’s been around awhile, and his firm directed the Obama campaign’s direct mail fundraising efforts. Many of us probably have the impression, from the breathless reporting at the time, that all of Obama’s money was raised online … but A.B Data raised $108 million for Obama throught the mail. I don’t know about you, but that number makes me pay attention!
Consumed – Hyatt’s Random Acts of Generosity – NYTimes.com
via www.nytimes.com In the days ahead, managers and employees of the Hyatt hotel chain will be doing favors for some of their customers. Maybe they always did them, but these favors will be different: they will be what Hyatt Hotels’ C.E.O., Mark Hoplamazian, has called “random acts of generosity,” like unexpectedly picking up the tab for your hotel-bar drinks or hotel-spa massage.
4 missteps that can ruin your e-mail content :: BtoB Magazine
via www.btobonline.com Marketers are quickly learning—if they don’t already know—that the more targeted their e-mail content is, the higher the likelihood that their messages will be opened and read. Many looking to increase their e-mail relevance quotient may turn to dynamic content as a panacea. There are several stumbling blocks, however, that can trip up even the most seasoned e-mail veteran.
7 Killer Email Marketing Subject Line Tips
via www.seohosting.com In email marketing, the subject line is the most important part of your message. Without a killer subject line, your recipients will probably never even open your email. Worse yet, a really bad subject line could land you in the spam folder. So, knowing that the main the objective of your subject line is to get the reader to open the email, here are some tips to help you create click-worthy subjects. 1. Avoid spammy words… 2. Keep it short…
June 25th, 2009 | by Jamie Matusek
I stumbled across an interesting blog post today titled, “The Role of Online Marketing in BtoB Lead Generation.” Carla Joye, President of Strategic Intelligence Group answers difficult questions regarding best practice tactics for business to business lead generation. Here are a few examples:
Question: What do you think about the heightened interest in digital lead generation?
Answer: My experience has been that both agencies and clients see digital lead generation as a low to no cost medium for customer acquisition and therefore want to make it work. However, where they are short sighted is in making digital lead generation their only means of generating leads. Like any other successful lead generation efforts, digital marketing has a role to play but should be used in concert with other media such as direct mail, telemarketing, email, and so forth.
Marketers are always looking for the one magic bullet medium that will meet all their needs and are playing a fools game because that medium never will exist.
Question: How should businesses approach their lead generation efforts?
Answer: Ted, that’s the $64,000 question! Businesses should approach their lead generation efforts the old-fashion way. Start with a strategy and a list of who you want your customers to be in the next three to five years and then use every available means of communication to market to those chosen few until they appear on your customer list.What people need to remember is lead generation is the first step to gaining trust and building a relationship with a potential customer.
However, in today’s business world it’s all about the quick sale without regard to the lifetime value of that customer.
Speaking of customer lifetime value, that should be part of the strategy and target audience identification stage which comes first. The more lifetime value a customer has the more marketing $ should be spent on them. In business, the cliché that no two customers are created equal should be the mantra.
I couldn’t agree more! Check out the rest of the post here.
June 25th, 2009 | by admin
Real Estate Postcard Marketing Tip: Write Positively in Your Real Estate Direct Mail
via www.real-estate-news-articles.com Formulation. Sometimes, just a less bit of an alteration in the way you say your communication can create a big disagreement in how group respond to it. To pretending you what I convey, go position to the title of this article, “Mailing Your Succeeding Postcard.” Observe that I didn’t say “If you assemble a card.” I’m presuming that’s just what you’re leaving to do.
The Controversy over Personalized Ads
via www.emarketer.com Over one-half of adults in a 2008 TNS Global and TRUSTe poll were concerned about advertisers using their browsing history to serve relevant ads.
Coldwell Banker connects with YouTube crowd
via www.inman.com One month after launching a branded YouTube channel, Coldwell Banker Real Estate
