Effective Marketing Is a Balance
Effective marketing is a two-pronged effort. There’s marketing for the purpose of brand building and positioning, and marketing for the purpose of getting, keeping, and growing customers. While both approaches have the goal of improving corporate revenue by increasing sales, these two types of marketing efforts are distinctively different from one another. Historically, Direct Response […]
Making Better Happen Can Be a Simple Thing
Show of hands. Who thinks life is getting simpler? Anyone? No? That’s what I thought…oh wait…you in the back. Extra points for being able to raise your hand while your head is buried in the sand. Now take the complexity of just everyday life and try being a marketing director. You gotta deal with data […]
Seven Rules to Get the Most from Your Direct Mail Envelope
I know what you’re thinking. “Hmm. It’s not from anyone I know, at least I think it isn’t. It looks kind of important. I should probably open it. If I don’t, I’ll wonder all day what it is.” Amazing how much power that brown kraft paper envelope — empty of information except your address and […]
Get Your Business Booming by Marketing to Baby Boomers
Normally, I preach about the benefits of marketing to the newest generations of buyers, Gen Z and millennials, and for good reason—these two generations represent $165 billion in spending, and earning their loyalty now could mean decades of repeat purchases in the future. But that’s not to say that the young bucks are the only generations […]
Hispanic Heritage Month Reminds Marketers of the Influence of Hispanic Americans
September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage month in the United States. Hispanic Americans have had a big influence on all aspects of American culture―everything from food to music to sports. This influence has become something marketers must embrace as the multicultural majority shift is happening faster than anticipated (based on a non-Hispanic white […]
Insights to Inform Your 2023 Marketing Plans and Strategies
As we head into Labor Day Weekend, the telltale signs of fall are beginning to appear and brands are starting to think about next year’s marketing plans and strategies. One continuing issue for direct marketers is finding the right balance between data and personalization to power successful campaigns. I was recently asked to write an […]
Direct Mail: More Value and Verifiable Results
Direct mail is … back? Actually, due to the effectiveness of direct mail, it never went away. Its reputation as a high-value marketing channel whose results are testable and verifiable over multiple iterations (in contrast to ever-more questionable online marketing) has strengthened its appeal over the past 20 years. Oh, and the only personal information […]
Summer is When Your Direct Marketing Strategy Should be Heating Up
As we take advantage of the joys of summer―sunshine, concerts, vacation time―astute marketers start heating up their direct marketing strategy planning for high-performing fall and holiday campaigns! You may be saying to yourself, “Are they crazy? I just put on my new bathing suit and am setting out to the beach to catch some rays.” […]
The Critical Importance of Data and Creative Best Practices to Drive Marketing Success
A few years back, I was out on a sailing trip with other dads and their young sons in the Gulf of Mexico. The afternoon wind had died, so our captain suggested we take down the big sails and try our luck catching some dinner. My son and I eagerly dropped in our lines and […]
4 Tips for Financial Services Marketing to Diverse Hispanic American Consumers
Financial service providers have a tremendous opportunity to gain market share by marketing to Hispanic American consumers. According to the Pew Research Center, “Multicultural groups accounted for 91.7% of the nation’s population growth over the past decade.” Hispanics were the fastest-growing segment of the American population, accounting for 57% of the growth, yet Hispanic American […]
