A Direct Marketing Agency - Helping Brands Acquire and Retain Customers

Abandonment rates continue to be on the rise. In some cases, industry reports that as many as 58% of online shoppers put an item in their cart and then leave without fulfilling the order. A number of reasons could exist as to why this happens. However, there is something you can do to reduce this rate with your business. Behavioral targeting.

By attaching metrics to your browsing and e-mail programs, you can help identify those customers that may have left or had an interruption to complete the order. You are then able to send a personalized e-mail to your customer allowing them to pick up from where they left off and complete their order.

By doing this simple follow-up approach, you can expect a higher open rate and higher click-through rate.

Direct mail is still a dominant player in acquisition efforts for B-to-B marketers.

While mail continues to fill up mailboxes, there continues to be a number of professions that don't allow access to end-customers during working hours because they're either away from their computers all day or they just aren't online. What this does is it pushes the end-customer to respond on their time making it essential to make all options open when sending mail (i.e., reply card, after hours phone, direct them to landing page or Web site, etc.)

One advantage to prospecting through mail is it allows you to reach a much greater universe. While the Internet has opened the door to e-mail rentals, the B-to-B segment only reaches approximately 30-40% of that audience. Plus, mailing lists are available for just about any industry, segment, function, and size you want. You can even use response files that identify your prospects history with reading and responding to mail solicitations.

The landscapes have changed slightly as well. What I mean is that as more marketers have shifted to more emerging medias for prospecting, there is even less coming through the mail which could make your piece stand out even more.

The next time you're looking to prospect, make sure you think about whom you're targeting, when and if they're online and what type of channels they may be using. It could make all the difference in your marketing efforts.

When you're packing your luggage for that next business trip, family vacation or weekend get-away, if you're like me, odds are that sometimes you'll end up forgetting to pack your camera, iPod or phone charger. I think I can share the frustration when getting to the airport and realizing that your phone is dead or you can't listen to any music and have to resort to the overhead announcement, "The security threat level is high," a million times over.

Finding these products can be a time consuming process if you were to go from retailer to retailer. However, a new era of kiosks popping up at airports is bringing your favorite brands to you.

ZoomSystems, a San Francisco-based company is offering its Internet-based services to some well-recognized retailers and brands. Through its network of about 650 airport, mall and retail locations, you can see products from clients such as Best Buy, Apple, Sony and more.

Finding ways to get your brand message out to current and prospective customers has become more difficult given the increased competition, media channels and limited time available to capture the attention of the consumer. Finding the right place and right time to make a connection is vitally important. While you can't build a relationship with a customer who is on-the-go at an airport, you can make a strong first impression and ideally a repeat purchase.

It's not surprising that online shoppers these days want more. More features, more options and more from you.

To keep up with the demands of the fast-moving consumer, businesses must stay ahead of the curve by adding features and options to their multichannel plan in order to increase conversions and provide the optimal customer service to make the customer come back.

In a recent study by Opinion, over one-half of Internet users surveyed desired the option of having merchandise delivered to their home or available for in-store pick-up after purchasing online. Additionally, over 80% of those purchasers would like to return the merchandise to the store even if they purchased it online or over the phone.

Other desires by Internet users include:

Taking this a step further, a more recent survey was conducted to monitor features that would help increase performance of online sales. These features include:

This new demand for convenience will help set the pace for retailers looking to increase their sales in the online retail market.

While e-mail continues to be an effective way to strengthen your relationship with your customers, new research shows that e-mail in the retail industry will slow down slightly in the next few years. Why you ask? Well, more marketers are moving toward emerging advertising such as online videos, interactive display ads, and the more rapidly growing social media advertising.

Social spending has continued to rise due to the increased competition in the e-mail and search marketing industry. In fact, Forrester predicts that spending on emerging channels will grow almost 75% from 2007 to 2012 reaching almost $1.59 billion, up from just $104 million in 2007.

Search marketing spending is predicted to grow at an average of 24% through 2012 to a whopping $8.27 billion, up from $2.82 billion in 2007, while online display advertising will grow almost 20%, respectively.

Forrester also points out promotional e-mails are reaching a saturation point. And, when surveying recent online consumers, 77% said they were annoyed with the volume they receive. Remember, there are a number of ways to keep engaged with your customers through e-mail. Perhaps you test a newsletter, review your transactional messaging for confirming orders or produce messages that are triggered by a particular activity. This could help cut down on the clutter and help reach your customers in a more targeted fashion.

Just because a current e-mail customer of yours decides to unsubscribe from you, that doesn't mean you should shut off all communication to them.

In a recent poll to e-mail marketers, less than 10% do any kind of outreach to try to re-engage their customer. In fact, most companies just treated the unsubscribe as an immediate (wipe the hands clean) end to the relationship.

However, there are a few things that you can do to try to keep the communication channels open and salvage the relationship.

1. Let them choose how often they'd like to receive e-mails from you - Maybe you're not sending enough? Maybe you're inundating them with too many?

2. Be content specific – Let them pick the type of content/product they'd like to receive in an e-mail.

3. Keep the options open – Let them choose the different types of communication they can receive from you (i.e., Blogs, mobile text alerts, etc.)

4. Update their records – Ask them to update their records to see if they'd like to receive your communication(s) at a different address.

5. Make them an offer – Provide them with a special offer to make them want to stay (i.e., dollars off, free gift card, etc.)

If you can show that you care and demonstrate how much their business means to you, you can hopefully re-acquire their business. If not, it's time to say goodbye.

Knowing where your customers click on your site can be critical to how you run your online business.

Tools out there such as Omiture's Site Catalyst can help identify problems and help you find a way to a solution. It's important to see how your visitors are looking at information and then react to it with intelligent decisions on how to fix the problem. When placing content in key areas of the site, it can immediately provide the insights into placement, traffic and flow. When analyzing home page graphics, promotions, copy, etc. this can be essential to testing and replacing low-viewed content.

It is also helpful with measuring the amount of clicks it takes to get into a site. If you're running an online e-tail business, you want to find the least amount of clicks to get to the product. Confusing the customer with "puzzle-path's" will only cause them to abandon their shopping experience. You will also be able to optimize your navigation to ensure all categories are being treated equally. By prioritizing these you can spread out the traffic and give the customer a full view of your content.

According to a recent study done by InsightExpress, over 2/3's of adult mobile customers are capable of sending and receiving text messages. Not to anyone's surprise, they found that Gen Y'ers text the most while 3/4's of 45-54 year olds can also text.

Additionally, the study showed how each type of mobile device is used among subscribers. In June 2007, they found 41.6% of mobile users had texted within the past three months. Finding out the number of mobile users who used text messaging was important because text ads are considered one of the most accepted forms by mobile users.

Mailing procedures and have a direct effect on your costs savings; especially with the increased postage and production costs. Taking a look at your merge/purge process can provide you with insights that may be hidden in your mailing program.

This process uses basic mechanisms to match records across list sources and eliminates duplicates. This may seem like a no-brainer, however, some marketers have failed to recognize some opportunities that may exist to boost profitability.

Here are some things that should be considered.

1. List Source Classification & Priority – It's common to prioritize house over outside lists. To ensure each contributes equal share, classify within both product and/or channel category. This is particularly useful with multichannel and/or multiproduct marketers who want to optimize preferences and migration to either list.
2. List Profitability – Consider ranking and prioritizing list based on profitability which will eliminate borderline and unprofitable sources. You can also calculate list profitability based on unique records.
3. Primary & Secondary Names – Store other names and relevant information such as gender and age in the database, and assign primary and secondary names within the same household.
4. List Category History – Store and manage merge/purge information in the database. At the household level, monitor the duplication and correlation across lists over time so you can identify change in list composition.

By testing and applying some of these methodologies you may not only be able to gain insights of your customers but you may also become more profitable.

A recent study of 427 women by consumer Reports National Research Center shows that women continually feel more comfortable with shopping on the internet. 57% of the respondents say they both research and buy online, while 31% said they browse online and purchase in-store. The survey also found that women spend an average of 1.2 hours per week shopping online, and 52% of their non-grocery shopping time is spent online. When asked where they spend most of their time shopping, 18% said at work while 54% said during 5:00pm and Midnight.

With all the new media choices available for advertisers, companies are looking for new ways to acquire customers. A leading video rental store has a unique way to use cell phones as a coupon device. It delivered a coupon to registered user's cell phones for an in-store redemption. They saw a 200% higher redemption rate than with the tradition coupon.

The coupons get delivered to the phone and are displayed on the users screen graphically. There are no scans involved as the customer simply shows the associate the screen for redemption. This new type of couponing cuts out the paper and printing so it can have a lower cost acquisition than a traditional campaign. And could be a good test opportunity especially if you were looking to hit the younger demographic. The company that manages the coupon program says that 65% of their customer base is under 35 years of age.

Without setting up a proper testing mechanism for your e-mail campaign, there is no way to tell how your customers are responding to your message, content and offers. It's important to spend the time upfront to plan and outline your objectives and outcomes desired. This will then help you determine whether or not the test was as success or failure.

One of the easiest ways to test is by doing a simple A/B split. This allows you to take one version to a random 50% and the other version at the same. You then measure which one performed better by changing one element at a time. This could include a product position, header message, subject line, etc. This makes it easier to see the impact on the response one step at a time.

You can also set up variable testing. This takes a combination of factors and measures if the addition either contributes positively or negatively to your response. An example could be placement of your copy, navigation and select content.

The important step is to make sure you track the results. When you put the analytics up on the e-mail and place each side by side, it starts to paint a picture of what's working and what's not. You need to spend the time analyzing the information and then apply the test elements to meet your objectives set in your plan. Don't be afraid to test. You'll end up sending more relevant messages and hopefully increase your ROI.

More shoppers are spending more time online. For those brick and mortar stores that operate both on and offline, it's essential to use the multi-channel approach to your marketing efforts. It's been stated that a customer spends up to 50% more when they shop across multiple channels. With that said, make sure your campaign is effective at pulling in customers from your site and offer the tools to get them into your store. Here's an example.

I recently made a purchase from BestBuy.com. I was shopping for a new Plasma TV. My first place to shop was online. I did the research, read customer reviews and narrowed down the product I wanted. I then proceeded to the site and placed my order. I used the purchase online and pick up in the store option (A great function when the store you're shopping is located in your city). It worked like a charm. I went through the shopping cart, placed the order and received an e-mail back confirming my order, availability and when I could pick it up.

I printed the materials, took them to the store that evening and picked up the TV. However, while in the store, I also was given the speech about sound quality. So, I walked over to the surround sound section and was immediately sold on the idea of hooking up a surround sound system. Additionally, I purchased cables/wires, surge protector, etc. What started out as an online (single channel) experience, turned into an increase order of approximately 20%. As part of my purchase, I was also allowed to earn points. The points go into my online account in which I can then go and print savings coupons to be used online or in the store. I almost always go back to the store to redeem.

This type of pick up at store feature does a good job of pushing traffic. However, you have to make sure that you continually find ways to drive a steady stream of traffic; consistently using online techniques and promotions. Retailers need to build that web-to-store experience to make the shopper and store personnel more aware of the value of that relationship.

Having a feedback mechanism on your web site for questions can help you turn insights and complaints into strategies to help build your business.

For example, when pulling data from numerous questions obtained from either surveys or open-ended questions, it's important to find the proper way to look at the data. Your goal should be to gain insights into customer's perceptions of what is and is not important. If they're speaking about a product or planned product feature(s), you may be able to use that data to help determine what features would be likely to make a customer purchase. Conversely, it provides you with the knowledge and full understanding of the customer's needs relating to your product.

Another way to monitor customer feedback is to create a forum in which the customer can leave a question and open the response to the general public or an appointed person within the organization. Using this type of feedback can help find key influencers and help monitor trends. Taking that information and sharing it with your marketing team can uncover a number of strategies to help not only make your customers happier, but also help troubleshoot or improve your product positioning.

We've all see those little "bubbles" or messages on sites that say something like "Click here to chat live." But what does that really mean? Well, it allows retailers to use live assistance techniques to answer a customer's question at just the right moment. That moment can mean the difference between a sale and an abandoned shopping cart. Further research shows that it can also lead to a higher average order. One online retailer reported that their average order increased by as much as $89.

More and more e-tailers are looking at the option of live chat or click-to-chat services (allows you to type in a number so someone can call you). Jupiter Research reports that these programs can increase customer interactions by up to 20%. While this type of service is relatively new, it can be especially effective for pricey or complex items. And it's a great way connect one-to-one with your customers.

Having an inward flow of new e-mail addresses may seem critical to building your business. However, it's not just about the quantity as it is the quality.

External list building, in some cases, can add more revenue to your business. But the value of an existing customer can be as much as 20 times greater making it even more important to retain your existing e-mail base. Just a 5% increase in retention can yield profit increases between 25% and 100%.

The goal is to create the best customer experience you can. Segment your list to determine your best customers, create one-to-one experiences with your customers brand or product preference and offer up personalized content when available. People are much more apt to read your message if it's more directly targeted to their interest and/or preferences. It's also not a bad idea to tap into them for referrals. People are more likely to read a message that's comes from a familiar e-mail address or friend.

Earlier this year there was concern amongst cataloger's when the Postal Service decided it was once again (as if we haven't seen enough already) time to raise postage rates. While I can't predict how companies were affected by this increase, I can say that any increase of almost 20% will reach deep into your pocketbooks and create some board room table discussions with the catalog team. The outcome, review business plans and find ways to become more efficient at producing the catalog.

Here are some tips to help keep you costs down in the ever increasing world of postage hikes:

1. Co-Mail – Considering entering a co-mail program with your print company. Most offer discounts by combining your catalog circulation with that of another company. This will help optimize your pre-sort and build pallets that will help you qualify for delivery deep into the postal system.
2. Consider Trim Sizes – Since most printers require your book to be a standard size for co-mail, consider trimming your book to the most efficient catalog size. Right now that is 8" x 10.5." Trimming just a 1/8" – 3/8" off your catalog can cut paper and ink costs significantly.
3. Eliminate Non-Responders – Look at your list performance. If you've been sending a catalog to a customer over and over without a strong conversion rate, drop them from your mail file. Mail only the people who are most likely to respond.
4. Address Hygiene – Be sure to update your incorrect or incomplete addresses to maximize your postal efficiencies and reduce your costs.
5. Web Awareness – It's much more efficient and cost effective to take an order online. Use your web store to pull orders and promote it more effectively in your catalog.
6. Paid Search - Beef up your paid search campaign so that your cost per customer stays relatively low to mailing a catalog.

I read an article the other day that talked about consumers trust with the unsubscribe link in an e-mail. It said that nearly 31% of the surveyed didn't trust the unsubscribe link especially when receiving an e-mail from a non-recognized or non-trusted source. This makes sense. However, it also mentioned that 37% of e-mail subscribers are opting to use the "This is spam" button instead of the unsubscribe link.

This can be a nightmare for an e-marketing program as you deliverable rate will plummet. When asked why consumers do this, responses given were if they trust the sender, they trust the unsubscribe link. The spam button is more efficient. And my favorite being they don't think the unsubscribe button will work.

To help with the deliverable rate on your e-mail campaign, here are a few tips:

1. Make sure that your e-mail appears it's coming from a trusted source.

2. Never send your customer an e-mail after they've clicked on your unsubscribe link. If they get an e-mail, you've lost their trust.

3. Make the unsubscribe link an easy opt-out. Don't make them fill out other information to get of the list.

4. Provide multiple opt-out locations. Let the subscriber opt-out on your web site in addition to the e-mail campaign.

Your reputation with your customer is important so remember to establish trustworthy relationships and your e-mail program will see the benefits of you implementing best practices.

The shopping cart just added a new feature to it's arsenal…digital advertising and on-screen navigation.

The Mediacart will deliver point-of-decision advertising and capture data on consumer shopping habits using high-resolution video screens without audio.

Each screen is embedded with a chip that interacts with chips installed on store shelves -- so a shopper strolling in the soda aisle could get an offer for Coke, for example -- a capability that could radically change conventional in-store marketing practices.

This new system designed by a team of 25 market researchers and engineers who once built computers for military tanks and submarines recently launched this new system at a mock grocery store in Texas and monitored shoppers.

They found that 87% of shoppers would choose a retailer equipped with Mediacart over one without the carts. The reason given was that it enabled them to get out of the store quicker because the on-screen navigation allowed them to find their items faster in the store.

Maybe they could use that same type of technology to locate your kids in the store?

This may seem like a simple step to most marketers but you'd be amazed by the number of catalogers who don't measure their cost of acquiring a customer. Why is it important? Because zeroing in on your most profitable acquisition techniques help you put your dollars where your greatest return and profitability can be found. Traditionally, this was in list rentals due to the fact customers obtained through lists rented from other catalogs have shown a greater lifetime value than customers from space ads, package inserts or other media. However, as response rates fall, more companies are turning to alternative approaches such as pay-per click services, banner ads and other online acquisition techniques.

Google, Yahoo, MSN and all other big internet players offer effective one-to-one keyword purchasing allowing you to not only create brand awareness but also target your customer more directly through the search engines. With a minimal budget you can reach thousands of potential customers and feed those conversions into your acquisition model. Once you have enough names, bump them up to your list rental and compare. Are you seeing a higher or lower cost per customer? Are you seeing higher or lower profitability for each segment test? You must test and compare.

The results may surprise you!

Database marketing is on the rise of being one of the key tools to building one-to one relationships over time.

Database marketing allows you to directly measure results using quantitative facts including cost per acquisition, opt-out rate and media ROI, whereas other ad campaigns only offer the qualitative "gut-feeling" reaction that can't be substantiated. With Database marketing you are able to handle enourmous amounts of information while at the same time track multiple offers and campaigns against a number of channels and over time. That's why a number of innovative marketings are already applying comprehensive data management plans to their marketing campaigns.

Marketers also realize that more data doesn't mean better data. The data alone won't increae your ROI. You have to identify the valuable information within the Database and turn it into actional content. When the right strategies are implemented, marketers can demonstrate the cause and effect of their programs and their ROI.

It was announced today that two of the biggest internet players - Google and eBay will begin selling advertising for eBay outside of the U.S. using new click-to-call technology.

This technology allows for direct one-to-one communication between the user and the advertiser by placing telephone calls through their computers or handheld devices when clicking on an Internet ad. By integrating this type of technology, it will allow merchants to charge a high cost-per-call when compared to traditional search ads as it identifies when customers are ready to buy vs. just browsing.

Google has already tested a program that displays a phone icon and box to enter your phone number. After entering your number, Google dials your phone number and a ringing occurs until the merchant answers.

Keep your eyes out for more of this click-to-call technology available in the U.S. as eBay and Yahoo are apparently testing this concept.

They say that a customer who purchases from two channels is worth three times as much as a single-channel customer and a customer who purchases from three channels (catalog, Internet, and stores) can yield five to six times the value of a single-channel buyer. So, how do you leverage your current strategies to promote multi-channel purchases? A few ways, let me explain.

First you can bring some of your internet products into your catalog. You may already have a broader assortment of product on your website so why not feature some of those in your catalog? You could potentially drive additional sales through the web without needing to expand the page count of your catalog. Maybe it's creating an "exclusively online" call out to bring attention to the item?

Second you need to solicit catalog requests on your website. Website visitors can be some of the most valuable prospects and they've already shown an interest in your brand by visiting the site. Add these names to your mailing file and be sure to tag them as requestors to track their performance.

Third, if you have a store close to your mailings, look at inkjetting store events or special offers on the back of the catalog or as a wrap. A number of customers want to touch and feel your product before purchasing. They also want to be aware of what's new and may find that at your store location.

Fourth, increase your mailings around your stores zip area. By increasing the penetration of these mailings to targeted prospects, not only will the store sales increase, but catalog sales may also increase.

And last you should allow in-store pick up of orders placed online. A perfect example of this is Circuit City and they're seeing huge rewards. By bringing the customer into the store for their order, your getting them to see all the other merchandise and providing the potential for additional impulse purchases.

You've all heard about the idea of location based marketing; walking past a McDonald's and an offer is pushed to your mobile phone delivering a coupon for a Big-Mac. Consumers be aware, it's not to far away according to some experts

Recently the E911 mandate was passed requiring all cell phone carriers to deploy location infrastructure to determine the location of a mobile phone when dialing 911. However, companies like Nextel and Verizon are already working on technology to provide navigational services for consumer and enterprise applications, such as fleet tracking.

So, will this be one more way for marketers to intrude on your privacy? Probably not. The model only works if the consumer "opts-in" to receiving the message at the time or within the distance of the business location. With the amount of messages already delivered to the consumer on a daily basis through blackberry's, cell phones, PDA's, etc. I can only assume that it will take some time to build your list of subscribers.

However, Once the technology is there (already being offered by a company called Blip Systems http://www.blipsystems.com the value of this new mobile marketing era could explode. Imagine knowing details about the consumer; their interest, availability, and personal information. It would be a revolution to one-to-one marketing while at the same time allowing for the consumer to interact with your brand at any given moment.

Do you get frustrated when you do a keyword search and the copy has nothing to do with what you were looking for. I know I do.

What causes this to happen. For the most part it's laziness on the part of the marketer. When writing copy for a particular keyword or keyword phrase, you should be focused in on spending the time and effort to write different copy for every keyword or group of related keywords.

When debating what to write in your keyword or keyword phrase, put yourself in the consumer's shoes. They type in a word, expecting to see the results and copy addressing their need. They then click on the ad that they think meets their expectation and they get to a landing page displaying their product or service searched. Perfect scenario, right? Yes, because anything less is unacceptable. You must make sure your copy has relevance to the search term while at the same time leading the customer to a relevant web page. The strategy is to think about the rationale for a keyword search team and then match your marketing communication strategy and landing page to that rationale.

Remember that good copy equals lower costs and higher positions within the search results. This will translate into more sales volume at a lower cost to acquire.

A recent study revealed that the majority of business-to-business recipients prefer to receive e-mails on Monday's and Tuesday's while Friday became the day Business-to-Consumer recipients preferred. However, this behavior indicates what they say and NOT what they actually do.

The share of response for each day was almost equal with 36% of the respondents choosing Tuesday and 33% choosing Monday. Not surprising to the survey results was Saturday and Sunday. Those days only contributing a low 1-3% of respondents.

More evenly distributed was the consumer e-mail preferences. At the top was Friday receiving 31% of the vote, Wednesday received 26%, Tuesday received 22%, Monday received 20% and Thursday received just 19% . Once again Saturday and Sunday shared last with only 16% and 11% respectfully.

As for preferred frequency, the majority of both groups said they prefer monthly e-mails, with 35% favoring business-to-business e-mail on a monthly basis and 36% saying they prefer their consumer e-mail to arrive monthly.

When asked why they "opt out" of e-mail the number one answer was because they aren't getting relevant communications from the sender; making it more important to keep the content of your e-mails in-tuned with your customers needs and wants.

It’s no surprise that receiving a top organic placement in any search engine is essential to exposing your company to current and potential customers. A new study by Jupiter shows that most search engine users don't look past the first three pages of results before altering their search or clicking onto a site. If you’re in that 3^rd plus page, you may become a needle in a haystack.

The Search Engine User Behavior Study, conducted by Jupiter Research, found that 62 percent of search engine users click on a result within the first page of results, an increase from 48 percent in 2002. By the third page, 90 percent have clicked on a result, which is up from 2002's 81 percent, according to the study.

Today, engines have made strides in the ability with search engine algorithms to provide relevant results. The growth of the search engine marketing industry also has lead to a much higher percentage of Web sites being professionally optimized, with the aim of getting sites to turn up at the top of the pile.

The experience of searchers also must be considered. Users are becoming more adept at devising successful search terms and quicker to try another search if their initial one hasn't located the right results, the study said. In addition, 88 percent of search engine users will change search terms or use a different search engine if the desired result does not turn up within three pages.

This theory works within the search feature of your site as well. If you are not effectively providing the user with the relevant item, copy, etc. that is being searched on your site, Google reports that 80% of your search customers will abandon the site. That’s a high percentage of potential buying power leaving because of frustrations with the search.

Ovation has recently upgraded its software to monitor and track these searches within a web site. When matching up the search term with the search phrase, you can not only get the customer to their destination, but you can also check them into the hotel.

The holidays are over and it's now time to look at migration of orders from print to the Web. It's no surprise that more and more sales continue to migrate to the web. However, as a larger portion of these sales continue to come from the web, we need to figure out what to do with them. Do they only buy from your website or are they responding to your catalog?

Internet buyers and catalog buyers are not created equally. While catalogs work hard to create customer loyalty - the Internet, by nature, works hard for high results in organic and paid search. In many cases, an Internet buyer made his purchase based on search.

One step in determining whether to mail or not to mail an Internet buyer is to segment your file. If it were easy to do, we'd break the buyers into two groups - those that were driven to respond by a catalog mailing and those that are pure Internet responders. It is also important to understand those customers that are now multi-channel buyers. A multi-channel buyer has on average a 30%-50% higher value than those that have only purchased only from the catalog or the Internet.

To achieve this result, records need to be flagged during the match back process. If the match back order does not math the mail file, it should be flagged as Internet only. The importance of the match back and segment model is to identify the LTV and contract strategy of your buyers.

There is the belief that mailing catalogs to internet buyers is a waste of money. They believe that the Internet marketing spend on search engine optimization, affiliate programs, and e-mail contact will drive Internet customers to purchase again. However, recent data has proven that mailing a catalog to internet buyers can help drive sales as much as 25% - 80%.

Testing the segmentation and contact strategy is always important. Try taking an nth select across the mail file and hold it out as a control panel, the total sales results of mail file and the control panel can be compared and summarized by any of the segmentation variables.

So, mail the Internet buyers, but mail pure Internet buyers less frequently than catalog driven or multi-channel buyers. In addition, if the Internet buyers can be further segmented by e-mail address status, the contact strategy can continued to be refined to optimize the overall results.

Deep into your house file can exist customers who are missing in action (MIA). Some have gone away quietly while others have just left. You've e-mailed them and sent them a catalog only to be ignored by any communication. Do they exist? Maybe. However, they could just be taking a break from shopping.

Not all customers are equal. If your business model doesn't include how to distinguish information among buyers, or how to continually acquire and replace those (RIP) customers, your company could be led into failure as a marketer.

Understanding your customer profiles and knowing which ones to keep or let go is mandatory.

The best service organizations encourage their employees to connect with their customers. It is those relationships that help marketing and operational initiatives match customer needs. Improving the customer experience can increase lifespan and lifetime value. Data integration from all sources provides the information for customer intelligence. With this information, a company can model their business around their best customers and create a relationship incubator.

Customer contact and service is customizable, increasing lifetime value and lifespan. Are you following your strategic plan? Is it working? If not, it is time to create a multichannel strategic plan that integrates departments, divisions, and channels into a holistic enterprise.

More and more TV stations are taking on newspapers and Web sites and challenging them with video and exclusive online newscasts. In fact, many stations say they are just beginning to flex their broadband muscles, offering rich video clips of dramatic news and displaying real-time traffic reports and weather by a local meteorologist. News is becoming cheaper and easier to find.

In an instant, a search on Google or Yahoo! calls up headlines from bloggers, networks, newspapers, magazines and countless sites. Because of this shift to online media, newspapers have moved aggressively on the Internet, drawing new readers and attracting new advertising revenue, particularly from classified ads.

With the popularity of online content and streaming media opportunities, advertisers are leading the shift, moving away from traditional strategies and pouring millions of dollars into the new platforms. They spent $12 billion on online advertising in 2004. That was less than TV’s roughly $60 billion, but online advertising has the momentum. By 2009, it will surge to $25 billion, according to investment firm Merrill Lynch.

When news breaks, online traffic soars. In September, for example, when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita attracted national attention, Internet Broadcasting sites averaged 12 million unique users, surpassing USAToday.com and Google News, according to Nielsen Net ratings. World Now Web sites notched 6.9 million. Using such platforms allows station groups to standardize content and advertising.

It's time in the advertising world to experiment. There now exist great content and production capabilities and as marketers we need to look for more opportunities online. In an on-demand world, the Internet could turn out to be the main revenue stream. Positioning yourself within this "world" can not only help increase your brand awareness it also provides a direct point of contact with your customer.

I recently read an article about a company called PaperBoy Local Delivery. They are a company that incorporates interactive online ads with market-specific content on web sites including Yahoo, USAToday.com and the 217 local online publications represented by Gannett Co. Inc., Knight-Ridder Inc., Tribune Co. and Real Cities Network.

PaperBoy just recently promoted its online delivery service for newspaper circular ads last week by sending a beaten-up pizza box -- but no pizza inside -- to ad agencies, large retailers and reporters covering the advertising industry.

The pizza box was reinforced by copy printed inside the top of the box that said, "[S]tale, generic national ads tend to get a stale response. If you're looking to connect with customers, you need to speak to them directly. Locally. With a message intended just for them.

The call to action invited recipients to visit www.paperboydelivery.com/pizza or call for more information. The web site features a moving graphic of the same pizza box. The microsite, which went live Nov. 1, is seen only on the box, so "we are able to track people with the box," though Sharpe has no numbers to report yet. Ads ran on Adweek.com, AdAge.com, ClickZ.com and several industry-related blogs the week of Nov. 7 and will run until year end.

Finding new ways to get your message in front of your prospects or future customers can be an uncharted territory. However, today you are seeing more and more companies using the Internet as the portal to attracting new customers. They are using traditional direct marketing techniques with a "twist."

This "twist" can be the make or break of the success you desire in your execution and be the key to your strategy. When looking at ways to target your customer, you must keep in mind the point of contact at which the purchase decision of the customer would be made. The strategy for "localizing" their prospects and tying it into an overall relevant theme carried through to the execution and microsite was key to their multi-channel approach.

We must keep in mind all points of contact and relevance when putting together the strategy. If we don’t, we could be potentially floating in uncharted waters waiting for that rescue plane to fly over and find that little hint of an object that blends into everything from a distance above is the message. The message must be clear, it must be relevant, it must be noticeable and it must deliver a point of action. And don't forget, the message must be trackable to directly measure not only the success but also tie directly into your ROI.

A recent survey released shares that even though many consumers still plan on doing most of their holiday shopping in stores this year, many will do most of their legwork online first.

The survey done by Prospectiv, found that while 89 percent of consumers polled said they prefer to make holiday purchases mostly in-store, 71 percent said they intend to use the Internet to research and compare products and prices before heading out to malls, department stores and discount stores.

Along with doing shopping research online, 35 percent of consumers said they will increase online spending for gifts this year, according to the CPI. Fifty-five percent said they make their online holiday purchases earlier than in-store purchases.

The convenience of shopping from home or the office, 24/7, is the No. 1 reason for gift-buying online, said 57 percent of online shoppers polled. Nineteen percent of online consumers shop via the Internet to avoid the holiday crowds.

These same people (45% of them) said that free shipping would encourage them to make more online purchases while 36% cited better sales and online special offers or discounts targeted to their preferences as the top incentives to increase their shopping online. In-store shoppers are also looking for better deals. Sixty-five percent of consumers said more in-store sales would be an incentive to increase their purchasing.

With the rising prices of gas and expected increases in home heating bills this year, consumers will be spending less. In fact, 65% will be spending less than they would have compared to last year due to those increases. Therefore, effective marketers should look at using online marketing to drive consumers to their Web site.

And don’t forget to ship it FREE!

Deciding which keywords to purchase in an effort to increase both sales and traffic to your site can be a difficult task. In today's world of technology, Search Engines generate approximately 80% of all searches being conducted and can generate millions of hits to your site.

Focusing in on power keywords can ignore the issue of market share and can leave a whole range of valuable keywords open for the taking…

http://www.dmnews.com/cgi-bin/artprevbot.cgi?article_id=34327

Within the next four years the number of Hispanics is expected to total more than 49 million, with nearly $1 trillion in buying power. For marketers, this is a sizeable market to reach. However, there are careful considerations to make when marketing to the Hispanic market. With forms of translation, amount of information provided, etc., you could "miss the mark" in what you're trying to communicate.
http://multichannelmerchant.com/crosschannel/speaking_hispanic_market/

Consumer catalogers' love affair with cooperative databases is still going strong. Not only are marketers continuing to use co-ops for a significant percentage of their prospecting, they're also turning to the databases for help, enhancing the performance of their house files.

http://multichannelmerchant.com/crosschannel/coops_kick_notch/

Ever wondered if your online ad is targeting the right person?  If you're like any other advertiser,
this question comes up frequently.  What's the solution?  Behavioral Targeting. 

Behavioral targeting tracks consumer behavior on specific websites, or even over a network of ad sites, to determine an individual’s interest in a particular product or service, and then delivers an appropriate ad. For the most part, behavioral targeting tracks non-personally identifiable online behaviors, concentrating on pages visited to determine a consumer’s expected interest.

Read more at:
http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/6274.asp

It's no question that today's younger audience uses the internet for everything from shopping to information to even more importantly these days…connecting with your brand.  Creating a message online in an effort to connect with an audience can pay off…BIG TIME.  Take for example Burger King.  Burger King created the "Subservient Chicken" (http://www.subservientchicken.com/).  A chicken that does just about anything you tell it to.  Yes, it even will do cartwheels for you or sit-ups if you feel the exercise is too much for you.  The site upon launch of the new campaign drew millions of hipsters to the site craving the ability to make the chicken do silly things for them.

This type of online "buzz" has created a new channel of advertising that not only connects your brand with your customer but it also creates an unlimited viral message.  And the best part is the only expense is the creation of the ad.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2005-05-19-viral-usat_x.htm

It's estimated that 70% of U.S. households now use the Internet in their search for local shopping information compared with only 60% in October 2003. What does this mean for advertisers? Well, it means that with more consumers online (55% of people) and more increased download speeds, consideration for advertising dollars and exposure doesn't lie in the hands of only traditional media anymore. While traditional media holds an impressive 73% share of search, the Internet is expected to surpass newspapers over the next 12 months.

A key piece involved in this model is Search Engines. Some of the top engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN now control a majority of the searches conducted on the Internet. Getting your company into a favorable position within the search engines can have a tremendous impact on your reach. And when you're increasing your reach you potentially increase your frequency of use.