as expected, i received this email form a US soldier serving in iraq who has found a load of saddam's money. apparently, i can get my hands on some of it. so that was quite a nice start to the day really.
Thursday, 16 July 2009
the future of email marketing? (cont, again)
as expected, i received this email form a US soldier serving in iraq who has found a load of saddam's money. apparently, i can get my hands on some of it. so that was quite a nice start to the day really.
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
people not numbers
customers are not numbers.
they are living, breathing people with everyday joys and troubles. like a friend of mine, Sarah Jones: she’s just got a promotion at work; a friend recovering from serious illness; a child who’s made it to the hockey 1st XI; and a partner who has to leave home earlier and earlier in the morning to beat the rush-hour traffic.
in that respect, perhaps your audience is not so different from you. and you’re not a number, are you?
you could play an important role in Sarah's life. from saving her money to simplifying her life and putting a smile on her face. do it right and you'll be remembered. you'll have earn't the right to be part of her day.
so how do you start?
time to get closer.
personalisation has long been a technique used in the direct marketing industry. this has often been executed in an unsophisticated, heavy-handed way. then again, when it’s done properly, it puts the customer at the heart of the sales or communication process. to do it properly you have to know your audience. and I mean KNOW your audience.
go in search of insight.
to achieve this, seek insight from as many sources as possible. this will help you build up a clear picture of your audience. you’ll almost certainly find you’ve got more than one audience, unless you deliver a niche product. enlist the help of your customer-facing teams, research and data analytics. and bring on-board the creatives to assist in bringing your proposition to life.
stand out from the crowd.
your customer should perceive and experience a brand proposition that differentiates it from the competition. it could be detailed product knowledge, a dogged pursuit of crunch-busting offers or a family-friendly environment. whatever it is, find it and make yourself famous for it. you don’t have to be the biggest or most profitable brand to be great at marketing. out-think, out-smart, out-flank the competition and soon you could be the buzz brand on everyone’s lips
keep it consistent.
experience is crucial to a customer coming back for more. so align all your sales and communication channels to deliver your proposition. that way your audience has a consistent experience through all their touchpoints – from the phone to online; from the high street shop to the email updates.
the measure of your campaign.
try to put some form of measurement or metric into your customer touchpoints. direct marketing is built on the foundation of measuring response, whether that is a mail pack or viral campaign. your customer touchpoints provide an opportunity to add value (or measure) to that engagement. so, for instance, when a customer visits your website (or shop), open dialogue with them and, if they perceive a fair value exchange, gain more knowledge about them by requesting more information about their likes and dislikes. this can help you personalise your relationship with them and give you a way to measure the effectiveness of your marketing. look carefully, the opportunities are out there.
do something wonderful.
and never underestimate random acts of kindness. in a financially driven market (aren’t they all!), generosity, dedication and enthusiasm can go a long way.
i remember Sarah telling me that she was desperately trying to find a flight for her family to go to a wedding in Crete. no-one could help. or no-one wanted to. she finally spoke to an agent who listened to her plight. “Leave it with me,” said this helpful holiday angel. “I’ll get back to you first thing tomorrow morning.”
the next morning, as promised, she called back. “I’ve done it! You’ve got your flight,” the agent exclaimed.
sarah has used this company every year since.
they are living, breathing people with everyday joys and troubles. like a friend of mine, Sarah Jones: she’s just got a promotion at work; a friend recovering from serious illness; a child who’s made it to the hockey 1st XI; and a partner who has to leave home earlier and earlier in the morning to beat the rush-hour traffic.
in that respect, perhaps your audience is not so different from you. and you’re not a number, are you?
you could play an important role in Sarah's life. from saving her money to simplifying her life and putting a smile on her face. do it right and you'll be remembered. you'll have earn't the right to be part of her day.
so how do you start?
time to get closer.
personalisation has long been a technique used in the direct marketing industry. this has often been executed in an unsophisticated, heavy-handed way. then again, when it’s done properly, it puts the customer at the heart of the sales or communication process. to do it properly you have to know your audience. and I mean KNOW your audience.
go in search of insight.
to achieve this, seek insight from as many sources as possible. this will help you build up a clear picture of your audience. you’ll almost certainly find you’ve got more than one audience, unless you deliver a niche product. enlist the help of your customer-facing teams, research and data analytics. and bring on-board the creatives to assist in bringing your proposition to life.
stand out from the crowd.
your customer should perceive and experience a brand proposition that differentiates it from the competition. it could be detailed product knowledge, a dogged pursuit of crunch-busting offers or a family-friendly environment. whatever it is, find it and make yourself famous for it. you don’t have to be the biggest or most profitable brand to be great at marketing. out-think, out-smart, out-flank the competition and soon you could be the buzz brand on everyone’s lips
keep it consistent.
experience is crucial to a customer coming back for more. so align all your sales and communication channels to deliver your proposition. that way your audience has a consistent experience through all their touchpoints – from the phone to online; from the high street shop to the email updates.
the measure of your campaign.
try to put some form of measurement or metric into your customer touchpoints. direct marketing is built on the foundation of measuring response, whether that is a mail pack or viral campaign. your customer touchpoints provide an opportunity to add value (or measure) to that engagement. so, for instance, when a customer visits your website (or shop), open dialogue with them and, if they perceive a fair value exchange, gain more knowledge about them by requesting more information about their likes and dislikes. this can help you personalise your relationship with them and give you a way to measure the effectiveness of your marketing. look carefully, the opportunities are out there.
do something wonderful.
and never underestimate random acts of kindness. in a financially driven market (aren’t they all!), generosity, dedication and enthusiasm can go a long way.
i remember Sarah telling me that she was desperately trying to find a flight for her family to go to a wedding in Crete. no-one could help. or no-one wanted to. she finally spoke to an agent who listened to her plight. “Leave it with me,” said this helpful holiday angel. “I’ll get back to you first thing tomorrow morning.”
the next morning, as promised, she called back. “I’ve done it! You’ve got your flight,” the agent exclaimed.
sarah has used this company every year since.
oh! those crazy russians
an incident from "russia's got talent". so say.
is it real or fake? it has it be a spoof. doesn't it? doesn't it? tell you what, you decide. we laughed (though maybe we shouldn't have.)
personally, we think the guy should have just walked it off.
is it real or fake? it has it be a spoof. doesn't it? doesn't it? tell you what, you decide. we laughed (though maybe we shouldn't have.)
personally, we think the guy should have just walked it off.
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