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There are hundreds of social media “experts” promising unlimited income if you follow their simple steps. They encourage capturing thousands of twitter followers and Facebook friends so you have the opportunity to bombard them with unlimited marketing messages. In return, your suckers, um, I mean, fans, will flock to your website to deposit truckloads of money into your account. While some folks may prosper using these attack methods most don’t.

The “build it and they will come bearing gifts” promise is appealing. It is especially tempting when sales are down and the future is questionable. The problem is that social media isn’t a force that drives customers to your door. It is one that invites them to visit. [Read more →]

When email marketing was in its infancy, it provided instant gratification to marketers. Shortly after you pushed the send button, orders started appearing in shopping carts. It was too cool. The cost was significantly less than mailing a catalog or postcard and the response was much higher.

Things have changed. Sending emails designed to entice the most discerning consumers doesn’t guarantee a marketing bonanza. The abuse of this economical marketing tool has created a backlash from consumers tired of inboxes full of unwanted messages. Internet service providers and email servers have become the chosen gatekeepers. [Read more →]

It doesn’t matter whether you are a single channel company or multichannel business; there is a problem with operations. Marketing is cool. If you are a marketing person, almost everyone thinks that you are cool. Of course, they’re probably thinking Super Bowl ads and supermodels when you actually do data analysis, but you get the cool job award.

It’s different for operations people. When they say they work in operations, hot, dusty warehouses, stacked CSR workstations, and freezing computer rooms come to mind. There’s no cool factor. [Read more →]