Category — Direct Mail

Last week I answered a call from one of my favorite retail clients. My friendly greeting was answered with “I have a vision that keeps turning into a nightmare.” No “hello, how are you?” or “Cold enough for you” chitchat in this call. She was clearly on a mission.

I suggested that we start with the vision. Her vision was an integrated organization where everything from marketing to fulfillment worked together. Customers and prospects could move easily from one channel to another finding what they need or want along the way. Their social media efforts would ease the way for their catalog and email campaigns.

She knew the benefits; we’d been discussing them for months. She knew the urgency because I’d been nagging encouraging her to get started. She knew the risks of inaction. Her competition was already gaining market share. She wanted to start the process but there was a problem. [Read more →]

Have you sat in one of those meetings where everyone is trying to claim credit for the latest bump in sales? If so, you know all of the arguments about how some channels brand while others sell. It is a circular debate without an easy answer.

This is a hot topic because most company budgets allocations are weighted by the revenue generated by the channel. More sales credited to a marketing effort equals more money for the department. This creates a departmental feeding frenzy since everyone wants their piece of the pie. [Read more →]

Welcome to the match of the decade – Social Media vs. Direct Marketing. Around the globe people are choosing sides, anticipating that one will overcome the other. Let’s take a moment to review their features:

In one corner, we have Social Media, a young, agile, and engaging contender.

He’s been taking the circuit by storm. His ability to sweep the globe with your marketing message at minimal cost is particularly appealing. Then, there is that one-to-one contact with your customers and prospects. Having Social Media on your side turns your company into the corner store. You can chat with your customers and really get to know them.

Unfortunately, there is a dark side. [Read more →]