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$5,000 Websites? Not From An Ad Agency.

Posted by jourdan4evok on July 16, 2009

Yep, I get it. Web 2.0 has changed the interactive world and participant expectations. Then again, it actually changes on a daily basis. Social networking, the blogosphere, microblogging… honestly, it could be a full time job just coming up with all the hip names of web infrastructures. All hail the mighty copywriter!

But, I digress. This post is not about the names, the latest functionality or insight into what’s coming down the pike. Instead, let’s talk about the price of a website. As we’ve discussed in previous posts, advertising agency’s sell “time” and “ideas” as a commodity. That’s the widget exchanged for compensation. There’s a lot of talk about the traditional agency model, but this is about what is happening today, in 2009. I do not claim that this post will be relevant forever, or even in a year.

Determining a fair price for the development of a website can often become a source of contention. This is because there can be be a wide range of perceived value and an unclear understanding of the effort it takes to build a great website. Even with the advent of ‘off the shelf’ CMS templates (yes, we love you Joomla), success still rests in the hands of good content, good design, good planning and ultimately, good collaboration.

I’ve noticed a trend of significantly shrinking website budgets with a major increase of functionality requirements. Yes, of course, as time goes on price efficiencies should be expected. That said, wanting to pay $5,000 for a robust website that includes all the bells and whistles such as forums, blogs, multimedia newsrooms, SEO, polls, flash, forms that integrate with a company’s internal sales software, e-commerce and a complete CMS for back end management poses a challenge for anyone wanting to be paid for their time.  That’s on top of the text, photography and programming that serve as a bare minimum.

Here’s the issue: At a rate of $85 an hour (which is pretty darn low for anyone who isn’t your cousin) means that you have a grand total of 59 hours to accomplish everything. That’s 7.5 full working days. Yep, about a week and a half worth of work for one person. Considering that a typical agency would, at the very least, have a project manager, copywriter, designer and programmer assigned to it, you’re looking at each person getting just 14.75 hours to do their part. That’s less than 2 days. Uh oh.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of websites that can be developed in 59 hours. Beautiful brochure sites with limited rich media content and visitor interaction modules can be done rather quickly. It’s just a matter of the end deliverable and having a clear understanding of what it takes to get there.

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Direct Mail Using Seeded Paper

Posted by jourdan4evok on June 5, 2009

When I say “seeded paper”,  I am not referring to some type of fancy marketing buzz word. I literally mean, using paper with seeds in it. The type of paper that you can plant in your back yard, insert photosynthesis here, and grow a plant. For the new era of eco consciousness, advertisers are increasingly looking to new ways to get the message out while reducing the consequential carbon footprint. I can’t think of a bigger perceived environmental impact than the millions of direct mail pieces that are sent out annually. So, with that said, let’s look at an IMPACTFUL delivery method that does not leave a lot of damaging IMPACT on the earth.

There is no shortage of paper options and printing techniques when it comes to sending direct mail; and, breaking through the clutter is no easy task when the average American receives 848 pieces of ad mail each year. This post examines the use of seeded paper as one option.

You don’t have to work in the printing industry to know that printing on anything other than good ole white paper could pose a challenge. You have to account for the creative intent of the piece versus the production capabilities of your vendor, which can sometimes be far from a perfect match.

Often times, the Art Director will be the one to suggest a type of paper in conjunction with a unique concept. So, the first step is researching if this type of paper even exists. If so, then you have to find a printer who can work with it. You can contact a local dependable commercial printer to review the project details.

With specialty projects, the fear of the untested can be a costly journey. Fair warning – if the vendor has not printed on this type of paper before, do not assume that it will be a no-brainer. Why? Here’s the type of challenges you could encounter with seeded paper:

* It soaks up the ink up like a sponge, jamming the press. This means the vendor won’t be able to successfully run the job.
* Seeded paper requires printing on an INK JET press – any ole press won’t do.
* There is a limited imprint area on the paper, so you have to ensure the file accounts for a large safety zone.

So what can you do to ensure success?

* Have your vendor test on their presses with the exact paper long before you commit to using them for the project.
* Make sure the vendor has an in-depth conversation with the paper supplier to determine best practices for production. In fact, insist that you are on this call if you have any doubts.
* Another option is going to the paper supplier first and asking who they used to create the sample. You might be able to avoid untested waters by using the supplier’s preferred vendor. The downside is the shipping expense if they are located out of state.

The bottom line: continue to push the envelope of production techniques. After all, the same ole process will get you the same ole results. But, be sure you do your homework beforehand.

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Nearly 40% of Recent Hospital, Urgent Care Patients Influenced by Social Media

Posted by jourdan4evok on April 16, 2009

Social media influenced nearly 40% of recent hospital or urgent care center patients, with 25 to 34 year olds reporting the most influence (53.2%), according to the Spring 2009 Ad-ology Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey.

Nearly 30% of hospital visits by this age group were maternity-related. Of social media types, forums and discussion boards had a “significant” influence on 20% of 25 to 34 year olds who recently made a visit for maternity reasons, suggesting hospitals should target this group with an online space where these parents-to-be can interact.

At the other end of the spectrum, respondents 55 and older had the highest percentage of recent hospital or urgent care center visits and reported significant influence from direct mail and newspaper advertising. The most important factors for this age group were quality of care, availability of specialized services, and out-of-pocket costs.

“Progressive hospitals are already participating in social media through specific micro-sites, social networking, online communities, and targeted online marketing,” said C. Lee Smith, president and CEO of Ad-ology Research. “Urgent care and maternity provide excellent opportunities to connect with younger consumers, and social media is the way to engage this group,” Smith said.

Other key findings from the survey:

  • Women accounted for approximately 60% of those who researched family doctors online
  • Quality of care ranks the highest among patients as the most important factor when choosing a hospital or urgent care center
  • Hospital/urgent care Web sites had the most influence on 18-to-24-year old patients (53.8%)
  • Of traditional media, television had the most influence (22.3%), followed by newspapers (21.9%)

So, if you are involved with developing the strategy and tactics in healthcare marketing, where do you start? It’s easy to learn the lattest buzz words, but using them…and using them to garner ROI…can be a whole different ball game. Oftentimes, the newness means it’s not taken seriously among the organization’s traditionalists or worse, people steer clear of them all together because there’s no media rep to do the leg work for you. Instead, many of these outlets mean you’ll have to roll up your sleeves. But, once you get familiar with it, you’ll wonder what you ever did beforehand!

Got something to say? Did a world-renown physician join the hospital? Did you introduce a new MIS technique? Is there a new spa in support of helping cancer patients cope with their illness? Let people know in an instant with social media.

Let’s take a look at just one social networking vehicle: Facebook. Aside from the obvious creation of a profile, there are so many great ways to spread a message. It allows you to reach your exact audience and connect real customers to your organization.

Connect with Real People

  • Reach over 200,000,000 active Facebook users.
  • Attach social actions to your ads to increase relevance.
  • Create demand for your product with relevant ads

Create Your Facebook Ad

  • Quickly create image and text-based ads.
  • Precisely target by age, gender, location, and more.
  • Choose to pay per click (CPC) or impression (CPM).

Optimize Your Ads

  • Track your progress with real-time reporting.
  • Gain insight about who’s clicking on your ad.
  • Make modifications to maximize your results.
As marketers, we spend a great deal of time learning every nuance of our audience. We have them defined to a “T”. With social media, we don’t have to guess where they are or how to find them. Are they really watching Grey’s Anatomy or secretly in love with the new 90210? It doesn’t matter! If a 32 year old conservative married female who lives in Orlando with her two kids is your perfect patient, then go ahead and let her know why.

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“Non-traditional” Holiday Marketing

Posted by martydread4evok on January 26, 2009

A few years back we began an initiative to maintain awareness of a brand using “non-traditional” holidays as the impetus for this outreach to their audience. To this day, the program continues with much success for our client—to the point that their clients wonder what we’ll do next.

Rewind

It began with a traditional holiday card, singing the same ol’ sentiments, wishing their audience well for the holiday season and the new year. No sales pitch. No call to action, website or phone numbers.

It was expected. Probably hung in the doorway with all the others.

While fruit baskets, cookies, chocolate and other goodies took center stage. In all their holiday glory. Disappearing faster than your decision to re-gift that sleeveless holiday sweater, while the awareness lasted long enough to realize you wouldn’t get a second shot at that Harry & David gift basket.

Well, we couldn’t compete with such lavish gifts of well-wishery. We had a budget for a card. And direction from the client: “We’re doing a card.”

My problem is that we were just going along with what everyone else was doing. Getting lost in the surplus of snowmen, stars, holly and glitter. Taped to a doorway until our client’s sentiment was sent the way of file 13.

Start

What I appreciated about the holiday card was that it wasn’t (directly) going after the sale. What if we just did it for another holiday? That alone would cut through the clutter. After all, who gets a card for Groundhog Day?

Basically our pitch to the client was pretty much as outlined above. Let’s pick another secular/unofficial holiday and execute on it. No hard sell. No call-to-action. But maybe a website [landing page].

So our little card for Groundhog Day was well received. A few “thank you” emails led to a series of cards produced that year, which translated to a bump in RFP submissions to the client. Nice. They noticed.

Now the client direction was “how can we take this to the next level.”

Yup. Music to my ears.

Push Play

Proposing another set of holidays, we prepared the client to take this initiative online. Now we could really implement a tracking mechanism, and offer more interaction with the brand. A veritable mix-tape of traditional printed cards driving traffic to a landing page, some e-cards to fill in and a dimensional mailing or two.

Here are some examples:

Labor Day
This execution was created within a series of traditional “pop-up” printed cards. User opens the card and the interior comes to life, much like a children’s book. Dad is golfing in the backyard, Junior is jumping in the pool, Mom is getting burgers ready for the grill. A quick message from our client wishing them a relaxing long weekend and driving them to a landing page. The landing page mirrors the card, but plays on interaction. Click on Dad and get a mini-golf game, click on Junior for a swan dive or cannonball into the pool. All branded, and without any sales messaging. (We did provide a link to the client website)

Halloween
halloweenpromoA dimensional piece was mailed about three weeks prior to the “holiday.” It consisted of an inflatable pumpkin and a sticker sheet with Jack O’Lantern eyes, noses and mouths. On the back of the pumpkin was our client’s logo and website link. Essentially, the audience had a few minutes of fun creating the custom pumpkin, then decorated their office with it (pumpkin facing “out” to show off their work) and ultimately stared at our client’s logo and website for about two weeks. (We even donated the overruns of stickers with some paper plates to a local school to do a fun Halloween craft)

Fourth of July
This execution was solely electronic, and featured an “asteroids”-style game where Uncle Sam shot down floating hot dogs. It kept high scores, and encouraged some friendly competition when emailed to a friend—and further developing our client’s email database.

Record

The response was overwhelming by any effort. In reviewing analytics, some of the online “cards” resulted in engaging viewers with the brand for over 15 minutes. We heard some of the dimensional pieces had a shelf life of over two weeks—staying put on desks and shelves as conversation starters with associates of the addressee.The tracking mechanisms for each “mailing” were somewhat elementary (defined by budget and agency recommendation). We did see measurable results, to the tune of:

  • Increased inquiries about service offerings
  • More RFP submissions
  • Growth of indirect contacts within the vertical channel

Even a bump in correspondence with their audience, even if it’s only a “what am I getting for Arbor Day?”-type questions. I am comfortable saying we raised some awareness.

So we turned the ubiquitous holiday card into a program that returns more and more each time our client invests in it.

Here are some things to consider if you’d like to try something similar:

  • Skip the usual. Don’t do a postcard because that’s what you’d normally do
  • Timing is everything. Pick an unusual time of the year, a holiday, birthday, astrological division
  • What’s in it for them? Notice this doesn’t say “what’s in it for you?”—play down your product/service and turn up the volume on just saying “hi” or giving your audience something that is unrelated to your product/service
  • Theme. a common thread tying your efforts together help to build awareness from your audience. And this doesn’t mean because you put your widget on a “baseball card” that someone will want to collect them all. Perhaps each execution is pink, or square, electronic or dimensional…
  • Commit to the whole program. You may need to gain some momentum before you see results, so create a plan and stick to it. The first isn’t any good without the second and third.

Here’s some holidays we haven’t been able to work into our program, but sound like there’s a lot to work with:

  • No Pants Day – First Friday of May
  • International Talk Like a Pirate Day – September 19
  • National Ammo Day – November 19
  • Monkey Day – December 14

I love to hear your efforts, especially if it’s on one of the above!

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12 Things You Must Know to Be Successful with Mobile Marketing

Posted by evoklarry on November 24, 2008

Whether you’re new to mobile marketing or can explain all the details of text messaging (SMS), picture messaging (MMS) and mobile web (WAP) technologies, it’s important to know how to deploy campaigns successfully, leveraging this powerful new media channel in today’s rapidly evolving global environment.  Here are 12 recommendations from experienced mobile marketing professionals, starting with the basics and moving into tips for planning and implementing a successful campaign.

The Basics
1.  RESPECT THE END USER.
Any successful mobile marketing program must respect the end user and always put the interaction decisions including choice and control in the hands of the consumer (this means consumer “pull,” not consumer “push”).  That’s why the MMA publishes the Global Code of Conduct, which focuses on consumer privacy and protection and ensures that all interactions with the consumer are at the consumer’s request.  The MMA has also published it’s “Consumer Best Practices Guidelines (CBP)” for the U.S. market, which focuses on ensuring a positive experience for the consumer and creating consistency in the interactions between brand and consumer via the mobile device.  In the U.S. CBP guidelines, for instance, it is prohibited to send an unsolicited message to a mobile user, and the guidelines define that all messages must have consumer “opt in” before they can be sent.  In any mobile endeavor, brands and marketers need to conduct themselves responsibly and use common sense when interacting with consumers.  That means having the utmost respect for individual privacy and ensuring that consumers have always opted in to your campaign.

2.  TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EXISITING RESOURCES.
Education is the key to being successful, says Jason Gruber, vice president U.S. strategic development for AOL’s mobile team in Seattle.  “Brands need to get smart about the mobile space,” he says.  “If you think mobile is important to your consumers, spend a day on the Mobile Marketing Association’s web site [www.mmaglobal.com].  You’ll learn why a mobile spend n be more effective than online if you’re smart about selecting goals, choosing a partner and structuring a campaign.”

3.  UNDERSTAND THE ECOSYSTEM.
Because mobile marketing involves multiple participants, understanding the ecosystem (aka value chain) will help you launch a mobile initiative more effectively, as you will understand what players will need to be involved in providing your solution.  Simplistically, the value chain includes consumers, who carry many different types of handsets, such as cell phones, smart phones and PDA’s with varying capabilities.  Next are the wireless operators/carriers, who provide service to consumers through a wide assortment of voice and data features and functionality.  Aggregators and technology enablers provide the technical solution, the interoperability across the carriers and the line with the marketers.  And then, brands and their agencies will help define their strategic objectives, goals and creative and lead the launch of the campaign.  Since many mobile campaigns have integrated digital and traditional media components, marketers may also wish to explore the nuances of varied multimedia platforms, advertising networks and other web service providers.

Planning a campaign
4.  DEFINE YOUR STRATEGIFC OBJECTIVES AND LEVERAGE MOBILE’S UNIQUE CAPABILITIES.
Planning an effective campaign begins with a discussion of a marketer’s strategic objectives for the entire campaign.  You need to look at the big picture, first, and then determine which mobile solution fits into the overall marketing mix.  Unlike other media, mobile can reach consumers making a buying decision anytime, anywhere (including at the point of sale).  Its reach extends to the business traveler, the parent running errands and young adults chatting with their friends.  As Gene Keenan, vice president of mobile strategy at Isobar, says, “Mobile lets you build a highly personalized dialogue with the individual consumer.  That’s very different from the old mass market model of Advertising.”

5.  IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE.
Understanding the target demographic, including age, sex and mobile technology skill levels, for your campaign is key to a campaign’s success and will help you to determine what mobile media best suits the marketer’s strategic objectives.  Your analysis may indicate that some consumer segments and/or geographies rely heavily on their mobile phones and utilize a wide variety of data services, while others are less familiar with functions like video services or browsing the mobile web.  Understanding your audience will help you to focus on the needs of the campaign, and not simply guide selections based on “cool” technology.  Brands and marketers who can see beyond the technology and physical formats, and recognize the underlying value of the campaign to their target audience tend to run successful mobile marketing campaigns.  That means the mobile technology has to fit the campaign’s marketing objectives and target audience.

6.  SET CLEAR, MEASURABLE GOALS.
Because mobile marketing campaigns come in many different flavors, it’s essential to determine the desired and measurable results from the start.  Do you want a certain number of consumers to click through to a web site or to a present retailers with a coupon displayed on a handset to drive acquisition?  Or are you seeing to build awareness or to increase brand loyalty as measured by traditional or digital marketing tools?  Starting with your strategic objectives and defining your goals will be key to campaign success.

7.  INTEGRATE EFFECTIVELY INTO A CROSS MEDIA CAMPAIGN.
Mobile is most effective when used in a multichannel program, enhancing and complementing offline and online strategies.  Consider deploying a holistic, 360-degree plan that might include the use of TV, web, print or outdoor ads with an embedded mobile “call to action” as an integral part of the campaign.  When and where you reach consumers makes a critical difference in the success of the mobile component.  The timing and relevance of the consumer interaction are even more important in driving quality mobile consumer engagement than with other marketing channels.

8.  ENGAGE THE CONSUMER-AND DRIVE SUSTAINED DIALOGUE AND INTERACTION.
Mobile is a highly effective response channel to expand brand engagement with individuals.  In fact, mobile goes well beyond interruption-based media like TV in generating a personal interaction between the brand and the consumers.  Therefore, you should think about the overall journey the customer will take during your campaign.  That means planning for what will happen after the first interaction.  While many mobile campaigns focus on driving traffic to a web site, remember that this is just the start of the conversation with the consumer.  Keep them engaged and continue to provide relevance and value to continue the relationship and the dialogue.

Implementing a campaign
9.  TEST THE WATERS AND BE WILLING TO ADAPT.
Today, every brand has an opportunity to learn how to reach consumers on their mobile devices.  That means taking action now – such as launching a pilot mobile program, extracting key learnings from the initiative, and applying the added knowledge to your next campaign – will be key to long term success in the mobile channel.  The mobile space is evolving rapidly so you many want to “dip your toes in the water” now in order to be ready for the future.

10.  KEEP IT SIMPLE.
If you’re new to mobile marketing, perhaps the best advice is to keep you initiative simple.  Voce and text messaging are being used by leading brands around the world and are seeing high adoption and significant success.  For example, major airlines offer voice or text alerts for schedule changes, and leading brands from retailers to food and beverage companies engage consumers through simple mobile promotions or mobile coupons.  Keeping it simple means ensuring your brand’s message is clear and relevant to the user who receives it, but it also means that the campaign that you launch is easy for the consumer to use – and understand – using technologies that are available today.  A campaign that requires a detailed instruction manual may not help the brand achieve their desired results.

11.  ENSURE A RELEVANT AND SUSTAINED PROPOSITION TO THE CONSUMER.
Marketing opportunities in the mobile space should focus on providing relevance and value to your consumer.  A successful campaign will continue to present relevant, sustained value to the customer – and ensure that ever interaction is a valuable interaction.  In expanding a brand’s digital presence through display, search and even video, a targeted mobile message and content that adds value can be the first step in gathering insights as well as generating measurable results.

12.  HAVE FUN!
Mobile presents many opportunities for creativity, innovation and exploration.  Try it today to determine the best opportunities for your consumer, and have fun!

Located with Mobile Marketing Guide, presented by the MMA and written by Richard Westlund – Thanks Richard – we found your article very insightful!

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What children’s programming taught me about advertising.

Posted by martydread4evok on October 27, 2008

As a father of 13 month old twins and an imaginative five year old, I’m fortunate enough to be immersed in a perspective of discovery and creativity that only a child can possess.  And over the past five years I’ve shared the delight of children’s programming with my kids, realizing that I enjoy it not only for the time with my children, but for the inspiration they can provide to the creative adult.

(Judgemental commenters are thwarted here: I do not equate quality time with my children as sitting in front of the TV with them. But any time with them I do enjoy.)

So an article came out last week in Advertising Age Mediaworks about what I felt was my own little creative secret, “Yo Gabba Gabba!”—one of my favorites, uhh, my twins’ favorites.

I won’t elaborate on the details, you can find them here. But what I like is the simplicity of the concept. That I will tell you about. That’s what is inspiring.  And the two pitchmen in my head present it like this:

“So this tall hipster guy, dressed in a scandinavian track suit a la 1976, has this awesome boom box. A boom box that opens to reveal a collection of the best in Japanese-like collectible figurines, action figures if you will. And when he pulls the figures from their form-fitting foamy boom box case, and puts each of them into their own little environment on top of a table—they come to life. And teach your kids.”

That’s it. Action figures that come to life once you pull them out of their case.  I’d go on to tell you about the set, the guests,  etc., but here’s my take-away:

Keep it simple.

What happens to imaginary  friends when they’re not wanted anymore? They go here.

Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.  That simple. A foster home for imaginary friends.

Simple. Original. Yet anything goes. Have you ever seen a palm tree with lips, and speaks kinda like a chicken? Can you imagine one? Yes you can. How creative is that?

Perhaps it just needs to be that simple for kids to understand and become engaged. Then you can add the talking palm tree or the one-eyed alien (Muno is my fav).

You’re saying “So that’s how this translates to advertising.”

Simplicity in the idea provides a strong foundation for growing it. So let’s keep it simple.

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Incorporating Candy Into Your Sales Effort

Posted by jourdan4evok on October 17, 2008

If you’re saying to yourself, ‘why is candy showing up on a legitimate marketing blog’, then perhaps we need to take a closer look at the power of chocolate.

Not everything needs to be a profound or prolific insight into the essence of branding. Of course, you’ll get plenty of that here too. Sometimes it’s good to chat about the nuts and bolts…..or should I say nuts and nuggets….of marketing.

Plain and simple, most people like candy. Even the ones who don’t can appreciate it. Yes, yes. I know there’s a few of you out there who adamantly vow to never touch the stuff – so be it. For the rest of us, it offers an instant trip down memory lane, a 3 o’clock pick-me-up or a surefire way to be a child’s hero.

From the bank teller and dentist lollipop giveaway to the Andies Candies treat after a meal at the Olive Garden, candy is just one of those things you can count on. Here’s a look at some other ways to ‘sweeten’ your marketing efforts (yeah, I went there. So what.)

  • Customized M&M’s. Pick your corporate colors, add your logo and voila – instant sales tool.
  • Chocolate Stamping with Branded Wrapper. Most promotional companies offer a vast array of edible options. You can imprint your logo right into a chocolate bar. Add a key brand message to the wrapper and now you have a promotional asset for your campaign.
  • Custom Mold. I once saw a plastic shoe company hand out little gummy jelly shoes at a tradeshow. Turns out, they were tiny edible replicas of the real shoe. The packaging had the URL and a coupon. Many candy factories will allow custom molds.

So, do I think you’ll sell a Lexus because you had a candy dish at the sales office? No, of course not. But, do I think a nice box of Godiva chocolate with a handwritten thank-you card to the new owner will create a positive lasting impression…..you bet!

Today’s post is brought to you by the candy corn. Invented in 1880 and made from corn syrup, honey and sugar, the candy corn has become  iconic with Halloween. Whether you love em or hate em…..you have to envy its mass recognition and staying power.  

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Building Dynamic Databases

Posted by evoklarry on September 22, 2008

Do you have the best possible database, and are you putting it to the most effective use? Technology – especially the Internet – has provided the greatest opportunity in history to acquire information about customers and potential customers, and fine-tune that information for an unprecedented level of accuracy in targeting your marketing and advertising efforts.

The more specific the pitch or campaign to your customers – whether they’re distributors, retailers or consumers – the more receptive they’ll be. But because database technology is changing so rapidly, keeping up with all the possibilities is a challenge. Our Interactive division provides the following insight:

Make your website work. Many businesses still think of their website as an online catalog instead of a powerful tool for mining information about visitors. Surveys are an excellent way to begin because they’re easy and effective. Determine what kind of information you want to gather, then post a few survey questions at a time on a weekly or monthly basis. Of course, provide incentives (promotional items, exclusive content downloads, discounts, etc.) for completing them. You’ll learn the specifics that will form the foundation of a database receptive to your message (more about that later in this post).

Next, use your website to build on this foundation. New interactive technologies make it possible to track where visitors are going on your website, which products they’re looking at, and other online activity (all without identifying the individual visitor). By combining demographics with this information, you can fine tune your database to a highly refined degree.

Personalize messages for everyone. You can directly address each audience segment in your database with a personalized message geared toward their particular niche. Again, interactive web technologies make it possible to create dynamic content with an individual touch – no matter how large your database.

Having said that…

Send messages your customers want to hear. Use your knowledge about your current and potential customers to educate them about how your business can meet their needs. Don’t insist on talking about apples if you know your target market wants to hear about kumquats. Like every other element of marketing, even the most dynamic database is only as effective as how it’s used.

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