Monthly Archives: December 2008

Set Yourself Up For Success in the New Year

December 31, 2008 – 4:15 am

As the New Year rolls around, millions of people will set New Year’s resolutions. Within two weeks, most will be a distant memory. If more people used proven goal-setting techniques, the result might be entirely different. For instance: (Click on headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Goals | Leave a Comment

Free Source of Customer Demographic Data

December 29, 2008 – 4:15 am

Here’s an interesting web site you might find useful: http://www.quantcast.com. After you enter a web site URL, Quantcast returns both demographic data and traffic estimates for the site in question. I haven’t investigated exactly how it works, but the results seem to be remarkably accurate.

The demographic profile it provides includes: (Click on headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Marketing, Online marketing | Leave a Comment

A Fundraising Faux Pas

December 26, 2008 – 4:15 am

I’m writing this from my stepdaughter Carol’s house, which is filled with potted bulbs.  Carol bought them, unpotted, at a church fundraiser. While she’s thrilled to have them, she’s exasperated at the bulb company’s total lack of follow-through. You see, her order consisted of bulbs, nothing more. No identification. No potting instructions. No way to […]

By Val Gosset | Posted in Marketing | Leave a Comment

Have a Laugh With This Innovative Ad

December 24, 2008 – 4:15 am

Ok, it’s Christmas Eve and no one is paying much attention to business anyway. So I thought I’d post a link to a fabulously innovative and funny ad that has absolutely nothing to do with gardening or catalogs…but does illustrate how one clever company is leveraging the power of the Internet. (Click on headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

An Overlooked Way to Increase Your Email List

December 22, 2008 – 4:15 am

Grow Your Email List is the lead article in our Winter 2009 snail mail newsletter (send me your address if you’d like a copy). Here’s another tip on the same subject that was not included in that article: (Click headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Email marketing | Leave a Comment

What You Can Learn From This Company’s 90% Refund Rate?

December 19, 2008 – 4:15 am

It’s easy to pay lip service to the concept of listening to the customer and learning from mistakes. Truly great companies follow through. (Click on headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Customer service, Marketing | Tagged | Comments (1)

The Death of Email?

December 17, 2008 – 4:15 am

I just read a fascinating article that argued convincingly that email is quickly losing its lead as a preferred means of communication.

How can something so new, so easy and so cost-efficient lose its dominance so fast, you ask? Simple. (Click headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Email marketing, Social media | Leave a Comment

What You Can Learn From a Customer Survey

December 15, 2008 – 4:15 am

We just did an online survey for one client and sent it to their newsletter subscriber base. I was blown away by the response, which surpassed our highest expectations by a factor of two. The information we gathered was invaluable. For instance: (Click on the headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Marketing, Online marketing, Resources | Leave a Comment

Book Your “Ask the Experts Sessions” Today

December 12, 2008 – 4:15 am

One of the most popular features of the Mailorder Gardening Association (MGA) Winter Conference (January 5-7, Baltimore, MD) is the one-on-one Ask the Experts sessions. (Click on headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Garden industry trends | Leave a Comment

Great Source for Up-To-Date Online Marketing Information

December 10, 2008 – 4:15 am

Online marketing changes more rapidly than any one person can keep up with, yet staying current is of vital importance. One great source for current information and advice is ClickZ.

This comprehensive web site’s mission is quite simple: to help interactive marketers do their jobs better. They publish a number of informative newsletters, but what I find most useful is their “search” feature. Look for any online marketing topic and you’ll quickly have a list of brief, informative, recent articles from a number of online marketing experts. It’s one of the best places to start for a quick education on almost any subject.

By Val Gosset | Posted in Online marketing | Leave a Comment
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