Monthly Archives: October 2009

Can You Increase Your Sales Without Increasing Your Budget?

October 30, 2009 – 4:15 am

These days, every company is looking for ways to get more out of their marketing budget. Experience suggests that an internal review of how you handle information requests and your ordering process is likely to uncover a wealth of opportunities. A couple shocking examples illustrate why I say that: (Click on the headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Customer service, Marketing | Leave a Comment

Keep Your Subscribers Looking Forward to More

October 28, 2009 – 4:15 am

Here’s a tip for reinforcing the value of your newsletter and encouraging subscribers to open future issues:
(Click on the headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Enewsletters | Leave a Comment

Evaluating the Relative Strength of B-to-B Marketing Channels

October 26, 2009 – 4:15 am

Bob Bly, the renowned and prolific B-to-B copywriter, wrote an especially interesting column in this month’s Target Marketing. In it, he ranks 19 different marketing channels, classifies them as “inbound” or “outbound,” and rates them by lead quality and ROI. (Click on the headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Advertising, Marketing | Tagged , | Leave a Comment

Cement Your Email Marketing Relationships Early

October 23, 2009 – 4:15 am

When people sign up for your email list, what happens next? Do they get a perfunctory “Thank you for subscribing” and then nothing until your next scheduled email – which might be a month away?

It’s important to get new subscribers used to hearing from you, and start sending them helpful information right from the get-go. Autoresponders, which allow you to send a preprogrammed series of emails to new subscribers at specified intervals, make it easy to cement email marketing relationships. Some of the ways you can use an autoresponder program include: (Click on the headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Email marketing, Enewsletters | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Are You Too Close to Your Own Advertising?

October 21, 2009 – 4:15 am

Many entrepreneurs are so close to their own companies that it’s hard to perceive them through customers’ eyes. Two cases in point that I’ve encountered this week: (Click on the headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Advertising, Catalogs, Marketing | Leave a Comment

Can You Adapt These Facebook Strategies?

October 19, 2009 – 4:15 am

Companies with the most success on Facebook are those that find a way to reward people for becoming fans and keep them coming back regularly. For some interesting promotional ideas, have a look at 1-800-Flowers. Their recently introduced Friday Floral Ambush invites Facebook fans to enter a weekly contest by specifying which arrangement under $49.99 […]

By Val Gosset | Posted in Social media | Leave a Comment

Email Trends to Keep an Eye On

October 16, 2009 – 4:15 am

While you’re busy ramping up your email marketing, don’t let the world pass you by. A recent study by Pew Internet & American Life Project shows that, while 91% of all US adults use email, it’s losing ground among younger generations. (Click on the headline for more…)

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

Don’t Depend on Default Messages

October 14, 2009 – 4:15 am

Most of the time, routine tasks like placing an order, signing up for an enewsletter or requesting a catalog generate a confirmation or “thank you” message. Whether such default messages are part of your software package or were implemented by your webmaster, they can almost always benefit from further attention. (Click on the headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Copywriting, Email marketing, Website design | Leave a Comment

Not All Leads Are Created Equal

October 12, 2009 – 4:15 am

It’s common for companies to treat everyone who requests more information exactly alike. Some mail them as often as they do their buyers. Others send information once and never again. Usually the best profitable option requires further investigation. (Click on the headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Advertising, Direct response advertising | Leave a Comment

Surprising Results: How You Type Your URL Matters

October 9, 2009 – 4:15 am

When space is at a premium, my designer often argues that we can eliminate the “www” in the URL; I usually resist doing so. I just came across some evidence that supports my instinct. (Click on the headline for more…)

By Val Gosset | Posted in Pay-per-click advertising | Leave a Comment
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