The last few years have seen an influx of new gardeners. The National Gardening Association reports that the number of new vegetable gardeners increased 10% in 2008, and a whopping 19% in 2009. By all appearances, the trend is continuing in 2010. Unlike previous generations, (Click on the headline for more…)
A Sensible Way to Test Google AdWords Content Network
Most Google AdWords advertisers know that their ads can show in two types of places: the Google Search Network and the Google Content Network. With the Content Network, AdWords ads appear on informational sites when Google deems an advertiser’s search term to be relevant. There are two perils of advertising on the Content Network: (Click on the headline for more…)
Soft-Selling On Your Packing Slips
I buy nearly all my plants by mail, and save the packing slips so I know exactly what I ordered – and from where, and in case I want to buy more. I recently looked through quite a stack of them, and was surprised at the opportunities being squandered. (Click on the headline for more…)
Paid Search Conversions On The Rise
Despite strong competition among pay-per-click advertisers, conversion rates appear to be on the rise. In a recent survey by Internet Retailer magazine, 55% of catalogers using paid search reported that conversion rates had increased in the last year. One contributing factor is undoubtedly (Click on the headline for more…)
A Lead-In Sentence To Avoid
Any good marketer knows that importance of addressing WIFM – what’s in it for me – from their reader’s point of view. Using a headline and/or lead-in that conveys a benefit is basic principle of good sales copy. So why is it that one of the most common opening sentences in sales letters is this: (Click on the headline for more…)
A Common Mistake in Marketing With Postcards
If you market with postcards, here’s an important tip that most postcard mailers overlook: (Click on the headline for more…)
Determining Optimum Catalog Page Counts and Mailing Frequency
A catalog company recently asked my opinion on cutting the number of pages in their catalog by more than half in order to save money. It’s a common question. The logic is that a website can feature your full product line, while a catalog cannot, so why not just refer people to the website? More and more orders are coming through the web anyway, so why go to the expense of printing a big, fat catalog?
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Why “Make More Money” Is Not a Goal
Whenever I talk to a prospective client, one of my first questions is “What’s your goal?” I’m astonished by how often people have never given thought to the question. After some fumbling around, the answer I usually get is (Click on the headline for more…)
Facebook’s Staggering Growth
We all know that Facebook has been growing like Topsy, but it recently hit a new first: (Click on the headline for more…)
My Favorite Plant Company Guarantees
In our last couple blog posts, we surveyed the different types of guarantees offered by companies selling live plants through the mail, and noted some of the practices that might deter customers from ordering. In today’s post, I’ll focus on some best practices that encourage customers to place an order. (Click on the headline for more…)
