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…)
The Death of Email?
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…)
What You Can Learn From a Customer Survey
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…)
Book Your “Ask the Experts Sessions” Today
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…)
Great Source for Up-To-Date Online Marketing Information
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.
Another New Payment Option That May Help Capture More Sales
Our last post discussed Bill Me Later, a payment option growing in popularity as credit card use declines. Another possibility to consider is eBillMe, which is designed for the 84 million online banking users in the United States. eBillMe allows users to pay cash onlne while keeping their financial information private. After selecting the eBillMe option, buyers log on to their bank’s website to pay for their transaction as they would any other bill.
Merchants benefit from lower transaction fees of 1% to 2%, and no fraud liability. (Click on headline for more…)
Should You Offer This New Payment Option?
Popular new payment option Bill Me Later is aimed at consumers who are reluctant to use credit cards online, but who consider PayPal too much of a hassle. Recently acquired by eBay/Paypal, Bill Me Later ranked #6 on the 2007 Inc 500 list of fastest growing private companies in America. (Click on headline for more…)
Alternative Payment Systems Capture More Sales
I was recently talking with a group of local merchants, and every one reported a recent shift in how consumers prefer to pay. As credit becomes harder to come by and consumers tighten their belts, merchants are noticing a trend away from credit cards and towards cash. That works for retail stores, but what’s a direct marketer to do? (Click on headline for more…)
A Great Example of a Customer Review System
If you don’t already allow – or rather, invite — customer reviews on your web site, drop everything and get to work. Reviews are arguably the single easiest means of significantly boosting your conversion rate. I’ve heard one garden company owner call them “transformative” and I couldn’t agree more.
While you’re at it, there are a number of ways to beef up a review system to make it even more useful. For a terrific example, take a look… (Click headline for more…)
A Refresher in Best Testing Practices
As our clients have been planning their Spring schedules, we’ve had lots of discussions about testing. Whether a test is useful or useless depends largely on how it’s set up, so a review of best testing practices seems timely. (Click on headline for more…)
