Search results for The Hacker Group
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Found 30 item(s). Displaying 1-15
How Mobile Is Your Marketing?
July 2011 From Target Marketing
Mobile is one of the fastest-changing channels in marketing today. CTIA-The Wireless Association reports that 96 percent of U.S. adults own a cell phone; 37 percent of those are smartphones, according to The Nielsen Company's latest numbers, up from 28 percent in November 2010.
July 2011 From Target Marketing
Mobile is one of the fastest-changing channels in marketing today. CTIA-The Wireless Association reports that 96 percent of U.S. adults own a cell phone; 37 percent of those are smartphones, according to The Nielsen Company's latest numbers, up from 28 percent in November 2010.
5 Ideas for Better B-to-B Mail Campaigns
October 28, 2009 From Tipline
New media sources might be multiplying like rabbits, but it's comforting to know the tried-and-true best practices of direct marketing tend to perform no matter the channel or medium.
October 28, 2009 From Tipline
New media sources might be multiplying like rabbits, but it's comforting to know the tried-and-true best practices of direct marketing tend to perform no matter the channel or medium.
Doing More With Less
March 2008 From Target Marketing
Selling can be a delicate process requiring the finesse of a diamond cutter. I was approached recently by someone who wanted to sell me a service I have no need for now, but might at some time in the future. I told him I have no clients in this sector right now. He continues to e-mail me every couple of weeks, telling me how great his service is. I don’t need those e-mails; I have his contact information. And now he’s beginning to annoy me. On the other hand, I was approached a few months ago by another person who sells office furniture. My company is
March 2008 From Target Marketing
Selling can be a delicate process requiring the finesse of a diamond cutter. I was approached recently by someone who wanted to sell me a service I have no need for now, but might at some time in the future. I told him I have no clients in this sector right now. He continues to e-mail me every couple of weeks, telling me how great his service is. I don’t need those e-mails; I have his contact information. And now he’s beginning to annoy me. On the other hand, I was approached a few months ago by another person who sells office furniture. My company is
Three Methods to Regain Control of Your Brand
December 2007 From Tipline
General advertisers believe they are losing control of their brands. They’re wrong. They’ve never had control! Advertising is focused on changing the way people think, while direct marketing changes the way people act. Here are three ways to get your brand back: 1. Behavioral targeting is easy when your product/service is associated with a particular activity or pursuit. It can still be done, even with more general products and services—but it’s a bigger challenge. 2. If your marketing program is broken, you need to test everything. If your program is healthy, spend about 20 percent of your budget testing. If it’s somewhere in
December 2007 From Tipline
General advertisers believe they are losing control of their brands. They’re wrong. They’ve never had control! Advertising is focused on changing the way people think, while direct marketing changes the way people act. Here are three ways to get your brand back: 1. Behavioral targeting is easy when your product/service is associated with a particular activity or pursuit. It can still be done, even with more general products and services—but it’s a bigger challenge. 2. If your marketing program is broken, you need to test everything. If your program is healthy, spend about 20 percent of your budget testing. If it’s somewhere in
Famous Last Words: Golf? No Thanks!
November 2007 From Target Marketing
When I was a kid, I tried golf—once. I found my eyesight was so lousy—even with glasses—that every ball was a lost ball, even those that went straight down the fairway (which was almost never). I have not picked up a golf club since. In my Friday Philadelphia Inquirer, I received a massive lead-generation piece—a 16-page, 91⁄4˝ x 11˝ (one spread opened up to 361⁄2˝ across) color brochure flogging membership in The Cliffs golfing communities of South Carolina, and especially the new Tiger Woods-designed golf course at High Carolina. This piece—which must have cost 50 cents with printing and insertion—came through my door mail slot in
November 2007 From Target Marketing
When I was a kid, I tried golf—once. I found my eyesight was so lousy—even with glasses—that every ball was a lost ball, even those that went straight down the fairway (which was almost never). I have not picked up a golf club since. In my Friday Philadelphia Inquirer, I received a massive lead-generation piece—a 16-page, 91⁄4˝ x 11˝ (one spread opened up to 361⁄2˝ across) color brochure flogging membership in The Cliffs golfing communities of South Carolina, and especially the new Tiger Woods-designed golf course at High Carolina. This piece—which must have cost 50 cents with printing and insertion—came through my door mail slot in
Three Ways to Prevent Multichannel Failure
October 2007 From Tipline
In the mad rush to get their multichannel marketing plans going full-steam, many companies lose sight of some multichannel fundamentals. “In a dysfunctional multichannel environment, everyone has a separate P&L, everyone is taking credit for each other’s sales, and no one understands where sales are coming from,” asserts Mark Swedlund, senior vice president of Haggin Marketing, a multichannel agency based in San Francisco. Here are three ways to get past the multichannel stumbling blocks: 1. Watch for siloed organizations. When the marketing people don’t talk to the sales people or the online folks don’t strategize with the offline bunch, trouble brews. Such trouble can
October 2007 From Tipline
In the mad rush to get their multichannel marketing plans going full-steam, many companies lose sight of some multichannel fundamentals. “In a dysfunctional multichannel environment, everyone has a separate P&L, everyone is taking credit for each other’s sales, and no one understands where sales are coming from,” asserts Mark Swedlund, senior vice president of Haggin Marketing, a multichannel agency based in San Francisco. Here are three ways to get past the multichannel stumbling blocks: 1. Watch for siloed organizations. When the marketing people don’t talk to the sales people or the online folks don’t strategize with the offline bunch, trouble brews. Such trouble can
October 2007 From Target Marketing
Direct marketers have worked for decades to personalize their contacts with customers. Back in the 1940s, for example, after a human typed “Dear Eric” on the first line of a sheet of paper, the remainder of the sales pitch would be typed automatically by a player piano roll that was hooked up to a typewriter. By the 1970s, people saw their names on contest letters from Reader’s Digest and thought they might be winners. With new technology comes new ways to personalize pitches, and the personalized URL—or pURL—is a new tool that will bring great benefits to marketers who know how to use it correctly.
Marketing Is Everything
June 2006 From Denny Hatch's Business Common Sense
Sim Wong Hoo blew it. In 2000 the Singapore entrepreneur came up with the idea that eventually became the iPod. He was approached several times by Apple’s Steve Jobs to do a joint venture. Jobs was turned down, and Sim went his own way—creating half-baked in-house marketing materials and doing no brand advertising. Jobs brought out the iPod and ate Sim’s lunch; now Sim is suing for a patent infringement. It seems inventors like to invent, but they operate on the better mousetrap theory—that buyers will beat a path to their door. “Build it and they will come,” was the refrain in Kevin Costner’s “Field of Dreams.” “Build it
June 2006 From Denny Hatch's Business Common Sense
Sim Wong Hoo blew it. In 2000 the Singapore entrepreneur came up with the idea that eventually became the iPod. He was approached several times by Apple’s Steve Jobs to do a joint venture. Jobs was turned down, and Sim went his own way—creating half-baked in-house marketing materials and doing no brand advertising. Jobs brought out the iPod and ate Sim’s lunch; now Sim is suing for a patent infringement. It seems inventors like to invent, but they operate on the better mousetrap theory—that buyers will beat a path to their door. “Build it and they will come,” was the refrain in Kevin Costner’s “Field of Dreams.” “Build it
Eight Hot Spots for Direct Mail Typos
May 2006 From Tipline
Where are the eight most likely places in a direct mail campaign for a typo to appear? According to Gayl Curtiss, managing director of The Hacker Group, a direct marketing agency in Bellevue, Wash., marketers should pay close attention to the following elements of their direct mail campaigns: 1. Phone numbers, both call and fax—it’s easy to transpose numbers. 2. The company’s name—anywhere it appears. 3. Signatory’s name—you often don’t have a proofing tool to verify the correct spelling. 4. Terms and conditions—proofers often don’t read them. 5. Address information—wherever it appears. 6. Headlines—they’re big and people blow right through them. 7. Letter set-up—vendors often retype perfect copy from laser mechanicals. 8.
May 2006 From Tipline
Where are the eight most likely places in a direct mail campaign for a typo to appear? According to Gayl Curtiss, managing director of The Hacker Group, a direct marketing agency in Bellevue, Wash., marketers should pay close attention to the following elements of their direct mail campaigns: 1. Phone numbers, both call and fax—it’s easy to transpose numbers. 2. The company’s name—anywhere it appears. 3. Signatory’s name—you often don’t have a proofing tool to verify the correct spelling. 4. Terms and conditions—proofers often don’t read them. 5. Address information—wherever it appears. 6. Headlines—they’re big and people blow right through them. 7. Letter set-up—vendors often retype perfect copy from laser mechanicals. 8.
March 2006 From Target Marketing
To remain relevant to customers and boost the bottom line, today’s direct marketing campaigns must move across the borders of direct marketing media nimbly and fluidly. More importantly, marketing channels need to work in unison so that prospects and customers receive not only a consistent message, but one that builds a case for your products and brand. Does your direct mail creative prominently feature a Web site address where customers can find out more about your product and the particular offer being pitched? Do your search engine marketing (SEM) efforts coordinate with your print ad copy? There are many ways to integrate offline and
The Self-mailer Challenge
September 2005 From Target Marketing
One piece of paper, a thousand ways to get it wrong. By Gayl Curtiss and Paul Ford How can something that feels so easy be so complex? Depending on your timelines, production limitations and sales strategy, the suggestion of using a "simple" self-mailer for a campaign could be a mirage that drags you into quite a few production, timing and strategy problems. The situation typically starts with a job that requires great response on a fast turn. Someone invariably suggests the self-mailer, because it's "just one piece of paper." The creative, printing, bindery and lettershop processes should take at least half the time
September 2005 From Target Marketing
One piece of paper, a thousand ways to get it wrong. By Gayl Curtiss and Paul Ford How can something that feels so easy be so complex? Depending on your timelines, production limitations and sales strategy, the suggestion of using a "simple" self-mailer for a campaign could be a mirage that drags you into quite a few production, timing and strategy problems. The situation typically starts with a job that requires great response on a fast turn. Someone invariably suggests the self-mailer, because it's "just one piece of paper." The creative, printing, bindery and lettershop processes should take at least half the time
Bid Your Job to the Right Printers
May 2005 From Target Marketing
We all have our favorite mail manufacturers—those who have come through for us time after time. In order to maintain the successful track record of those key suppliers, you might have to protect them from bidding and producing a job that is not their core competency. They may come in cheaper than other suppliers, but only because they haven't grasped the scope of the job. In these cases, they often can't complete the project for the price quoted or in the time frame expected. I don't expect each of our mail manufacturers to do all jobs well. Each has its own specialization, and those
May 2005 From Target Marketing
We all have our favorite mail manufacturers—those who have come through for us time after time. In order to maintain the successful track record of those key suppliers, you might have to protect them from bidding and producing a job that is not their core competency. They may come in cheaper than other suppliers, but only because they haven't grasped the scope of the job. In these cases, they often can't complete the project for the price quoted or in the time frame expected. I don't expect each of our mail manufacturers to do all jobs well. Each has its own specialization, and those
Create a Winning Lead Dialogue: How to Optimize Your Contact Strategy
August 2004 From Target Marketing
Nothing in this world is pure, and direct mail is no exception. Direct mail isn’t purely a marketing medium. When done properly, it’s a combination of marketing and sales. Review the best direct mail programs you can think of; they will all reflect this fact. Given the close relationship of marketing and sales, creating great direct mail requires that you: • work to avoid some of the critical mistakes even seasoned professionals fall into; • be able to adjust your lead flow and quality to the needs of your sales team; and • get maximum value out of every lead. Go Far
August 2004 From Target Marketing
Nothing in this world is pure, and direct mail is no exception. Direct mail isn’t purely a marketing medium. When done properly, it’s a combination of marketing and sales. Review the best direct mail programs you can think of; they will all reflect this fact. Given the close relationship of marketing and sales, creating great direct mail requires that you: • work to avoid some of the critical mistakes even seasoned professionals fall into; • be able to adjust your lead flow and quality to the needs of your sales team; and • get maximum value out of every lead. Go Far
The Ideal Relationship With Your Production Supplier
November 2003 From Target Marketing
By Gayl Curtiss It's easy to find print production vendors. It's hard, however, to find good ones. Finding compatible, competent production suppliers is an ongoing challenge. Here are some tips I use when considering potential suppliers: Pricing: There are many exceptional production facilities with which to align yourself. The first thing I do is ask the prospective vendor to bid on some representative projects, and I compare its prices to what I have already paid. I refuse to a pay a premium for the "privilege" of working with any vendor. If its pricing seems to be in line, I plan a visit to
November 2003 From Target Marketing
By Gayl Curtiss It's easy to find print production vendors. It's hard, however, to find good ones. Finding compatible, competent production suppliers is an ongoing challenge. Here are some tips I use when considering potential suppliers: Pricing: There are many exceptional production facilities with which to align yourself. The first thing I do is ask the prospective vendor to bid on some representative projects, and I compare its prices to what I have already paid. I refuse to a pay a premium for the "privilege" of working with any vendor. If its pricing seems to be in line, I plan a visit to
A Wake-up Call to Senior Management
May 2003 From Target Marketing
Don't let mistakes eat up profits By Gayl Curtiss Here is a secret to increase your profits during tough times: Make the elimination of errors your No. 1 priority. With agencies barely making enough profits to survive, senior management has a choice to make: Ignore procedures and spend big bucks fixing screw-ups, or embrace procedures and drop much larger profits to the bottom line. Look at it this way: If you reduce errors, you'll increase the profitability of current clients, and in turn, cut down your dependence on new business development. In every agency there are two priority efforts going on at
May 2003 From Target Marketing
Don't let mistakes eat up profits By Gayl Curtiss Here is a secret to increase your profits during tough times: Make the elimination of errors your No. 1 priority. With agencies barely making enough profits to survive, senior management has a choice to make: Ignore procedures and spend big bucks fixing screw-ups, or embrace procedures and drop much larger profits to the bottom line. Look at it this way: If you reduce errors, you'll increase the profitability of current clients, and in turn, cut down your dependence on new business development. In every agency there are two priority efforts going on at
