Helping the Garden Industry Thrive
Direct marketers who do a lot of testing know for a fact that there’s often a disconnect between what people say they do and what they actually do.
I started noticing this decades ago when I had my first job at a direct response ad agency. Friends would gently berate me (Click on the headline for more…)
Every blog post or newsletter article I publish about postcard mailings seems to generate a lot of interest. Clearly, many companies are turning to postcards as a way to reach more customers and prospects at a lower cost. Unfortunately, I see lots of postcards that either try to do too much or that miss key components. For best results, here are a few tips: (Click on the headline for more…)
The National Hardware Show in Las Vegas is just a few weeks away, and I’m dusting off my walking shoes. With over 900 exhibitors in the Lawn, Garden and Outdoor Living category alone, it’s not a place for the faint-of-foot. I’ll be attending Tuesday, May 5 and Wednesday, May 6. If you’d like to meet, please let me know. I’d love to sit down (!) and chat over a cup of coffee.
Whether you’re optimizing your website or running a paid search campaign, selecting the best keywords to focus on is of paramount importance. Here are a few tools to make the job easier: (Click on the headline for more…)
We’re pleased to welcome Rugged Country Plants as a new client. Rugged Country specializes in native plants that thrive in the tough, dry conditions of the Intermountain West, between the Cascades and the Rockies. Have a look at their new website at www.RuggedCountryPlants.com.
We’re looking forward to helping them grow!
My friend Amy recently decided to cut down on the large number of catalogs she received regularly. After emailing her opt-out request to a wide variety of companies, she reported that only one tried to nurture the relationship any further. (Click on the headline for more…)
Most companies using paid search advertising (also known as pay-per-click or PPC) rely on generic product descriptions that they can “set and forget.” If that includes you, consider testing new ads with deadlines or seasonal themes that add more urgency. These might include: (Click on headline for more…)
Helping people process information quickly is a critical component of maximizing sales. Whether you’re developing a web page, a catalog page or a print ad, creating an effective visual hierarchy is crucial. (Click on headline for more…)
I’m often asked what’s best to focus on: search engine optimization (SEO) to maximize organic search, paid search (pay-per-click or PPC) advertising, or a combination of the two. Each method has pros and cons. For instance: (Click on the headline for more…)
Anything that raises a catalog or website customer’s comfort level is a plus for sales, especially during these days of cautious spending. Studies repeatedly show that, the longer the guarantee, the higher the sales and the lower the returns. Likewise, a recent study by Forrester Consulting reports that 81% of people surveyed agreed that “If an online retailer makes it easier for me to return a product, I am more likely to buy from that retailer.”
That makes a new joint venture between UPS and the U.S. Postal Service well worth keeping an eye on. The program… (Click on the headline for more…)
