Blog – Page 47

The (Questionable) Value of Encouraging Multi-Channel Buyers

I just read yet another article about multi-channel buyers that has me scratching my head. It’s a common argument that multi-channel buyers -– those that buy through some combination of online, on the phone and in stores — are more valuable than single-channel buyers so we should all try to entice buyers to use multiple channels.

It’s a known fact that multi-channel buyers almost always have a higher average value than single-channel buyers. They’re presumably more engaged with your product, and so have a higher likelihood of buying more.

I get lost at the conclusion many people then reach: that it’s a worthy marketing goal to convert buyers to multiple buying channels. Give your customers an incentive to use a second or third buying channel, the argument goes, and they’ll become one of those valuable multi-channel buyers.

If Staples sends me a $20 off coupon good for in-store use only, I may go to the store just this once rather than order online. Their offer “artificially” shifts my buying habits on a one-time basis, but doesn’t do anything to make me a more valuable customer to them – and indeed costs them the $20 discount.

If your experience proves otherwise, I’d love to hear about it!

The Hidden Costs of Slim-Jim Catalogs

Skyrocketing postage and paper costs have led many catalogers to consider changing their catalog format to a “slim-jim” size – roughly 6-1/8” x 11” – in order to save money.

Before you follow suit, be aware of two important considerations…

A Treasure Trove of Email Marketing Facts

If you’re a numbers junkie like I am, you’ll enjoy www.emailstatcenter.com. It includes a wealth of interesting statistics on email marketing, divided into topics such as…

What’s Your Best Day to E-Mail?

I’m often asked when the best day to email is. The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all-answer.

An industry colleague recently commented that his best day to email is on the weekend. We’ve certainly found that to be the case with many of our clients, even though it flies in the face of conventional wisdom. It makes sense that…

Boost Profits With Pre-Catalog Marketing

By the time your catalog has been put to bed, you probably don’t want to think about marketing again for a while. But if you take the time to announce your catalog with a little fanfare, you’re likely to see a nice lift in response. For instance:

Mail (or email) in advance. Before your catalog goes out, send an oversized postcard and/or an email announcing its imminent arrival. Be sure to include a photo of the catalog cover.

Highlight specifics. Do more than say “the catalog is coming.” Call out particular products, especially new items.

Include an offer. Encourage customers to explore the catalog by including specific offers, such as 10% off any bulbs on pages 23-24.

Use deadlines. Use a deadline with any offer you include. Make sure it allows plenty of time for the catalog to arrive and for people to look through it – but not so long that they forget about the offer altogether.

Do you do any pre-catalog promotion? What works best for you?

A Strategy for Beating the Bad Economy

In one of last week’s posts, I discussed how one garden center doubled sales largely by hiring someone who understood the value of promotion and knew how to do it well.

The other day, the same point hit home when talking to a friend who wholesales potted bulbs sold as gifts. Last Christmas, two of his clients, both prominent gardening catalogers with similar customers, carried the same gift basket. Company A included it in their catalog with hard-to-see photography, a pretty mundane headline, and almost no description.

Company B used dramatic photography, a powerful headline, and compelling copy. Not only did they put the item in their catalog, but they tested it as a featured item in their email promotions, and it flew off the shelves. Naturally, they continued the promotions, and they had a hard time keeping it in stock. The marketing manager dubbed it a home run.

Meanwhile, Company A is dropped the product this year because it didn’t sell well enough.

I chuckled when I heard the story. I’ve been getting newsletters from Company A for years with subject lines like “September Newsletter from Company A” while Company B’s newsletter subject lines always include strong benefits and calls to action.

I’ll bet you anything that Company A is bemoaning how tough it is doing business in today’s economy. Meanwhile, I’ve read that Company B’s business is up 40% in 2008. Sounds like a classic example of making your own luck!

How and Why to Segment Your Email List

According to one study by Jupiter Research, sending marketing communications that are more relevant to your audience could increase net profits an average of 18 times – a powerful argument for the benefits of segmentation.

Many companies don’t segment their email marketing lists because there are virtually no incremental costs for sending the same message to everyone. But as more and more customers suffer from email overload, continued relevancy is key to maximizing your opt-in list.

How do you go about segmenting an email list? Here are a few possibilities:

* Surveys. Perhaps the best way to find out what people are interested in is to ask. As soon as people sign up to receive your emails, send a welcome note with a short survey asking what topics they’d like to receive information on.

* Zip codes. One of our clients is at maximum capacity in March, April and May, but could use more business from Southern states in January and February. After spinning off a separate email list of customers in just those zip codes, we’ll step up promotions to the right people at the right time.

* Links clicked. It’s likely that anyone who clicks on a link in an email promotion is more engaged than someone who doesn’t. What’s more, if you track the links that your email readers click on, you can glean information about what interests them. For instance, if you include a link to a list of shade-loving plants, you can bet that anyone who clicks on it would be interested in related emails, like a promotion for astilbe or hosta.

If you’re starting to see open rates decline or opt-outs rise, consider segmenting your email list. Once you have, you may find that you’ll be able to email the “cream of the crop” more frequently than before without jeopardizing the rest of your mailing list.

A New Twist on Carbon Offsets: Oxygen Footprints

Steve Cissel of 10-20 Media, a publisher of several online directories of lawn, garden and green products, has proposed an interesting idea: an industry campaign focusing on our “oxygen footprint.” In other words, promote the beneficial effects of gardening as an antidote to the much-discussed carbon footprint. For more details, take a look at Cissel’s website and forum.

Last June, a few dozen industry leaders gathered to discuss the possibility of a national advertising campaign to promote the gardening industry as a whole. See the Branchsmith Open Register Blog for more details.

What are your thoughts on the best way to foster more interest in gardening among the general public?

Welcome, Tulips.com

We’re pleased to welcome Tulips.com as a new client. Tulips.com is a division of Roozengaarde and Washington Bulb Company, the largest tulip bulb grower in the country. Not only do they offer pre-cooled bulbs online and through their catalog, but they also offer their fresh-cut flowers year-round. Visitors to Washington state can enjoy their three-acre show garden each spring during the Annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

We’ll be producing a regular enewsletter for Tulips.com. To read the inaugural issue, click here.

How the “Obvious” Doubled Sales

While waiting in the lobby for the IGC Show to open, I had an interesting chat with a gentleman from a Midwest garden center.

“How’s business been for you this year?” I inquired.

“Fantastic – it’s up 100% over last year,” he responded.

I asked him to what he attributed it. Turns out, my new friend used to work for a distributor and wearied of the traveling, so he went to work for a nearby garden center to whom he’d been selling for the last 25 years.

The garden center owner was known for buying closeouts of hard goods at steeply reduced prices. So far, so good. The weak link was what happened next.

The closeout merchandise would get piled up in the storage barn. Every season, he’d take out three or four of each product in the barn and put them on the retail shelves. He’d never restock mid-season because he was “too busy” to notice when supplies ran out. The next year, he’d do the same thing. At the rate he was going, it would take him 25 years to liquidate the merchandise he’d already accumulated.

Once the former distributor was on board, he made a concerted effort to sell. For starters, the most obvious change was noticing when the shelves were depleted and restocking them in the same season. But he also created large displays, added signage, and trained staff on the benefits of the products.

To some, the need for such changes was obvious. But that’s just the point – what’s obvious to one person, isn’t obvious to another. The “obvious” solutions can often take us the farthest. By creating a system and paying attention to details, this former distributor helped his boss double the business in a single year, in large part by capitalizing on assets he already had.

I don’t know about you, but that story made me revisit the list of things I’m “too busy” to do and look for the obvious opportunities under my nose!

« Previous Page

Grow Your Business — Contact Val

Memberships

Connect With Us

Contact