Jakob Nielsen has posted two articles of note to direct marketers:
- Why Web 2.0 Can Be Dangerous. Nielsen is right on the money here — literally — for once taking the economically prudent path of ROI and aligning it with the user-centered path of UI. This post is not to be missed. (Though, in truth, the Web 2.0 things your company does should represent the bleeding edge of a cutting edge of a comprehensive strategy. If they are, more power to you. Ignore him.)
Read more on Web 2.0 = Dangerous? Expensive?…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Diane Quinlisk December 17, 2007
585-453-8313
dquinlisk@catdir.com
Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces new board member
ROCHESTER, NY—Jim Hammer, president and CEO of Hammer Packaging Corporation, has joined Catalyst Direct, Inc.’s board of directors. As a board member, Hammer will play an integral role in developing long-term goals and strategies for the company as it seeks to expand the business and develop new clients.
Read more on Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces new board member…
The PURL is all the rage.
As a long-time DMer, this makes me smile. After all, it’s reassuring to know that the things we have spent decades learning in the offline world continue to be relevant and impactful in the online arena.Way back when, we always said that customers scan mailings for their name…the address vehicle is the first place they look. Then the Publisher’s Clearinghouse folks took it up a notch…using personalization techniques to bombard readers with their name. Guess what. It worked. And it still works, both in the mail and online.It signals relevance.The problem is, if you don’t deliver against the promise of relevance, you are hurting your brand.
Read more on Using PURLs, offline learnings in an online world…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Diane Quinlisk December 13, 2007
585-453-8313
dquinlisk@catdir.com
Karen Menachof promoted at Catalyst Direct, Inc.
ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce that Karen Menachof has been promoted to director, client services. In her new role, Karen will be responsible for the entire account management team and the organic growth of the account base. In addition, she’ll continue to play a key role in new business efforts.
Read more on Karen Menachof promoted at Catalyst Direct, Inc….
Copywriting is copywriting, right? Not exactly. As the Web assumes greater dominance over how we gather and obtain information, it’s had a significant impact on how read content in print mail, as well. It’s part of what makes up DM 2.0.
Read more on How Web writing has impacted print…
That’s what I learned at the DMA in Chicago last month.
The whole idea of the Web site as a static environment…one that delivers information in an organized way and enables visitors to find information due to its “structure”…is a thing of the past. We no longer make our Web site available to our customers and prospects. We create an environment that is customized entirely based on their needs. So when a prospect searches for refrigerators and then clicks on Sears, the site is designed to provide information on refrigerators…not the Sears home page. After all, they’ve already told us what they want, right? Why make them tell us again?But that’s just the beginning. As data is gathered based on customer behaviors and inquiries, our ability to deliver an increasingly customized experience on our Web sites has grown substantially. Current customers are recognized upon entry…specific cross-sell offers are presented, based on their current product ownership…special offers are presented on products that have been of interest in the past…the entire experience is unique. In one test that was referenced, targeted vs. random content drove a 71% lift in site effectiveness.So don’t even bother “building” a Web site…think of it as a sales presentation, one that is fully customized to the audience and everchanging as we learn more. And what do we know about effective selling? Spend your time talking about the client…not yourself.Web sites may be dead. Branded, relevant, customized experiences, delivered online (as we have done in the offline arena for years) will carry the day. It’s the start of something truly different. DM 2.0.
Read more on Web sites are dead…
Dell may have lost its top spot in PC sales, but Sunday it took a $4.5 billion step to lead its industry into integrated marketing. The Texas-based computer company announced a partnership with WPP “to create a new global integrated marketing and communications agency” with both “the creative horsepower and ability to measure the business impact” of its work. Vice President of Global Marketing, Casey Jones, said the new venture, dubbed “Project Da Vinci,” will allow the agency to “spend 100% of their time thinking about our customers.”
Read more on Spending $4.5 billion to focus on the customer…
At the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA’s) annual meeting (October 13-17 in Chicago) I participated in a number of sessions that addressed marketers’ growing desire to integrate interactive and traditional direct marketing methods into cohesive and tightly coordinated campaigns. A new form of direct marketing is afoot. Clearly, marketers who embrace multi-channel communication strategies quickly realize the powerful effect these channels have on delivering results and revenue. These clients and agencies are the ones embracing Direct Marketing 2.0, and they are quickly reaping the benefits. All the different talk tracts (Strategy, Creative, and Data and Analytics, across both B-to-B and B-to-C) delivered observations, case studies, and best practices that included interactive marketing as a key and critical component of direct marketing. Let me share a personal example.
Read more on Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group embraces DM 2.0…
