Gary Ritkes
Want to Know What Makes Your Customers Tick? Just Ask.
Understanding how to retain customers is one of the most important lessons for a company. And when a five percent increase in customer retention can potentially augment revenue by more than 100 percent, building customer loyalty should always be top priority.* So what makes your customers happy and loyal? If you use any sort of [...]
Why Use the Least Expensive Mail Possible?
The United States Postal Service (USPS) recently released a new product, Every Door Direct Mail, which now makes it very affordable for small businesses to get back into the direct mail game. Essentially, the mail cost is about half the price of Standard Class (better known as Bulk Mail), coming in at a price per [...]
Employing Distributed Marketers as Brand Advocates
Walmart employs 1.4 million people domestically. They have their own internal magazine and social network, which likely eclipse the circulation of some national publications and the number of users on certain open social sites. And this makes them an attractive audience to brands, which recognize their potential not only as users, but as influencers and [...]
Why Social Media Automation Matters
The Wall Street Journal reported recently on recent franchiser social media efforts and various initiatives to ensure message consistency with their franchisees. You can click here to see what they have to say. We’ll be tackling the same issue with our social media automation programs at the International Franchise Association’s Annual Convention in February 2012. However, [...]
Channel Marketing Showcase – American Express and Small Business Saturday
Coming soon to a shopping area near you – it’s Small Business Saturday. This new holiday is being driven by American Express with support from Facebook, FedEx, Google, and a host of media outlets to encourage consumers to visit their neighborhood shops in lieu of big box stores and national retail chains. Check out the [...]
Don’t Let the Noise Drown Out Your Customer Retention Efforts
SearchEngineLand recently published an article (click here) referencing a survey noting marketers indicate SEO continues to out perform PPC and Social Media Marketing. In the same survey, most marketers indicated they plan on increasing their budgets for Social Media. If you plan to follow in a similar path, it is important not lose sight of [...]
Creating a Balance for New and Traditional Advertising Mediums
Do you ever wake up at night in a cold sweat wondering if your best customers left you for your competitor? You’re not alone. Many small businesses find themselves in a state of uncertainty given the economic client and making matters worse, the ability your competitors have with all the various types of marketing tools [...]
Marketers noted an Improvement in ROI across all Tracked channels in 2010
I read an interesting post within the LinkedIn Direct Mail Integration Advocacy Group posted by Evelyn Milardo. Enjoy the read………. Marketers reported spending increases last quarter, according to the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Quarterly Business Review. It was the first time in more than a year they’ve done so. Marketers noted an improvement in return [...]
Grandma and Grandpa are on Facebook
In a world where all small businesses are trying to connect with their existing customers and bring in new ones, they have been inundated with various options for advertising. These small businesses are always trying to figure out what works, and what doesn’t work when it comes to spending their advertising budget. SproutLoud’s answer: they [...]
Why Direct Mail Still Commands the Eyeballs of the Consumers
For over 25 years, the USPS has been conducting a study named “The House Hold Diary Study.” Over 5000 homes monitor every aspect of every piece of mail they receive or send for a one week period. http://www.usps.com/householddiary/welcome.htm The study specifically deals with what people actually do and what they intended to do in reaction [...]
