According to IBM, we create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data daily, with 90% of that data being created in the last two years. McKinsey Global Institute states that big data will become a key basis of competition. They state that, “Leaders in every sector will have to grapple with the implications of big data, not just a few data-oriented managers.” And, data is predicted to grow exponentially, moving forward, due to the rise of multimedia, social media and the internet.

So, there obviously is not a lack of data out there, which is why they termed it BIG. But, what does that mean to you and your organization? Out of all of those quintillion bytes, what portion is useful to you in your marketing efforts? Appending your mailing list with additional data on current clients can be helpful in better understanding their wants and needs. Or, consider profiling your top customers and then purchasing lists of others who share the same characteristics and demographics.

There are several ways you can help create value to your organization through the use of data:

• Collect data at all touchpoints with your prospects and customers.
• Use it frequently to unlock value. Data needs to be considered in all decision-making areas of the organization.
• Analyze it to improve the products and services that you offer.
• Segment your mailing lists so you can send out relevant offers.
• Improve your forecasting by reviewing historical data.

Most organizations are small to mid-sized and may not have the personnel on staff that can understand the data they have or how it can be used. But, big data aside, all of us can find ways to learn more about our targets, record that information (data) and use it to sell more of our products and services.

Let’s look at a marketing campaign that would use and analyze data:

1. Send a direct mail piece with a personal URL.
2. Use the information gathered at the personal URL site to automatically develop an ebrochure, using variable text and graphics that speak personally to your target.
3. Follow up your ebrochure with a direct mail brochure featuring the same variable data text and graphics and an additional call to action based upon the data you gathered.
4. Develop drip multi-channel marketing tactics to keep your target’s interest level high and pay attention to the marketing channel(s) they respond to. This is an indication of the channel(s) they most prefer. Make sure you incorporate those channels in all future touches with them.
5. If they make a purchase, ensure that the next marketing campaign they are touched by, is not for that same product or service. They’ve already purchased it and expect you to know that. Move them into a campaign that will up sell or cross-sell.

This example is a simple way in which you can use data. Many of you may feel no need to conduct a personal URL campaign to gather data, as you already have tons of it. But, are you using it, or is it just sitting in a silo somewhere? If so, get it out, dust it off and put it to good use.

I think Amazon does a great job of using data to continually place products in your path that are tempting. They pay attention to the types of books, music and other products that you buy and then continually “suggest” other products, that your past purchases indicate you would find of interest. Personally, I have bought many items from Amazon, for which I never actively searched. They were “suggestions” given based upon my past purchases.

So, while you may not be as large as Amazon, or have the resources they have, you can use the data you do have to create personal and relevant marketing messages. And, then find ways to capture and use new data at every target interaction.

If you’d like to learn more about using data to drive response rates and revenue, let us help put your data in motion! You may also access our Resource Center for many helpful articles.

After the fallout hit him like a ton of bricks, he profusely apologized and removed the offensive posting, but not before a local enewspaper published it and he became the talk of the town.

I share this because so often while participating in social media, we either post or respond to a post far too quickly. After we’ve posted, it’s usually too late to take it back. Reputations and careers can be ruined, character can be called into question and integrity can be compromised all because of one click.

Now, most of us aren’t out there posting attack emails full of obscenity, but I would bet that most of us have posted less-than-professional comments to a friend’s page or posted a comment that was full of spelling and grammatical errors.

Have you ever had a picture of you posted that you wish had never been taken? You may not look your best, or you may have an alcoholic beverage in your hand, which you know is frowned on by upper management. Once posted, it’s too late.

Even though our world has become more casual, more accepting of mistakes, or just more accepting in general, a first impression is a lasting impression. Or, in the words of someone wiser than myself, “You never have a second chance to make a first impression.”

There are risks to posting inappropriate and unprofessional comments, pictures and videos on social media. These risks are not just for the business professional, but for high school and college students also. Postings can keep you out of a company, or out of a college.

According to a study by Microsoft, 70% of human resource professionals have refused to hire a job applicant because of what they had posted on their social media sites. However, only 7% of recent job applicants thought that a potential employer would take the time to search social media sites. A survey by jobvite.com states that 86% of potential employers may search and look into your social media profile history.

This also holds true for colleges and universities. Admissions personnel spend time on prospective students’ social media sites. Acceptance to the college of their choice can be denied simply because of inappropriate comments or questionable content.

Take away the initial hiring or college admission scenario. Think about how you look on your social media pages and postings. Posting thoughtful comments, using correct grammar and proper punctuation can leave a positive impression of you as a professional individual. The flip side leaves the opposite impression.

For a business, there is always concern of how employees are portraying the company on their personal social media pages. Are they violating any company confidentiality concerns? Do they make the organization look less than the best? Are any trade secrets being divulged? Just as our local politician embarrassed himself personally, his company was embarrassed that he was their employee. Not a good formula for long-term employment.

So, before clicking “post”, take a minute to make sure your social media posting is representing you as a top notch individual – the type of person an organization would be proud to claim or hire. If not, make some edits or just delete. First impressions count! 

The more things change, the more things change. As technology becomes more sophisticated, the speed of change has increased. So while teens are declaring they are tired of Facebook and YouTube, marketers will just get to work finding the best channel(s) to reach them in the short-term.

The short-term is all we can really focus on when it comes to the newer marketing channels. QR Codes, once predicted to be so strong, now seem to languish.Yes, they continue to pop up in print, yet no one seems very excited or focused on them. Does that mean that mobile marketing is passe’. No, not at all. It just means that QR Codes were “hot” for a while, but things change.

The constant state of flux that marketers find themselves in is now the new normal. Gone are the days of multi-year strategic marketing plans. It’s difficult to plan out more than a year because of new entrants into the marketing arena and the fast fade of others.

While this article claimed boredom as the reason teens are moving away from Facebook and YouTube, it also suggests that the presence of parents and grandparents on Facebook have made this channel too multi-generational for the teen set.

As teens make up an $819 billion consumer segment, their movement away from these two social media channels cannot be ignored by marketers. It’s time to get busy looking at where they are migrating:

• Reddit
• Twitter
• Snapchat
• Vine
• 4chan

Today, marketers cannot afford to ignore any channel. While the teens are abandoning Facebook and YouTube, other groups are increasing their presence on these channels. As more marketing channels come on board, our focus and our dollars, will continue to be splintered. Maybe it’s time to focus on our primary and secondary targets and spend our resources staying in front of them, instead of trying to be all things to all people.

Integrating multiple channels within your campaign can help increase response rates and thereby increase conversion rates and the resulting revenue. Direct mail and email are perfect complements for each other. Research shows that the response rate for direct mail increases when an email teaser is employed. Direct mail has also been tagged the channel best for customer acquisition, while email wins as the channel that supports customer retention. Combine them to drive both acquisition and retention.

And, back to those QR Codes. It doesn’t cost anymore to put a QR Code on a direct mail piece, as long as you are directing them to a mobilized website. So, why not integrate mobile marketing with direct mail?

Not every teenager will be ditching Facebook for Reddit and not every middle-aged woman is setting up a Facebook page. People are people and people are online and offline. Touching them in the channel they most prefer is what’s important. As well as, letting them respond back to you in their channel of choice.

When you’re ready to put your ideas in motion, give us a call. We can provide case studies that show the power of integrated multi-channel campaigns. www.multi-craft.com

So often, we all have tunnel vision. Educators think that all of our problems can be solved simply by improving students’ scores. Business professionals think that all of our problems can be solved by getting government out of our businesses and that our education system needs to do a better job. Our legislators, though maybe well-intentioned, think most things can be resolved with a tax hike or tax reduction. None of these groups are totally wrong, but they are only focused on one part of the picture.

What I saw at the Excellence in Education Dinner last evening was a room full of educators, business professionals and legislators – even Governor Beshear was in attendance. It made me realize that our community will only be as successful as each individual group is successful. And, none of us can do it alone. It takes business, education and government to keep Northern Kentucky progressing and prospering.

Everyone needs a quality education – even if it’s just a high school diploma. After that there are many options available to our children. Maybe it’s an apprenticeship program in the plumbing or electrical trade. Maybe it’s a certificate or 2 year degree from Gateway Technical and Community College for graphic design, IT, or cosmetology. Maybe it’s a four year degree from Thomas More College or  Northern Kentucky University. However, that high school diploma is the start and we need to make sure that 100% of our Northern Kentucky children are graduating with that high school diploma.

Everyone needs a job and businesses will require that high school diploma, at a minimum. But, many businesses today, particularly in manufacturing, are struggling to find people who are qualified to be hired. Mazak and Gateway Technical and Community College have banded together to develop a program that will allow an entry-level employee to work part-time and go to Gateway part-time, graduating with a skill that Mazak desperately needs – welders! This is a great example of a successful partnership between business and education. The outcome is more jobs for our residents.

Let’s not forget about our legislators. Whether it’s a council member from Covington, the mayor of Newport, our Judge Executives or  state/federal representatives, we need their commitment to our region. A commitment to help our educational institutions have the funding and facilities they need to train the workforce our business community needs. The business community needs legislation that promotes business growth (ex. Angel Tax Credit and tax reform), not legislation that adds to the mound of compliance hoops we are already jumping through.

And, as citizens, we need to take the time to understand what the political candidates stand for. And, if they stand for what our region needs, we need to help them get elected. Following that, we need to keep the communication pipeline open so they are kept informed of our successes, hurdles and needs. Only through open dialogue can we form that triangle of business, education and government which will drive our region forward.

Northern Kentucky has a proud history of putting aside our individual city and county loyalties and working together for the good of the entire Northern Kentucky region. We will either succeed together or fail together. Now, more than ever before, it’s time for business, education and our legislators to join forces and focus 100% of our efforts on producing excellent students that our businesses can employ. Together we can build a leading community – Northern Kentucky!

• Account Rep – the customer must first decide if they like the account representative and if they feel they can trust him/her.
• Organization – they then must feel that your company is a good match for them.
• Product/Service – next they’ll explore and determine if your products/services are a good solution for them.
• Cost – they will want to determine if your pricing is in line with the value you are offering.
• Buy – finally they will determine if it is the appropriate time for them to purchase.

Since your customers have a buying process, doesn’t it make sense for you to have a selling process? Though each company’s offerings may cause the process to be tweaked, I believe a basic sales process should contain the following:

• Planning – this includes researching their organization, business model, industry vertical, appropriate contacts and identifying your call objective. Obviously, we would all love to close the deal with the first telephone call we make, but realistically maybe the goal of the first call is just to get the call returned. Make sure you have a realistic goal for each contact with the target. What do you want to happen next?
• Questions – if you haven’t prepared good questions to ask your target, then you will likely end up talking far more than you should. The best meetings are those where you are listening the majority of the time and they are speaking. You will be unable to provide solutions if you don’t understand the problems. Good questions will help you uncover the problems.
• Presentation – know when to present your solutions, and it certainly isn’t in the first call. The presentation should be the solution to the problem that you previously agreed upon. Make sure your presentation skills are honed, as your target likely has choices for the companies they can work with. It’s your job to persuade them that you are the logical choice based upon the solution.
• Goals – your short-term goal may be to present a solution to a current problem and persuade them that you are the best choice. However, your long-term goal should be that you are viewed as the sole strategic resource in your field. To be looked at in that manner will require that you know their business as well as they do - and that you are always searching for things that will help them attain their goals.
• System – make sure that you have a strong organizational system that allows you to have one place where all of the information for your clients resides. Whether it’s a formal CRM system, or just a home-grown solution, having pertinent information at your fingertips will be critical in being that strategic resource.

Sales is not an easy way to earn a living and, at times, can be downright discouraging. Having the internal fortitude to “muscle on” when business is slow or you’ve just heard your fifth “no” in a row is important.

What motivates you? Motivation is internal as no one else can motivate you. Your employer can build an environment that is pleasant and supportive to work in, but they cannot motivate you to succeed. Why do you do what you do? What makes you get up in the morning? Knowing the answers to those questions can help you push through when times are tough.

For those not able to attend in person, there are some key points you need to consider when deciding if sponsorships should be a part of your marketing strategy. Not too many years ago, only large organizations could afford to be sponsors and most sponsorships revolved around sports. In fact, in 1984, 90% of all sponsorship dollars went to sporting events.

Today, even small companies have the opportunity to participate in sponsorships. Sponsorships can range from sporting events, concerts, theater performances and museum exhibitions to smaller, more targeted sponsorships, such as:

• local sports teams
• fairs
• festivals
• park clean-ups
• mini-marathons

Here are some things you may want to consider when trying to determine if a sponsorship makes sense for your organization:

• Will the event reach your ideal client?
• Does the event have a high credibility factor?
• Will you have the ability to speak to the group?
• Will you have access to contact information for attendees?
• Do the sponsor benefits go beyond a sign or name in a program?
• Are your employees or co-workers will to jump in and “work” the crowd?
• Does this event fit into your marketing strategy?
• Is the event positively perceived by your target audience?
• Can the event be used for networking purposes or to entertain existing clients and important prospects?
• Is the event focused on a niche market you want exposure to?
• Are you aware that sponsorship is just an investment in an opportunity – not an immediate sale?

Sponsorships should never be a stand-alone activity, but will work best if they are a part of your integrated marketing strategy. Realize that sponsorships are a long-term investment. That doesn’t mean that you might not get lucky and land a big sale quickly, but odds are that it will be just another “touch” within your marketing strategy.

And, it’s important that you have a marketing strategy so when an opportunity arises, you will have a plan to measure it against. It will allow you to make a strategic decision on whether or not that sponsorship “fits” into your strategy. It will also keep you from being pressured into a sponsorship that really doesn’t make sense for your organization.

Trade show sponsorship is growing and there are many opportunities at trade shows for sponsoring:

• International Lounge or Press Room
• Speaker
• VIP Room
• Cocktail or Awards Reception
• Educational Program or Break-out Session
• Signage
• Promotional Products (tote bags, napkins, lanyards)
• Shuttle Buses
• Hospitality Suite

But, even though trade show sponsorship is growing, it doesn’t mean that a particular trade show is appropriate for your organization. That’s why having a marketing strategy is so important. It will let you measure the opportunity against your strategy and make the decision that is best for your company.

If you decide that sponsorship is for you, make sure that you measure the results:

• Leads generated
• Sales closed
• Lifetime value of a new customer
• Products sold
• Products tested
• Visitors to your booth
• Requests for information

That way, after the sponsorship is over, you will be able to determine if you have generated a return on the marketing dollars that you have spent. If you’ve realized a return – great! If you haven’t, then at least you’ll know that sponsorship should not be repeated in the future.

We also conduct a Mardi Gras themed poster contest for the graphic designers in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region. This year we had a hard time narrowing it down to the 5 finalists that the attendees could vote on. Some were very creative and humorous, while others were very serious but beautifully executed. This year, creative and humorous won! Congratulations to Joe Stryker with Icon Marketing Communications for taking home the grand prize.

I love this annual opportunity to interact with our clients. Most of our meetings are in conference rooms where we’re discussing strategy and costs. But, on Fat Tuesday, the conversation is all about families, recent vacations, what’s going on in their workplace, who found the baby in the King Cake and other general friendly conversation.

It’s a time where people are getting to know other people - not customers, not prospects, not the title – just everyday people! Some even let their guard down enough to put on masks and silly hats – no alcohol is served, so this is just their fun-loving nature coming out.

Often we forget that the business relationships we build are between people. And, to forge a good relationship where you can offer assistance and valued services, you need to understand not only the company, but the people involved. That’s why I love our annual Fat Tuesday Luncheon and any other time where I can get to know our clients on a personal level.

We’ve already started planning for Fat Tuesday 2014 – every year it just gets better. If you happen to be in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area next year on Fat Tuesday, stop by. Grab some New Orleans-style food, a piece of King Cake and get to know some of the fabulous people that we have the honor of calling “customer”! www.multi-craft.com

A personal URL campaign is a great way to start the data-gathering process. This type of campaign goes beyond a static mass mailing by personalizing the direct mail piece and providing a personal URL. This micro website gives you the ability to survey and gather responses. The resulting data will allow you to target your contacts in a 1:1 variable text and graphics campaign.

Like any other marketing effort, measuring success is important. Your results will show you if you’ve executed a successful campaign, or if you need to make changes for future campaigns to drive higher response rates. It’s common to use response rate as the measure of success, but I’ll suggest a few others.

Keep in mind that your response rate is the number of people who responded to your offer, compared to the number of direct mail pieces you sent. Example: If you mailed out 10,000 postcards and 250 people responded, your response rate would be 2.5%. The average response rate for a static direct mail piece is 1.7%.  Personalization will always get you a higher response rate, which is the reason we always encourage personalizing as much as possible. 

Here are some other ways to measure success:

• Conversion Rate – This calculates the number of people who responded to your offer and converted into being a customer by making a purchase.
• ROI (Return On Investment) – The ROI on a personalized 1:1 campaign is often exponentially higher than a static campaign. It is calculated by looking at what you spent to develop and execute the campaign,  compared to the revenue generated.
• LCV (Lifetime Customer Value) – Loyal customers who return again and again to purchase from you have a lifetime value. Customers generated by a 1:1 campaign tend to purchase more and be more loyal. Calculating lifetime value is difficult, but should certainly be taken into consideration when determining ROI.
• Cost Per Lead – It’s important to know just how much it cost to get each person to respond.
• Cost Per Sale – Just because someone responded to your offer does not mean they purchased. You might want to calculate how much it cost you to land each sale.

If your 1:1 campaign will include the internet (website and email), you might want to look at your email open rate, click-through rate and website statistics.

If you’re in the Greater Cincinnati  Northern Kentucky area, register for our April 11th Ideas in Motion Seminar on, “PURLs and Data Analytics”. www.multi-craft.com

The same could be said for just about anything we do – it can always be better. Continuous improvement is a worthy goal. Here, at Multi-Craft we tend to measure everything that doesn’t run away from us: 

• Benchmarking
• Spoilage
• On-time and early deliveries
• Billing cycle
• Customer value
• Profitability
• Individual workloads
• Survey results
• Fish moments (atta boys!)

Nothing is sacred. 2012 was a great year for all of the above, so in the spirit of continuous improvement, our 2013 goals will be a little more difficult to hit. No coasting or backsliding permitted! And, guess what – employees are perfectly fine with that.

 We use industry standards and ratio studies to benchmark ourselves and our goal is to not be average. I think we have a company of above average team members, so our goals are what will keep us growing and excelling – to keep us above average.

We also love lifelong learners. That’s just another area of continuous improvement for an individual. Today, technology is driving change so quickly that it’s easy to be out-of-date when just yesterday you were cutting edge. It’s not about the college degree, though they certainly add value. It’s about self-education – reading books, attending seminars, participating in roundtables, tapping into vendor knowledge, going to trade shows and asking questions. It’s developing a curious nature and having the ability to determine how you can use that new information to move yourself and your organization forward.

Printing has been around since Benjamin Franklin, but today it’s different. It’s not just about putting ink on paper – it’s about so much more. Consider:

• Mobile Marketing
• Social Media
• ECampaigns
• Website SEO
• Dimensional Mail
• Variable Data Printing
• Personal URLs
• Data Enhancement and Analysis 

For those printing companies who made the decision to remain strictly a printing company, I’m thinking you’re either gone or struggling. We are no longer printers – we are communicators. It doesn’t matter whether what needs to be communicated is through telemarketing, billboards, social media or printing. All it matters is that it be communicated by someone who has the knowledge to execute the strategy.

Someone famous once said, “The times, they are a changing”. What they neglected to tell us is that the times are changing daily! To keep up, we need to develop a passion for learning, change and continuous improvement. If you are located in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area, join us for our free monthly seminars. You might just learn something that could help you along the path of continuous improvement! www.multi-craft.com

Even EBay is adding a physical location as one of their channel strategies. In addition, EBay also uses catalogs and direct mail to drive traffic to their online site. It seems like the more we change the more we stay the same, doesn’t it?

Then I see that CMO.com has declared 2013 the Year of the Marketer. Delving into their 2013 trends and predictions, they predict that the CMO will move into the C-suite and actually take a seat in the boardroom. Now, that’s just not a meaningless decision, but will carry great accountability. 

CMOs will be expected to take on added responsibility for revenue generation, not just market share and be able to direct the entire organization in regard to acquisition and retention of customers, along with data gathering and analytics. Yes, it’s also the year of Big Data.

So, what do the clicks-to-bricks brands and the “enlarged” CMO have in common? Integration across multiple channels and the development of new skills. We have become digitally inundated and consumers have become immune to our emails, tweets and other digital communications. Sometimes, they actually WANT a face-to-face purchasing interaction.

To stand out, marketing messages must use all available marketing channels – yes, even including direct mail. With mailboxes being empty, marketers are seeing the opportunity to grab attention during that magic “mail moment” and are returning to direct mail as one of their marketing strategies.

CMOs will need expertise in social media as well as team-building. They will need to have the ability to develop cross-departmental teams to accumulate meaningful customer data that will allow for detailed segmentation and relevant just-in-time touches. Their skills will need to encompass all of the marketing channels, as well as financial acumen and management skills, because their efforts will be expected to grow top line revenue and contribute to the profitability of the organization. 

The message? To me it’s about using everything we have – knowledge, marketing channels, software and people. It’s no longer just the job of the marketing department to build the brand. And, it’s not possible to build the brand solely focused on digital marketing or any other single marketing channel. There are great expectations that must be lived up to!

Today, the entire organization must be focused on knowing as much as possible about their customers and prospects, making it possible for them to hear from, and respond to, the organization through the channel(s) they prefer, when they prefer.

Here in Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky we offer monthly seminars to help our clients and prospects learn as much as possible about all of the marketing channels available to them. If you’re ever in our area, let me know. We’d love to have you join us! www.multi-craft.com