Classic Customer Marketing Articles

This is an archive; for latest see the Marketing Productivity Blog and Twitter: @jimnovo

These articles are keepers for customer retention oriented, Data-Driven marketers; they are selected primarily because they provide very short-in-supply case studies, metrics, or process models for relationship marketing, customer retention, or customer loyalty marketing on the Web.

Meeting of the Minds
November 27, 2002  Direct Magazine
A treasure trove of information on the latest e-mail marketing thinking from some bona-fide experts with no particular agenda to push.  No surprise, it's all about targeting, which has always meant "relevance" - even before there was such a thing as e-mail.

GMACCM spills the beans over failed CRM
November 26, 2002  searchCRM.com
Could this be the start of some weird new cult?  Companies "confessing" to screwing it up - in this case as long as they can blame it on a consultant?  Interesting trend, but the key failure point in all of these CRM projects - not using the data to understand customer behavior first - is present big time in this case

Use the Web’s No. 1 Activity- Searching
November 27, 2002  DM News
For those who have been paying attention, search marketing found its way a long time ago.  What better position for a marketer to be in than to snag people actively searching for a product?  Think about it - how do you use the web?  But you can waste a ton of money on search if you don't set it up and track the results properly; if you need help, click here.

Cost-per-click sinks below quality
in online marketers’ shopping list
November 21, 2002  Internet Retailer
Yup, they're finally starting to get it folks.  In December of 2000 I wrote this article describing how the source of the click made all the difference to visitor quality.  Well, they're not quite calling it "source" yet, but they will.  Do you need to find out where your highest quality traffic comes from?

A Treasure Trove of Data
November 18, 2002  Internet Retailer
Lots of stats in this one from a slew of different retailers using analytics to improve the profitability of their business.  Don't know how to get started?  Let me do it for you.

Back to the Drawing Board
November 16, 2002  CFO Magazine
Three times a charm?  Can you imagine going through a CRM implementation three times?  It is pretty amazing so much of this work was done without understanding the end users.  If you are in a consumer business, make sure you take the time to understand your customers first, so you build exactly what you need to increase profitability and no more.

Web Metrics that Matter
November 15, 2002  CIO Magazine
Still don't think those WebTrends reports are worth anything?  If so, it's because they are not set up right and are not providing you with actionable information.  This article has concrete examples of the huge ROI gains from using web site metrics properly.  Need help with your web reporting?  Click Here.

HTML vs. Text
November 14, 2002  Internet Retailer
A new wrinkle in an old argument - testing proves the urgency of the e-mail affects the response rate, HTML vs. text.  Which format do you think outpulls the other as the urgency of the message increases?

One-to-One Upmanship
November 12, 2002   Direct Magazine
Maybe we're just party-poopers and grizzled old men, but most DM'ers, including me, have a very hard time with the whole "Relationship" part of CRM as many now define it.  I don't think people or businesses want touchy-feely relationships with suppliers.  They want good service, great products, sharp pricing, partners where appropriate - but "relationships"?  Way to much time is being spent worried about measuring all the soft stuff - the "value" of a relationship - when it just may not exist.

Focus on Your Web Site’s Usability
November 21, 2002  DM News
This is really the best usability article I have read for your average business person.  They are right on the mark with what matters and why, from setting objectives to the 5% rule.  If you need web site metrics to help you accomplish the tasks in this article, try these.  If you want me to do all the work for you using your data, then take a look at this.

Does the Printed Word Still Matter?
November 18, 2002  DM News
A: Copy, copy, and copy.  Q:  Why do retail web sites have such low conversion at the product pages?  Try providing a full description to start.  Better yet is to describe how the product is used.  Still better is to "romance" the product, make it desirable.  Onliners could learn a lot from catalog people in this area.

It's Outta Here
November 1, 2002  Catalog Success
Timely to the season, many people just don't understand how to get rid of merchandise that does not sell.  It's not always best to just hack the price and sell it yourself; you can ruin your price credibility and turn your customers into low margin bargain hunters.  10 tips for getting rid of merch that doesn't move.  And try using customer behavior to segment your offers.

A Housefile Divided
November 1, 2002  Catalog Success
Too many people just blast out the same offer to everybody on their e-mail list.  Sure, it may be easier but it is very sub-optimal, you are leaving margin dollars on the table.  If you start segmenting your list and making different offers according to behavior, you will make a lot more money on the bottom line.

Is the key to successful 
CRM excellent Customer Service?
October 29, 2002   CRM-Forum.com
Don't know about being the "key," but I do know no relationship-based program will work with out it.  I have personally witnessed the failure of loyalty programs due to poor service by the company, not the program provider.  And once again, we hear satisfaction does not equal loyalty.  Believe it, it's true.

CRM Is Needed Now More Than Ever
October 28, 2002  DM News
Or at least something that provides the same benefits.  Many people misunderstand the "allocation" model behind good CRM or retention programs; it is not about "firing" customers, it is about reallocating spending.

Progressive Rewards, Maximum Return
October 28, 2002  DM News
Loyalty and retention programs are very misunderstood and frequently executed poorly; this article provides a good foundation for those thinking about starting one.  Want to see how profitable they can be, in by far the toughest industry to create loyalty - wireless?  Then check out this case study.

Must Read Classic Articles (continued)