First there was direct mail. Then the internet came along, which turned direct response marketing upside down. It’s no secret that direct mail and catalog numbers are down – 2016 saw only half as many paper catalogs mailed as in 2007. You may have heard the assertion that digital marketing has eclipsed physical direct mail marketing. While digital marketing has… read more →
What is data cleaning? Organizations rely on consistent data quality to ensure marketing activities are executed cleanly and interpreted correctly without any biases. Although obtaining clean data from the outset is ideal, there is often a need for dedicated data cleaning procedures to ensure the integrity of the customer data. Data cleaning is the process of identifying and altering incorrect… read more →
Curious about the 2018 outlook for catalogs including catalog page counts, direct mail formats, mailing frequency, and much more? Here is a great report from Daniela Forte at MCM. Hansel Group Marketing is honored to be included in this report! We appreciate the opportunity to share our thoughts on the many important issues facing catalogers today.
With the rise of online shopping, everything that we could ever want is at our fingertips. The digital age has allowed us to instantly purchase anything under the sun from our mobile phones. The internet has become our universal shopping playground where we’ve come to expect an unlimited array of products, complete with user reviews, functionality information, and free delivery.… read more →
Quick Response (QR) codes have been around almost as long as smartphones. At a time when companies are looking for ways to reduce their expenses with printing catalogs and marketing costs, these little codes can accomplish a lot. QR codes are convenient tools that provide you with all types of customer-related data. They store phone numbers, email addresses, text, and… read more →
Purchase the customer list from a competitor (or company in your niche) that recently went out of business. One of my clients did that earlier this year and we’ve seen a tremendous ROI from this approach. Partner with Pandora radio to create a look-alike audience for prospecting by sending them hashed (encrypted) emails. Numerous companies are already doing this including… read more →
Standing out from the pack when you are marketing a retail or online store has its challenges. Competitors are imitating one another with programs and promotions to drive repeat traffic. Today’s most successful companies are highly focused on unique events that get to the heart of their brand and let them shine. Simply, they care about the customer experience. Experiences… read more →
Planning your catalog mailing involves managing your timeline and working your way backwards from the mail date to figure out the many deadlines involved. For a new catalog launch, the catalog circulation plan should be completed at least ten weeks or more before the catalog in-home date. Here are suggestions with a sample, three-month timeline based on our experience: August… read more →
Many company marketers have been wise enough to recognize that analytics are a key part of managing their e-commerce and catalog businesses. But analytics are just one component of the equation. You need to start with clean data before you execute a test because without good data as the foundation, the analysis is flawed. The way you analyze and interpret the… read more →