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Table of Contents

Table of Contributors by first name with quote numbers

Alex Bernstein ........................................... 85
Allan Sabo .................................................... 3
Amy Kinney .............................................. 82
Anonymous ............................................... 46
Anonymous ............................................... 48
Anonymous ............................................... 71
Anthony Sanchez Sr.................................. 78
Arlene Rosen ............................................. 58
Barbara Burbidge ...................................... 99
Bill Muller .................................................. 30
Bob Floyd ................................................... 21
Bobby Burton ............................................. 45
Brad Forsythe ............................................ 68
Brian Carroll .............................................. 54
Carl Brown ................................................. 14
Carlos Ladaria ........................................... 25
Carol Ann Waugh ..................................... 64
Catherine Bracken..................................... 55
Chris Boothe .............................................. 63
Chuck Lennon ........................................... 37
Corrine Solomon ....................................... 76
Cory Whitehead ........................................ 16
Curt Tueffert .............................................. 26
Dan Regan .................................................. 89
Dave Etienne ............................................. 10
David Berkowitz ....................................... 38
David Miller ................................................ 9
David Smyth .............................................. 24 Debbie Weil ................................................ 50 Dee Merica ............................... Introduction Dmitri Buterin ........................................... 97 Donna Bowling ......................................... 74 Ed Gazvoda ............................................... 31 Ed Kohler ................................................... 40 Frank Grasso .............................................. 44 Gail Howard .............................................. 67 Geoff Walker .............................................. 39 Greg Jarboe ................................................ 86 Halley Suitt ................................................ 28 Harry Hoover ............................................ 95 Howard Goldberg ..................................... 51 Ivan Vega R. ............................................... 96 Jana Gauvey ............................................... 60 Jason Ciment.............................................. 36 Jason Summerfield.................................... 43 Jeff Molander ............................................. 53 Jessica Albon .............................................. 66 Jim Crocker ................................................ 84 Joan Huyser-Honig ................................... 57 John Girard ................................................ 65 John Taylor ................................................. 12 Josh Aston .................................................. 72 Julie and Colin ........................................... 70 Karen Gordon Goldfarb ........................... 91 Katherine Smith .......................................... 8
Katherine Smith ........................................ 83
Kenth The Designer Nasstrom................ 15
Kerry Colligan ........................................... 32
Kevin W. Mahon ....................................... 59
Larry Brezenoff ......................................... 61
Larry Shiller ................................................. 1
Linda C. Haneborg ................................... 80
Lynn Wheatcraft ....................................... 19
Mario Pagnoni ........................................... 13
Mark Burris ................................................ 94
Mark Carson .............................................. 41
Mark Naples .............................................. 87
Marlene Jensen .......................................... 29
Mary Beth Ellis .......................................... 35
Matt Monarski ........................................... 34
Michael Beresford ....................................... 6
Niall Booth ................................................... 7
Olivia Swinehart ....................................... 88
Paul Chaney................................................. 5
Paul Jamieson ............................................ 33
Peter Altschuler ......................................... 92
Philippe Borremans .................................. 73
Randy Weeks ............................................. 93 Richard A. Rogers ..................................... 69 Riggs Eckelberry ......................................... 4 Robert Peterson ......................................... 20 Roberta Carlton ......................................... 18 Rod Balson ................................................. 56 Ron Ragan .................................................. 27 Rose Valenti ............................................... 75 Roy Young .................................................. 81 Sally Saville Hodge ................................... 90 Sally Stewart .............................................. 22 Scott A......................................................... 77 Shawn Collins............................................ 52 Sue Duris ...................................................... 2 Susan Bratton ............................................ 47 Susan Murad ............................................. 23 Teri Ann Helfrich ...................................... 79 Terry White .................................................11 Tim Smith ................................................... 17 Tom Ranseen ............................................. 62 Tom Watkins .............................................. 98 Will Rowan ................................................ 49 William Siebler .......................................... 42

Table of Companies with quote numbers

1-800 CONTACTS ..................................... 72
AARDEX Corp. ......................................... 31
Advantagecom Networks Inc. ................ 82
AIS Market Research ................................ 24
AlmostGolf ................................................ 20
Alternate Response Associates ............... 58
ALTI Business Upgrade Consulting ........ 3
American Family Association ................... 5
Amway Japan .............................................11
Avatech Solutions ..................................... 60
Becton Dickinson & Company ................ 79
Biz Help Central ........................................ 67
Bonasource Inc. ......................................... 97 Bright Side Inc. .......................................... 19 BURRIS ....................................................... 94 Business Direct Marketing....................... 27 Business Services ...................................... 48 Champion Education Resources............. 26 Christianity Today International ............ 16 Clickability Inc. ......................................... 65 ClubMom Inc. ............................................ 52 e-channel online ........................................ 44 eBags.com .................................................. 35 eMarketer ................................................... 38 EncourageMentors ................................... 98
Expertia ...................................................... 25
Express Personnel Services ..................... 80
FavorWare Corporation ........................... 63
Floyd & Partners ....................................... 21
Glasstree Inc. ............................................. 14
Global eXchange Services .......................... 7
Halley’s Comment .................................... 28
Haystack In A Needle............................... 40
Hobart and William Smith Colleges ...... 23
Hodge Communications Inc. .................. 90
Hoover Ink PR ........................................... 95
Human Service Solutions ........................ 43
Huyser-Honig Creative Services ............ 57
Indaba Inc. ................................................. 88
Interliance LLC .......................................... 83
Internet Billing Company ........................ 51
InTouch ....................................................... 54
iProspect ..................................................... 30
Jensen-Fann Publishers ............................ 29
Joe Percario Contractors Inc. ................... 75
Joy of Bocce ................................................ 13
KEMP Technologies Inc. .......................... 59
KN DATASERVICE .................................. 15
KPMG LLP (US) ........................................ 69
Lakeshost.com ........................................... 12
Loren Casting ............................................ 61
Magmall.com ............................................. 36
Mailblocks Inc. .......................................... 47
Making Marketing Matter ....................... 81
Marketing Communications ................... 78
Metro Transit Authority ........................... 10
Milwaukee Area Advertising Agency ... 46
Mindpower Inc. ......................................... 74
Molander & Associates Inc. ..................... 53
Morning Papers......................................... 49
NetScope ...................................................... 6 Network Online Limited ......................... 33 New Horizons Computer Learning Centers .................................................... 37 Northport Partnership Management ..... 85 NoSpin Marketing .................................... 62 Palmer Hargreaves Wallis Tomlinson .... 93 PetFoodDirect.com ................................... 39 PropertyMall ............................................... 9 Qinteraction ............................................... 17 Real Branding ............................................ 91 Resolve Marketing .................................... 42 Rivals.com .................................................. 45 ROKS Media ................................................ 8 SA Stewart Communications .................. 22 SEO-PR ....................................................... 86 ShillerMath .................................................. 1 SMC Networks ............................................ 2 Soluciones Inteligentes S.A. de C.V. ....... 96 SparkSource Inc. ....................................... 18 TechTransform ............................................. 4 The Advertising Show ............................. 68 The Burbidge Company........................... 99 The Cottage Discount Needlework ........ 55 The Lightbulb Lab Inc. ............................. 89 The Sales Board Inc................................... 34 The Write Exposure .................................. 66 Time America Inc. ..................................... 76 ToyMagnets.com ....................................... 41 University Renal Research and
Education Association .......................... 32 VocabVitamins ........................................... 70 WIT Strategy LLC ..................................... 87 WordBiz Report ......................................... 50 Wordsworth & Company ........................ 92 Xcellent Marketing ................................... 64

(c) Copyright 2004 MarketingSherpa, Inc. http://www.MarketingSherpa.com
(c) Copyright 2004 MarketingSherpa, Inc. http://www.MarketingSherpa.com Introduction: This year’s all about “in-person” marketing

elcome to our second annual Marketing Wisdom report — created by MarketingSherpa readers to help out fellow marketers, advertisers and PR pros.

There are two big changes this year — the first being that the name changed. Last year this report was called Marketing Inspirations. Our own marketer Carol Meinhart suggested this change. “Inspiration is what you need when the creative wells run dry — wisdom is what you need to get the good results continually.”

The second change was based on your feedback. More than 100,000 of you downloaded last year’s edition, but many felt it was just too darn long. Even if every page is useful, who has the time to read 136 pages of stories and quotes?

So when we received more than 350 submissions this year, I agonizingly cut, and cut, and then cut some more. It was painful because I believe everyone has something valuable to say, and I hate leaving contributions out of a group project. If your story or quote was one of the ones cut, please accept my apologies. I was trying to pick the stories with both the broadest appeal and the most practical use. Plus, if more than one story touched on the same point, I picked a single one to represent the idea.

One overwhelming trend definitely appeared through many, many contributions — this year it’s all about personal relationships. Yes, search marketing, email, direct mail, etc. tactics all still work. Yes, metrics continue to rule. But, in the end, if you or your brand makes a personal connection, your marketing has profoundly greater impact.

I’m not talking about fancy 1-to-1 marketing with 21st century CRM systems interweaving with dynamically personalized email and/or Web pages. I’m not talking about technology at all in fact. It’s about a human being meeting another human, preferably in person.

Here’s a typical story, contributed by brand strategist Dee Merica:

“As marketers we spend a lot of money trying to capture that elusive 1:1 relationship with our customer. E-mails, newsletters, blogs, databases. My phone rang recently. It was a very dear friend who had taken me under his wing some twenty years ago and mentored me. He is now 76 and retired. He said, ‘I was wondering if you have some time to have a bit of lunch, chat and discuss a business opportunity I’ve been considering.’

“It was a lovely lunch. And, I realized he continues to teach me. I learned that while technology is wonderful, and it has its place, lasting relationships come from facial expressions, the sound of the human voice, and the personal time invested to say I care about what you need.”

Business-to-business marketers with limited niche audiences, and business-to-consumer marketers with heavily used customer service centers will be able to maximize on this idea. It’s a bit harder for marketers working for brands whose mass outgoing communications have few incoming channels — but not impossible.

Perhaps you should add candid photos of your management team to your site. Maybe send executives on the speaking circuit and also post streamed video clips for those who can’t make it to see them. This may be the year to get execs, or brand representatives, onto radio or TV talk shows. Or at least personally tour to meet with your franchises, outside sales reps, distributors, and/or offshoot offices.

Schedule more business travel than you have in the past. Attend a few more trade shows. Have your CEO call a few partners in person to say thanks for being so great. Drop your sales pitch, and start to listen, to connect, to relax your guard.

I bet it will pay off with dividends.

My very best for your 2004 marketing campaigns, and thanks for your support,

Anne Holland, Managing Editor

MarketingSherpa

P.S. Thanks for the second year in a row to the folks at WebTrends whose support cover the production costs for this report so we can bring it to the marketing community free of charge.

Ruth Anne called yesterday to see if we were exhibiting at an upcoming Michigan conference; she was on a budget and wanted to save on shipping. I asked how she heard about ShillerMath and she
didn’t remember exactly but she did say that she’s been wanting to buy
for a year now. A recent ad in a homeschool magazine prompted her to
call. We market to homeschoolers and it’s a very seasonal business; 75%
of our sales occur between March to August. It is tempting to save by
cutting our advertising from September to February. But homeschoolers
take their math curriculum very seriously and many, like Ruth Anne,
research throughout the year. I’m really glad the marketing team decided
to keep the ads going all year long. There’s a lot of Ruth Annes out there! Larry Shiller, President, ShillerMath,
www.shillermath.com/page1.php?src=sherpa

We recently conducted a text-based email campaign to value-added resellers who we hadn’t contacted for a long time. While we had almost a 50% bounce rate (which we anticipated) and the usual 1-2%
response rate for text-based emails, we learned a few things: the message
really hit home with folks we hadn’t contacted for a while and they
became new resellers, and we found out about some customer service
issues, fixed them and won the resellers back.

The point is: don’t give up on the prospects who aren’t your customers yet because they may convert down the road, and even though someone said no thanks to communications a year ago, don’t count them out a year from now — they may now be in a position to buy from you!! Last, your communications might uncover some customer service issues. Fix them immediately and retain the customer!

Sue Duris, Channel Marketing Manager, SMC Networks, www.smc.com

We learned from some failures. I was retained by a client to send an emailing to about 2,300 names gathered from a trade show event. The campaign was a disaster. I had requested daily uploads of the prospect
list (so our first email in a series of 6 emails would be waiting for people
when they got back from the show). However, the client did not get me
the list until a week AFTER the event. In addition, an overwhelming
majority of the names had little, if any, contact with anyone at the booth.
No memorable impression will not help other efforts! I scrambled to
tweak the entire campaign, adding a sweepstakes for a flat panel monitor
and giving away a few other cool prices and free trials. The campaign as a
whole pulled only a 1.67% click through with a peak of 3.2% on our
second mailing. Oh, and total conversions… ZERO!

Allan Sabo, Marketing Strategist, ALTI Business Upgrade Consulting, www.alticonsulting.com

This story dramatically underlines the value of your own product as a marketing asset. I was given the assignment this year of greatly increasing the US visibility and revenues of Panda Software, a strong
European anti-virus developer. The thing about anti-virus is that it’s a
commodity space. Therefore, the service has some value even if unbranded. I took an internal suggestion and decided to test a controlled
giveaway program. Our space was the Small to Medium Enterprise
(SME) and our target was the overworked IT manager in those companies
and institutions.

Called IT @ Home and positioned under the Panda Challenge umbrella, our program was simple: if you were an IT Manager, we wanted you to have a full year of our professional AV product for your use at home, at no cost or obligation.

We rolled out the program initially through W2Knews, a publication strongly identified with the IT network manager audience. Interestingly, we found that the offers only had legs when made editorially. We expanded through other technology newsletters like The Anchor Desk. The response was instant — and all told we gave away over 10,000 of these products to a very focused audience. To ensure that these were mostly IT decision-makers, we made the offers through sharply focused IT publications and research orgs (never flat Web sites), and we took down the download links within a couple of days. We did tolerate a percentage of unqualifieds.

Now, in following up on these downloads we found that the audience greatly appreciated the gift. This made it easy to talk to them. A plus was that in many cases these managers found viruses on their own home machines — machines they thought were fully protected! This opened up the door to quoting Panda Av on their corporate networks. It became ridiculous — everyone, including the media, was finding viruses on their home machines! This became The Panda Challenge and it did wonders during the virus storms of late August.

I’m a strong believer in the popcorn-popper, which means that there has to be a whole process of following up individually on each lead. (This does mean you have to invest in sophisticated event-driven sequential autoresponders — as offered by Campaign from Arial Software, or by GetResponse.) So we devised a whole series of follow-up offers that followed the internal motto: Serving the Underserved.

The dirty secret in B2B software is that the big enterprises get all the benefits while the SMEs get underserved. So we made a specialty of identifying programs that our competition only pulled out for the biggest accounts, and made them available to virtually every business: Competitive Renewals, Employee Free Seats, Free Network Detox, Free Phone Support, etc. These were highly effective poppers.

Our campaign to leverage the resources we had actually delivered an effective positioning of the company as the SME IT Manager’s friend. How effective was it? Well, after a couple agonizing months, the sales and revenues took off, starting in the bottom of the summer, and eventually doubled in range. You can see the graph at www.techtransform.com/ id344.htm. The ultimate test? After I wrapped up, Panda continued to use IT @ Home and has made this program and its positioning as its centerpiece for 2004. Which means that Symantec, McAfee, and Trend Micro had better watch their rears!

Riggs Eckelberry, Principal, TechTransform, www.techtransform.com

We are a nonprofit, pro-family advocacy organization. I’ve learned that using online polls and petitions dealing with relevant hot button issues can be a great way to build a mailing list. I’ve also learned that
being the first one to hit the issue pays big dividends in terms of the
number of responses you accrue.
Paul Chaney, Email List Administrator, American Family Association, www.afa.net

Our lesson learned was how to improve email marketing. Our challenge wasn’t so much the opt-in database, but getting the folks in that base to read (open/click on) the newsletter and the stories in it. Our first
move was to create a sense of involvement or empowerment for the
recipients. We provided them an opportunity (raffle for five) for a discount on a significant service, which many of them already utilized, for
those who responded with suggestions/requests for topics about which
they’d like to read. We offered the respondents the chance to be credited
with the topic suggestion, which would give their business promotion to
our audience.

This improved our click through rates on the newsletters by more than 25% (a rate maintained after the second issue with these changes implemented). It improved our click through rates into the stories (usually two stories per issue) by more than 30%.

Our second move was to switch the TO line to be from the company, not an individual. This, implemented two issues after the above change, had an immediate impact with open rates improving another 15%.

Our third change was to the subject line, changing it to highlight the main story in the following format: NEWSLETTER TITLE: You asked for: TOPIC. From this, we saw another 8% increase.

Our fourth change was to follow up more thoroughly with those who clicked through and opened the newsletters and the stories. We were establishing patterns from the recipients that suggested additional services in which they’d be interested. We found that specific and personal emails to these people by email and phone resulted in improv

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