Category Archives: Reality checks

September 8, 2014 · 12:23 pm

An Underutilized Marketing Tool

It seems as if many of the conversations I have with clients about marketing revolve around how to reach consumers using social media. Inevitably, I’ll interrupt the discussion of each of the social channels with a question about email. How is their email program run?  Who administers the lists?  What reports are circulated and how are results measured?  Sometimes they give me a look like “why are you so 1999?”  Putting aside my general avoidance of the “next new shiny object,” I do have reasons for asking the question.

Email may be almost 20 years old but I think it’s still a critical part of the marketing mix. While there is no question that it’s possible for it to be completely ignored – or worse – relegated to the “spam” folder – email remains one of the most effective and efficient ways to reach your consumer base.

Research from the my.com folks at shows that almost half of the Internet users in the United States spend an hour or more reading their email every day. You don’t think people are addicted? 2/3 of them get push notifications every time they get a new mail. 90% of people report using email for personal purposes, 58% for business. While Facebook may be somewhat ubiquitous, I’m not sure that 90% of consumers spend time on it every day.  More importantly, 50% of women report using email to get information about discounts and over 40% of men and women use it to get information about products in which they’re interested.

A great, informative, consumer-focused website is one thing.  The same thing delivered into a users hands via several platforms with no effort on the consumer’s part is quite another.  I call that a newsletter as well as efficient marketing.  What do you call it?

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August 19, 2014 · 8:47 am

Overdrawn

One of the best parts of managing a lot of people over the years has been watching them develop, even after our places of employment diverge. The bankI am still in contact with quite a few of the folks with whom I worked and from time to time they’ll reach out to say hi.

Once in a while, one of them will need career advice or maybe even help in getting a job. Sometimes I can provide nothing more than a shoulder to lean on, a sounding board and a few words to provide prospective. Other times I can be more active since they may be interviewing with someone I know.

Why I bring this up today is  exactly that happened recently. A kid I hired as an intern many years ago grew into a competent professional and through a series of circumstance he was out of work for a bit. He heard of a job working with another person whom I had also started in the business. I was happy to put them together since I think they’re both good at what they do and would enjoy a good working relationship. One thing led to another and the job was his.

Here is the thing.  Did I find that out from the guy I’d helped?  Nope.  I heard it from his new boss.  Have I heard from the guy I helped?  Nope, although he did post his new gig on social media, thanking all of the people who had put up with him while he was unemployed.  Am I angry?  Not a bit, perhaps other than at myself for not having done a better job of training him.  So let me use the opportunity to do so here since I believe he reads the screed once in a while.

One of the last things anyone wants to be is the person who only calls when they need something.  Even worse is the person who fails to express their appreciation for the effort you made on their behalf and who fails to keep you in the loop.  Each of those can be written off as bad manners but that’s way too simple.  Asking for help – which every one of us does from time to time – is a withdrawal from our karmic bank accounts.  Saying thanks is making a deposit back into the account and without them our accounts become overdrawn fairly quickly.

I hope the new gig works out for a number of reasons.  First, I endorsed the candidacy.  Second, I like both of the guys involved.  Third, if it doesn’t for whatever reason, I’m going to have to tell someone who may come back for more help that their account is overdrawn.  Maybe that’s harsh on my part.  So be it.

Thoughts?

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August 7, 2014 · 1:09 pm

What Price Ethics?

So here is an interesting question for you.  I was reading the results of a study conducted by the good folks from Trade Extensions that concerned how consumers view ethics and sustainability and how they affect purchasing decisions.  When you ask people how important it is that companies behave ethically and with an eye towards sustainability, four out of five consumers regard it as important.  That would suggest that doing the right thing (whatever that may be) is a critical factor in purchasing, right?

Not so much:

When asked to rank the three most important attributes when shopping, the most important factor is price – 40% of consumers ranked this number one.  The second most important factor is value for money – 30% ranked this number one. And the third most important factor is quality –  16% ranked this number one.  Choosing an ethical company or brand when shopping is the most important factor and ranked number one for 2% of UK and US consumers.

Hmm.  So is that a license for a company to do whatever they want as long as prices are low?  Given some of the voices speaking out against Walmart, for example, over things such as foreign product sourcing, treatment of product suppliers, environmental practices, etc., apparently not.  Like most things in business, it’s not quite that black and white.  The research shows a desire from consumers to buy ethically but ultimately price, value and quality are the deciding factors.

Other studies have shown similar results.  One from Accenture found that sales and competitive pricing (61%) are by far the most critical factors in getting consumers to make a purchase. Superior products (36%) and customer experience (35%) are also key, according to respondents, followed closely by customer loyalty programs (31%) and relevant promotions (26%). Ad campaigns and celebrity endorsements trailed by a significant margin, presumably as they’re more influential in driving awareness than completed purchases.

So back to ethical behavior.  Can any company afford to ignore it?  I suspect it’s very possible to do good while doing well and to enhance the quality of consumer’s lives in an honorable way.  Maybe it’s not much of a selling point because so few companies have that focus?  What is your take?

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