Anderson Marketing Blog

The basic rule in business is that keeping customers is far less expensive than finding and cultivating new ones. While the burden of that isn’t wholly on Sales and Marketing, it is extra important to make sure your marketing communications are as engaging, personal and relevant as possible.

If you’re lucky enough to have a strong control, in any medium, by all means keep using it. You may be tired of it—but as long as it delivers great results, don’t mess with a winner

I've actively worked in direct marketing for more than 30 years, and never before has it been this easy to be a great marketer. The Internet now provides access to virtually unlimited free information on marketing best practices through blogs, webinars and more.

“In order to understand the big picture, everyone should fear becoming mentally clouded, and obsessed with one small section of truth.” -Xun Zi, 312–230 BC

The thing that makes targeting Hispanic consumers a bit tricky is not that they are vastly different from other segments, it’s that sometimes the cultural nuances are hard to put into words. You often hear, “Hispanics consider family to be extremely important.” Well, that’s the case for all segments. But it’s how this sentiment is executed that defines whether advertising will work or not.

When looking for the right direct mail partner, it’s important to find a firm that is committed to quality. Following are some direct mail quality best practices that will ensure your campaign is executed without a hitch.

Think your current direct mail package is worn out and ready to retire? Well, it may only appear that way to you and others in your organization—but not to your prospects.

A great story has a beginning, middle and an end, and it includes characters that you can relate to, care about and ultimately believe in. Advertising is a great storyteller and great brands know how to tell their story with clarity and consistency, and by delivering a continuum of positive experiences: each marketing touch, each customer interaction. But sometimes brands lose their way by not defining what they stand for, or by making decisions that are not in line with their core values. This can cause customer confusion and directly affect the return on investment (ROI) you get with your marketing dollars.

When is the last time you tried to convey a concept to a person who had a different primary language than you? Or even a different cultural background? I personally ran into this when I moved from the Midwest to the West Coast and found differences in my dialect and terminology. I was even diagnosed as having a case of a “hard Midwesterner accent.” My enunciation of certain vowels was easily identifiable by locals and harassed as being “different,” and I was asked over and over again to repeat that word for their amusement. I was also informed that I was calling certain things by their wrong labels: it is “soda” not “pop,” “lunch” not “dinner,” and “you all” not “y’all.” I have attempted to overcome this debilitating disease and finally call soda by its correct name, but this so-called accent is going to stay.