Do you find your marketing in this situation? Everything with your marketing communications seems to be going well. Your brand has been in place for months, maybe years. Guidelines, templates, asset libraries and training are all available to employees and resources. Then you begin to discover that:

As we all know, lists, targeting, segmentation, modeling, etc. are one of the most important components of a direct marketing program.  Through years (OK, decades) of testing, I’ve come to realize that in nearly every client program there is a significant opportunity to improve results through the use of multiple data sources.  The roots of this strategy trace back to the nonprofit industry, where organizations regularly rent multiple third-party lists for donation appeals in addition to their house file of past donors.  These third-party lists are closely analyzed based on number of donations, average donation amount and total amount of donations.  Underperforming lists are quickly eliminated from the campaign and new lists are constantly tested against the best performing list.

“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.

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.

To bid or not to bid. That is the question. It seems there’s a big debate about bidding on competitors' keywords when engaging in paid search campaigns. Anderson believes you shouldn't bid unless you know a few things in advance. The following provides you with a list of best practices for bidding on competitors' keywords.

Keeping your audience engaged with a steady stream of fresh content is important to the success of your and any business. But the task can seem daunting. Here are some basic tips to ensure you have a solid content strategy for 2014.

Is Digital Part of Your B2B Marketing Mix?

9 out of 10 business buyers will find you when they're ready to buy. Digital B2B marketing can increase your leads and gain you 10x higher conversion rates. Learn why digital marketing must be a part of your marketing mix.

In today’s world, everyone has access to the same stock photography. So how do you choose it better, and use it better, to help make your marketing efforts unique and have your message cut through?