What’s in a name? Or any word, for that matter? A lot, it seems. Take those rebate checks Uncle Sam will soon start mailing out. If the government really wants us to stimulate the economy by encouraging us to SPEND that money, they need a better name than “rebate.” Like “bonus.” In a recent experiment, […]
Category Archives: attract customers
What you can learn from Hollywood
Southern California isn’t the only place that’s burning. A big chunk of Hollywood box office is in ashes, too. Sunday’s New York Times examines the cause of several of this fall’s big-name box office disasters. “Gone Baby Gone” tanked, despite star Ben Affleck appearing on virtually every talk show except “Wall Street Week.” The heavily-promoted […]
Sales letters, brochures and e-mail marketing
Seth has a cogent observation about the differences between direct mail, brochures and emails. Basically, most direct mail pieces — and this includes those long direct response Web pages — try to make the sale in one step. The famous (and challenging) “one-call close.” The copywriter tries to think of every possible objection you might […]
How to promote your new Web site
Give something away! Something big, something that appeals to your target market. Something that vividly shows prospects (that’s what they are, right?) how great your service or products are. That’s the time-honored marketing strategy, and it’s exactly what IKEA is doing to promote its new website aimed at small businesses (rather than home furnishings). An […]
Dvorak: Google ads an irrelevant "fad"
PC pundit John C. Dvorak thinks Google-style “relevance” ads have failed, and he’s sick of them. “Every move I make on my computer—and, for that matter, every channel I click to on my TV set—is monitored and used as a basis for “context relevance” advertising.” Dvorak is tired of the loss of privacy as Google, […]
Continental feels the love
For the second year in a row, Continental Airlines has the most satisfied customers among domestic carriers, according to the latest J.D. Power and Associates 2007 North America Airline Satisfaction Study. It finished 24 points ahead of Delta, its nearest rival, for customer satisfaction among traditional network carriers in North America. It is the second […]
Outrageous bank fees jump the shark
First, Sun State Credit Union in Gainesville started charging customers two bucks if they had the gall to enter one of their branches more than four times a month. (Heaven forbid you actually encourage customers to come in and give you their money.) Sun State may also fine you $2 if you don’t have your […]