You may or may not be using the basic segmentation strategy of RFM (recency, frequency, monetary): dividing your email mailing list into a few buckets based on recency in ordering or visitation to the site, the number of times they've ordered or visited the site, and the lifetime spend. But here's a better approach to segmentation. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

If you haven't done it yet, now is the perfect time to map out plans for your email program. Any changes you might make in the first few months of the year will stand you in good stead; any plans or changes that you implement in the first quarter should pay dividends for the balance of the year. Here are several actionable ideas. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

In Part One and Part Two of this series, the author discussed using "voice of the customer" (VOC) in defining innovative core products and services. The focus was on breakthroughs in the basic product, on hitting the home runs. Here, we take a different perspective—using innovation to acquire and retain customers once the core product or service is defined. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

The traditional marketing mix focused on the 4 Ps of Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Today, marketers need to expand their vision to include the new 4 Ps of Pearls, Pumps, Purses, and Power. To capture the $0.85 that women spend out of every dollar, it is time to rethink how marketers are approaching their jobs. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

This past weekend, Nike hosted its 4th annual Women's Marathon in San Francisco... and, friends, this is no ordinary marathon. Yes, it's still 26.2 miles of courage and pain, but this course is also full of female-friendly delights and surprises. Specifically designed with women in mind, the Nike Women's Marathon motivates women to bring their body, mind, spirit, and camaraderie to run their best race. Let's take a look at the core marketing-to-women strategies that Nike is using to elevate the impact of this event. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

In this MarketingProfs Classic, Jim Lenskold reminds us that, since the dreaded annual planning and budgeting process isn't going away, it's time to make the effort to get more value out of the process. Jim writes, "Here are four ways to use financial insight to create more profitable strategies and tactical plans while building greater credibility with your executive team." [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

If you are adopting Net Promoter as part of your survey/metrics approach, there's a rich part of the findings that many who are implementing this approach don't consider: learning from your "Detractors." Here, Jeanne Bliss focuses on Detractors, and how to mine the gold by listening hard to their feedback to improve your organization and relationship with your customers. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

Selling now takes more time and resources then ever before. In fact, the sales cycle has become 22% longer as buyers more carefully consider their decisions. If this true for you, then consider it a great opportunity for email marketing segmentation strategies. By segmenting your prospects, you can boost revenue, improve conversion from email marketing, strengthen buyer satisfaction, and build your brand. Sound like a tall order for a segmentation strategy? Consider these ideas. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

Driving sales is what B2B marketing is all about. Although the precise roles and responsibilities of Marketing may differ from company to company, your marching orders are the same: Help Sales produce more with less. All marketers want to know best practices and share experiences about driving sales. Here are 25 metrics you should select from to prove marketing drives sales... and to track progress. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

Savvy companies like Dove, Ponds, and Nike know that women are empowered, and those companies have shown us how powerful the images and stories of real women are. What's next on the Marketing to Women horizon? [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

A few more traditionally male-oriented brands are connecting with the women's market in clever ways, and it is worth taking note of their approaches. Take, for instance, the Under Armour and Trojan brands, each of which has relatively new ad campaigns that bear this out. In both cases, the brands dialed into the specifics of the humor, tone, message, and design they know to be effective for their existing typically male market, but they developed approaches that definitely invited women into that conversation. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

As more businesses become aware of the unprecedented number of people around the world who are approaching age 60, more of them are getting serious about reaching Boomers. Call it the new Silver and Gold Rush. Smart businesses understand that the old media—print, radio, and television—won't be enough to reach this market. To communicate with Boomers, your business will need to evaluate and choose among a wide variety of online and offline marketing methods. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

Podcasts are an excellent way to share your latest findings and juiciest developments in a medium that's engaging, fun, and portable. If you're thinking about podcasting, here's the second installment of an insider's peek at the creation of a podcast series, complete with professional tips from a talented audio team. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

Let's give it up for Unilever! This company has not made any false moves on the marketing-to-women front, and the "presenting" sponsorship for its Pond's brand is another smart strategy in a long line of savvy business decisions. With its sponsorship of "The Starter Wife," Pond's gets its name linked to the show in all online and offline media, plus product placement in the show, integrated marketing, and promotions—and most importantly, a new brand image. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

Mother's Day is almost here, a day filled with fresh flowers, delicious dark chocolates, fancy fragrances, and gem-filled jewelry. But is that really the way to a woman's heart? What'll really make her swoon is sleek, metal, shiny, and fast. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

Well-executed market segmentation quickly identify customer profiles that have a higher likelihood to buy. And once a company has identified that customer profile, it can use that information to target new customers with similar profiles. By targeting these prospects directly, marketers gain higher and quicker return on their marketing investments. The following real-life case study provides a good example how segmentation can improve your marketing and customer interaction as well as increase sales. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

Never before have business-to-business (B2B) marketers faced such enormous pressure in their jobs. With competition intensifying and prospective customers becoming increasingly elusive, companies are demanding that marketers deliver measurable results. Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) are now expected to demonstrate the impact of their actions and the return on their investments. The failure of so many marketing executives to rigorously and successfully defend their decisions partly explains why the average tenure of top CMOs is now less than 23 months. Several factors have dramatically altered the landscape of B2B marketing in recent years, forcing marketing practitioners to rethink their tactics and reinvest their resources to achieve superior outcomes. Here are the top challenges B2B marketing organizations now face, and how to address them. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

[Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

This week, the Lenskold Group and MarketingProfs released results of our new survey on marketing accountability, measurements, and ROI. The 2007 Marketing ROI and Measurements Study focuses on the difference between companies using profitability metrics and those using traditional marketing metrics with no financial metrics. Among other findings, the research clearly shows that companies using profitability metrics for at least some of their marketing campaigns have an advantage in outgrowing competitors and earning the confidence of their CEOs and CFOs. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

The perennial cry from CEOs around the globe is that they are focused on their customers: It is their highest-priority mission, the critical job of their company—and everything emanates from understanding what customers need and want and delivering on it. However, without up-to-date trend information about profitable versus non-profitable customers and the issues that drive the best customers away, CEOs and their businesses are unable to manage customers as assets. Here's how marketers can help. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

Women love fashion. But fashion doesn't love them. Not real women, at least. Most women aren't supermodels—in fact, the average American woman is 5'4", weighs 140 lbs., and wears a size 14. So most American women find the fashion industry a bit out of touch. Who is in touch with the millions of American women with billions of dollars to spend? Savvy companies like Target, Chico's, and J.C. Penney, that's who. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

Contrary to popular opinion, Boomer women aren't in denial about aging. Advertisers are. And the women they're supposed to be trying to connect with are getting annoyed. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

Luke runs MySpace marketing campaigns on a daily basis. Here, he shares his real-world experiences and tips, including the best way to leverage MySpace to zero in on your target market. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

With 2007 in full swing, here are our online marketing predictions for the rest of the year to come. We busted out our omniscient crystal ball, and this is what it told us... . [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

Let's review: Women make 80 percent of all purchases. They buy more electronic equipment, vehicles, and home-improvement products than men do. Women hold nearly 50 percent of all jobs. In dual-income families, more than 30 percent out-earn their husbands. They control considerable sums of money and spend it for a variety of products, services, investments, and household expenditures. Nevertheless, many advertisers not only create ads that will appeal only to men but also showcase ads that (worse!) actually turn women off. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Segmentation

Each year, when MLB's postseason culminates with the World Series, all eyes are on baseball—or are they? With most teams out of the running, do those fans continue to watch? Are the resources invested in marketing worthwhile, or in tune with fans' true passions? [Read the full story]
Marketing Case Studies: Segmentation

The landing page for a top Web site's most popular search term converted about 30 percent less frequently than the company's general landing page. By simultaneously testing four new versions of the landing page, the site was able to ensure relevance, increasing conversions 67%—and decreasing abandonment rates.[Read the full story]
Marketing Case Studies: Segmentation

Kimpton Hotels had successfully created a loyalty program, but its email program was lagging. By implementing an email strategy that focused on segmentation and targeting individual preferences, and by adding a corporate branding strategy, the company increased email bookings fivefold.[Read the full story]
Marketing Case Studies: Segmentation

Garden Fresh Restaurants sought to increase customer engagement with its "Club Veg" loyalty club, totaling more than half a million opt-in members. Its two interactive email campaigns worked like a charm -- leading to huge increases in site traffic and boosting customer loyalty.[Read the full story]
Marketing Case Studies: Segmentation

If you're a little intimidated by the prospect of Paid Search Advertising, seriously, join the crowd. Here it is though -- a guiding light through the complex waters of Paid Search Advertising. We assembled a 30-page template to make learning and implementing a successful paid search advertising campaign for your firm as easy as possible. [Download] Marketing Downloads: Segmentation

Link directly to the raw (aggregate) data in this 2006 survey of the ways companies are incorporating the voice of the customer into their marketing, their product development, and their management. With access to the raw data, you can view the results, and even filter them to see how a subset of companies in your country or industry answered. In this way, you can interpret the data in the most meaningful way for your business. [Download] Marketing Downloads: Segmentation

Link directly to the raw (aggregate) data in this 2006 survey of the ways companies are targeting their marketing efforts, and adjusting their business processes, for the lucrative Spanish-speaking segment. With access to the raw data, you can view the results, and even filter them to see how a subset of companies in your country or industry answered. In this way, you can interpret the data in the most meaningful way for your business. [Download] Marketing Downloads: Segmentation

The usual approach to segmentation in email marketing, says Anna Billstrom, cuts a mailing list into the classic RFM slices: Recency of visits and placed orders, Frequency of visits and purchases, and the total Monetary spend from each customer. But this strategy might not be... [Read the full story]
Marketing Quick Read: Segmentation

Sooner or later, you're going to raise your prices. An intimidating prospect? Sure, but Drew McLellan says you can implement a price hike without alienating your customers. Just apply a little forethought and finesse. McLellan says businesses commonly raise prices across the board. When you... [Read the full story]
Marketing Quick Read: Segmentation

As environmental awareness goes mainstream, it's worth considering the impact that things like elaborate packaging and other wasteful practices have on your company's image. Your customers are noticing things that would not have mattered to them a few years ago. And there's no guarantee they'll tell you that the... [Read the full story]
Marketing Quick Read: Segmentation

Marketers choose to position a product on either a single feature or a combination of features. Which strategy you use can materially impact how consumers perceive the item's value and performance. Consider three different brands of toothpaste—one claims to whiten teeth, another claims to freshen... [Read the full story]
Marketing Quick Read: Segmentation

In a post at his blog, Drew's Marketing Minute, Drew McLellan presents the case of Jay Nussbaum, a novelist who figured he might as well use viral video to promote his latest effort, A Monk Jumped Over a Wall. To tease the reading public,... [Read the full story]
Marketing Quick Read: Segmentation