Customer Behavior articles by the best and brightest in the field

• Seven Ways to Woo the 'Aspirational' Luxury Customerby Suzanne Hader
  Ongoing economic uncertainty has made aspirational luxury customers more selective about what they purchase than ever. "Aspirationals" are aggressively prioritizing discretionary spending, purchasing a select few emotionally charged luxury items but buying everything else at mass or "masstige" outlets. Companies that want to continue to profit from aspirational customers must make their brands accessible and relevant to them by taking their lifestyles into consideration and meeting them half way. Here are seven tips to draw out aspirationals, just in time for the holidays. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• How to Foster 'Workable Wondering' to Harness Consumer Insightsby Gerald Zaltman and Lindsay Zaltman
  The process of thinking deeply is known as "workable wondering," which involves the use of empirical, rigorous, and relevant information to challenge our assumptions. It means more than collecting information. It requires reading between the lines. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• Hardwired to Love Brandsby Martin Lindstrom
  Why are "mirror neurons" so relevant to marketers? Because they reveal why we're hardwired to imitate, cradle to grave. Mirror neurons explain why we sometimes do things that we can't explain. They can also be a source of valuable instruction for product marketers, able to turn a brand from a moderate success into runaway success that no-one can live without. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• How to Win the Hearts and Minds of Hispanic Customersby Jorge Aguilar and Andrew Pierce
  With the Hispanic population in the US expected to surpass white non-Hispanic inhabitants by 2030, marketers are scrambling for ways to tap into growing spending power while generating loyalty to their brands. Strong, enduring brand loyalty can be built among Hispanics, but not by using tactics that work for white, Middle America. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• Going Green: Moving Printed Newsletters, Statements, and Promotions to Emailby Chris Lovejoy
  In this day and age, one could say that green is the new black. More than ever, consumers are engaged in environmentally sound practices. And companies can easily leverage this "green" trend to not only show their customers their concern with the global environment but also reduce the continually increasing cost of the direct mail process. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• Marketing to India: The New Frontier for American Businessby Gunjan Bagla
  Marketing executives and entrepreneurs alike have rushed to China in the last decade. Yet, today, India offers an excellent, although somewhat misunderstood, alternative. Here are some myths (and realities) about tapping the potential of this country of 1.1 billion. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• Four Tips for Customer-Centric Copywritingby Sharon Long Baerny
  A customer-focused approach to marketing communications applies whether you're a property manager renting out high-end vacation homes in Maine to wealthy residents of NYC, or an international high-tech company providing support to clients who rely on an enterprisewide accounting software. No matter what you sell or to whom, by framing your marketing message from the customer's point of view first—not yours—you'll craft much more targeted copy: customer-centric copy. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• How to Be a Good Public Relations Clientby Ford Kanzler
  Since public relations isn't done "to" a company, it's done "with" the management team or owners, there's an essentially different nature to how this kind of professional service is successfully delivered. It's much more akin to legal or medical services with the "defendants" or "patients" (read management team members) having to be deeply and consistently involved in an on-going process. As the now famous slogan coined by tech PR guru Regis McKenna goes, "PR is a process, not an event." Without that, it generally goes nowhere and the agency won't be working with that client for long. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• Top Lessons Learned in Consumer-Generated Advertisingby Neil Perry
  Marketers have recognized the immense creative talent that resides outside of Madison Avenue. They've recognized that, with Consumer-Generated Advertising, properly executed, they can generate quality, consumer-relevant content at a fraction of the cost of conventional agency productions. And these commercials break through the clutter with their "real" feel and relevant messaging. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• She's Waiting: Five Ways to Reach Women via Sustainable Business Practicesby Andrea Learned
  An authentic and established sustainable commitment resonates with women. Here's how companies can work toward more sustainable operations, offer products that reflect that intention, and (in doing so) create good business with a double whammy. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• Every Blue Ocean Will Eventually Turn Red; Create an Unfair Advantage Insteadby Dr. Dan Herman
  The vast red and blue oceans of the marketing world tsunamied into our awareness and vocabulary a few years ago, when two professors, W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, claimed that competition can be rendered irrelevant. Their book, Blue Ocean Strategy, heralded the news to marketing managers and CEOs all over the world: After years and years of surviving in red bloody oceans, swarming with murderous competitors, finally there's a better alternative! Let us consider an example of a company that supposedly followed the Blue Ocean strategy. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• Has Your Telephone Become Your Sales Prevention System?by Todd Miechiels
  Is your company guilty of throwing dollars at campaigns to increase Web traffic, only to turn around and squander sales opportunities due to poor telephone and email handling? Make sure that your telephone system isn't preventing prospects from reaching out and touching someone at your company. As soon as you finish reading this article, pick up the phone and call your company's sales lines and test the process for yourself. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• Direct-to-Consumer PR Reflects Power of Do-It-Yourselfby Gail Martin
  With the rise of search engines, Wi-Fi, and a Do-It-Yourself mindset, today's consumers are more empowered than ever before. They not only believe that they're entitled to information but also have unprecedented access to information on a global scale. An increasing number of consumers turn first to the Internet when they want to make a purchase—even if the product will be bought offline. That's why any PR strategy focused solely on media gatekeepers is missing a large piece of the market. While there's still value in sending your message via traditional media, more and more prospective customers are doing their own research online, bypassing newspaper, magazines, radio, and TV completely. Here are five tips for creating successful direct-to-consumer PR. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• Soothing the Savaged Consumer Soul: 11 Ways to Show Love When Times Are Toughby Jeanne Bliss
  If you are in the business of serving customers, right now is the time to seek out the intangible opportunities to soothe the savaged consumer soul. Here are 11 ideas that will bring you dividends by soothing the frayed nerves during these times of spending woes. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• Case Study: The Attraction Advantage—How Mexican Mangos Ripened Sales 13% in Four Monthsby Jenny Schade
  It's a marketer's dream. Customers are so passionate about your product they actually crave it. In fact, outside of the US, your product is the number-one consumed fruit. However, here's where the dream hits reality. You're in the US, where two-thirds of US consumers have never tasted a mango. You've been hired to generate sales during the Mexican mango season—which is only four months long. One thing is crystal clear: You have to get it right the first time. Or mangos will be out of season and you'll be out of a job. That's the situation that our firm, Lewis & Neale Public Relations and JRS Consulting, faced when EMEX, an association of Mexican mango producers and shippers, retained it to conduct a four-month campaign (limited to Mexican mango season) to increase fresh mango visibility and consumption in the US. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• How to Avoid TMI in Email: When Less Is Moreby Josh Nason
  It starts simply. You're setting up fields for your email signup form and instead of grabbing just the basics for information, you start to wander: What if I got all the information I want up front? So then it begins: name, address, home number, work number, mobile number, bag phone number, AOL IM, Yahoo IM, favorite band, favorite station, favorite team. Suddenly, users are looking at a form worthy of governmental consideration. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• Incentives: 5 Cardinal Rules, 10 Great Ideasby Kristin Zhivago
  When the economy gets tight, customers can take forever to reach a buying decision. So, managers think up incentives that will encourage the customer to buy. Whatever lure you use should inspire the prospective customer to edge a little closer to a purchase, which is sometimes easier said than done. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• The New to Way to Unsubscribe: Feedback Loopsby Louis Chatoff
  Recipients of unwanted email messages have found a new way to unsubscribe from lists: Hit the Spam button. Major Internet service providers are now (or will soon be) using feedback loops to communicate complaints back to the message sender. What does this mean to email marketers? It means they need to rethink the way they display their unsubscribe link, especially if they are sending to a questionable list or are starting to receive complaints. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• How Boar's Head Is Defending Its Brand Against the Old Flimflam: Six Steps to Empowering Your Customersby Glenn Gabe
  This is a tale of flimflam and a unique way that Boar's Head is battling it. Given the power of word-of-mouth, it's hard to overlook the potential of how Boar's Head is empowering its customer base. (And see how you can, too.) [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior
• Simplicity Is the Nature of Great Emailsby Gary Levitt and Rob Lubow
  The modern email inbox is a perpetual promotion machine of colors, styles, and sales pitches all fighting to be seen. In an attempt to break from the herd, many email marketers ironically adopt a herd mentality of more clutter, more content, more, more, more. This misguided pursuit of increased visibility merely leads to increased invisibility. Before joining the invisible ranks of the "clutter cult" of email marketers, consider that a huge body of marketing research demonstrates that the human mind is a sucker for simplicity and focus. The eye embraces that which can be easily digested. Less is more. [Read the full story] Marketing Articles: Customer Behavior

Customer Behavior: See all 379 marketing articles

Customer Behavior case studies, deconstructing real life examples and illustrating lessons learned

• How a CEO Uses Twitter to Convey the 'Sole' of His CompanyZappos
• A Niche E-tailer Sizes Up Glamour... One Customer at a Time, Boosting Sales with a Personalized Web Site ExperienceSydney's Closet
• How a Consumer Electronics Company Leveraged the Power of Community to Uncover Market Preferences and Build Excitement for a New Product LineEastman Kodak Company
• How a University Embraced Social Media and Scored Millions in YouTube ViewsCarnegie Mellon University
• How a Web-based Company Increased Leads 90%—and Sales 23%—via PPC-Visitor Profiling, Landing Page PersonalizationCompany: Continental Warranty
• How MyFax Upped Customer Engagement, Achieved a 79% NetPromoter ScoreMyFax
• How a Finance Director Left Her Day Job and Launched an 'Engaging Brand' Online via a Podcast and BlogThe Engaging Brand
• How a Small-Business Consultant Leveraged a High-Profile TV Commercial to Generate New Traffic and Win New BusinessLocalZing
• How an Online Software Biz Doubled Its Sales Leads, Increased Site Traffic 75%Makana Solutions
• How a Retail Company Increased Web Sales Order Value 60% via Automated PersonalizationPersonal Creations
• How a Rental Car Firm Upped New York Revenue 24%, Improved Customer ServiceDollar Thrifty Automotive Group
• How Goodwill Attracted Hip Customers via Social Networking, a Virtual Fashion ShowGoodwill of Greater Washington
• How a Viral Campaign Gave OfficeMax Brand Recognition, Drove ShoppersOfficeMax, Inc.
• How a Patient-Support Program Increased Therapy Participation 20%, Upped SalesActelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
• How a Dental Office Attracted Clients Using SEO and Other Internet Marketing StrategiesSynergy Dental Center
• How Major League Baseball Doubled Fan Research Without Increasing CostsMajor League Baseball
• How a Web-based B2B Niche Service Increased Revenue per Sales Rep by 9.3%ShareBuilder401k
• How a Seasonal Business Increased Off-Season Sales With Five Simple Email TacticsBlooms Today
• How a Virtual Conference Enabled Software Provider Cognos to Slash Costs and Extend ReachCognos, Inc.
• How an Office Furniture Company Tripled Its Sales by Optimizing for SearchPanel Systems Unlimited

Customer Behavior: See all 39 case studies

Customer Behavior online seminar broadcasts from the best minds in marketing

• Using e-Metrics to Optimize Your All-Around Marketing StrategyAttendee rating:  - Apr 3, 2008
• Buyer Personas: A Smart Way to Align B2B Sales and MarketingAttendee rating:  - Jan 17, 2008
• Strategy First on Facebook: Opportunities of a Ready-Made Marketing PlatformAttendee rating:  - Jan 10, 2008
• Personas 2: Using Mental Images of Customers for Better Product Planning, Branding and MessagingAttendee rating:  - Mar 8, 2007
• Personas 1: Breakthrough Customer Insight for Product, Website Design and MoreAttendee rating:  - Mar 7, 2007
• Hispanic Marketing EssentialsAttendee rating:  - Nov 16, 2006
• Boosting E-Commerce Conversion Rates with Persuasion ScenariosAttendee rating:  - Nov 9, 2006
• BOOM: Marketing to the Ultimate Power Consumer — The Baby Boomer WomanAttendee rating:  - Oct 26, 2006
• Demystifying Website Usability: Rapid Research for MarketersAttendee rating:  - Jul 25, 2006
• How to Build Your Customer Experience Framework in Five Steps, with Columbia Business School Professor Bernd SchmittAttendee rating:  - May 18, 2006
• Reach the Big Spenders: How to Market to Women from 50 to 75Attendee rating:  - Dec 1, 2005
• The Anatomy of Buzz: Lessons in Word-of-Mouth Marketing, with Emanuel RosenAttendee rating:  - May 26, 2005

Customer Behavior: See all 12 seminars

Customer Behavior mini articles distilling bite-sized advice (from our Get to the Point newsletters)

• Shut Up and Listen. Please.Small Business
  "Most people are not very good listeners," write Don and Sheryl Grimme in The New Manager's Toolkit. The reason, the say, is that we spend our days juggling personal and...
• Please Come Back to MeEmail Marketing
  According to Loren McDonald, any email list will include recipients who have unsubscribed "emotionally." Instead of hitting the unsubscribe button, they delete your messages without reading them, or direct their...
• B2B and CRM: Together 4 EverB2B Marketing
  What's B2B without CRM? Not much. Every smart B2B marketer knows that much of the process of converting prospects into loyal clients rests on customer service. In a recent post at...
• It's Brewing on the HorizonNew Media
  The possibilities for mobile marketing grow with each new smartphone introduced. For marketers, it's best to keep on top of the latest iterations—to better design mobile campaigns that dazzle. The...
• I Told You Not to Call Me HereCustomer Behavior
  Lots of marketers recognize the demographic of chatty young females who can't live without their cell phones. And many rush to create ads to get into that chatty mix. But,...
• Don't Be Stupid: Keep It SimpleSmall Business
  If your product or service caters to well-heeled customers, you might soon discover a new segment: the Middle Aged Simplifier. According to John Quelch of Harvard Business Online, they spent...
• The Sport of UnhappinessSmall Business
  In a post at his blog, Seth Godin notes some of the seemingly unfounded whining in which our consumer culture likes to indulge. We bitch and moan about a Facebook...
• Was It Something I Didn't Say?B2B Marketing
  In a recent Marketing Interactions blog, Ardath Albee asks: "[W]hat happens when the frequency and recency of a lead's engagement stalls?" Often, B2B marketers will roll these leads into a...
• In-Game Ads: Real, Not Virtual, ROINew Media
  Gaming is no longer the sole domain of geeky guys with programmer's pallor: 44% of online gamers, and 40% of gamers in general, are women. Over half are between 18...
• Kermit Got It WrongEmail Marketing
  Being green can be a plus for marketers. For instance, converting mail to email helps the environment, but also has a number of practical marketing benefits. Customers can take immediate action...
• You Just Don't Understand Me!Customer Behavior
  You've got a great new product for the high-school crowd. The demographics you've researched are screaming that teens love all things digital. So, your marketing team has crafted a great...
• Knock It Off!Email Marketing
  "I subscribe to a wonderful Web-based entity that sends me a weekly newsletter, which I enjoy very much," begins an entry in the Editorial Emergency newsletter. "But a while back...
• Might as Well Jump!Search Engine Marketing
  To do search marketing right, it's best to send potential customers who click on your search-engine-generated links to a "jump" or landing page. This page is the gateway to your...
• A Bad TripSmall Business
  In a post at Emergence Marketing, Francois Gossieaux tells the story of making reservations with Air France for a trip to Belgium, where his father—who had been diagnosed with a...
• Gimme That!Customer Behavior
  Sales promotions that offer either price discounts or free goods (premiums) are often used to entice customers to buy products. But which is better? Every family has one or two...
• Just Let 'Em Go, OK?Email Marketing
  According to a post at the True You Marketing (TYM) blog, "Dennis McConnell … sailed merrily into the office … only to find seven unsubscribe messages in his inbox." All...
• You Look Mahvelous!Customer Behavior
  Let's face it: as consumers, we're not that good at judging the volume of a product (eg, how much liquid is actually in that bottle or glass of juice). Moreover,...
• Try Some Nonprofit Holiday 'Retail'Email Marketing
  "In these stressful economic times, it is more important than ever to build messages that resonate with your audience," says Winston Bowden in an article at MarketingProfs. "Like retailers, nonprofits...
• Staying on Top in a DownturnB2B Marketing
  With the latest seismic shifts in the U.S. economy, it seemed a good time to check back to Jon Miller's "definitive guide to B2B marketing during a downturn," first presented...
• Cut the Mystery Man ActCustomer Behavior
  Is it more effective to tell customers your brand name right away in advertising? Or is it better to create a little mystery, and reveal the brand name only at...

Customer Behavior: See all 179 quick reads

Customer Behavior marketing downloads for the busy professional

• E-Newsletter How-To Guide
  The e-newsletter has become ubiquitous. Almost a dime a dozen. How do you make yours not only stand out in the inbox, but make a positive impact on your bottom line? This guide will show you how.
• Online Research How-To Guide
  Set clear objectives and a realistic scope to online research projects. These are just two of the steps that this comprehensive, step-by-step planning guide will help you to accomplish to insure your online research results in the most relevant and useful information possible.
• Lead Generation How-To Guide
  Great product, great sales team, great marketing collateral - now what? People to sell to, of course. Put your lead generation tactics under the microscope with this enlightening how-to guide. Get more and better qualified leads, faster today.
• B2B Direct Marketing How-To Guide
  Direct marketing is one of the fastest changing disciplines within marketing today. What worked 10 years ago, isn't working today. Heck, what worked last week sometimes doesn't even work today, so keep your skills sharp with his How-To guide, focusing on the B2B market.

See all marketing downloads