Marketing Resources: Customer Acquisition

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Results for Customer Acquisition

Are Your Marketing Dollars Buying Customers—or Just Renting Them? by Debra Ellis
How many marketing dollars did you waste last year contacting customers who didn't buy from you? It's easy to look back to see where your investment was ineffective... if you know precisely where to look.
More articles on Brand Equity, Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention, Marketing Analytics, Measurement
'Hypey' Copy That Converts, and How to Write It by Barry Densa
Hypey copy is like a fine wine. It has great legs, a fine body, and a rich nose. Hype excites the emotions, stimulates the buying glands, and ultimately converts better- than-dull; drab; "only the facts, Ma'am" marcom-style copy. The challenge, of course, ...
More articles on Advertising, Copywriting, Creativity, Customer Acquisition, Marketing Tips, Writing
Four Customer-Centricity Best-Practices and Three Customer-Value Metrics for Customer-Relationship Success by Laura Patterson
Changes in the way customers receive and process information via social-networking sites, mobile phones, and the Internet, combined with shrinking margins, deteriorating customer loyalty, and increased demand for marketing accountability, suggest the need for a new approach to customer-centricity. A. G. ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Customer-Centric, Customer Relationships, Customer Retention, Metrics, Social Networking
Social Media 101: Use Twitter to Attract Prospects and Engage Customers by Debra Ellis
Before you enter the relatively new frontier of social media, you need an action plan. Although the costs are low, social media tools require extensive maintenance to be effective. Your strategy needs to fit your corporate culture, resources, and customer ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Customer Engagement, Customer Retention, Google, Marketing Tips, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter
Ten Essentials of Software-as-a-Service Solution Marketing by Peter A. Cohen
Here are 10 essentials of software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution marketing.
More articles on Brand Positioning, Collaboration, Customer Acquisition, Customer Engagement, Customer Retention, Value Propositions
The Pursuit of ROI: Will It Lead You to Rags or to Riches? by Sharan Jagpal
It's no secret that the business world is slow to change. Sure, it has made the evolution from typewriters to computers for word processing, and from snail mail to email for written communication. But in regard to the core of ...
More articles on Advertising, Brand Awareness, Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention, Marketing Strategy, Metrics, ROI
In a Tough Economy, Go to Battle for Your Customers by J. Mark Carr, Karl Gustafson
Decision-makers who are worried over the stability of their company's finances should remember one simple truth: The source of your business's cash flow is your customer base. What all of this boils down to is the need to make smart, informed ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Customer Relationships, Customer Service, Economic Crisis, Measurement, Segmentation
How Hyundai Uses Behavioral Segmentation to Take the Bull by the Horns and Send the Bear Packing by Michael Barr
Hyundai took the bull by the horns in this bear market and scored big. It used behavioral segmentation to identify what was keeping prospects from buying and then developed a strategy that made it easier for customers to part with ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Customer Behavior, Customer Relationships, Segmentation, Targeting
How to Acquire and Retain Customers via Content Marketing by Paul Chaney
Face it. If you are an online marketer, you're a publisher. Your Web properties are media sites, whether you consider them such or not; so you might as well make the most of it and provide your customers and prospects ...
More articles on Blogging, Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention, Online Marketing, Targeting, Thought Leadership, Writing
Getting in the Front Door of Prospects: Five Creative Marketing Ideas That Work by Elaine Fogel
How can you build and steward a long-term customer relationship if you can't access your prospect in the first place? To reach those big fish takes creativity, perseverance, ingenuity, chutzpah, and, sometimes, just plain dumb luck. Here are five creative ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Lead Generation, Marketing Smarter, Sales, Targeting
Five Keys to Using Innovation to Acquire and Retain Customers (Part 3 of 3) by Leland Shaeffer
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, ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Customer Experience, Customer Retention, Marketing Tips, Segmentation, Voice of the Customer
Selling Professional Services? It's All About Leverage by Barbara Bix
Attracting—and ultimately closing—deals with new clients can take professional service providers anywhere between several months and several years. Since most firms rely on their partners and principals to bring in new work, client acquisition ends up consuming a lot of ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Sales, Services Marketing, Thought Leadership
The 'Freemium' Business Model: Not Quite a Slam-Dunk by Nilofer Merchant
Can you make money by giving away your product? Absolutely—and companies like Adobe (PDF Reader) and Macromedia (Shockwave Player) have proven it. With Web 2.0, consumers have gotten a lot of things at no cost due to various monetization practices—and ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Customer Engagement, High-Tech Marketing
How Online and Offline Have Fused Into a Single Dialog (and Why Marketers Should Follow Suit) by Akin Arikan
Last year, a study by comScore Networks found that an average of 63% of online searchers who proceeded to complete a purchase did so offline rather than online. Just as online and offline shopping have fused into a single experience, ...
More articles on Advertising, Customer Acquisition, Metrics
Marketing Challenge: Do You Stalk Customers? by Hank Stroll
We've learned not to trust email to arrive safely in the recipient's inbox. So we leave voicemail asking whether the person received the email or the earlier voicemail. How much follow-up is too much? Where do you draw the line to ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Customer Engagement, Management, Sales
Five Things Every CEO Should Want to Know About Customers by Jeanne Bliss
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. ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Customer Experience, Management, Measurement, Metrics, Referrals
How to Establish Sales Credibility: It's Not the Story You Tell, It's the Questions You Ask by Jeff Thull
Establishing credibility is one of the most critical elements in securing a new customer. The customer must see you as a credible and trustworthy resource. Here's how to establish credibility with a prospective customer.
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Customer Engagement, Sales
Marketing on MySpace by Stephan Spencer
The cardinal rule in MySpace is the same one as in the blogosphere: Keep it real. Before you leap in to MySpace as a marketer, you'd best understand it. Because if you don't, the MySpace community can turn on you the ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, E-Commerce, MySpace, Word of Mouth
Hollywood Tie-ins: How to Avoid a Horror Show by Stephen Denny
You can do Hollywood tie-ins right. It just takes nerves of steel, the ability to say no to a lot of very charming people, and a ton of planning. But you will live to fight another day if you follow ...
More articles on Collaboration, Customer Acquisition, Marketing Inspiration, Sales
Innovative Ways to Attract Female Consumers (Part 2) by Gerry Myers
Connecting to the female consumer is not easy, because there is no single magical way to target women. They are a diverse group, and in many ways it is harder to reach them than their male counterparts. As a follow up ...
More articles on Creativity, Customer Acquisition, Marketing Inspiration, Women

See all 68 marketing articles related to Customer Acquisition

No Excuses
"One of the ultimate excuses for not measuring [the impact of marketing efforts] is: 'Oh, that's just a branding campaign,'" says Avinash Kaushik in a post at the Occam's Razor ...
More articles on Branding, Customer Acquisition, Marketing Analytics, Measurement
Peripheral Vision
If we were to ask you to describe your competition, you'd probably talk about companies that do exactly what you do. The owner of an Indian restaurant will discuss other ...
More articles on Creativity, Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention, Small Business
Buzzkill
"Yes marketers," says Christina Kerley (aka CK), "you absolutely want people talking up (or, buzzing over) your brands. And you really want them saying great things. But you want the ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Small Business, Word of Mouth
Don't Fear the Reaper
In a post at the Marketing Analytics blog, Lynne Harrold describes the quandary faced by an important Bostonian cultural institution. As its established member base dies off, it needs to ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention, Recession, Small Business
Make the Most of the Slow Season
"When the slow season strikes," says Kimberly Smith in an article at MarketingProfs, "it's time to put some energy into pumping up that brand." She runs down a list of ...
More articles on Branding, Customer Acquisition, Customer Engagement, Customer Relationships, Customer Retention, Small Business, Word of Mouth
Recession Marketing II: What NOT to Cut
In Part I, we suggested a few cuts to make in your current marketing budget to help keep your bottom line healthy during these tough times. Now let's take a ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Customer Relationships, Customer Retention, Marketing Budgets, New Media, Recession
Marketing Addictionary: 'Mobsmacked'
Mobsmacked: (adjective) That stunned feeling you get when your marketing efforts worked TOO well, and you can't keep up with customer demand.
More articles on Creativity, Customer Acquisition, Customer Experience, Customer Relationships, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Service, Humor, Twitter, Writing
They Can't Drive 55
If your B2B product or service has a lengthy sales cycle, you've probably developed an excellent program for nurturing leads until a prospect decides to pull the trigger. But what ...
More articles on B2B Marketing, Customer Acquisition, Marketing Inspiration
Know How to Hold 'Em
"It probably comes as no surprise," say Kara Trivunovic and Andrew Osterday in an article at MarketingProfs, "[that] the process of acquiring new customers comes with one of the higher ...
More articles on Brand Loyalty, Customer Acquisition, Customer Relationships, Email Marketing
Got a Waffling Customer? Push Her Over the Edge!
"If you want to avoid being stuck with inventory or downtime during a recession," advises Seth Godin in a post at his eponymous blog, "you might profit from realizing that ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Economic Crisis, Sales, Small Business
Scratch That Niche
Reaching a niche audience—and only those people—can be tricky. But in a post at his eponymous blog, Seth Godin proposes the inventive approach of piggybacking onto a product that your ...
More articles on Creativity, Customer Acquisition, Small Business
The Freeconomics of Online Media
Phil Bronstein, San Francisco Chronicle editor-at-large, said during the 2008 AlwaysOn media summit at Stanford that if he "could collect a buck every time anyone says 'monetize,' I wouldn't need ...
More articles on Customer Acquisition, Interactive Marketing, New Media, ROI, Social Media

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

Twitter + Coffee = A Delicious Elixir for Customer Acquisition and Salesby Coffee Groundz
CASE STUDY: The Houston-area coffee shop was just one among many, until it found Twitter. Today, the Coffee Groundz is ground zero among local social-media fans—and sales have soared.
More case studies on Advertising, Case Studies, Community, Customer Acquisition, Marketing Smarter, Twitter
Three Small (Biz) Steps to Increased Product & Service Sales, Recession Editionby Paul Hyland Salon & Day Spa
CASE STUDY: Sales of luxury products and services have been suffering in the current economy—all the more so for small businesses. But email, coupons, and new-client referral and member-rewards programs have helped this small business beat the recession blues. See how.
More case studies on Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention, Email Marketing, Promotions, Recession, Referrals, Small Business
How an Email Marketing Solution Startup Signed up 300 Customers in 7 Daysby Mad Mimi
This past spring, Mad Mimi's marketing challenge was to create a big splash in the crowded pool of email marketing providers. With no ad budget, the company reached out virally to certain segments of the tech community, including bloggers. The result: a grassroots-driven awareness, positive buzz, and some 300 new customers within a week.
More case studies on Blogging, Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Email Campaigns, Email Marketing, Word of Mouth
How a Small-Business Consultant Leveraged a High-Profile TV Commercial to Generate New Traffic and Win New Businessby LocalZing
As a tiny Florida player in the field of advertising for small businesses, Karl Long knew he should consider unconventional ways to promote his company. Taking a cue from a competitor, Long launched a campaign that upped traffic to his blog 500%, raised his Google profile, and led to new business.
More case studies on Advertising, Blogging, Blogging Strategy, Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Press Releases, Public Relations, Small Business
How a Marketing Consultant Significantly Increased His Client Base via Social Mediaby L&G Business Solutions
Marketing executive and consultant Lewis Green wanted to re-establish his company in January 2004 after moving across the country. With no professional network in place, he figured the best way to promote his business would be a blog. His first attempt failed. But not his second.
More case studies on Blog Comments, Blogging, Blogging Strategy, Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Social Media, Social Networking, Writing
How a Consultant's Internet Radio Show Led to New Business, New Sources of Revenueby CRM Essentials LLC
Atlanta management consultant Brent Leary launched a radio show in 2006 to help small and mid-sized businesses understand technology. It proved so popular that he evolved the show into a series of online podcasts, bringing new business and (ultimately) new revenue to his 15-year-old consulting business.
More case studies on Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Keywords, Online Marketing, Podcasting, Small Business, Web Analytics
How a Dental Office Attracted Clients Using SEO and Other Internet Marketing Strategiesby Synergy Dental Center
Synergy Dental Center of Portland, Oregon, wanted to increase its client base, which Dr. Anthony Newkirk had inherited from the previous practitioner in 2003. He hired a marketing firm to develop a client-acquisition strategy, with a goal of 25 new patients a month. Here's how the Internet-based campaign played out.
More case studies on Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Online Marketing, PPC Campaigns, Search Engine Marketing, SEO, Targeting
How a B2C Web Site's Landing-Page Tests Resulted in a 67% Jump in Conversionsby BabyCenter
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.
More case studies on Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Landing Pages, Sales
How an International Beer Co. Keeps Its Brand Distinctive and Freshby Guinness (a Diageo company)
Guinness, the top-selling stout in the world, is facing competition as the beer industry consolidates. It also needs to diversify its customer base, as about 95% of its sales volume comes from four markets. Here's how Guinness maintains its distinctive brand reputation.
More case studies on Brand Awareness, Brand Positioning, Case Studies, Customer Acquisition
How a Pet Food Company Is Building a Loyal Customer Base via Highly Targeted Emailsby Royal Canin Canada
Royal Canin Canada puts an enormous budget behind creating customized, breed-specific pet food. But many pet owners don't realize how much their dog or cat could benefit from a specially formulated food. By creating a loyalty email program targeted with information on specific breeds, Royal Canin was able to earn the role of trusted adviser. The email program now reaches 8% of current customers, maintains a remarkable 80% click-through rate, and has an unsubscribe rate of less than 2%.
More case studies on Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Email Campaigns, Targeting
How an Insurance Company Web Site Achieved Significant Increases in Click-Throughs and Conversionsby American International Underwriters (AIU)
By dynamically changing content on its start page to targeted segments of site visitors, along with testing the placement of additional product offerings within the transaction funnel, American International Underwriters upped the conversion rates of several of its products.
More case studies on Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Online Marketing, Websites
How an Electronics Retailer Altered Its Holiday Paid-Search Campaign Strategy and Cut Cost per Acquisition in Halfby The Source By Circuit City
When an online electronics retailer runs a holiday-season Google paid search campaign, and the resulting cost per acquisition is far higher than the average cost per order, something is not right. Yet that's what happened with the 2005 holiday campaign of The Source By Circuit City. The following year, Source flipped its keyword strategy, changing the focus from paid-search ad position to achieving lower customer acquisition cost per order.
More case studies on Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Google, Keywords, Search Engine Marketing
How a Small-Business Consultant Leveraged a High-Profile TV Commercial to Generate New Traffic and Win New Businessby LocalZing
A competing online marketing company's unorthodox approach to self-promotion got consultant Karl Long thinking about ways he could use his personal blog as a public relations tool to help his company, Local Zing. As a tiny Florida player in the field of advertising for small businesses, Long knew he should consider unconventional ways to promote his company. Taking his cue from the competitor, he launched a campaign that increased traffic on his blog more than 500%, raised his Google profile, and led to new business.
More case studies on Blogging, Blogging Strategy, Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Press Releases, Small Business
How a B2C Web Site's Landing-Page Tests Resulted in a 67% Jump in Conversionsby BabyCenter
When a top Web site took a close look its landing pages, company officials noticed something unacceptable: The landing page for the company'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 to boot. For any marketer who struggles to make ads and landing pages directly relevant to the consumer's search, this case study provides valuable insight.
More case studies on Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Landing Pages, Sales