Vol. 3 , No. 15     April 15, 2003

In this Newsletter:

Don't Miss the Top Ten Section Halfway Down!

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Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba
Bite-Sized Chunks: Getting Customers To Try Before They Buy

How do you eat a cow? One bite at a time.

It’s how companies recruit new customer evangelists, too. Instead of selling customers on the whole kit and cow-boodle of products, successful companies often first entice customers with a steak dinner.

Get the full story.

Jim Sterne
Measuring Data: Whadda Ya Got?

Before you can decide what data you need, you have to know what you have.

There are a variety of ways to collect data about what people are up to on a Web site. Here they are in the briefest terms possible.

Get the full story.

Laurel Delaney
10 Ways To Develop A High Global Business IQ

It's worth your while to do some soul-searching and decide whether you have what it takes to go global, or are willing to cultivate the qualities you'll need to succeed.

But going global requires a special way of understanding the world and operating in it. It's called "global intelligence."

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A Note to Readers

New Buttons to Push

Hello discerning readers!

Today we introduce something new to the MarketingProfs web site. Now, when you read an article on the site, you'll notice a new feature above the article title. Right next to the Print, Email, and Save options is a new Comment option.

Feedback from readers inspired the new button. In the past few months, many of you have asked for a way to contact writers directly with feedback to their pieces.

You talk, we listen. And starting today, you can rate an article’s usefulness and pass along your comments directly to the author.

Sure, other sites do offer the same. We know that. And many of them ultimately post reader feedback as rants and raves. Instead, we hope this feature will give you a forum to engage in thoughtful interaction with those whose c ontributions help make the newsletter what it is.

As always, your feedback is both welcome and encouraged. So go ahead–-this time, authors are standing by.

Until next time,

Ann Handley
ann@marketingprofs.com
MarketingProfs

Last Issue's Top 5

AD:TECH San Francisco, June 16-18, 2003, Palace Hotel San Francisco

AD:TECH, the defining event for interactive marketing, returns to San Francisco to deliver best practices and case studies from Sprint, Sony, Lands' End, Tower Records, NIKE, Comedy Central and many more. Plenty of networking opportunities in the exhibit hall and at special events.
Get event information and register here.

Strategy Top 5

Lee Marc Stein
The Ultimate Taboo? Using Humor in Direct Response

Among the rules Len learned as a young copywriter was this: "Don't use humor. There's nothing funny about separating a man from this money."

But humor, he's since discovered, does have a much-needed place in copywriting.

Get the full story.

Basil Harris, Jr.
“Strategies, Missions and Goals…Oh My!”: The Importance of Getting Your Planning Terminology Right

Do you know the difference between a strategy and an objective? Is a mission the same thing as a goal, or a vision? Which, if any of these, can be measured? And how do they all relate to one another?

Confusion over planning terms can reflect a poor understanding of underlying planning processes and desired outcomes. And this can spell bad news for your business.

Get the full story.

Michael Perla
How To Secure Widespread Adoption of Pretty Much Anything

As any marketer knows, a product launch must be a coordinated and diligent effort. You also have to make sure that the offering is widely adopted as quickly as possible.

How? Get the full story.

Tig Tillinghast
Dear Tig: Creating Brand Characters, B2B Audience Data, and Critical About Creative

This week, Tig weighs in on the hows and whys of creating brand "characters" and reveals sources for B2B audience data. Also, it is okay to be critical about creative?

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Contact

Publisher:Allen Weiss
amw@MarketingProfs.com

Content: Ann Handley
ann@MarketingProfs.com

Partnerships:
info@MarketingProfs.com

Ad/Sponsor Information:
go here or contact jim@MarketingProfs.com

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