This week begins one of the most exciting times of the year for college basketball fans: the NCAA Tournament aka “March Madness.” Millions of crazed fans stop everything they are doing—literally—to watch 64 (or is it 68 now?) teams vie for a national title. The three-week period from the opening round to the Final Four […]
It has been well documented that one of the most dangerous phrases in business is, “Well, we have always done it that way.” Recently tennis superstar Maria Sharapova learned this lesson the hard way during a routine drug test. Sharapova tested positive for the drug Meldonium that she had been taking for 10 years, but […]
We can all learn a thing or two from sliced bread. The common household food is well-known as the highest standard that all other products are compared to. In fact, who hasn’t heard the phrase, “the best thing since sliced bread?” This is why it’s so surprising that a product with its own phrase didn’t catch on […]
Years ago I ventured to the closest IKEA® to Indianapolis, just outside of Cincinnati, and purchased loads of new furniture for our family room, basement, and office. From console tables to bookshelves and even hiding spaces for Avengers, Transformers, and Batman, I thought I had all my bases covered. “Finally, everything will have its own […]
Leonardo DiCaprio won an Oscar Sunday night. It had been a long time coming for this talented actor, but Leo did finally win his coveted golden statue. Do you ever feel like you are being “Leo’d” from time to time with your email marketing performance? You are probably convinced that your email design, subject line, […]
“Oh, I don’t think I got that email.” This is not just a convenient excuse; it’s also the last thing you want to hear if you’re in email marketing. According to ReturnPath, about 10-20% of your emails won’t reach their intended recipient. Preparing more before a send can result in increased deliverability. Analyzing your data after […]
The sales process used to be linear. From MQLs to SQLs, marketers and salespeople alike practically spoke a different language – and that was just a few years ago. The sales funnel was just that, a funnel. And the weird thing about it (for me, at least) is that everything that goes into a funnel, […]
I just returned from a quick vacation in Colorado and Wyoming. I have visited various parts of Colorado and Wyoming upwards of half a dozen times, and the scenery still leaves me breathless. During this particular trip, an unusual geographic formation caught my eye. It was a table-top hill in the middle of a […]
We all take a journey as we embark on any new relationship. From personal to professional, journeys usually start with some sort of introduction and then involve the ups and downs of being close to someone or something. For instance, even the happiest of married couples can recall times when they felt challenged. The same […]
There’s no better example of “data in, data out” than email personalization. We’ve all opened those cringe-worthy emails with “Dear Unknown,” that are scattered with spelling errors and incorrect information from a company trying to know you but missing the mark. Email personalization is a great tool to drive interaction with your customers, but addressing someone with […]