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Monthly Archives: October 2007
Why it’s worth spending marketing budget on talking to your existing customers
The other day I got asked about our email marketing services. ‘We need to target architects and interior designers in Sussex’, he said. I had to disappoint him, as I explained we deal only with permission email marketing, in other words, communicating with customers/members/suppliers or prospects who have given you their permission to do so.
For many small businesses, getting new business is about getting new customers: perhaps they have a service or product that only gets bought once, or not very often (funeral directors or estate agents for example).
In my o-pun-ion… let’s hear it for the puns
There’s something about word-play, puns and mischievous metaphors that make me smile. I suppose it’s a bit like a panto – it’s best not to fight it but to get into the mood and let yourself enjoy.
I’m currently trying to restrain myself over our new company name, Eggbox. It’s just too tempting to get egg-cited about all the egg-cellent opportunities it presents to talk about hatching new ideas, thinking outside of the eggbox and so forth. Ack!
One of Eggbox’s clients, Drusillas Park, like to pepper their customer email newsletter with puns and obvious word-gags.
Screw everyone except the consumer? Not in my name
"We marketers have room in our heart only for one love – the consumer. Screw everyone else." Those are Mark Ritson’s words, in his latest defence of Tesco in Marketing magazine last week.
The ongoing love-in between Ritson and Tesco is puzzling. In this latest article he seems to be saying that if small independent retailers are unable or unwilling to compete with retail giants then they should consider another career. Fair enough. But to suggest that the consumer is better served by one superstore rather than a variety of small independents is odd.
Monster Mash
My thanks to Lara for pointing out a news story from Ireland concerning the spamming of a list of IT professionals by recruitment firm Monster. Tom Raftery blogged about it here on October 1st, but although we’ve come across it somewhat belatedly it’s still a cautionary tale.
And don’t miss this wonderful commentary on the incident – it’s the funniest thing I’ve read in ages. Enjoy.