More Accountable to the Bottom Line
by Jerry Hart
The line between marketing and financial performance is more evident. As a result, companies must justify budget allocations and IT investments with results-driven business cases and prove value by showing bottom-line impact. There are two reasons for this. First, technology has elevated the science of marketing, replacing vague decision making with fact-based analysis. Analytics, optimization, personalization, and event-based tools provide clear visibility into campaign performance. Comprehensive reporting provides insight on how to shorten marketing cycle times, lower production costs, avoid unprofitable campaigns, secure more qualified leads and tweak campaigns in real time to boost results.
Second, the bottom-line pressure on companies will increase as more companies look to grow profitable customer relationships. The road to maximizing ROI and growing the value of the customer base begins here. Marketing represents the critical front line for retaining existing customers and acquiring new ones. It is also the heart of customer intelligence, responsible for driving that insight across the business cycle through to sales, fulfillment and service.
The world has plenty of technology to integrate and support your dreams and desires to increase your sales with less effort. Don’t get caught up in the technology confusion or believing that your not smart, curious, or patient enough to enjoy the benefits of a building a community of email addresses and loyal fans along with elevating your website to a level that gains the respect of your customers and visitors.
Take note of what I wish I was doing when I launched my internet marketing firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. Yes, when I began diving into the e-mail channel head first I knew I was in for the ride of my life. A ride that needed a secure seat so that I could buckle up, adjust my buns firmly in the seat, and reach success with the most security I could find. Here’s what I learned and I pass this on to you with hopes you too will embrace my passion and concern for you behind this statement.
The number one security you can give yourself as you present your e-mails to your audience is “have a plan.” If you’re not planning every step, every message, best times to send, who your sending too, the count of acquisition desired in your go to market marketing strategy, you’re setting yourself up for weak results at best and a less than pleasant journey.
When you have a plan from building a baseline of where your profits and losses are now, generating your offers to give the audience, creating compelling copy, double and triple checking for quality assurance, and measuring every angle you can you can attain incremental gains that you can count on. And more so, gain the most profit from the clients who appreciate you the most.
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Jerry Hart is CEO of Hart Creative Marketing and an Associate Partner of Marketing Operations Partners.
To find out more about Marketing Operations Partners' measurement-related services , please call 408-243-7881 or e-mail sales@mopartners.com.
