Acquisition Email is very different from internal email, so we understand it can be intimidating to consider. That's why you want to use an agency who has long-standing partnerships within the data and deployment space to ensure nothing gets missed. We take great precaution in only utilizing double opted-in data, custom modeling to ensure focus is on right targets, and incorporating current, best practices in creative development, among other key strategies to help deliverability, inbox placement and strong engagement. Read our Email Acquisition Overview to learn more or schedule a brief meeting today to learn more about how we stand out. 

This is the million-dollar question. It’s tricky; you should be marketing everywhere as consumers are everywhere. Surrounding your target audience is key but it’s also critical as people have channel preferences. Marketing tactics will often overlap making true 1:1 attribution impossible. It seemed much easier to track and evaluate years ago, before digital and email became primary drivers. Adding to the challenge, reporting for certain channels are better supported with online platforms over others. 

In this channel-mixed world, we often employ certain tactics to help provide performance data to our clients, including holdout cells and match-back analysis, with agreed upon criteria. These tools will provide a level of insight into performance to 1. validate it’s working (or not) and 2. help optimize future campaigns. We never recommend high volume initial tests; a stepped testing methodology is critical to manage risks, gather data and allow our clients to comfortably rollout programs and/or dial back other programs. 

The mistake marketers often make is to prioritize attributing a new customer to one channel for the sake of a clean report over utilizing the right mix for engagement (and conversion). The truth is that perfect attribution is impossible—but, in many ways, it’s always been that way. 

For example: promo codes could give a false sense of security to marketers. There was always slippage, pass-along, call centers not inputting codes and other external factors that affected response. It really was directional. 

And consumer behavior has changed over the years. Today, critical marketing tactics work in conjunction with one another to ultimately convert someone. SEM frequently gets last touch credit for a strong marketing mix, which makes it hard to quantitatively give credit to other channels. It’s about having a strong top of funnel and strong bottom of funnel, driving the right people in who deliver the highest spend and retention for your business. We use tools to provide a few data points to know what is performing, but management teams need to understand that this world has evolved, and marketing assessments must evolve with it. 

You can, and a lot of companies do. There are many benefits to utilizing digital solutions, some of which are lower cost, faster to market with the ability to (often) tie into in-house platforms for reporting. However, there are also downsides of a digital-only strategy. Outside of it being an incredibly cluttered space with a lot of consumer fatigue, digital marketing can be limited in reach, targeting and space. You also reach a point of limited investment return, for example with SEM.  

Digital should be part of your plan, but it’s most effective when used with other channels to complement what digital cannot. This is even more important for specific industries or service offerings where you:

• Need to focus on smarter targeting with more access to modeling/data

• Should be using more marketing space to “sell” your offerings

• If you want to have broader reach beyond just what digital footprint can provide

Digital marketing is a rapidly changing space. You will need time and resources to stay current and leverage trends/media which can often be crippling for companies even with a strong agency partner. 

Bottom line, you need to be playing in the digital world. But you are doing a disservice if you are only playing in the digital world. 

This is a tough question to answer and one we get a lot. It’s tricky because many people ask this question with bias. The truth is that direct mail still works incredibly well for certain marketing goals, audiences and industries. It’s not just the older demographic either, which is a very common misconception. Many within the younger demos respond to mail. The mailbox is also very uncluttered, helping your company stand out in a way that digital, email, TV or radio cannot. If the piece you create is designed to engage and has a strong offer, it can end up on the counter or the fridge giving it life and staying power that NO other channel offers. 

However, direct mail can be expensive. Between the cost to produce and the postage to mail, the cost per piece can be off putting. Our goal, when direct mail is a part of the channel mix, is to utilize it sparingly to get the highest return. To generate concepts with economical formats that are proven to perform and utilize variability to help speak 1:1 with your audience. Deciding whether to incorporate mail is both a strategic decision as well as a numbers exercise, and you may be surprised how often the ROI (if done right) is worth it. 

Great question! We enjoy having honest conversations; mutual transparency is imperative to partnership. What makes new business difficult for us is that you cannot truly see how special we are until we are working together. This may sound like a cop out, but it’s true. Following are a few reasons to consider working with us over others:

1. Our customer service is off the charts. It’s where the company started. Delivering strong results is always our main priority, but building long-lasting, mutually beneficial partnerships is a close second. And, as silly as it sounds, we want our clients to like working with us… and to trust us. We work hard to make your job easier. We treat your business like our own. Our hiring process is very selective, only seasoned staff, so you don’t get passed down to someone junior. Senior leaders don’t go away. If they did, how could we confidently hang onto your business and keep optimizing over time? 

2. We also have a unique agency structure that allows us to pivot easily. A marketing plan hardly ever looks the same at year-end as it did when the year started, and our structure allows us to shift with you as needed. 

3. And while we do all the 'agency things' you would expect—like crafting innovative creative, having data geeks work tirelessly to find the right audiences, and creating the perfect mix of value and price—our team is special. Most of what you buy with an agency is the team. It’s the foundation. Our track record of results, along with strong client and employee retention, are also badges of honor for us; our solutions work.