Creating Better Marketing Campaigns with Customer Clustering
If you’ve recently created an umbrella marketing campaign to target all of your customers, it’s probably because you want (and need) to make a big impact with your marketing message. The secret to creating more effective marketing campaigns begins with a process called clustering. Think of clustering in the same way you think of cooking. Just as you have certain foods and recipes that make your mouth water every time, each of your customers has unique tastes and sensibilities, and will therefore respond differently to different marketing messages. While you may need to effectively target a large portion of your customer base, those customers can’t (and shouldn’t) be marketed to in exactly the same way. Hey, we are all unique!
How to Run a Marketing Campaign Test in 5 Easy Steps
The key to effective marketing is testing, testing, then testing again. If you don’t run a marketing campaign test on your campaigns and measure the results, there is no way […]
Becoming a Remarkable Volunteer: 8 Steps to take that Make a Difference
Volunteering is something I have been doing since I was about 25 years old. In every one of these experiences, I learned something I most likely would not have learned […]
Identify And Track Customer Buying Patterns Over Time
Understanding and Adapting to Evolving Customer Buying Patterns Welcome to Part 3 of our marketing campaign preparation series, where we delve into the crucial aspect of understanding and tracking changes […]
How To Conduct A Data Audit In 5 Simple Steps
Is It Time to Update Your Data Audit? A data audit is a systematic examination and evaluation of your data-related processes, systems, and assets to ensure data accuracy, integrity, security, […]
ROMI Cleanup
RETURN ON MARKETING INVESTMENT Can we talk about Marie Kondo for a minute? Yes, I am one of the many people who was drawn into her Netflix series, and I […]
Dashboards: Inform your decisions at a glance
Since starting this blog a few years ago, I’ve written at length about marketing analytics, Google Analytics, key performance indicators (KPIs), data silos and everything else it takes to make […]
New Blog Post: Customer Journey Maps
Customer journey maps are a perfect example of how your data should be put to work for your business. Starting with your customer data, you can build a helpful visual […]
Customer Journey Maps: How data comes into play
Customer journey maps are some of my favorite tools, and I’ve been hearing about them nonstop lately. In a world that was formerly so driven by customer demographics, we’re seeing […]
Using Data to Build Your Dimensional Marketing Strategy
Even I know how easy it is to get overwhelmed by data. (Yes, really.) Too often, I hear marketers say that they don’t have the resources to get deep-dives of […]
The New Data Silos: Are your marketing tools connected?
Remember the early days of marketing, when our “CRM” was a spreadsheet? Or worse, just index cards? (Geez! How did we survive?) For the longest time, our old tools created […]
Getting Organized: What data do you migrate to your new database?
A new year means letting go of the old, getting organized and starting fresh. For many of our clients, that comes in the form of a new CRM database, and […]
What is Marketing Analytics, Anyway?
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I’m passionate about marketing analytics and food. In both cases, I have to keep things simple, clear and […]
Data Cleansing for Non-profits
Massa & Co. helps non-profits of all sizes clean their data, segment their donors and analyze campaign results. We can help you reduce your fundraising costs by targeting the donors […]
Is your data ready for appeal season?
Year-end appeal season is coming up fast, with some not-for-profits dropping their first appeals as early as September. Are you ready? Is your mailing list? Massa & Co. helps non-profits […]
New Blog Post: Make Google Analytics Work for You
The digital landscape gives us more numbers than we could ever use, so how do we get the right ones to drive our objectives and prove our successes? Thankfully, my […]
Make Google Analytics Work for You
The marketers I know are still reeling from Coca-Cola ousting their CMO, and I can hardly believe it myself! Now more than ever, we have to focus not just on our […]
Keeping KPIs Simple: Narrowing Our Focus
I recently attended the CMO Smart conference from American Marketing Association Chicago, which was all about “Marketing at the Speed of Change.” The two panels of six chief marketing officers (CMOs) mentioned […]
Predictive Analytics: When to Use It and How
I have a client with an incredibly creative marketing team – they have some of the most off-the-wall, clever emails I’ve seen in a while, and meeting with them always […]
Data Conversion vs. Data Migration: What’s The Difference?
For many small businesses and nonprofits, the mere thought of a large-scale data project is enough to make you break out in a cold sweat. Where do you start? What […]
How To Work With Your Data Vendor: 3 Things You Need To Know
Do you need to hire a data vendor, but aren’t quite sure where to start? If you need to perform a major data migration, data conversion, or simply get organized, […]
Foolproof Data Migration in 4 Simple Steps
Data migration means transferring data between silos, formats, or systems. You might need to append your data before migrating over to Salesforce, or convert your data before doing a direct […]
How To Plan A Successful Data Migration
Planning is the most important part of any data migration. By carefully planning a strategic data migration long before your ideal completion date, you’ll enjoy a successful transition to a […]
5 Key Insights For A Successful Data Conversion
Is data conversion just a matter of clicking the ‘export’ button? If only! For companies and nonprofits, large-scale data conversion can be a complex process that takes time, planning, and […]
6 Questions to Ask Before Performing A Data Conversion
You’ve probably converted data from one form to another in both your personal and professional life – saving a Word document as a PDF, or converting a .png image file […]
How To Get All Your Customer Data Into A Single Database In 5 Easy Steps
Storing customer data in a single, centralized database has incredible benefits for your bottom line. When your data is clean, organized, and easy to find, you can better understand your […]
5 Easy Ways To Keep Your Customer Data Current
Is your database up-to-date with the most current customer data? In today’s mobile world, it seems like mailing addresses change as frequently as email addresses and phone numbers. Staying on […]
Top 3 Insider Secrets For Making Customer Data More Profitable
In order to make your customer data profitable, you need to repair incorrect data, replace missing data, and develop a system for staying organized over time. When your data is […]
How To Eliminate Duplicate Data In 3 Simple Steps
Is your database riddled with duplicate customer data? Are you sending multiple mailings to the same person? Do you have slightly different addresses assigned to multiple customer records for the […]
Which Customers Are Buying What? Here’s How To Tell
There are three key questions that must be answered before you begin any marketing campaign. In Part 1 of this series, I talked about the first question, “Who is your […]
The Unparalleled Power of Segmentation
Before beginning any marketing campaign, there are three crucial questions you need to ask yourself in order to achieve success. Over the course of my next three articles, I’ll reveal […]
Why Every Great Marketing Campaign Begins At The End
It’s about time marketing analytics became trendy. More and more marketers are keeping an eye on what’s known as “marketing metrics,” or data that helps them track the success of […]
The Power Of Visual Aids
Whenever we perform a data audit for our clients, we include what’s called a data asset flowchart in our assessment. That’s just a fancy term for an image or graphic […]
Why You Need A Data Audit Right Now
If you could increase your take-home pay by tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2016, would you do it? In my experience, there are two types of answers […]
3 Signs You Desperately Need A Data Audit
Second quarter is the best time of year to take stock of your 2016 goals. Enough time has passed in the new year to determine if you’re on track, and […]
Case Study: How to Better Allocate Association Resources Using Data – Part 4
In Part 4 of our 4-part Case Study on association Special Interest Groups (SIGs), we’ll examine how our client, an international association with tens of thousands of members, used data […]
Case Study: How to Better Allocate Association Resources Using Data – Part 3
In Part 3 of our 4-part Case Study on association Special Interest Groups (SIGs), we’ll continue our data-based analysis of 100 different SIGs to help our client better allocate association […]
Case Study: How To Better Allocate Association Resources Using Data – Part 2
In Part 2 of our 4-part Case Study on association Special Interest Groups (SIGs), we’ll look at the most effective ways to analyze each group and decide if the resources […]
Case Study: How To Better Allocate Association Resources Using Data – Part 1
At Massa & Company, each of our projects begin with a data issue. Clients either need help with data management, manipulation, storage, cleaning, or sometimes all of the above. We […]
What My Magic 8 Ball Taught Me About Business
Have you ever felt so overwhelmed and baffled by a situation that you didn’t even know what question to ask in order to gain clarity? From buying a new laptop […]
Predictive Analytics 101: Using Past Customer Behavior To Predict Future Buying Trends
I don’t know about you, but I like knowing how something works before I choose to invest in it. Chances are you’ve heard a lot about predictive analytics – what […]
How To Prevent A Marketing Meltdown
“What can marketers do so they are seen as part of a machine that drives revenue and profits? How can marketers take more control over the revenue process, build the […]
3 Proven Ways to Get Great Results from Not-So-Great Data
Has your house ever been such a mess that you had no idea where to even begin to clean? From piled up dishes to rogue dust bunnies, a messy living […]
Tracking The Activity Of Your Offline Campaigns Through Google Analytics
This blog post is the third of a four-part series, “The Top 4 Ways To Get Value From Google Analytics”. This post is intended for those who haven’t used Google […]
Setting Up Goals with Google Analytics
This blog post is the second of a four-part series, “The Top 4 Ways To Get Value From Google Analytics”. This course is intended for those who haven’t used Google […]
Find And Fix The Problem Pages On Your Website With Google Analytics
This blog post is the first of a four-part series, “The Top 4 Ways To Get Value From Google Analytics”. These posts are intended for those who haven’t used Google […]
5 Strategies For Choosing The Right KPI For Your Business
In a recent post, we discussed what key performance indicators are, and how they can help you troubleshoot unexpected problems before they irreparably hurt your business. That leaves us with […]
Why Should Your Business Have Strong KPIs?
Business is going strong, climbing quarter over quarter. But suddenly, it begins to drop. What’s going on? Is your sales staff complacent? Have you not spent enough on marketing? Why, […]
Predictive Modeling: The Key Profile Most Nonprofits Forget
We discussed recently how more and more nonprofits are using data and scientific modeling to accurately predict donations, increase donor engagement, and expand their reach and their mission. However, we’ve […]
The #1 Way To Find New Donors for Your Nonprofit
There are two ways to maintain a strong, reliable nonprofit donor base: Cultivate relationships with those who have donated or volunteered in the past Find new donors and expand your […]
From Insight To Action: How To Convert Customer Data Into Pure Profits For Your Business
Throughout our 4 part series on redefining the customer shopping experience, we’ve learned how data, predictive modeling, and mobile marketing can create a more personalized retail experience for the customer. […]
How to Use Mobile Marketing to Engage Customers and Increase Sales
Mobile marketing has completely reinvented the way customers make purchasing decisions. On a recent trip to Italy, I began using TripAdvisor to find highly-rated restaurants that were within walking distance […]
Embracing The Data Revolution: How Nonprofits Can Expand Their Donor Base With The Science Of Predictive Analytics
There has never been a better time to be a nonprofit organization. Why? Because for the first time in history, technological advances have made it possible for nonprofits of all […]
Technology Is The New Personal Shopper: How To Use Data To Transform Your Customer’s Buying Experience
If your company is using predictive analytics to spot market trends and anticipate seasonal needs in your stores, congratulations! You’re well on your way to using data to transform your […]
How Your Store can Succeed with Data-Based Marketing
As a retailer, the successful collection and application of customer data is the most powerful tool in your marketing toolkit. When integrated into all of your marketing efforts, data has […]
How to Create Customer Profiles and Expand Your Reach with Purchased Lists
Last month on the blog, I revealed a three-step system for using customer zip codes to choose your next store location. Having a customer’s zip code is a powerful tool […]
Those 5 Magic Numbers: How a Zip Code Can Grow Your Business Like Gangbusters
Is the old business adage “location, location, location” still relevant in the digital marketplace? If you’ve recently tried to find parking at a Target store on a Saturday afternoon, the […]
The #1 Way to Slash Your Marketing Spend
Like most businesses, chances are you don’t have an unlimited marketing budget. Every time you run a marketing campaign that doesn’t provide a strong ROI, you lose precious financial resources […]
Putting Your Data to Work: How to Use the Data You’ve Collected to Boost Your Bottom Line
When was the last time you had a conversation about cornbread? Let me explain what this has to do with DATA! There are two cornbread camps, and the one you fall into can reveal a lot about your marketing. I will explain this claim later in this article and why my friend Fran likes to make cornbread in an aluminum pan but when it comes to marketing her small business she opts for a well thought out plan based on carefully appended data – the cornbread equivalent of baking in a cast iron skillet. By focusing on quality, long-term customer loyalty, and strategic marketing decisions that are based on aggregated data, you’re sure to achieve results as delicious as cast iron cornbread. Check out the following case study to see what I mean…. Case Study: Data In Action
Intuition vs. Data: Which Marketing Style is Right for Your Business?
This month on the blog, we’re revealing 3 easy, actionable ways to predict your customer’s next purchase using data and predictive analytics. Some marketers rely heavily on intuition to create their marketing campaigns. When they’re right about what their customers want, this technique works well. However, when marketing goals aren’t met, it can be mystifying to try and find the source of the problem. That’s why Step 1 of this 3-step process is changing your mindset about your customer. Whether you rely on intuition, data, or a combination of the two, it’s important to recognize that only your customer knows what they really want.
Small Mindset Shift = Big Bottom Line Impact
Did you know that ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory? I didn’t. Once I discovered the health benefits of ginger, I was determined to find a great new ginger-based recipe to try. Imagine my delight when I stumbled across a recipe for Dirty P’s Garlic-Ginger Chicken Thighs. Now, in order to get down and ‘Dirty’ with this recipe, you have to be willing to marinate the chicken for a long time. The more patient you are, the better the flavor. Marinating overnight, as opposed to an hour, makes the chicken incredibly succulent and really brings out the flavor of fresh ginger. It’s sort of like marinating on what your customers really want. When it comes to truly serving your customer’s needs, you want to do what works. But you also want to create a marketing strategy that’s fast, effective, and affordable.
How to Target the Customers Likely to Buy Next
Recently I was the honored recipient of a free week of Blue Apron meals gifted to me by a friend who appreciates my “foodiness.” Blue Apron is perfect for a passionate cook like me because you get to experiment with new recipes and ingredients each week. The first item on the Blue Apron Agenda was a recipe for Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup, which called for the use of lemongrass. Now, I had never used lemongrass in my cooking before, but my friend had done her market research: she knew I was a culinary adventurist always ready to try something new (turns out lemongrass is great for infusing broth with flavor, but not so great when minced and consumed directly!). Lesson I learned is that sometimes – without proper research into a new ingredient – I do not prepare it correctly just by reading a recipe! I wish Blue Apron had provided a better way to describe the expected results of using this non-mainstream ingredient. Crunchy lemongrass in each bite of soup was disappointing. The lemongrass infused broth was delicious!
The Biggest Marketing Mistake You Don’t Know You’re Making
After returning from a trip to Italy, I found myself inspired to recreate all of the incredible Italian dishes I’d sampled during my vacation. Although cooking is a passion of […]
Turning Data Into Dollars: How to use Predictive Analytics to Increase Revenue and Decrease Marketing Costs
In my last post, I revealed how Predictive Analytics can be used to predict customer behavior in the same way that a great recipe can predict a delectable meal. Just […]
5 Ways to Use Predictive Analytics to Boost your Bottom Line
In my exploits in the kitchen as an enthusiastic home cook, I am usually looking for more than one way to use a new ingredient (or an old one) that […]
The Definition of Predictive Analytics
My recent trip to Italy has fueled a cooking frenzy in my household. While I’ve always loved to cook, something about creating homemade sauces and hand-rolled pastas based on authentic […]
Why Donor Databases are Like Wardrobes
Here’s a cautionary tale. A social services organization called me because its case management database no longer provided useful reports for case workers—or the statistical information funders wanted. My research, […]