Marketsmith celebrated 10 years in business this year. I realized the significance of this achievement when Time Magazine called this decade “The Decade from Hell.” But I have a slightly different take on it, I call it the “the Decade of the Fake,” which ended this past year.
When I started Marketsmith, it was in the middle of the Internet boom and many businesses believed that the Internet would reach billions of buyers who never bought before, and the world would be broken into those that shopped online and those that shopped off-line. Caught up in the excitement of new technologies and new distribution channels, data and technology companies fueled by investment bankers drove the following decade into a fake economy, that drove fake wealth, unsustainable house values and business icons and gurus who did not dig down into the details, but rather trafficked in expectations. Marketers and brands created budgets with high levels of risk and untested assumptions. When the revenue did not roll in, marketers created incentives which were mistaken for customer loyalty. Appearance was mistaken for substance – PowerPoints, buzz words, fancy offices – but no one was looking at the data with a critical eye.
The decade has left a mega economic hangover: companies with employees who are scared not empowered, customers who are discriminating not loyal, business partners that are suspect not committed, and a business world and environment that are grueling not engaging.
Winning at business is hard and fraught with risk at every turn. Focus and determination are not only useful skills in today’s marketing management, they are essential requirements to create a fiscally sound operation. As I was building my Brand over the last decade, I kept focused on our core principles, knowing at the end of the day: One must start with data; data lead to the direction; the direction informs the design; the design comprises the details, which when executed deliver successful outcomes.
Our work is our craft. It is always our focus and it is always improving. It is always about learning from the data in real time. It is about passion, strength, articulation, and fearless leadership.
We finish this year with our healthiest year ever. We were hired by great brands to work on expansion of channels and business opportunities. We took on the hardest cases and faced the challenge of great cost reductions We did more with less. Our success testifies to the simple fact that there is nothing fake about us. We have stayed true to our core. We have incredible success stories, helping our clients navigate the throes of our economy, build their brands, and show real growth.
We are now more focused than ever on unifying the customer experience and demanding a thorough understanding of the return on investment, in real time, no matter how good or bad the economy is. Marketsmith is unparalleled in our ability to capture, consolidate, and analyze data quickly and consistently into understandable reports and actionable insights. We take these findings and help you develop customized marketing programs and communication strategies that are measurable. We then funnel this information back into your database, continually improving performance.
In this edition of “The Difference” we offer concrete suggestions to help make sure you do not leave money on the table. We have focused on the Internet and some key ideas on how to get the most out of it. We give you hands-on, in the trenches, step by step suggestions for improving your search engine optimization, using social media to build sales, and developing or revamping a website. We hope you will take this information and move forward with a realistic awareness of the opportunities that can be tapped through data, direction, design, and details.
As always, I wish you, your family and your company the very best this Holiday Season.
May we all have a new year filled with joy and new beginnings.
My very best,
M-
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