MarketingProfs Daily: Pricing

The Importance of 'Free'

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

When Kantar Media asked over 2,500 people what encouraged them to purchase more products online, the top two responses had something in common: the word "free." "More than three out of four shoppers cited 'free shipping' as the factor that would get them to purchase, and the second most common ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

How to Get the Best Deal From Your Participation in Local Deals

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:00:00 GMT

"Local deals. Daily deals. Group-buying deals," writes Amy Fowler at MarketingProfs. "Call them what you will, but they're all the same thing: a very expensive form of marketing that can run a small business into the ground if utilized incorrectly." Why? Because you're not just providing a deeply discounted product ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Where Does Google Make Its Money? Top 20 Google AdWords Keyword Categories

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:30:00 GMT

The insurance category fetches the highest cost-per-click (CPC) rates in Google AdWords pay-per-click (PPC) advertising: nearly $50 per click, according to new keyword research data from search marketing software provider WordStream Inc. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

How Coupons Discount Your Brand

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 15:00:00 GMT

"The recession has caused lots of companies to panic," writes Laura Ries at Ries' Pieces. "And when companies panic, they print coupons and throw up sale signs. Look in your mailbox, your email inbox or your newspaper and you will see what I mean. Everybody is having a sale." There's only ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Five Reasons Your Advertising Shouldn't Lead With Price

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Especially in this economy, small businesses are tripping over themselves to tell customers about their low, low prices. But in an article at MarketingProfs, Dan Hill argues strenuously against price-leading campaigns and gives reasons like these: It is not a sustainable long-term strategy. "One of the key advantages of a sale ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Low-Cost Ways to Boost App Sales

Thu, 4 Nov 2010 17:00:00 GMT

We've mentioned that you can draw traffic to paid mobile applications by creating a free "lite" version. Once users deem it useful, they may be happy to pay for the full version. But what's a company to do if it can't afford to create a whole new version of an existing app&mdash;with ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

How to Use Twitter to Boost Buzz, Sales and Engagement

Thu, 7 Oct 2010 17:00:00 GMT

In September, UNIQLO UK launched Lucky Counter, a piece of marketing genius that compelled users to Tweet about the company's products. Each time they did, the products got more appealing. How? Lucky Counter featured a diverse, limited array of UNIQLO products and prices. Click on one, and you'd be invited to Tweet ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

How to Get SaaS Pricing Right

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:00:00 GMT

Setting SaaS [software as a service] pricing is an important but daunting task for most early stage start-ups, especially when they don't have a track record. The first task in selling SaaS, writes Bob Warfield in a recent post on Enterprise Irregulars, is getting anyone to pay anything for your ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Baby, Please Don't Go

Wed, 9 Jun 2010 14:00:00 GMT

When people click on your unsubscribe button, there's a good chance it takes them to a preference page where they can confirm the unsubscribe request, or adjust their subscription to a topic and frequency they prefer. But what about including an offer that tempts them to stay? In a post at ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Guaranteed to Make You Smile

Wed, 5 May 2010 18:00:00 GMT

"Recently," writes Mark Riffey at the Business is Personal blog, "you've seen a number of major car companies offer to buy your car back if you lose your job&mdash;and that's after they make several months of payments for you." In the case of one Hyundai dealership&mdash;located in an economically depressed area&mdash;the ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Is Success on This Menu?

Wed, 7 Apr 2010 18:00:00 GMT

The next time you dine out, take a close look at the menu&mdash;even if you already know what you want to order. The reason? Restaurants have learned a thing or two about convincing their customers to spend more money on certain dishes. "The use of menu engineers and consultants is exploding in ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Hurry Up or You'll Be Sorry!

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Some companies seem addicted to email campaigns that shout breathless, time-sensitive offers. Each week, it seems, they tell subscribers about special deals that simply can't be missed&mdash;only to make a similar offer the following week. In a post at the Email Marketing Reports blog, Mark Brownlow provides a screenshot with 19 emails ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Don't Let This One Get Away!

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:30:00 GMT

One notable effect of the economic downturn is the marked increase in consumer frugality. Marketers near and far are in hot pursuit of savvy pricing strategies that prod wary customers into buying. Well, here's a tactic that some researchers say is worth a try: "steadily decreasing discounting" or SDD. In a recent ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Let's Move It, People!

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:30:00 GMT

It's a question that haunts B2B product retailers when sales are down: "How do we move this excess inventory?" Cutting prices, offering two-for-one deals, or announcing blow-out sales to regular clients may go only so far in a downturn. Well, take heart. In a recent post at What Works for Business, ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

That's Mine! My Name's on It!

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Let's say you sell trendy furniture for family-friendly prices. What's the best way to push product and spread brand awareness? Well, you could try developing and offering: A showroom. Pros: People see products in context, and they can buy them right then and there! Cons: You don't reach potential buyers who aren't ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Bah, Humbug to the Downturn!

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Few companies have been spared the ravages of the recession, but some strategies seem to be working to help small businesses stay afloat. In a recent article at Inc., Elizabeth Wasserman suggests tactics that small retailers might employ to add some ho-ho-ho to the late-holiday sales season&mdash;and boost results in the ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Worth Every Penny

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Why would anyone drive a BMW or shop at Nordstrom when, for a fraction of the price, they could drive a Volkswagen or shop at JC Penney? "[P]eople make trade-offs in their spending," writes Dale Furtwengler in his book Pricing for Profit. "They'll pay as little as possible for things ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Over Before It Starts

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Those of us who check multiple email accounts throughout the day can hardly imagine a world in which people don't read messages as soon as they receive them. But in a post at the Retail Email blog, Chad White reports on a Pivotal Veracity study that found email recipients in August ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

"Here's the scoop," writes Greg Verdino in a post at his blog. "I drive a Nissan Altima and I've been reasonably happy with it. It's neither the best car I've ever owned nor the worst, but I'm not a car guy so if it gets me from point A to ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Risky Business

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

"Having an offer for your products or services that is truly risk-free might be just the ticket you need to really make a difference in your email marketing campaigns," says Janine Popick in a post at her Vertical Response blog. She points to retailers like these that generate customer loyalty and ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Free Shipping!

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Free shipping offers can cost your company a bundle, but they may produce ROI that makes them worth the expenditure. As you explore your options, you will probably be interested in a whitepaper from Experian CheetahMail that examines questions like these: Are more companies deploying free-shipping emails? ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Stay Tough, Stay Trendy

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Want to boost search results? Try benchmarking based on the latest trends, says Performics' Michael Kahn in a Chief Marketer article. An analysis by Performics of data from more than 200 paid-search programs uncovered some important shifts this past spring within many actively managed search campaigns; they could signal the ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Would You Like a Tattoo With That?

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:00:00 GMT

"Hoping to keep its 119 rooms filled," writes Hugo Mart&iacute;n at the Los Angeles Times, "Hotel Erwin on Venice Beach is offering an unusual promotion for its countercultural clientele: an Ink and Stay package that includes $100 toward a tattoo and a bottle of tequila to numb the pain." The ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Try an Event-Driven Email

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:00:00 GMT

In a post at the Email Wars blog, Dylan Boyd praises a recent message from Banana Republic. The minimalist email used simple text on an all-black background to announce an online sale that took place on 09.09.09. The copy read like this: "9 Hours Only! 20% off our favorite styles ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Frugal Consumers to Keep Retail Sales Flat

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 14:30:00 GMT

Frugal consumers are choosing to put more of their money into their savings accounts rather than into retailers� cash registers, which translates into a glum forecast for retailers. Read the full article at MarketingProfs