Dear ,
Last Friday was a clear night for Manhattanhenge, nature’s version of Tetris.
Manhattanhenge occurs twice a year when the sunset aligns with New York City’s rectangular street grid. According to Neil de Grasse Tyson this happens because New York’s grid is offset about 30 degrees from true North.
As a result, the sun appears to melt between the darkened
buildings wherever there's a clear view of the New Jersey shoreline across the Hudson river. Just as the sun aligns with New York’s skyscrapers during Manhattanhenge, your marketing must align with the seasons and your customers’ needs. Yes, I get that it’s summer time (at least in the northern hemisphere) and you and your audience may be in a vacation state of mind. But you need to keep
your eye on your marketing. While your readers, prospects and customers choose to communicate with you on their terms, you must be prepared to engage where and when they want you to. Translation: Have a calendar that details your marketing for the next 6 months of 2018, especially if your business depends on Back-to-School and the winter holiday
season. Now is the time to assess your 1H2018 results. In addition the requisite comparison to budget, analyze how your business performed relative to last year. Make sure that you note any key issues that may have an impact on your results. Remember just because your area or business is on track doesn’t mean that you won’t face budget or personnel cuts. In my experience,
you may have to compensate for another department’s shortfall. Here are 7 key indicators to track to assess the health of your business: Revenues ($): Sales in dollars (may be either Gross or Net (after
returns)) Expenses ($): Cost for product/services and marketing (including media) Customers (#): # of people mailed, responders (prospects), buyers, advocates, referrals, house file Cost Per
Acquisition (CPA $): Total Marketing Expense $ / # of customers or orders. (Note: May differ by product type and media placement.) Response Rate (%): # Actions/ Mail Quantity (Note: # of people who take an action from
marketing promotion) Click Through Rate (CTR %): # Clicks/# Impressions (Note: Shows % of people who view marketing and then take the next action. It shows strength of offer and creative to drive
response.) Conversion Rate (CR %): # Actions/# Clicks (Note: Shows # of who people register after seeing your marketing. Key point: Measure landing pages and site effectiveness to get purchases.)
During the summer, find
the time to unplug and decompress. No matter how much you love your work, you still need time off. This week, we’re off to the Berkshires in western Massachusetts. Before you take time off, get your marketing including content and social media done and scheduled. (In case you’re wondering, that’s what I’m doing!) Heidi Cohen,
Actionable Marketing Guide Happy Marketing,
Heidi Cohen
Featured Article: Content Amplification |
Don’t worry about the reach of your current personal network. Take advantage of the slow summer pace to reach out and
build connections. (BTW, here’s the Google Spreadsheet.)
Featured Article: Marketing Budgets |
You can master even if you have math phobia!
 Stop dreaming about your future! Read Known to learn how to
build your reputation!
Woot! you made it this far. Here's some small
print. Photo: Manhattanhenge 2018 from 20th Street — ©2018 Larry Aronson, some rights reserved.
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Content
Amplification On The Cheap: How To Build Your Network
8 Steps To Sales Forecasting