Carole Pritchard, Author at Cajam Marketing

Celebrating 16 Years: What We Have Learned About Marketing So Far

Apr 14, 2017

As Cajam Marketing celebrates its 16th year, our team reflects on the evolution of marketing and the lessons we’ve learned. In 2001, Amazon was still known as the largest river in the world. There was also an online book and music store called Amazon, where you could easily search for book titles. Google had just begun selling text-based web advertising. A cell phone was a luxury and used primarily for making work calls – no Blackberry, no iPhone, no QWERTY keyboard, no built in camera in 2001.

In 2001, the more seasoned (a nice way of saying “older”) Cajammers were honing their marketing skills in print advertising and a burgeoning new web based e-commerce application called Yahoo! Store. The younger Cajammers were working on their Destiny’s Child dance moves and instant messaging their friends on the family computer. From Netscape to Snapchat, the marketing know-how we developed in the early days is just as relevant today as technology, connectivity and e-commerce continues to evolve.

Lessons In Print

Our roots in print marketing, direct mail and catalogs prepared us for e-commerce. Well written, descriptive copy, good pictures and an eye-pleasing layout still sell products. Attention to the details builds trust and can make a small company seem just as big as the larger competitors. “Always check the phone number,” was drilled into our proofreading minds. Make sure your customers can find you.

Making Sense of the Numbers

In the glory days of direct mail marketing, before click-through rate was a thing, coded mailers helped us track the performance of a mailing list. Even with the limited amount of performance markers at the time, we learned data analysis saves money and offers valuable insight on how to get a mailer in the hands of a purchaser. Today, there is a wealth of digital marketing data to dig through, and it takes an experienced data analyst to drill down to attribution, maximize return on investment and find new opportunities.

Be a Shark

In the classic movie “Annie Hall,” (which was considered an “old movie” in 2001), the character Alvie, played by Woody Allen offers some insight, “A relationship, I think, is like a shark. It has to constantly move forward or it dies.” The same observation applies to marketers. Our skill set keeps us agile and ever-evolving at the same pace as digital technology. We’ve been around long enough to see some retailers come and go. The companies who are able to pivot to new platforms and embrace change are the ones with staying power.

Soak It Up

Our team is continuously learning. We study new trends, we master new technology, and we keep our certifications up to date. We are all naturally curious – and a bit studious – and that serves us well. There is always more to learn and discover, and that’s one of our favorite parts of the job.

Stay True

Unlike other digital marketing companies, Cajam Marketing has a very high employee retention rate. We’ve been working with each other – and many of our clients – for years. Our tenured team genuinely cares about the success of our clients, and we often become part of their team.

Put It to the Test

The rapid pace of online growth offers a great chance to discover new marketplaces every day. There was no such thing as social media marketing in 2001, but the human desire to share has been around since the beginning of time. Be open to new platforms and promote your business using the tried and true marketing values that have remained relevant through the decades: authenticity, usefulness and pleasure. Most importantly: measure and test these new initiatives. Will Instagram Stories work for your business? You won’t know unless you try it.

It often pays to be an early adapter on a new channel when the costs are lower or free. One word of caution: don’t rely solely on the numbers from the channel to gauge performance. They may be using different metrics, and a reported “conversion” there often doesn’t translate to a conversion on your site. Track any campaigns with Google Analytics as well for a better snapshot of performance.

The Next 16+ Years

Our retrospective look back at Cajam Marketing gives us a good perspective on the future. When the next Google or Amazon comes along, we’ll be well prepared with our accrued knowledge – putting the customer first, understanding the logic of data analysis as the metrics we measure change, communicating well regardless of the medium, and continually learning – not to mention our 2001 Destiny’s Child dance moves.

Looking for a seasoned marketing team? Contact us.

Amazon’s Market Share: Why Brand Marketing Still Matters to Retailers

Jun 9, 2016

With Amazon credited with about a third of U.S. online retail sales and estimated to contribute .51 cents of every dollar in U.S. e-commerce growth, (source: Internet Retailer) the relevance of brand – apart from the mighty Amazon® brand – may seem to be eroding. However, considering Amazon’s huge market share, the differentiating value of brand is more important than ever.

To a small retailer, Amazon can be both a friend and a foe. Building a brand is one of the best strategies for concurrently competing with Amazon as a retailer and partnering with Amazon as a seller. A brand name separates a product from the pack and helps a product get found. According to a Forrester Research study, about one third of all online product searches in the U.S. start at Amazon. Brand names have the distinct advantage of showing up in search results, based on the search terms shoppers use.

What Does Brand Mean?

Brand is not just a catchy name or cool logo; it’s the association of good feelings with the name that makes shoppers choose a particular product or service. A common marketing adage is shoppers buy on emotion and justify a purchase with logic. We choose one brand over another because the product looks better, feels better, smells better, tastes better or promises to make us better. We choose a brand because of this personal connection formed by our own senses, a feeling of “it’s right for me.”

Brand is just as important for the shoppers who are less swayed by emotion and more influenced by price. To many shoppers, the Amazon brand is associated with reliable service, value and selection. Value-seeking shoppers don’t always buy the cheapest offerings on Amazon. Instead, they use emotions to sort through the products, looking at reseller ratings, brands they trust and product reviews at a site where they feel they belong. The feeling of brand as a shared community is especially true for the millions of Amazon Prime members who subscribe to brand loyalty with an annual fee.

How Do You Get People to Pay More For a Name?

As a marketing professional, I know brand building strategies. As a shopper, I fall for them every time. Recently, I stood in the grocery store condiments aisle, weighing the pros and cons of which bottle of Worcestershire sauce to buy. The Lea & Perrins® bottle caught my eye, as its iconic paper wrap reminded me of my mom. It’s the brand my mother always bought to make her delicious grilled hamburgers. This bottle costs 50% more than the other Worcestershire sauce brands, but emotion and brand beat budget.

Lea & Perrins sets a great example of effective brand building.

The iconic Lea & Perrins® paper-wrapped bottle.

Perceived Value

The Lea & Perrins unique packaging adds perceived value and sends the right message of quality: this brand has put a lot of thought and care into their product. Plus, the product looks better than the other brands on the grocery store shelf (or Amazon search results), so it’s easy to assume it will taste better too.

Unique Story

“The Famous Paper Wrap” story is printed on the Lea & Perrins packaging, inviting the consumer to be part of the rich heritage of this brand, which dates back to 1837. This feeling of shared history strengthens brand loyalty. Not only is this the brand my mother used, but it’s also the brand my grandmother and generations before her used. I must continue the tradition.

Consistent Messaging

Lea & Perrins conveys the premium packaging = quality message on all their marketing channels, making good use of the clever tag line “Unwrap the Flavor.” The same messages of quality and tradition (plus the same recipe my mother used) are easy to find on the official Lea & Perrins website – as well as their brand page at Amazon.

Make a Name For Yourself

For a new business that hasn’t been around since 1837, the same principles apply:

Make your name synonymous with the value your products offer.
Tell a unique story to differentiate your product from the others.
Consistently reflect these values and narrative in every detail of your business – your customer service team, your packaging, your emails, your website and your social media channels.

Building a Brand on Amazon

It may seem counterintuitive for new or smaller businesses to gain brand awareness in Amazon’s massive marketplace, but with the right product ads, product listings and messaging, it can be a very lucrative way to grow a business.

With over 24 years of experience, Cajam Marketing can help you develop and nurture your brand. Our online marketplace specialists can guide you through selling and advertising on Amazon, Houzz, Jet and other digital marketplaces. Learn more.

When to Call in the Pros: Lessons in Marketing DIY

Jun 6, 2016

This marketing tip is inspired by a weekend endeavor involving a ski mask, baseball helmet, ladder, flashlight, can of Raid® and a six pack. As my husband fired up the grill for a relaxing weekend barbeque, he noticed a swarm of industrious carpenter bees buzzing around the roof. “Why don’t you call an exterminator?” I asked as he scrolled through images and information about his new nemesis. “I’ve got this,” he replied. I noted the carpenter bee genus name xylocopa contains “loco” – the Spanish word for insane.

My husband rallied some neighbors to help, and the amateur carpenter bee hunters gathered to strategize their attack. Meanwhile, a group of neighborhood kids assembled to place bets on which dad would fall off the roof first. Miraculously, no one was hurt during the mission (including most of the bees). The carpenter bee hunters heartily congratulated each other on a job well done and fired up the grill.

The next day, I noticed my husband sitting in his car in the driveway for an unusually long time. I followed his gaze to the roof, where the carpenter bees were back at work. I heard his voice from the car window, “What’s the number for the exterminator?”

What DIY Projects Can Teach Us About Marketing

What does this teach us about marketing, other than exterminators are missing big opportunities if they don’t plan direct mailings and paid search campaigns around carpenter bee swarms? The other valuable lesson is determining when to call in the pros.

Effective marketing doesn’t require a medical license or an advanced degree, so it’s often treated as a do-it-yourself project. Just as it takes extensive training and licensing to become a pest control professional, marketing is more than being a good communicator or knowing your products well.

How A Small Business Can Look Big

Selling or promoting a product or service requires experience and know-how in a variety of channels including digital advertising, websites, digital marketplaces, print marketing and direct mail, to list a few. Big companies, with teams of marketing professionals on staff and bigger ad budgets, obviously have an advantage over smaller competitors. Outsourcing some marketing projects to the right agency can help a small business look big on a much tighter budget.

An Informal Google Search Case Study

To illustrate, think about how a local pest control company competes against a national brand. Based on what we know about how people look for information, most will search Google® or ask local friends – and many will ask for recommendations from friends on Facebook – all from a mobile device. Here is a screenshot of a Google search for “local exterminator.” As you can see, national brands with sizeable advertising budgets take up a good chunk of the first page. However, the local business that sets up “Google My Business” correctly visibly has a head start over other organic results.

Next, the pest control shopper will either call the local exterminator, or more than likely continue to research by checking out the website and reviews. Is the website professional looking? Does this look like a trustworthy business? Are there customer testimonials? Most importantly, is the contact information easy to find? Can an appointment be set up online? Is this company using retargeting ads on Facebook and other places to remind the shopper about this business?

Jumping ahead, the local exterminator gets the business, and the customer is happy. The exterminator gets permission to add this customer to the contact list. Now the exterminator can send an email next year to remind the customer that carpenter bees will soon be in his/her area and it’s time to schedule an appointment. The exterminator will also ask the customer to share a review on the website. This customer will more than likely respond to the original Facebook post, thanking all the friends for sharing recommendations and raving about this exterminator.

Allocating Resources and Time

This happy ending – or more accurately, happy beginning of a repeat customer, (plus the new customers this happy customer generates) sounds pretty easy. However, the small business local exterminator is very busy controlling pests and scheduling more appointments, leaving little time for marketing. Plus the exterminator knows a lot about chemistry and entomology, but isn’t as well-versed in digital advertising or email marketing. This is the time to call in the marketing pros.

Cajam Marketing helps lots of small businesses navigate the ever-evolving marketing channels including digital advertising, web services, marketplaces, content marketing and analytics. With over 24 years in the business, we know a lot about marketing – and not much about carpenter bees. Contact us and find out how we can help your business.

Build Your Business With Data Analytics, the “Moneyball” Way

Apr 12, 2016

Based on numbers alone, a quick analysis of the total count of season tickets shared by Cajam Marketing staff members, the amount of ice cream cones consumed at Citizens Bank Park and the frequency of Snapchat stories involving the Phillie Phanatic directly correlates to the number of baseball fans on the Cajam Marketing team. Our data diva Linda honed her mathematical and analytical skills from a young age, calculating batting averages and on base percentages in her head, while cheering on her beloved Philadelphia Phillies.

Data Driven Team Building

The perfect combination of statistical analysis and baseball (plus Brad Pitt) makes “Moneyball” a favorite movie among Cajam staffers. This 2011 film, based on a true story told in Michael Lewis’ book “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game,” depicts how the Oakland A’s used data analysis to build a winning team on a limited budget. A revolutionary approach at the time, this data-driven team picking method challenged subjective player evaluations, traditionally used by scouts.

“It’s about getting things down to one number. Using the stats the way we read them, we’ll find value in players that no one else can see.” – Peter Brand, Moneyball

This sure-to-win analytic approach applies to business as well. Your company’s data is your hidden talent on the bench when it comes to finding opportunities and maximizing your budget.

How to Pick the Profitable Players

Just as slugging percentage is a better indicator of a player’s ability than a subjective assessment of his or her batting style, your company’s key performance indicators will provide more insight about your success than anecdotal sales stories. With the right analysis, your data can give you objective, measurable knowledge about your business. Your numbers can tell you if you allotting the right resources to the best performing channels.

The Biggest Budget Doesn’t Always Win

The 2002 Oakland A’s built their winning team by fielding the “undervalued” players their competitors perceived as undesirable, but empirical analysis proved otherwise. Data analysis can help you find the undervalued channels in your market. For example, your competitors may all be racing to develop the best app, while overlooking less trendy, but better performing, customer retention tools. You have a finite budget; use your data to find the infinite opportunities.

Making It in the Big Leagues

For small retailers, competing with Amazon and other top retailers can feel like a tee-ball team going up against World Series champs. The top retailers write the playbook on how to monetize data. To level the playing field a bit, you need to use your data too. A small retailer can shift gears faster than a big corporation. Use this speed and agility to your advantage. Your market and sales analysis can help you assess operations, customer service and customer retention solutions in an aggregated way. Analysis can also help you figure out if selling on Amazon or other markets makes sense for your business.

Be the Underdog

It’s often easier for a small business to build brand loyalty. A small retailer has the advantage of nurturing a personal relationship with customers, grassroots style. Offer top-notch customer service and take special requests. Share on social and work the “shop local” message. Folks love to see the underdog win – use this to your benefit.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Look at your data before adding new “players” like order management tools, new locations or new platforms. Routinely evaluate the tools you use such as email marketing, live chat, customer loyalty programs and other initiatives for the best return on investment. Make analytics part of your daily reporting. Pick the KPIs that matter most to your business, and monitor them on a regular basis. Test and track your gut instincts and hunches with analytics.

Rely on a Relief Pitcher

It can be hard to find the time to manage the day-to-day business plus the analysis to go with it. The bigger challenge is sorting through the stats, setting precise parameters and focusing on the right metrics. Cajam Marketing’s data analysts have the know-how and experience to sort this all out for you. We’ve been doing this a long time, and we are passionate about the power of data. Contact us about our web analytics services.

What Can Google Analytics Tell You About Your Business?

Mar 10, 2016

“Who sang the original version of this song?” “How many times has Duke University made it to the Final Four?” “What is “Googled” the most?” (Siri says “Lamar Odom” was Google’s top trending general search in 2015). Thanks to search tools, personal assistants like Siri, and apps like Shazam, we have the answers to every question imaginable, right at our fingertips.

During the workday, e-commerce store owners, managers and marketers expect this same instant gratification when presented with more pressing questions related to company performance and profitability. Thanks to tools like Google Analytics, you can easily find answers and gain actionable intelligence about your business.

As marketers, we love data. While we understand not everyone shares our passion for patterns, funnels and demographics, we are a bit perplexed when we learn of a website that is not utilizing some sort of data collection. At a minimum, we recommend adding Google Analytics to your website. There are no monthly fees or contracts required. The valuable insights Google Analytics provides about your business are well worth the time it takes to set up the tool properly,

Why Do I Need Google Analytics?

We spend a lot of time asking questions. We’re also quite good at providing answers. Here are some great reasons for adding Google Analytics to your website.

Knock, Knock, Who’s There?

Google Analytics will tell you a lot about the visitors to your website – how they got to your website, which pages held their attention, and which pages converted them to a purchaser or subscriber – or made them leave.

Can You Give Me Directions?

Just like the Google Maps app, Google Analytics can tell you which way to go. Before any website redesign or major change, we recommend using the page metrics tools and Google In-page analytics for valuable insight about the page elements that work or need improvement. You can get instant answers to important questions like: What’s the page load time? What’s the page value? What are your top performing pages? What are your lowest performing pages?

Can I Help You Find Something?

Google Analytics funnel reports show how visitors move through your site and give you a clear picture of any stumbling blocks on the conversion path. Google Analytics site search data helps you see if visitors are finding what they are looking for on your website. This data also provides good information about the lingo used by your visitors, so you can adjust your content to include these relevant keywords.

Who Needs All This Data?

You may never log into your Google Analytics account, but you still need Google Analytics or some sort of reportable tracking on your website to collect historical data. One day, you may want to sell your e-commerce business, and potential buyers will want to see your numbers before they make an offer. If you think “less is more” when it comes to data, Google Analytics makes it very easy to create a custom report with only the information you want and automatically email this report to you when you want it.

Will Google Analytics Help Me Get a Raise?

It’s possible. Google Analytics can certainly help you discover new opportunities, increase conversions and grow revenue. Employees (and business owners) who provide quick, accurate, and actionable answers gain the respect of co-workers. Google Analytics also gives you the power to settle workplace disagreements and allocate resources fairly. Which button performs better? Which banner ad gets the most conversions? Take the guesswork out and the office bets off with a simple analysis.

Will Google Analytics Help Me Predict the Future?

Consistent historical data is more accurate than a crystal ball when it comes to anticipating inventory needs, staffing during high traffic times and campaign successes.

Do You Have More Questions?

We are an inquisitive group of marketing professionals, and we relish a good data dig. If you want more information, we’re happy to help. Contact Cajam Marketing.

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