Adam Whittaker

The GDMA recently released their international benchmark report for email (based on a roll up of the whole of 2023) which I thought could be interesting to share for all those marketers and business owners in my network that are involved in email. Link is here if it is helpful to anyone - https://lnkd.in/ex2sksM6

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If you asked the average marketer to put the 4 P's in order​ of how much time they spent working on each element, ​I suspect the second - 'Price' - would likely end up near the bottom of the pile more often than not. ​ Pricing tends to be determined by committee including Finance, Operations, and Product alongside Marketing, plus it's just not as glamourous as the other three​ P's. This came to mind over the weekend watching the second Test between England and Sri Lanka at Lords. The match was very likely to end up in an England victory - at the end of day three on Saturday, Sri Lanka were 53 for 2 wickets in their second innings, chasing an almost unassailable 483. Difficult, but not impossible - and there was still world class Test cricket to be enjoyed. Which was why I was astounded to see empty seats - no, empty STANDS -across the hallowed Lords amphitheatre. Tickets for under 16's were £15 but their parents would have to stump up £95, each, to watch effectively a dead rubber. Cricket has been in a state of flux for many years. Trying to appeal to new audineces, new gender and younger fans is the prerogative, and yet the same old Lords snobbery was well in evidence, and fans let their feelings be known with their feet, bums and wallets. Commentators Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tuffnell on Radio 5 Live barely hid their derision, as the place was dead, on a balmy Sunday​ afternoon. Those in charge could - should - have done a fire sale. Ping out tickets at £30 in the morning, promote it through the eager commentary teams and socials, and the place would've been full, alongside the Lords coffers, by lunch.​ Plus you'd ensure concession owners have a decent day for takings, alongside local businesses in St John's Wood. For those who already paid full price, simply refund the difference. Easy. But no - they held their ground and paid the price, with the game of cricket sharing the pain​ with a sparse crowd of MCC members and die hard fans.. Price may not be as interesting as Product, as dynamic as Place, or as creative as Promotion, but in some instances, it trumps all three, magnificently, for its ability to make a significant and immediate impact.​ Start with price, because if you get it wrong then no amount of product, place or promotion ​work will matter. I hope those in charge at Lords listen to the many voices of dissent and let this be the last time sporting spectacle like this looks like a game of French cricket on the village green. #cricket #pricing #4ps #marketing

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Traditional B2B Sales Experience: Manager to Sales Rep: "What are you working on?" Sales Rep: "Oh, I'm just doing some prospect research here on LinkedIn." Manager: "Ok." Sales Rep: "Yes, I've spent the last two hours building a list of 10 people to contact. I know they went to university at Oxford, so I'll work this into my pitch. I'm sure this will make the difference." Manager: "When are you making calls?" Sales Rep: "What I like to do is a multi-channel approach. First, I'll like their posts, then a day later I'll follow them. After that, I'll send them an email, then connect with them the next day, and then send another email..." Manager: "What about just picking up the phone and calling them?" This is the antithesis of what the Lead Gen Department is. A sales rep like this wouldn’t last a day here. They would either be making calls or wasting another company’s time and money. But they won’t be wasting our clients’ money. Put simply, our clients want results. It’s amazing what can happen when you throw out all the "multi-channel garbage" and just pick up the phone to have a real conversation with a decision-maker. Of course, we use LinkedIn and email too, but far too much attention is given to all these different touchpoints. In my opinion, just pick up the phone and call. When you have professional, experienced team members, you can cut through all this noise with a quick call.

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In today’s fast-paced world, businesses thrive on effective communication. At Mailings Direct, our state-of-the-art direct mail solutions don’t just deliver messages—they build relationships. From dental practices to retailers, our award-winning personalised campaigns ensure that every mail piece counts. 🌐Imagine integrating direct mail with your digital strategies seamlessly. Reach new heights with our expert touch—and remember, with each mail sent, a tree is planted. Let’s connect and take your marketing campaign to the next level! #DirectMailSolutions #SustainableBusiness

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If you're planning your 2025 marketing strategy, consider this... Join us on November 21st in person to discuss how to build strategy to ✅ Target your audience more effectively ✅ Use insights to build a successful media campaign ✅ Develop campaign creative that cuts through the noise There are literally only a few seats now. Eligibility criteria applies. #brand #entrepreneurs #scaleup #growthstrategy #mediacampaign #media #advertising #marketing #digitalmarketing #marketingevent #tvmentor

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The downfall of most (almost all) lead gen agencies is chasing the wrong metric. Number of calls booked. From a client perspective this does make sense from the outset. You pay your agency a fixed fee each month and they will deliver a minimum number of calls booked in the calendar. But this metric drives the wrong behaviour - and the wrong outcomes. Even with poor copy and lazy targeting, if you send enough cold emails and Linkedin messages you will eventually get some people that put their hand up and say yes to a call. But where things fall down is when that person turns up to the call, they: Aren’t the decision maker Have no idea why they’re on the call Have no idea who they’re speaking to Were never going to buy in the first place If you set your outbound agency this KPI, you’ll just end up with a calendar full of unqualified calls. The real metrics to focus on are lead quality, pipeline value generated, and revenue won. Anything else you’d add? #outbound #leadgeneration

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Oh yessss.......that's the spot. Is your media in the sweet spot? JKO call the point at which the cost of targeting via a channel balances the acceptable level of wastage, a brands sweet spot. Media is simple, when done properly. Maximise reach of your audience at effective frequency. Yes, you can now be super targeted across traditional channels, and we are for brands that have a very narrow audience. But just because you could, doesn't mean you should. Too many brands are paying too much for targeted media and they simply don't need to. Be in your sweet spot. Be as targeted as you need to be, ensuring your reaching your audience as cost effectively as possible. You might need to accept some bleed in to other audiences, but you won't need to accept higher costs and a diminished overall reach. JKO: Media Done Properly #jko #growth #ifajobsworthdoing #marketing #media #advertising

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Losing more than you’re winning? Most agencies lose pitches because they focus more on process vs what value a client can expect to get back on their investment. I’m here to tell you that CMO’s and Marketing Directors do not care about ‘traffic, likes, views or reach’ - they care about enquiries, add-to-baskets, revenue, ROI, market share and growth. Proposals should be clear. What value can be delivered for the budget? Everything else is secondary. Talk money & results.

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Today see's the launch of the Clear Channel UK Insight Store 💡 We've put all our brilliant research and insight into one place to make it super easy to access, whenever you need it. So, whether your looking for the latest consumer behavior, category case studies, or effectiveness studies, you'll find them all there on the Clear Channel website. Link in the comments below 👇 #outofhome #marketing #ooh

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PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising can seem like the perfect way to drive traffic and grow your business - sounds great in theory, right? But as Tony Restell highlights in his latest post series, PPC often doesn’t deliver the results businesses are hoping for. And for small businesses, that frustration when your marketing spend doesn’t deliver can be all too familiar. 👇 Take a look at Tony’s post below to learn how to avoid common PPC pitfalls. If you’ve tried PPC before, what worked for you - and what didn’t?

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What do brands need to do to stay ahead in the evolving search landscape? If the five slide answer isn’t enough, read Tim Burley’s great article for a fuller explanation 🔗👇🏻 #searchexperience #SEO #SXO Organic | Certified B Corp UK

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Great article / interview with Paul Everson GAICD on the current state of marketing decision-making. [Link to article in the comments] It is certainly something we are seeing far and wide. The thing is, as marketers we have so much data available to us - it's becoming harder to know what to focus on and how to turn that data into insight. If you want to get across this and learn to love data, we've got some upcoming courses you will love. HMU in the comments.

Vanity metrics are a waste of time. Focus on the data. The real data. The kind you get from selling products and services. I’m talking about: - Revenue. - Sales volume. - Average order value. Analysing it can help you: - Improve processes. - Understand performance. - Know your customers. #ecommerce #digitalmarketing #marketingagency 

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I read this response from the UK's Affiliate Performance Marketing Association website recently, about the ICO's call for views on Consent to Pay. It made for an interesting read and is something affiliate marketers really do need to keep abreast of as privacy and consent changes are taking place at different levels around the world. Take a look at the overall response here and let me know what are your thoughts? https://lnkd.in/gi9RR9Pw

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There are too many agencies… There have been an increasing number of posts like the below and in a way, it’s great as it’s a data point that supports anyone who believes (like I do) that the demand side restriction of the last 18 months is unwinding but I believe the industry’s interaction with the post indicates that a supply side issue exisits. With 600 public interactions (and can you IMAGINE the state of this persons DMs) that has to be ~500+ agencies competing to win a relatively small brief… and even if you do win the downward pressure on your fees when there are 499 other agencies behind you in the queue means this surely won’t be a profitable/sustainable bit of work Now it’s not all doom and gloom, positioning work can differentiate you, I’ve got socks that are older than NCA and they just made ~£40m and there will always be a space for best in class practitioner’s so perhaps the counter to the assertion that there are too many agencies is yes but it was always thus and yet the industry keeps moving forward. Right gotta go, comment 327 won’t write itself #agency #marketing #procurement

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5 things you should know about Revenue Per Head for Agencies. - It’s a bespoke target 🎯 It needs to be calculated for each individual agency; never adopt a generic target. - Once you’ve got your RPH target then cross check against your ratecard and utilisation targets. It needs to be achievable at a sustainable utilisation - It’s an overall target and will take into account count all headcount (permanent and freelance) whether they fee earning or not. - I would work out a revenue target for fee earners (rate x utilisation x days). This will help with recruitment. - it’s main use is to check on progress. A more immediate guide to profitability is the ratio of people costs to revenue. But RPH can track progress on how successful we have been on selling, pricing and delivery. Want to check on your Revenue Per Head and what it says about your Agency? Always happy to talk.

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🎯 Do I Need a Marketing Plan? | Expert Insight with Matthew Ruddle 🎯 https://lnkd.in/eFezPmRS A marketing plan is often heralded as the roadmap to success, but do you really need one? In this enlightening video, Matthew Ruddle, the Founder of Ruddle Digital, dives into the importance of a marketing plan for businesses of all shapes and sizes. With a history of identifying target audiences and crafting compelling marketing journeys, Ruddle Digital excels in SEO, PPC, and various marketing disciplines. They've helped businesses not only convert prospects but also retain and upsell customers. 📈 In this essential video, you will learn: 📈 - The core components of a robust marketing plan - How a well-crafted plan can guide your marketing efforts - Tailoring marketing strategies to your specific business goals - Real-life examples showcasing the power of strategic planning - When and how to revisit and revise your marketing plan Whether you're a start-up, a small business, or a large corporation, Matthew's insights will help you understand the role and value of a marketing plan. Don't leave your success to chance; let this video guide you in creating a roadmap that aligns with your goals.