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Customer Service – 16 Blunders and Worst Practices; 9 Tips to Fix Them

  • 2 min read

Customer service is at an all-time low and customer satisfaction in dealing with a product or service issue is just as low, about 40 percent. Two of three consumers are likely to experience rage during an interaction with a customer service rep. In addition, 63 percent of consumers are likely to experience no satisfaction whatsoever in dealing with a product or service complaint. For retailers the outcome is not good as it is putting about $202 billion in revenue at stake and can slash consumer repeat business and loyalty to shreds. Want to improve your customer service? Here’s Five Customer Service ‘Worst… 

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Tourism Best Practices – Ice Rinks, Apps and Coloring Books

  • 2 min read

Tourism professionals at Convention and Visitors Bureaus – CVBs (or Destination Marketing Organizations – DMOs) are implementing some innovative programs to increase visitation in their destinations. We call them Tourism Best Practices. Ice Skating Rink Coming Back to Downtown Stillwater This Winter The DMO takes the lead in creating destination activities during the holidays. NYC & Company Provides More Accessible Travel in the City New York City’s destination marketing organization announced its new app for making the Manhattan travel experience more accessible for visitors. New Dairy Store to Host Tourism Takeover Stevens Point Area CVB hosts a “Tourism Takeover,” an event that encourages… 

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Email Marketing – 49 Tips to Improve Your Campaigns (and 7 Don’ts)

  • 3 min read

Email marketing is consistently ranked as the best channel in terms of return on investment. 68% of companies rate the channel as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. (1) For every $1 spent, email marketing generates $38 in ROI. (2) Email is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter. (3) Unfortunately there are a lot of myths about email marketing. We start this week busting 4 of those myths: 4 of the Most Common Email Marketing Myths We’d like to dispel some of the more widespread misconceptions. Here are four of the most common email marketing myths (and why you shouldn’t believe them.) 6 Things… 

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Social Media – Google Plus is Relevant, TED Talks and 40+ Tips

  • 2 min read

You’ve started your social media accounts. You’re posting. You’re tweeting. You’re pinning. Starting to get proficient at Facebook. Even used a #hashtag in a tweet. Great! What more should you know about social media? Start with the idea Google Plus is still relevant. (Yeah. It blew our mind too!) Why Google Plus is Your Most Important Social Media Platform The reason Google Plus is so damn useful is because Google… 5 Lessons from The Top Retail Brands on Social Media The strategies that top retail brands use on social media to gain engagement offer valuable takeaways for any brand that aspires to… 

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Customer Service – The Japan Way

  • 2 min read

Customer service is at an all-time low and customer satisfaction in dealing with a product or service issue is just as low, about 40 percent. Two of three consumers are likely to experience rage during an interaction with a customer service rep. In addition, 63 percent of consumers are likely to experience no satisfaction whatsoever in dealing with a product or service complaint. For retailers the outcome is not good as it is putting about $202 billion in revenue at stake and can slash consumer repeat business and loyalty to shreds. Want to improve your customer service? Look to Japan. Yes, across… 

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Tourism Best Practices – Artistic Calendars, Yard Sales and Mainstays

  • 2 min read

Tourism professionals at Convention and Visitors Bureaus – CVBs (or Destination Marketing Organizations – DMOs) are implementing some innovative programs to increase visitation in their destinations. We call them Tourism Best Practices. French Artist in Rockford Depicting Local Scenes for Calendar A project for the Rockford CVB will showcase attractions such as the Coronado Performing Arts Center, Anderson Japanese Gardens and Discovery Center Museum for a 2018 calendar. Another option is to have people capture pictures…   Alton CVB’s ‘Endless Summer Photo Contest’ Kicks Off One winning photo will be chosen from the two categories as the cover photo for… 

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Email Marketing – Myths Busted, Trends and 19 Tips

  • 3 min read

Email marketing is consistently ranked as the best channel in terms of return on investment. 68% of companies rate the channel as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. (1) For every $1 spent, email marketing generates $38 in ROI. (2) Email is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter. (3) Unfortunately there are a lot of myths about email marketing. We start this week busting 19 of those myths: Email Marketing Myths BUSTED Now for the trends. Email Marketing Trends Taking Place Right Now Additionally, How Are Email Marketers Planning To Innovate In 2017? What’s on the minds of email marketers in… 

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Social Media – 37 Tips for Increased Engagement, Creative Content and Better Writing

  • 3 min read

You’ve started your social media accounts. You’re posting. You’re tweeting. You’re pinning. Starting to get proficient at Facebook. Even used a #hashtag in a tweet. Great! What more should you know about social media? Start with these 10: Top 10 Things to Know About Social Media Marketing Written for musicians but applicable to any industry, the author demystifies social media and gives some concrete advice on how to manage it. Also take in these facts: Social Media Trends-Which Platforms and Content Types Are Gaining Favor? The Social Media Marketing Industry Report offers some insights into marketers’ shifting preferences surrounding platforms and content. Now to tips… 

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21 Creative Facebook Post Ideas

  • 4 min read

You have a goal to post on Facebook everyday, but wow! 260 ideas!? Invariably one of two things happen. After a period of consistent posting, the page goes quiet. You’re reminded to post something but instead of daily, it’s once a week or so. The other possibility is you “do the easy” and post a product. Then another product. Another product. Another. And the page becomes sell, sell, sell. That turns off those that like the page and engagement drops. With a little planning and enough ideas, you can mix up your posts. We teach the 70/20/10 rule when it… 

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