Marketfish is a Startup’s Best Friend

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Ryan

Recently, the technology startup Gist released an interesting infographic titled “The Entrepreneur’s Toolkit.” The infographic lists a variety of services and apps that aided Gist in its development, both as ways to improve productivity and as channels to spread the word about their platform. The list mentions Marketfish alongside some heavy hitters like Google Apps, Tungle, TweetDeck, Skype, and WordPress. It’s an honor to see Marketfish mentioned by Gist, which is an incredibly innovative way of managing your network of contacts, and to be considered in the same company as these well-known technology platforms.

For us at Marketfish, it’s an indication that we are fulfilling our mission to bring automation and transparency to an industry that has traditionally been very manual and obfuscated. Additionally, “The Entrepreneur’s Toolkit” illustrates the way that technology is being used to advance the American economy. The future no longer rests in lumbering, mega-corporations. Instead, it lies in a nimble army of entrepreneurs, wielding technology that will mold our nation’s economic future as one that is inventive and forward thinking.

Head on over to Gist to take a look at the full infographic, and please leave a comment here if you have any questions, thoughts, or have some apps to add. We always enjoy hearing from our readers.

Properly Disrupting an Industry

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Sherin

In the wake of Steve Jobs’ death, I’ve been reflecting on his role, not only as a revitalizing force in a once distressed company, but as an architect of our society. He managed to shift people’s understanding of technology and its role in human edification. How did he do this? Jobs coupled superior products with a user-friendly brand that people could identify with. Under his gaze, technology became not just a means to greater productivity and efficiencies, but a tool that could better our very existence. At Marketfish we strive for something similar, to deliver a platform that effectively rearranges people’s perceptions of the list marketing industry. So, while reading one of the hundreds of articles addressing Jobs’ death, it dawned on me that some striking comparisons exist between Apple and Marketfish. Here’s how we stack up:

Reinvigorating an Entire Industry: Over the last 10 years, Apple reshaped the technology industry. In a cluttered and competitive market, Apple maintains their focus and consistently delivers clean, simple, and user-friendly technology solutions. Similarly, Marketfish is taking on the vast world of list marketing. In an industry where there are a countless number of outlets for obtaining marketing lists, Marketfish decided to shake up the game. Our simple, easy to use platform puts the power in the advertisers’ hands. Marketers now have tools that revolutionize their ability to manage and analyze their email marketing campaigns. What was once a clunky and inefficient industry, is now sleek and intuitive.
Premium Product: Apple prices their products noticeably higher than their competitors. There are plenty of less expensive PC alternatives out there, so why do so many people buy Apple computers? Because it’s a great product! Their computers offer superior performance, great design, and ample support for any technical issues. Similarly, with Marketfish, there are many alternatives for buying or renting lists. So why choose Marketfish? Our partnerships with brand name lists like Tennis Magazine allow us to ensure the highest quality and performance for our advertisers. When you work with Marketfish, you also have access to our creative and marketing talent. These gurus can guide you through every step of the campaign process, offering feedback and assistance at any time.
The Cool Factor: Apple has that “X” factor. Sure, their products are great, everything is user friendly, and the performance is top notch. But Apple’s obvious cool factor is a little harder to evaluate. Their brand occupies an incredible amount of consumer mind share, and it’s all related to their impeccable design. Their products are so appealing and intuitive that users are unavoidably drawn in. Here at Marketfish, the first thing customers always tell me is, “Wow, I love this design.” Our multi-talented Creative Director, Jonathan Chicquette, uses his skills to create a sleek platform that delivers a seamless user experience.

We strongly stand behind our product, and firmly believe that we have a platform that will change the list marketing industry forever. If you feel the same way, or just want to share your thoughts, please leave a comment.

Impressions from DMA 2011

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Dave

With the industry fresh off the heels of DMA 2011, there’s no better time to put together my thoughts about the show and comment on the direction I see direct marketing heading.

First of all, it was a very exciting show. There really is no other place on the planet where direct marketers can meet and connect with all the industry leaders in one spot. I was able to spend equal amounts of time with clients, partners, and the journalists who cover our industry. Meeting with so many people outside of the DMA show would have taken weeks, and a lot of plane rides.

The exhibitors at this year’s DMA were top quality. The show is interesting in that it is one of the oldest trade shows that I’m aware of. It’s amazing to see how many loyal trade show exhibitors are committed to the show’s success, and have maintained a consistent presence for the last 10 years. With the DMA, it’s all about the familiar faces, and it’s nice to see companies continuing to exhibit year after year at the actual show.

As far as the future of the DMA, I’m going to come right out and say I’d like to see a few changes made. Given the show’s longevity, it ends up attracting a lot of people who have been there forever, companies with solid products, but there was not a great presence of technology innovators. I’d like that to change. It would be great to see more technology companies exhibit at the show, companies like Marketfish and Conversant, who blend new tech developments with traditional approaches to direct marketing. I’d even like to see this faction of the industry represented within the speaking panels, and within the overall leadership and involvement of the DMA. I tried to get onto the board this year, but was unsuccessful, perhaps next voting cycle. In short, the industry as a whole is beginning to shift, and the show and its leadership need to reflect that.

In spite my desire to see DMA continue to evolve, it’s always great to meet a legend. Hands down, my favorite part of DMA 2011 was meeting with Ed Mallin. Having worked in direct marketing for the last 27 years, and holding leadership positions with Infogroup for the last 20+ years, including spearheading the company’s numerous acquisitions, I consider him one of the “godfathers of direct marketing.” So having him stop by the booth to see our platform and like what we do was pretty exciting.

All in all, I’m extremely excited for next year’s show. We’ll be there in 2012 with an even bigger presence. I encourage everyone out there who is on the fence to go ahead and attend, it’s worth it. If you were at this year’s show, please share your thoughts and leave a comment.

Do modern business owners prefer hook-ups over hand-holding? Discuss!

Posted on November 19, 2009 by Jonathan

pete There’s a fascinating scene in a recent episode of Mad Men in which Lane, the VP of Boorish British Backscratching, tells Resident Persnickety Weasel Pete Campbell why he loses the Head of Accounts promotion to gleaming competitor Ken Cosgrove.

“You have a delightful way of making clients feel their needs are being met,” says Lane. “But Ken possesses the rare gift of making the clients feel they haven’t any needs.”

Having just begun work at a tech start-up centered around an automated marketing platform (thus eliminating the “need” for outside assistance with campaign set-up), this of course got me thinking. While this moment was poignant for the sputtering Pete, the advent of the modern era with its many “little gray helpers” (SaaS platforms, dashboards, applications, oh my!) makes the question of seamless self-service versus spectacular customer service even more stark. What’s better: a stellar support staff on hand to meet your every question and need? Or technology so intuitively developed you can manage it without help? In addition to self-sufficiency, there’s a sophistication issue at stake. Why settle for service with a smile when you could have service with a suite of real-time metrics? Yes? No?

The current rash of little gray helpers (an app for identifying animal backsides? really?)would certainly imply society’s leaning toward the latter. And no, I’m not just saying that because I work here. Look at the evidence: From SaaS technologies springing up everywhere you turn, to the marked decline of traditional customer service, it seems like the former model of “beck and call” butler-esque client service is being replaced with a brave new world of bootstrapped “step aside, I’ve got it from here” superhero autonomy. Don’t believe me? Read on….

First, Google Analytics broke ground with their amazingly intuitive platform, which essentially transformed industry gibberish like “pay-per-click” and “CPM” into common business terminology. The rise of MySpace and blogs means that thirteen year olds are easily teaching themselves html without the need of a tech expert. Then there’s WordPress, where “customer service” is confined to a user-managed forum with no moderator (that I know of) and certainly nothing akin to the “live 24-hour support” model that seemed so popular, even crucial, in the last few years. No doubt about it, the rise of intuitive technology is being accompanied by a decidedly, well, British attitude toward traditional spirit-finger style customer service. How do we feel about this as consumers?

Is this “ah, you can figure it out, you smart cookie!” slap-on-the-back approach empowering or isolating? Or both? I think it all depends on, as Lane points out so astutely, whether the commerce system in question has the “rare gift” of making the customer feel like they already have everything they need. Just as Ken Cosgrove’s golden boy charms provided the “tools” to assuage customer anxiety: insert winning smile, confident lope, boyish floppy hair, a tool has to have that elusive mix of accessibility and scalability to put the customer at ease. WordPress accomplishes this with a wildy friendly interface, including everything from a cheering squad of jolly little quotes on each page to literally billions of “help” prompts to assist you in easily overcoming your own obstacles. Google Analytics has a similar suite of video tutorials, etc, plus the universally soothing orange-and-blue color palette proven to rock even the most platform-agnostic into a coma of analytics obsession. Or maybe “comfort features” have nothing to do with it, and the Internet has just made everything so simple that, as the famous commercial puts it, “even a caveman could do it”?

Then of course there’s the E-word, which I try not to use in blog posts as a matter of principle. But as questions of cost loom in the modern workplace, the question becomes, not just do you still want/need customer service, but what are you willing to pay for it? Many “personalized” services today (personal shoppers, personal trainers) charge an arm and a leg for their services, so even if people were inclined to take a more personalized approach, the premium costs make customer service feel more like pampering than a practical business decision. To put in Mad Men terms, three hour martini lunches complete with feather-soothing and ego-stroking are great-as long as they aren’t getting secretly tacked on to your bill at the end of the month. With the E-word (I’m not saying it!) on everyone’s mind, every CEO is thinking about how to streamline departments, and how to use technology to augment or in some cases replace the salivating, card-swiping customer service reps of yesteryear.

So what do you think? To reposition the Mad Men question slightly: Is it better to have all the help you need? Or is it better not to need help? Do we want to be masters of our own transaction destiny? Or do we all just want someone to hold us and tell us, as only Don Draper can (pause for deep meaningful stare and throaty baritone) “Everything’s going to be ok”?