The 50 Best Tips

— Stephen R. Lett, Lett Direct, Strategy column, “Maintaining a Relational vs. Flat File Marketing Database,” March, Catalog Success

✱ Gather and centralize your data, online and off.

Variables, such as e-mail click data, Web surfing behavioral data and purchase history, aren’t that effective on their own. But combined they can prove very successful. Create a separate marketing database that externally runs to the legacy system, configured so the data gleaned from the Web site can be converted into practical information marketers can use.