Off the Edge

As often happens to me things in my life came together this week causing me to think even more deeply about how we market and how we use the tools and information available to us to try to market more effectively.

I was on LinkedIn today, I wasn't cyberloafing right, this was background research, when I came across an interesting article that described a conversation between three marketers. Two were advocates of "Big Data". The other was a John Hegarty a founder of ad agency Bartle, Bogle Hegarty. Big Data marketing is a term used to describe the use of large amounts of data captured about individual consumers based on their buying behaviour to microsegment in order to target very specific messages to individuals. Hegarty amusingly derided the Big Data approach. One of the data heads had been talking about the power of being able to know who a person is and so send them very personalised content.  

Hegarty reposted "To those brands that say 'I understand you' I say 'F*** off, you don't understand me. Mind your own business, I don't want to be understood by you. I don't understand myself sometimes… and it can be fun.'"

Later I got an email from Eddie Bauer, an American clothing chain which I used regularly when I was in the States and still do occasionally these days even though I rarely leave Kent. The interesting thing about the email was that it was promoting their new range of women's jeans. This is not the first email they've sent me promoting women's clothes. In fact I get them regularly. I also get emails promoting their regular sales which I'd describe as unisex. I never get emails specifically about men's clothes.....

I have never bought women's clothes from Eddie Bauer (I buy all my dresses from Evans) so there's no reason for them to target me based on my buying behaviour. So something has gone screwy somewhere in the database I suggest. They clearly don't know me as well as they think they do.

Thirdly, I had an exciting email exchange with a Spanish estate agent from Wales - it's probably a long story but I've been disinclined to ask. We have a client who is another Spanish estate agent (from Sheffield this time) and about a week ago I was doing some research. I searched for property for sale in an area I know quite well, it's where my two sisters live in Andalucia. I found a villa just up the road from big sis which looked like a steal so out of curiosity (and to support my research you understand) I filled out a web form to request details of the property. Within the hour Welsh woman was on the phone. I gave her my cover story of being interested in property in Spain to rent out to holiday makers and she promised to send me some information. Sure enough she did. Lot's of it.

It only occurred to me yesterday that she hadn't sent the information on the villa that I'd requested via the web form so I dropped her a quick note as a reminder. Her response shocked me. She said that the villa needed work on it and it wasn't as good a rental prospect as others she had so she decided not to send the details.

I have to say Sharon didn't think this was as big an issue as I did but I couldn't believe that she presumed to know better than I whether I wanted to see the details. I might have had completely different reasons for wanting them, as in fact I did. She couldn't see that on the basis of a 5 minute conversation she did not know me, she didn't know all my interests, and she was no judge of what I'd want. 

OK in retrospect maybe I over reacted and I should have cut her some slack but I did enjoy writing the snotty email back.

Anyway, what these three things tell me is that although as marketers we stress the importance of understanding our customers and our target markets we really need to exercise great care with how we use our understanding. People are complex, multi-dimensional creatures. They are contextual, contrary and they confound us. 

It's great to collect data and use it to drive marketing decisions but use it with care. If you know from their behaviour that they may be interested in X then I would encourage you to talk to them about X but don't assume that this means that they can't be interested in Y.

Never make assumptions about people, never discount them, never presume to know them and always check your data. it might result in a lost opportunity or worse a really snotty email.

Jim Hunt is a professional marketer with many years experience in building businesses large and small. As a speaker, trainer and practitioner he aims to explain marketing theory clearly and show how it can be applied in practice to deliver better results from your marketing investment. You can connect with Jim on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Guest blog this week by Patricia Barclay of Bonaccord Ecosse Limited, a law firm offering general corporate and commercial support to businesses of all sizes from sole traders to multinationals.

Patricia regularly gives talks on marketing related issues including intellectual property and trademarks and is happy to take your enquiries if you're interested in finding out more about protecting your business.

For small businesses it can be tricky to stand out from the crowd. You are unlikely to offer a totally unique product or service, and its hard (and definitely not recommended if you want to make a living) to compete on price alone when you don't have the economies of scale of the bigger guys.

The biggest opportunity you have to differentiate yourself from the competition is service, or more accurately 'customer experience'.

It was one of those regular 'moan-ins over a drink' that made me want to revisit this subject in the blog this week. You know, the one where your friend complains that they can't find anyone to do their work. You might recognise and sympathise with these kind of comments:

• "If its a recession how come no-one wants my job?"
• "I've asked 6 people round and only half of them have turned up."
• "I'm still waiting for the quotes - why do they waste their time, and mine?"

Aim for excellent customer experience

Providing a good customer experience starts with the very first contact a potential customer makes with your organisation, and doesn't end until their relationship with you ends. That means that, as part of your marketing planning, you need to pay attention to every aspect of the interactions you have:

• Providing reliable means to contact you
• Responding promptly and politely to enquiries
• Keeping promises
• Being proactive rather than having to be chased
• Paying attention to detail at every stage of the service delivery
• Confirming satisfaction
• Invoicing promptly
• Keeping in touch

In fact, to stand out from the crowd, you've got to be looking for ways to provide 'excellent' customer experience at every stage, not just good! How can you demonstrate that you can 'go the extra mile' not just do enough?

Your people are your brand

People and personal relationships offer the biggest opportunity to differentiate. If people like you and want to do business with you then you've got a headstart, and it's great if dealing with people comes naturally to you. If not then you need to work on it and surround yourself with excellent people people. If you have staff you need to train them (and empower them) to deliver the best customer experience too.

You and your people are your brand and will be much more memorable than a logo any day!

If you struggle to deliver the best customer service as your business grows then why not look at intelligent outsourcing to make it work. I was speaking with a very small business this week that delivered a response within 5 minutes during the working day 95% of the time by using a telephone answer service linked to email and text alerts.

And a virtual personal assistant service can make the admin side of your business work much more smoothly.

Don't waste your opportunities

The bottom line is that if you are concentrating on getting opportunities through your promotions (be that referrals or advertising) you don't want to screw them up by being unable to turn them into profitable business!

What's your biggest bug-bear on customer experience? Or do you have some great tips for providing excellent customer experience? I'd like to collect examples to feature in future blogs if you'd be happy to share.

Sharon Wilding is a Chartered Marketer with many years experience in marketing for businesses large and small. As a lecturer and a practioner she aims to help small businesses use theory in practical ways to improve performance. You can connect with Sharon on Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

I know that most companies will not have set a marketing budget for the coming year. They may have a very clear idea of all their other costs - rent, stock, etc. - but when it comes to marketing they carry on regardless believing it is better to leave it open-ended.

I don't know for sure whether this behaviour results in higher or lower expenditure on marketing, but I strongly suspect it could result in less effective spend.

Why is it so hard to set a marketing budget?

1. Is it fear that putting a figure down commits you to a spend? Or worse, gives someone else the idea they can spend it for you!
2. Is it ignorance - not knowing how much to allocate?
3. Or is it blind hope? Hope that the revenue growth targets will somehow deliver themselves without any investment?

None of these are good reasons for not identifying a figure to cover marketing. The truth is that setting a budget does not commit you to a spend, information is available to estimate likely costs, and hope is just too unreliable!

Investment or cost?

Many's the time we've argued in this blog that marketing budget is an INVESTMENT not a COST. If you want to achieve your revenue growth targets (I'm assuming here that you do have business targets and that you want to grow) then you will absolutely need to identify the investment needed to deliver that growth.

Extra sales is usually recognised by businesses to require investment in extra stock, staff, premises, vans etc. in order to deliver the profit but, somehow, it is not similarly acknowledged that you may need to spend to attract and acquire a customer in the first place!

Is it really reasonable to expect growth without investment? Isn't it better to be in control - knowing what you can afford and what you expect in return? Of course, not all marketing effort requires external expenditure, but it's likely you will need to spend something to support your business activities.

How much should you spend on marketing?

Unfortunately there is no simple mathematical formula because it depends lots of factors: the maturity of your business and the market, the size of your ambition and the other (free?) resources you have available to you. In Chartered Institute of Marketing discussions I've heard figures of between 2% and 10% of revenue mentioned as standard, with up to 100% for new launches. And major one-off expenditures such as new websites can often be treated as exceptional additions.

My preference is to start with a target increase in revenue and identify the total you would be prepared to spend to win this business - if you have recurring income then make an assumption about the average lifetime revenue from those customers. You are essentially answering the question: what is an acceptable investment in marketing/cost of acquisition for this business?    

Then, putting the budget to one side, you can decide the best plan of action to target and acquire those customers. And you can make assumptions on the marketing cost.

If your total cost required is less than you are prepared to spend then, bingo, you can get your plan underway. If it is more then back to the drawing board. You may be able to come up with less expensive options or you may need to adjust your expectations on results.

Either way you are still not committed to the spend but you are better informed and in a much better position to manage your marketing effectively. You are in control.

Why not have a go now?

I didn't think the creature really existed.

I thought it was an exaggeration used for effect.

I thought everyone knew the dos and don'ts.

I was wrong!

At a networking event I attended recently (I won't say which to avoid upsetting anyone) I met the nightmare networker. If you ever read anything about "How to network effectively", or listen to someone talk about the subject, they always talk about them. The card thrusters. The salesmen who get straight to the pitch. The ones who drop you immediately they realise you're not an obvious prospect.

Well this person was all of them in one perfectly constructed social disaster!

I noticed her when she arrived - perfectly professional in a suit and with a notepad and briefcase she straight away struck up a conversation with someone across the room. I was chatting in a small group.  When I next looked up she was talking to someone else. A couple of minutes later a friend arrived so I went over to say hello and passed her talking to another person. "Blimey!" I thought, "She's getting round the room". A few minutes later she was with someone else.

It wasn't long before it was my turn. I was talking about football to a nice chap from Charlton when I happened to glance round and saw her stood at my side. Without so much as a by your leave she jumped in "Hello, I'm The Predator from Widget Co".  I told her my name which she took as all the invitation she needed to thrust her card at me. "Oh, thanks,"  I replied, "Would you like one of mine?". She paused (maybe she wasn't all that bothered) before holding out her hand. She then went on to ask me what I did. I told her. To which she replied, "Are you looking for any Widgets?" I explained that I wasn't and that was it, she was off.

The whole interaction lasted at most 10 seconds.

Later I was talking to a very nice lady from a design company when I noticed The Predator standing about 5 feet away staring at us. Again my look was taken as an invitation. I watched her then run through exactly the same ritual with my new friend. Again the interaction lasted about 10 seconds. When she left we had a bit of a giggle about her. Interestingly we were then joined by another lady from the same industry with whom we had a really nice chat. I know what she does, where she does it, how business has been, what her hobby is, where she got married, and where she went for her honeymoon. At the end I asked for her card.

If I ever do need some Widgets guess which one I'll be contacting?

The next time I looked up The Predator had left. I reckon she'd been there about 30 minutes and had got round the whole room of maybe 35 people. Incredibly efficient but not terribly effective - unless of course her objective was to make her company the last one you would ever contact for Widgets!

Regular readers of this blog will know we talk a lot about what marketing is and isn't and none of you, I know, would make the mistake of assuming marketing is only about promotion! But this week I've been preparing to present to the Kent2020 exhibitor briefing on 24th Jan, on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, about how to make a success of your attendance at an exhibition. So I've been kicking around different ways of explaining marketing essentials to the audience.

Then it came to me - marketing is all about tipping the odds in your favour. If all resources were unlimited you could create limitless options of your products and services and broadcast your messages willy-nilly to all and sundry. But even the biggest organisations need to work within restrictions on time, money, space and/or materials.

What the discipline of marketing does is encourage you to match your resources as closely as possible to your objectives and, in a competitive marketplace, push you out in front. To give you a bit of an edge, you might say.

So in the context of an exhibition you don't have the time to speak to everyone who is attending so you want to tip the odds in favour of speaking to the people you are most able to help, i.e. those who would be most interested in taking your products and/or services.

A fundamental concept in marketing is segmentation, targeting and positioning:

• Segmenting means splitting the market into groups of people/companies with similar needs and characteristics
• Targeting means you choose which segments you are going to focus on
• Positioning means that your offer (products, services and messages) are created specifically to appeal to the targeted segments

Simples! Now you might have a number of different segments you want to target with different offers but STOP! Resist the temptation to try and showcase everything all at once in this one exhibition. Find out who is most likely to be attending the particular exhibition and select the offer or message that you are going to lead with on this occasion. Otherwise you risk ending up with a muddle that fails on all fronts.

Once you have your head around who you want to speak to and what you have to offer (remember - for this specific occasion) then creating your stand to appeal to these people is that much easier.  And you can create a strategy that includes activity pre and post the event itself:

Pre-exhibition

• Set objectives and goals for the day
• Issue invitations with reasons to visit you (gifts, competitions, etc)
• Publicise your attendance in email sign-offs, on social media, etc.

At the exhibition

• Ensure knowledgeable stand staff
• Be pleasant and approachable
• Keep the stand simple and uncluttered - focused!

Post-exhibition

• Keep your promises
• Make follow-up timely and appropriate
• Review your success against your objectives

Using marketing to tip the scales in your favour is not an idea limited to exhibitions of course (you may get tired of me using it in future), but exhibition attendance may the the most expensive promotion that your company carries out in the year, particularly if you take into account the staff costs of manning the stand. If you get disappointing results it is most likely because you failed to plan adequately - it's not all about what you do on that one day, it's about the before and the after too.

By the way - we've written a couple of other blogs on exhibitions in the past, check them out here:

• Making an exhibition of yourself
• Grab your target's attention

If you are at the Kent County Showground for the briefing on Thursday come and say hello - and if you have top-tips on making exhibition attendance a success please share them here!

Sharon Wilding is a Chartered Marketer with many years experience in marketing for businesses large and small. As a lecturer and a practioner she aims to help small businesses use theory in practical ways to improve performance. You can connect with Sharon on Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Happy new year everyone. I hope you had a great break and are now raring to go - especially on marketing your business effectively!

For my first blog of 2013 I thought I would talk about a simple concept that we all really know but very easily forget. That is that when it comes to our messages we must remember that:

we are not the audience - the people we are trying to communicate with are!

What does that mean in practice? It means that when we communicate, through whatever medium, we should do it in a way that will appeal to the target audience. The language we use, the grammar we employ, everything should be chosen to resonate with the people we want to understand, identify with and be attracted by our message.

It seems obvious, and it is, but we don't always do it.

Why?

• We just don't think about it - oops!.
• We believe that we as individuals are fairly typical of people generally and if we like something then other people will too - we're not, and they won't.
• We believe we're tailoring our message to a specific group  but we get it wrong - we don't really know them as well as we think we do.
• We don't tailor our messages at all, everyone gets the same message - common because it's easier than putting the effort in!

Notice how with this simple premise - you're not the audience - we are starting to see some fundamental marketing principles emerging such as market segmentation, understanding the market (market research), targeting. These blogs aren't just thrown together you know!

The logic applies not only to the written word but audio, video, graphics and design too. It's not unusual to hear a client say "I don't like it!" when they see a website design, or a brochure layout for the first time. That's when I use the "You're not the audience" line. It sounds like a cop-out but the reality is that unless they are looking at it as a member of the target audience would then it's quite possible that they won't see it's merits.

Frankly it doesn't matter whether you like it - what matters is whether it's going to be effective, and it will if it appeals to the target audience. 

In the first minute or so of the video below we see how John Cleese adapts his language to be understood by Michael Palin. It's probably not the best example of what I'm talking about but it may well be the funniest. At least I think so but then I'm not the audience....

Probably because of the all the excesses of Christmas, most New Year resolutions seem to focus on the things we want to STOP doing, or doing so much of!

But along with all the information on what to give up I've spotted some useful stuff about what makes you more likely to stick to your resolution, things you can do to increase your chances of success rather than be facing defeat before the first month is out. So if you're thinking about making some resolutions about your business and marketing this year then these might help.

In no particular order:

1. Focus on a positive outcome - rather than use negatives (stop/give up/do less) frame your resolution as a positive instruction to yourself. Something you are going to do more of or differently, e.g. contact customers more regularly, launch a new service, create better metrics and use them in decision-making.
2. Create new habits - work out what small changes you need to make to your everyday behaviour to support achieving your resolution. If the hurdle you set yourself is too high you'll never jump it, but if you can climb some little steps you'll get there. So if you think that using social media more would benefit your business then build in 10-15 mins a day and take it steady!
3. Make a public commitment - apparently we are more likely to stick to resolutions that we talk about to other people and that we write down. Ask for help from colleagues in taking your resolution forward.
4. Use a support group - groups such as Weight Watchers are one of the most effective ways to diet because of the mutual support members give each other. If you need encouragement look for a networking group that offers that additional facility and will help you stay strong!

Something I've not read but one that I'll throw in for good measure is to choose one good resolution that you can really commit to rather than defeat yourself with a great long wish list of things you'd like to do.

So what are you going to do new or different in your marketing in 2013?

Even those of us who run marketing companies have things that we'd like to do better or differently in our marketing. Over the past few years we've created some good marketing habits, like regular blogging and keeping our website up to date, creating the conditions to grow the business. This year, using the pointers above, our resolution is going to be to make increasing use of experts to offer an even better service to customers - and allow us to grow still further. Forming close relationships with trusted partners will be the key - and that will take commitment and regular contact to build and maintain those relationships.  

it's a resolution - but it's also part of our marketing plan. 

Would you like to share your resolution too?

It's my last blog of the year and I decided to do my bit for the environment by recycling a message from last year! (Unfortunately that statement is less impressive when we're talking electronic messages.)

Most of us are increasing caught up in the e-world with almost everything available virtually. But Christmas is a good time to remember the more tangible stuff of marketing - cards, posters, banners, magazines, leaflets and good-old face to face networking and customer relationships. So as you pack up your businesses for a well-earned break, think about how you can ensure a good mix of traditional and modern in your marketing for the coming year.

You are not your client so don't just go for what is easiest or makes sense to you - what do your customers want/need from you?

I have very much enjoyed the video cards this year but they're all deleted now, as I said last year ...

There's no doubt about it, e-everything has transformed the way we do business. We have email, e-newsletters, ecommerce - and lots of things that don't begin with e but are still electronic: websites, blogs, social media, video, laptops, smartphones, etc.

All these bring enormous benefits in terms of speed, ease of use, ease of reach and cost-effectiveness. But do you ever feel we are losing our sense of balance? Are we in danger of becoming too seduced by the charms of the e-world?

It was Christmas that made me think about this a bit harder. Like many people, in recent years we have turned to emails to send out cheery messages of glad tidings and great joy at Christmas. And we're on the receiving end of a fair few. But are they a good substitute for the traditional, hand-written card? I decided "not in all cases" so this year we took a step back into the dark ages and sent some of our contacts cardboard by snail mail!

Here's my 3 reasons why:

1. It's more personal - the email versions are obviously sent as volume mailings, personalised by machine if at all. I like the idea that someone has taken the trouble to write me a card.
2. It's more visible - email is fleeting, transient. Seen for seconds and deleted. I love the decorative effect of Christmas cards - having them on display is all part of the fun.
3. It's bucking a trend - if everyone else is opting for email then sending a real card stands out and gets you noticed. And I don't really buy the 'better for the environment' argument - if it wasn't cheaper and easier than writing and sending a card most people wouldn't give a Christmas fig about the environment!

Sending greetings by email clearly has a role to play - especially when the message makes best use of the medium, with a animation or game for example. I love email communications. But my thoughts about Christmas cards can also be carried over into our choices about marketing communications for the rest of the year too. Especially when it comes to adding a personal touch and standing out from the crowd.

If you spend a lot of time at a computer, in the e-world, then it is easy to assume everyone else does too. This is a fatal mistake - as we've said before, you are not your client. You need to be aware of the preferences and habits of your target audience. Mixing up your media, integrating the more traditional methods with the new, will give you more opportunities to be seen and get known.

One size does not fit all!

What do you think about sending and receiving cards vs emails? And do you think differently if you're male rather than female? Another factor to consider in your targeting of marketing communications!

Happy e-Christmas!

Newsletters here. Newsletters there. Newsletters every bloomin' where.

I'm not going to talk about why you should do a newsletter today, I think most people realise that they are a great way of nurturing their prospect list, staying at the forefront of the readers mind, communicating developments and offers, demonstrating expertise and gaining some useful SEO juice into the bargain. So I'm not going to go into that.

I want to talk about making sure that your newsletter achieves these results. Do your readers look forward to your newsletters with bated breath, panting in expectation of the nuggets of valuable information you will impart? Do they make a cuppa, pull up a chair and settle down to an entertaining read? Do they pass your newsletter on to their friends exhorting them to read it and sign up for the next edition? OK, maybe a little too much to hope for, for most of us. But are they happy to receive it? Do they read it? Do they feel positively towards you having read it? Might they recommend it to a friend?

I get lots and lots of newsletters. My attitude to other people's newsletters is, I like to think, relaxed. It's the same for marketing emails. I'm happy for people to send them to me. Mostly they are of little interest to me at the moment but I feel sort of like: "we're all in business, trying to make a living, I probably don't want what you're offering - at least not right now - but I might meet someone who does and I can pass your information on". I might read it. I might not. But I have this really great bit of computer equipment that will get rid of all this stuff if I don't want it. It's called a delete key. If I decide I really don't want to keep getting your stuff I'll use the unsubscribe link. I only ever report SPAM that really is SPAM. If you're a bona fide business I tend to indulge you. This does mean I end up getting lots of email so periodically I cull.

Anyway, I digress. The point is that I get a lot of newsletters and I pretty much always look at them. Some I always read every word. Mostly I don't read them in detail, I skim and if I spot something interesting I read. Some people may disagree but I don't think I'm unusual (at least not in that respect).

So if most people are like me and you're producing a newsletter, how do you make sure yours is the one that gets read?

Here are my top 10 tips to having a bestselling newsletter:

1. Make it newsworthy - the clue is in the title people. It's a NEWS letter. This doesn't mean that you have to break the latest MP expenses scandal or buy a telephoto lens. It does mean that you have to think like a newspaper. When you decide what you want to talk about think; "is this item interesting? Is there a particular angle I can take on this item? How can I make it relevant to my audience?" If you can't don't put it in.
2. Grab the reader with a title - Most people use the "Catch Phrase" approach to the title "say what you see". so we have "John Smiths Newsletter". It's clear and if I'm a regular reader I know what will follow. But is it going to pique my interest? Maybe. Here are some particularly good titles I've received recently: "Are your videos falling flat? 17 quick-fix marketing tips", "Beer tasting this Thursday" (wonder why that one appealed?), "Holiday discounts are a dangerous drug". The reason these titles attract is basic marketing - they focus on the benefit to be gained from reading - knowledge, improved results, beer. They don't focus on functionality - it's a newsletter.
3. Use html emails not attachments - ditch the PDFs. You mostly have but some people seem to cling on to them. An html newsletter is smaller so won't bust mailbox limits and without an attachment is less likely to be trapped by SPAM filters. Using PDFs for a newsletter also puts another hurdle in front of the reader. They have to take action to open the file in order to see if there's anything worth reading. In large numbers they just don't bother. Good mailing systems will also give you some valuable analytics information on delivery rates, open rates (though these are not a great measure), clicked links etc. which can help you improve your newsletter over time. PDFs do have a place for some highly technical information or very long documents, or where they are intended to be printed out. And they'll help you manage your mailing lists at the same time.
4. Use great headlines in the copy - grab the reader and suck him in! The headlines don't have to be incredibly clever and creative but they have to make the reader want to read the story. Again, think like the reader: "Why would I want to read the piece - what's in it for me?" Think benefits.
5. Include pictures - I'm not going to say a picture paints a thousand word because that would be too hackneyed. Doh! Images do though lift a piece of writing. They break it up, make it more accessible and can support the point being made. All good things. But don't rely on them because there are always those readers who turn the images off!
6. Direct the eye - use highlights, sub headings, bullet points to draw the readers attention to important things. help the reader skim to the things that he's really interested in.
7. Include back links - get the reader back to your website by linking from the newsletter to more detailed or related content or offers on your website. 
8. Make it just right - not too long, not too short. No one has time to read a ten page newsletter but if it's short enough to be a simple email then best to just send a simple email.
9. Make it relevant - segment your market and send relevant information to different groups. Make sure you put people in the right groups though. I suspect that a clothing company who send me an email regularly think I'm a woman. I get lots of emails about women's clothes and only the occasional one about men's. And before anyone asks, no I don't have anything to reveal, I don't want you to call me Judy and I don't wear my wife's clothes. They don't fit.
10. Send it frequently and regularly - think of any newspaper or magazine. They have a set schedule. They don't just decide not to produce a Cosmopolitan this month. Remember it's about engagement and building a relationship.  When your newsletter arrives in their inbox you want the reader to think "Ah ha Fred's newsletter - nice title." Not "Who the @#~$ is Fred?

What do you think? Which are your favorite newsletters and why?