We used to have Neighborhoods in this country. People who lived on the same street as you, kids played together and went to the same school, and became part of your social fabric. Some of them you liked, some of them you mildly tolerated, but you basically got along, because it was best for the [...]
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Just like the thousands of other entities, we also have a facebook profile. Its not for a sales guy or any member of our marketing team, but for our solution, Fuse. Some of you are “friends”, and those who are not… feel free to connect.
Other than various links, videos, and articles that are posted on [...]
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For those of you who are tired of going through emails, tweets, facebook posts, Digg articles, RSS feeds, outlook calendars…. it is time to move on to a different medium for the second half of Monday. Grab a cup of cold coffee and a stale donut from the break room, sit back and watch some videos.
My [...]
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Chris Brogan makes a simple and great point about not slowing down your media during the holidays.
He says,
“You can slow down, but don’t let your media slow down. Why? Because your community and/or your audience are quick to find replacements, because they come to rely on your media as part of their diet, because every post is an advertisement for what you do best. “
Chris Brogan, Chrisbrogan.com
So is your marketing on holiday?
Yes, some of your prospects may not physically be at the office and past experience might tell you that summer is a bad time for marketing campaigns.
But, times have changed, slowing down your entire marketing operation at this time is a bad mistake!
Why? Because your fiercest competitor (the ones gritting their teeth and fighting for survival) are not backing off your customers. And some of your brightests prospects, the ones you really want to demo your product to, are still at work (bored by the lack of activity in the office).
So maybe, just maybe, this is prime time for your marketing campaigns. The economy is showing signs of life, your prospects might be slowing down off their work just enough to spare the time to talk to you and, really… marketing technology allows you to schedule entire campaigns in advance (so you can still enjoy the holidays).
Just this week, we sent out a follow-up reminder to our multi-channel education video campaign and within a day, we already had about 55% of prospects open and read the email message. That’s almost double the response we traditionally get.
Now, wouldn’t you say that maybe its time to get off your chair and prepare that multi-channel marketing campaign?
Just in (Via Twitter from @APKOB) New employee Jack Kilby “Invented” the microchip while his collegues were on summer vacation http://bit.ly/m3Evo
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What is the “right” solution for your cross media marketing needs? It can be a daunting process trying to figure that out. Depending on what each vendor is pitching to the market, the cross media marketing challenge is presented differently. No doubt, each vendor will tell you their solution is the “right” solution for your [...]
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Holidays are a great way to get ahead.
To get ahead of your work, get ahead of the game, take a step back and think about where your marketing is going/ where your business is going, while spending more quality time with the people you love.
This year has been a really turbulent year for marketing. The economy resulted in slashed budgets, more cost-consciousness (see ‘death of direct mail‘), less time for ‘real marketing’ more time on social networks, lower consumer spending has meant lower campaign ROI and ultimately a lot of jobs lost).
So if anything, this weekend is a good time to take a step back, get a view from 15,000 feet and re-learn marketing if necessary.
Here’s how:
#1 Sign up for these feeds:
Network for Good (Learn best practices in non-profit marketing)
BtoB magazine (Because B2B requires different strategies)
Chris Brogan (Social Media Business Strategy)
Hoovers (Marketing with a perspective on data)
DPS Magazine (Keep ahead of what’s next in print)
American Printer (The latest printing news)
#2 Pick up a great marketing book and devour it this weekend
#3 Watch these videos we compiled for you on youtube.
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Imagine if the guy in the picture is knocking on your front door or is walking into your office with a briefcase. More than certain, your reaction would be, “annoying salesman is trying to sale me something I don’t need.” Half way through his pitch, you would probably tell him you are not interested and [...]
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#1 Use different channels.
Lots of celebrities make money from different channels. From showbiz to sports, the key to making a fortune is multiple streams of income. Tiger woods is a fine example of this; he’s made over $25 million in prize money. Not a lot? Together with off-course earnings, he’s made almost $1 bil. Currently ($97,919,714).
For marketers, the core statistic is probably response rates and ROI, but the method is the same. Use different channels including email, direct mail, personalized web-pages, social media, print, traditional media,… to achieve your goal. The better you get each channel to complement each other, the more success you will enjoy.
#2 Prepare for the unexpected.
Wimbledon fans will remember the longest final in history just a year ago between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Many tennis fans call that match the greatest in history, but it required that both players were prepared for the unexpected and were physically and mentally in shape.
Are you prepared for the unexpected with your marketing campaigns? Do you have the tools to understand the underlying dynamics behind your campaign statistics. Is a new marketing segment beginning to respond to you, are your competitors imitating your campaigns, do you need to change your approach.
#3 Bad publicity is still publicity
(Just ask Paris Hilton)
If you’re reading this, it is likely that you won’t have to deal with bad publicity often. Frankly you almost wish you had some bad publicity to deal with. This point is still important to you as a marketer.
You still have to deal with negative sentiments towards your campaign. If you’re mass marketing the same campaign to the same list regularly. Chances are you are damaging your brand and making your recipients less receptive to what you have to say.
Learn from Paris, take a bad and use it for your benefit. Use the opportunity to rebrand your company/ marketing campaigns and turn negative sentiments around. (Of course not everyone will be convinced, remove them from your list! )
#4 What do people remember you for?
Take a page out of Donald Trump’s play book. When you hear the name Trump, you associate it with perfection.
What do your recipients associate your brand with? Humourous campaigns, long boring text, spam? Make sure you control how people view your brand and keep to it. Marketing success often comes with repetition.
#5 It’s all about the campaign
On her current concert tour, Lady GAGA very boldly tells her fans that for her, it is all about the music, not the money. This refreshing approach to music is however the reason for her success.
Similarly, by focusing your campaigns on the recipient’s experience, making the conversation about them (not about you or your brand), then campaign success will follow. Make sure the campaign tools you have in your arsenal: design, messaging, campaign offers, marketing channels… work to this purpose.
#6 Practice, Practice, Practice (or Test, Test, Test)
Only 1 player in the recent history of the NBA has the ability to unite the world around a sport. Michael Jordan, perhaps the greatest player in the history of the NBA, often attributes his success to his focus on training.
Similarly, marketers need to constantly hone their skills and test each campaign. Will a simple change in email subject line improve responses? What about a new offer, a new marketing channel, a new way to use social media, a new presentation style, a new sales pitch…
Make sure you are constantly testing, the marketing landscape changes quickly, what works today may not work tomorrow.
—> In remembrance of another MJ
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