Seth Godin has a book about the lies marketers tell, do you agree with the premise?

Yesterday, I had a refreshing conversation with a non-marketer friend about the perception of marketers and of marketing campaigns. With no knowledge of the book by Seth, she came to the same conclusion that all marketers are liars.

If you’re like me, you’ll probably disagree with this statement.

For us, every other marketer is a liar, seems to be more applicable here. Yet, the simple fact is, sometimes we get so entrenched in marketing speak, industry jargon and hype, that we forget the basic function of marketing is to engage, educate and enrich customers.

Going back to this basic function, you’ll do well to apply the “so what” test to your marketing.

Every line you write, every tagline you like, every campaign theme you design, apply the “so what” test and see if it is still relevant. Often you only have a few seconds to capture your audience, if it does not pass this simple go-no-go test, then scrap it.

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This tool is brought to us via (@Mashable).

With Google Browser Size, you can see if your website is optimized for view on most browsers. A layout over your website tells you what percentage of users will see your content without having to scroll.

Use this to optimize the design of your personalized URLs and web landing pages, especially if you have important call to action buttons that you do not want your recipients to miss.

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#1 Include a ‘hook’
Is there a good enough reason to respond to your campaign? This doesn’t always have to be a discount, but there needs to be a compelling reason for your recipients to act now, rather than later. Depending on your audience, a limited time offer may help boost your campaign response. (Be one [...]

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We’re one of the biggest advocates for using technology to make sure your messages are relevant to each recipient.

I thought it’ll be interesting to explore what happens when marketers choose mass marketing tactics (from the recipients point of view).

Angering a blogger with mass marketing:

Jonathan Fields posts an entire conversation with a PR person over a mass marketing email he received twice! Read the full post.

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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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I’ve seen a lot of stuff written on other marketing blogs about the US election. While most came off as fluff to me, Al ries makes some convincing points on his monthly post on Adage about what marketers can learn from Obama’s campaign.

Some good points Al made:

The average guy with the right message can take on large corporations (watch out Google!)
Sticking to the same message. Telling it often makes it stick.
Different is better than better in marketing
Simplicity, consistency and relevance in your campaigns!

Read more from his post at http://adage.com/columns/article?article_id=132237

Rohit Bhagava included a visual analysis of Obama’s campaign.
Check out his post at the influential marketing blog
http://rohitbhargava.typepad.com/weblog/2008/11/how-obamas-bran.html

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