Frontline Perspectives

You know why twitter can be useful to your business. You understand the basics of how to use it. Now how do you really develop a following? Read more »

I think every marketing person needs this written on a T-shirt to remind them what their customers are really thinking. Read more »

At MarketSense and MarketEffect, we keep a copy standards manual for every client. We reference these standards whenever we write and refer to them while proofing, to make sure we stay consistent in our messaging. Beyond grammar and spelling, we check for things like hyphen and comma usage, trademarks and special phrasing around products and services. Whenever a client doesn’t have a preference on a particular style issue, we defer to the AP Stylebook. Read more »

Speeding prevention promotion.

I got a speeding ticket on my way back from visiting my daughter at Indiana University. I was more than a little ticked when the officer pulled me over- as I was convinced that the “other” cars on the road were going faster than I was (which they were).

Before the officer handed me my ticket, he handed me the paper shown at left and waited for me to read it. “In the United States alone, there is a death related to a traffic crash every 12 minutes. That adds up to nearly 44,000 deaths a year.” I made the connection to my speeding – what if I had caused one of those fatalities? As I looked back at the officer, he handed me my ticket ($125). Read more »

How to be sure you're heard.

A good publicity program isn’t just writing a few press releases and sending them out.  You’ve got to plan, research, develop, nurture and monitor.  Here are the basics:

1. Review what’s in the annual marketing plan that will make powerful press releases: new products, enhancements, new capabilities, additional services, acquisitions, etc.

2. Know your target market publications and their editors. Monitor your editor’s blogs, and understand the editorial calendars. Use this information to develop a plan for releases, and content geared toward what the pubs want/need.

3. Monitor your competitors’ publicity moves. Read more »

Winning moves for 2010.

Based on everything I’ve read and the discussions I’ve had with our clients, it’s going to be another difficult year. Some of us will see sales decreases, some of us will drag along the bottom, and a few lucky ones will start to see our bottom lines change from red to black.

2009 was a year filled with frustration, and for many, fear. The companies that proactively analyzed where to make changes (and invariably cuts) are in a much better position than the ones that chose a wait-and-see approach.  None of those were easy decisions, but making them also provided clarity as to the true strengths and weaknesses of an organization.

Many marketing budgets were cut deeply  for 2009. For 2010 we are seeing a mix of holding to the 2009 budget, 5% decreases and 15-20% increases.  The question I am most asked now is…where do we spend the marketing dollars this year? What will make the biggest impact? Read more »

White papers are one of my favorite “offers” for lead generation efforts.  Whether it’s a direct mail promotion, an online banner or a print ad, prospects love to get information that will help them be more productive and make better decisions.  The use of a white paper in a lead campaign will almost always produce better results than any other typical giveaway a client has tried. Read more »

I’m getting ready for a week of vacation – to a family cabin with no internet connection (a blessing and a curse).  On this vacation, I’m taking two months of publications to catch up on (I’m a little behind). The stack is about 27 publications high. Read more »