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March 2010 |
Welcome to the March issue of The DeepTarget Microphone! Are you ready for Spring? Most of us
are, even those who did not get dumped on by loads of the cold white stuff. This winter has been much too long. It's time to
move on, just like it's time to move on and explore all the wonderful e-marketing alternatives you have before you.
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This Newsletter is brought to you with the best compliments of the DeepTarget DJ. Enjoy! |
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Is it time for some Spring Cleaning?
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In so many ways, 2009 was a year that is easy to forget. Marketers the world over certainly think so. The decade that started with such promise - where creativity was only surpassed by technology and the internet, and the world of marketing and advertising looked like it would be elevated to new heights - ended on a rather somber note of reality checks and re-checks.
The truth of the matter is that marketing has been transformed, regardless of last year. So, I suggest that wherever you are are, it's time for some spring cleaning. As in, let's get rid of what is not working anymore. Let's go shopping to see what new delights we need to absolutely acquire. Here are some ideas for your consideration. |
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1. Spruce up your website - make sure it communicates what it needs to about your company - it has become the defacto image-defining marketing collateral.
2. Create a blog but make sure that's its not about you or your company, if you want it to be read!
3. Get organized and plan ahead...this includes your marketing strategies and campaigns.
4. What can you move from paper to digital? Just do it!
5. Clean up your contact database. Please.
6. Refresh your logo or your company's look & feel - especially if it looks and feels dated. Little things matter and you don't want to get left behind because of these.
7. Add useful content to your newsletter; delete what you know is old and tired. |
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Email Marketing: Tip Corner
Let's discuss another crucial aspect of email marketing - your target contact list. We spend so much time talking about what we are going to communicate and how we are going to do so, but let's spend time on who we communicate with. The first mantra to remember and practice all the time is this: Quality over quantity. |
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Here's what I mean by this:
Always send your emails to a list of contacts who have opted to receive your email. And always provide an easy way for them to unsubscribe.
Build your list carefully - one person at a time...
Make sure you have a way to keep any known piece of information about your contact in one place so you can use it to further personalize your email (see section below).
Identify someone to own the contact database and the responsibility for continually improving its quality while increasing the number of contacts. |
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Rich Dynamic Content in Your Emails
Taking it to an even higher level of quality - dynamically change the content based on who the email recipient is - this content could be very rich messages and images, not just some personalization attributes. This new level of personalization will help you achieve much higher relevance in your email, when you are able to target different news or offers to different individuals based on their interests and characteristics.
Traditionally, it has required data segementation consultants and enterprise-level (read: expensive) systems to accomplish something so dynamic that each email of the thousands in your e-blast look and communicate something unique to that recipient. However, now the latest release of DeepTarget Email focuses on making this simple enough for a marketer to implement, and inexpensive to boot; You can learn more about the product here or even better, request your own personal demo here. |
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What's just plain SMART?
Some organization use the SMART method to plan and execute goals. Here's what SMART stands for in this context:
Specific
Measureable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-bound
This is a highly competitive market place, and setting SMART goals makes a lot of sense if we want to sustain our business and grow it. It does not even really matter which branch of the company you work in or at what level. SMART will end up meaning different things to different people. Related to e-marketing, here are some SMART attributes that I came up with. I feel that they are both current and usable, especially in combination with your SMART goals:
Social Media If not now, when?
Meaningful When your message does not matter, it won't be memorable or acted upon.
Agile Be flexible and change direction based on new customer demands and market needs.
Relevant Need we say more?
Targeted Mass marketing is so over; think carefully about who you want to reach and why.
You know how we are most in our comfort zone when we continue to do things the way we always have? Many of us tend to evolve tasks slowly, cautiously and without making huge changes or big waves. Well, if you are in marketing and that is what you are doing, I really must warn you that you are entering a dead zone. This is the time to make bold moves and look for strategies that will work in the future, rather than depend on those that might have worked in the past. The markets are changing rapidly, who your customers listen to, and where they turn for tips and advice is altering drastically. So, I say to you, go ahead and rethink your strategies and tactics but base it on some SMART principles. |
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March is also time to celebrate St.Paddy's Day
A green fountain on the front lawn of the White House in March 2009
St. Patrick's Day celebrates the most common of the patron saints of Ireland, St. Patrick (~385-461 AD), generally on March 17 of each year. St.Patrick is credited with converting the Irish to Christiantiy. It is an annual feast day and a holiday in Ireland as well as many other countries. Where it is not a holiday, it is still widely celebrated. Today, Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated in America by Irish and non-Irish alike. See the picture above for proof.
St. Paddy's Day is almost here, so it's time to look for some luck! What's good luck on Paddy's Day? It's time to look for a leprechaun, search for a four-leaf clover (that's double the luck), wear green or kiss the blarney stone! It's easy enough to do at least one of these in order to find good luck. Many people, regardless of ethnic background, wear green. It certainly cannot hurt...
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Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!...but, be sure not to leave all your marketing efforts to luck! |
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Guest Column - Step up to the Mic!
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This is not technically a guest column, so much as a promotion of Seth Godin from one of his ardent fans. Seth's latest book is called LINCHPIN - Are you Indispensable? While I have not read it yet (I intend to, soon!), I have been reading quite a bit about it in reviews and such. Along the way, Seth sent a link to one video comment on how to recognize a linchpin. I thought it was worth passing along, so here it is. Take the time to watch this 1.25 minute inspiring and on-target opinion on just who is indispensable. |
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Who is Indispensable?
by Jacqueline Novogratz
Jacqueline Novogratz is founder and CEO of Acumen Fund (acumenfund.org) a fast-growing non-profit that is pioneering the idea of patient capital. Acumen funds entrepreneurs that build significant for-profit companies that do business with the poorest people in the world.
How many indispensable people do you associate with or have on your team?
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Serious About Being Relevant? See What Can Help Get You There!
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