Archive View (January 2008)

Going once, going twice... Yes.  If you have $2.7 million to spend on a 30 second ad you too can advertise on this year's Super Bowl. Well it is probably too late but you could have. Do I recomend it for most businesses?  No.  Does it pay off?  Hard to tell.  Many of the advertisers on the big game do it to get their brand out to the millions of viewers.  It would be interesting to look at companies who advertised on the big game to see if the compaines are:  still in business (remember the sock puppet) they are still advertising year after year more...

Looking to generate some quick marketing results? If you have a database of customers or prospects then you have an opportunity to build a relationship and get personal with your direct marketing. Michael Kaselnak wrote a short to the point piece on this topic in the latest issue of Direct Magazine. His point is so simple that it is often overlooked. Use personalized handwritten notes to communicate with a target audience. Here are the main points to effectively use handwritten notes: Use your client or prospects name Hand write the note or if you have too many to do by hand find a font that replicates a handwritten more...

Over the years I have seen many different marketing strategies and media channels  but the one that was waiting for me when I returned from my ski trip takes the cake. ATM receipt advertising. I guess this makes sense if you want to waste your marketing money while people take out their own... How many people look at their receipts for more then a second to make sure their transaction went through correctly? On that note how many people still take their receipts? It makes sense to advertise in this medium if you are the bank and want one additional touch point but do you more...

From time to time we all need some R&R.  My time is now. I am going skiing for a few days to recharge and relax.  When I get back we will pick up where we left off. A couple of topics I hope to cover will be: Branding and Wealth The Super Bowl Mobile Marketing While I hit the slopes you might want to check out: David Berkowitz posts interesting content on new media.  The other day he pointed out a report by Mobile Marketer covering all things mobile and marketing.  Hopefully the report will keep you entertained until I get back. If you  need a dose of more...

If you are an entrepreneur or marketing professional then you are probably very busy juggling many projects in addition to your personal life.  The other day I came across Sandy.  This is an online personal assistant.  Who doesn't want or need a personal assistant?  People tell me every week "you need an assistant."  Now I have one.  I am not sure if this will help me or create more work but if I don't like the service the firing process is simple... The big downside for me is she can't return all my phone calls. Sandy is even able to Twitter.  So, more...

Do you test everything you can to increase your marketing conversion or response rates? Are you using control groups? If not, you aren't testing effectively.  You might be guessing, assuming or just throwing caution in the wind.  I know many people who have said "we are testing X,Y or Z"  but when you ask about a control group they answer, "we are going to see how it performs to what we did last year".  What!?  You are comparing what you did to something that happened a year ago.  Did nothing change?  Obviously this doesn't make sense and is a bit of an exaggeration but more...

Trump U's tag line is 'We Teach Success'.  I have been very critical about this line since I started in my role.  To me this is all about TrumpU and not about our clients.  Well, we are doing two things to correct this situation. First, we are reevaluating this copy.  One idea we are playing around with is: Invest in Your Success.  If you have other ideas let me know in the comments section. Second and more importantly we are spending money and using our resources to promote our client's successes.  We are working with our clients and the press to share their stories more...

The postcard has many uses in marketing.  Over the last few days I have been thinking a lot about their pros and cons.  I figured I would think on this blog and share my list about the simple postcard. A postcard by USPS standards is no larger then 4x6.  So when should you use this potentially very effective mailing device? Pros: Postage is lower then any other class of mail Fast and easy to print and mail out Inexpensive to produce in small or large quantities Great for timely promotions or specials Can be used as a reminder to an earlier direct mail effort You can use graphics and more...

 The word free is very powerful in marketing. Free samples and trials are effectively used to get people to try something new. The theory is that if you try something and like it you will buy more of that product or service.   The other day I was in the mall and passed by a store named Teavana.   They had some tea pots with free samples in their doorway. I stopped and tasted the different flavored teas because the smell and sounds coming out of the store were welcoming (and I was a little thirsty). The tea was great so I went in to discover what more...

Are you in a business that involves real estate?  If you are, then you should create a profile on Active Rain and get involved in this online community.   This is a niche social networking site for real estate professionals.   There are a number of opportunities to meet others involved in real estate and grow your business by marketing to others in the community.  I  started a blog on this site for a variety of reasons and you can check it out and let me know what you think about the site.  I already met a few interesting people that I hope more...

If you read other blogs you probably have come across a service named Twitter.  I finally set up an account to see what all the hype was about.  So far I don't have a solid marketing strategy for this technology.  I think there might be a way to use it for our Real Estate Seminars to keep people updated on what is happening and to create some buzz.  Stay tuned to learn if and how we put Twitter to use in our marketing.  In the meantime, if you want to stay updated with my 'Twittering' research just follow me (you will more...