As a marketer, we should always be on top of new marketing trends, new channels and emerging channels, as well as new ways to leverage existing channels. Here are some of my favorite articles as well as some personal thoughts and experiences.

some  marketing CHANNELS AND tactics  To  try:

 DIRECT  MAIL...  MAKING  A  COMEBACK... OR  JUST  FORGOTTEN...

Posted: April 1st, 2018

Since my roots are in direct mail and catalog, I am intrigued by the introduction of "digital direct mail" and studies by the DMA, USPS, and other organizations that are doing studies that show the effectiveness of incorporating direct mail into your marketing mix. Design it to interact with digital marketing and e-commerce initiatives and you have a powerful combination that will help you communicate with customers in the ways they ways they choose.

The old-fashioned mail-order catalog is making a comeback. Ronald D. White, LA Times November 23, 2017
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-catalogs-return-20171123-story.html

Back In Style Again? 5 Reasons The Print Catalog Is Making A Comeback. WorkFront.com, January 24, 2017
resources.workfront.com/project-management-blog/back-in-style-again-5-reasons-the-print-catalog-is-making-a-comeback-2

Why retailers’ print catalogs are making a comeback. Darin Archer, RetailDive.com
www.retaildive.com/ex/mobilecommercedaily/why-retailers-print-catalogs-are-making-a-comeback

Sears 'Wish Book' makes a comeback. Gina Hall, Chicago Business Journal, October 26, 2017
www.bizjournals.com/denver/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2017/10/sears-wish-book-makes-a-comeback.html

Why Direct Mail is more Memorable. USPS
www.uspsdelivers.com/why-direct-mail-is-more-memorable/

Don't Call it a Comeback: Print Never Died. Data & Marketing Association
thedma.org/marketing-insights/marketing-statistics/direct-mail-statistics/

• Geotargeting/geofencing
• Co-registration
• Push Notifications
• Retargeting "targeting" (you'll have to ask me what this means)
• USPS Postal Promotions
• Regression Models
• Facebook Messaging
• Digital Direct Mail
• Private List Database
• Remnant Print Advertising
• Reddit Paid Advertising
• Print Vendor New Technology (ask me!)
  
• More to come

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personal thoughts and  experiences as a marketing  professional

Personal thoughts... email me if you'd like to respond or share...

Digital  marketing... proactively participate  in your marketing

Posted: May 2, 2018

While programmatic display, Google ads and Facebook advertising may be great channels for many businesses, if you don't manage these programs yourself, or allow outside vendors to manage your program for you using some algorithm you don't understand - and don't actively participate, you are probably not optimizing the channels.

Demand that they give you access to their tools, because as many find out (as I did) - they "set it and forget it" (as was one former vendor's response when I asked). They aren't working on their tool as much as you think (or they say) to leverage new data and information available to help you better target (why would they - you are usually paying per impression), or they aren't spending enough time with you to know when your approaches are changing and they need to alter their approach in their tool. Understand the set up they are using - and why.

Set up periodic meetings with your vendors. I suggest weekly until you understand the tool, then bi-weekly, but no less than once a month. Make sure that they are coming up with new ideas or suggestions for testing. Make sure they explain the changes they are making "on the fly". Do not let them give you "the algorithm does it for you" - unless they can explain the algorithm with you.

Always be looking for new tools and opportunities.
Don't look at these vendors as your "digital marketing authority". These vendors tend to be specialized on a specific digital advertising channel, and to try new channels, you may need to reduce spend in your current channels, so they have no motivation to share with you new tools that are emerging every day.

Geofencing (a more powerful geotargeting) and co-registration (an "oldie" that has a new twist) are great examples. Geofencing, although generally presented for use by companies with retail locations. But this is not just for brick-and-mortar stores, and you don't just need to create loss leader offers - why not use it as a way to get a catalog in their hands? Beware, because geofencing doesn't allow you to 

​Co-registration gives you the opportunity to create a "suite of offers", so you don't need to spend weeks testing a bunch of offers.  

coming soon...

* Stop with the Dartboard Tactics
* Small Business Owners... Beware The Promises 
* Retargeting Best Practice - Or Is It? Should You Suppress Your Active Customer List?
* "Deliberate" Decision Making
* Marketers: Love All Your "Children" Equally, but Don't Treat Them all the Same
* 10 Things Small Business Owners Can Do To Improve Their Online Presence
* SEO For Small Business Owners
* Nature or Nuture? Dealing With Employee Development