Category — Direct Marketing
The Best Kept Secret in Social Media
Launching an ebook is a scary process.
When you finish spilling your blood across the pages, sharing your expertise and experiences, there is a unique product ready for public consumption. The work that went into your manuscript is only the beginning. The next step, marketing your guide, is the hardest part. At least, it was for me until I discovered the best kept secret in social media.
Please bear with me a minute while I share a little history. I promise to tell you the secret and how to use it in a bit. It’ll be worth the wait. I’ll even include the results from my tests. [Read more →]
How to Move Beyond the Cluetrain Manifesto to Get Results from Social Media
When “The Cluetrain Manifesto” appeared in the spring of 1999, early adopters embraced it as the marketing guide for the new millennium. Web 2.0 started to change the way people interact online. Social networks began to appear and be embraced by people seeking connections with others without boundaries.
The first thesis in the manifesto, “markets are conversations” morphed into the mantra “it’s all about the conversation.” Advocates of the new social media marketing world cried for the elimination of direct marketing, calling it obsolete and archaic.
They got it half-right. Conversations are invaluable to building relationships between your company and customers. Social media provides unprecedented access to people with needs and wants that your organization can fulfill.
The new gurus missed one key point when they redefined marketing. Tools change, but [Read more →]
Why Social Media Matters to Direct Marketers
An open letter to direct marketers…
There are those who say that direct marketing is dying. It is being replaced with a new “unmarketing” philosophy embraced by consumers and forward thinking companies. There will be no room in the future for the tactics that used to motivate people to respond to corporate messages.
The opposing viewpoint is that social media is a fad that will disappear like pet rocks and the Macarena. This group argues that most of the people tweeting, linking, and nudging are kids with nothing better to do. Before long, we’ll be back to normal.
Which side is right? [Read more →]
