marketing mix
Print marketing materials? Remember those? The ones you can touch and feel?
Well, printed materials may have lost some luster since the advent of digital marketing, but, know this…. they are experiencing a resurgence. Marketers are realizing that branded print collateral can be an integral part of a sound marketing mix.
First of all, check out these surprising stats about print: Continue reading
If you think the print newsletter is dead, think again! I receive several every month and even though I don’t read them all thoroughly, I do scan them for items of interest. Plus, the senders are getting my top-of-mind attention, even for a few seconds or minutes.
With so many emails and spam overwhelming our inboxes, direct mail marketing is gaining more attention. According to a 2012 Epsilon study, 73% of U.S. consumers and 67% of Canadian consumers said they prefer direct mail for brand communications because they can read the information at their convenience. Additionally, 62% of Americans and 63% of Canadians said they enjoy checking the mailbox for postal mail.
Check out these other stats: Continue reading
If your business or nonprofit has been ignoring content marketing, it’s time to get out from under your rock! It’s been around forever, but has received a lot of buzz in the past couple of years because of digital marketing channels.
So, what is content marketing?
Blogger, Heidi Cohen, offered “21 Content Marketing Definitions” in a post last fall. I like Dan Blank’s definition:
Content marketing is engaging with your community around an idea instead of a product. What it is is to try to serve the community first, and sharing information, ideas and experiences that benefit others without directly asking for anything in return.”
Here are snippets from content marketing experts in Cohen’s post:
- Content marketing products frequently take the form of custom magazines, print or online newsletters, digital content, websites or microsites, white papers, webcasts/webinars, podcasts, video portals or series, in-person roadshows, roundtables, interactive online,email, events. (Wikipedia)
- Marketing messages and stories that stir beliefs, feelings, opinions or emotions can all be classified as content marketing. (Dan Bergeron)
- It’s about engaging consumers with the stuff they really want, in a way that serves your brand’s purposes and ideals, rather than just trying to jam your logo into their periphery. (Keith Blanchard)
- It is conversational, human and doesn’t try to constantly sell to you. (C.C. Chapman)
- The content, optimized and distributed across the web, makes it easier to be found online. It generates traffic without selling. (Lisa Gerber)
- What it isn’t: A warmed-over press release served as a blog post. (Ann Handley)
- Marketing through curated content reduces time and costs, increases visibility and reach, and quickly and effectively establishes thought leadership. (Kelly Hungerford)
When I first started writing online, I had no idea what would transpire. Today, when one enters my name in the Google search bar, over a half million entries come up. Of course, not all are mine, but every blog post, article, and content I’ve produced since 2004 can be found. The more (quality) content you create, the easier it is for your target audiences to find you. It really works.
Yet, what’s interesting about content marketing is that less than half of U.S. marketers aren’t using it. In February 2011, content marketing and curation specialist, HiveFire, polled U.S. marketers and found that 48% were familiar with content curation and employing some form of it. Another 42% were familiar with the concept but not using it. The remaining 10% had no familiarity with it. I guess they’re still trying to catch up with social media.
So, if your organization has been ignoring content marketing, there are many resources available to learn how to make it part of your marketing mix. Test it out and see for yourself. Just give it time - time to write and time to evaluate.
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