Accomplished marketing communications consultant and freelance copywriter, Irene Crosby of Target Insight, is located in Ottawa, ON, and blogs about marketing relating topics.(c) Irene Crosby, Target Insight, Marketing Communications Consultant, Ottawa. All rights reserved.5I read an insightful article by the CMO Council. The article, 4Ps of Marketing Leadership, will be of interest to marketers. Here’s a short excerpt: "Millions of marketers have mastered the famous 4Ps of marketing: product, price, place and promotion. But if you're a marketing executive, you won't get very far without also tackling the 4Ps of marketing leadership: productivity, purpose, pull and power.” Read the full-length 4Ps of Marketing Leadership article by Thomas Barta ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2013/5/2/worth-reading-3e-4ps-of-marketing-leadership.aspxThu, 02 May 2013 13:24:26 GMT I read an insightful article this week by IDG Connect Marketers. The article, Six Key Influencer Marketing Trends for 2013, will be of interest to marketers. Here’s a short excerpt: "Influencer marketing is based on brands partnering with bloggers and other social influencers to create and distribute relevant content that engages consumers, is shared across all social networks, and delivers earned media results for marketers. It reduces advertising noise and focuses more on quality ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2013/4/6/worth-reading-3e-six-key-influencer-marketing-trends-for-2013.aspxSat, 06 Apr 2013 12:52:53 GMTI read an insightful article this week in Strategy + Business. The article, Kicking the Sales Promotion Habit, may be of interest to marketers in B2C or even B2B working through distributors. Here’s a short excerpt: “The most effective promotions tend to be targeted to selected customers; such promotions include ‘friends and family’ events, loyalty club discounts, and other discrete efforts to reach particular groups. These tend to drive store traffic and often give a ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2013/3/1/worth-reading-3e-kicking-the-sales-promotion-habit.aspxFri, 01 Mar 2013 13:23:12 GMTMarketing professionals are bombarded with data. But how do we tell the insights from the noise? Here's an article from Harvard Business Review (HBR) that I read this week and is a worthwhile read on the topic > Advertising Analytics 2.0.  Enjoy! Tags: marketing communications consultant, marketing communications consultant Ottawa, marketing communications plan, marcom plan, marketing tactics, Irene Crosby, Target Insighthttp://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2013/2/22/worth-reading-3e-advertising-analytics-20.aspxFri, 22 Feb 2013 11:31:38 GMTEach year MarketingSherpa issues a Marketing Wisdom Report. It's a collection of real-life marketing stories, test results, and lessons learned. To get your free Marketing Wisdom Report from MarketingSherpa, click on this link: MarketingSherpa Marketing Wisdom 2012 Special Report.   Enjoy! Tags: marketing communications consultant, marketing communications consultant Ottawa, marketing communications plan, marcom plan, marketing tactics, Irene Crosby, Target Insighthttp://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2013/1/26/get-the-marketingsherpa-marketing-wisdom-2012-report.aspxSat, 26 Jan 2013 15:09:44 GMT I am a laggard when it comes to recycling. Even my mother and mother-in-law have been recycling for as long as I can remember. My excuse was, “My kitchen is too small to set up for recycling.” The City of Ottawa informed its constituents that regular weekly pickup of refuse would move to every two weeks effective October 29. Yikes. That deadline forced me to “get with the program.”  My last weekly refuse was removed from my curb on October 29. On that same ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/11/5/changing-behaviours.aspxMon, 05 Nov 2012 14:50:16 GMT There are plenty of opinions on whether a company’s mission statement, vision statement and core values should or should not be published on the corporate website for the entire world to see. I fall into the camp of the latter.  It’s not that I don’t believe that a company should articulate their mission statement, vision statement and core values—because I believe it’s very important—it’s that I believe the greater exercise is in ensuring ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/10/15/what-is-the-benefit-of-crafting-core-values.aspxMon, 15 Oct 2012 16:21:06 GMT Both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) companies are using social media networks to connect, engage, and influence their target audiences. How to best measure the results of social media marketing continues to evolve. Among the most common measurements are: Facebook: Number of fans, likes, comments, and shares Twitter: Number of followers, likes, favorites, and retweets LinkedIn Group: Number of group connections and posts LinkedIn Company ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/9/1/one-little-known-tip-to-measure-social-media-marketing-efforts.aspxSat, 01 Sep 2012 11:01:31 GMT When developing a plan—business plan, marketing plan, event plan—it’s important to distinguish between goals and objectives. What’s a Goal? A goal is a broad target that your business wants to achieve. In the case of a 3-day trade show that anticipates 3,000 decision-making directors of human resources (HR), the primary goal may be to generate sales. What’s an Objective? Objectives define how you know when you’ve achieved your goals. They must be ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/8/2/goal-or-objective.aspxThu, 02 Aug 2012 11:50:29 GMTWhether hosting a celebration event, in-person presentation, or online webinar, the marketing communications team needs to hit the objective for “number of butts in seats.” The event invitation is your primary tool to achieve this objective. For the purpose of this blog post, let’s assume this is an email invitation promoting a complimentary live webinar. A landing page has been created, which provides more details. Format matters Decide if the email will be text-based ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/7/3/writing-invitations-that-put-butts-in-seats.aspxTue, 03 Jul 2012 11:37:36 GMT Update on July 6, 2012: As of July 2, Twitter cut off service to the LinkedIn API that allowed selective tweets. Here's the announcement from Twitter. Selective tweets to Facebook is still allowed. The original blog article posted on June 5 follows. ~~~~~~~~~ Have you noticed more and more tweets include #in or #fb? These are called “selective tweets” and they’re great time savers.  To have your tweet automatically appear in your LinkedIn status field, just ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/6/5/are-you-familiar-with-selective-tweets-in-fb.aspxTue, 05 Jun 2012 11:45:57 GMT  Have you heard of Pinterest? Pinterest is a new social network that’s getting a lot of attention right now; in fact, it made Hitwise’s ‘top ten social networks’ list in December 2011 and ranked higher than LinkedIn for unique visitors. Like any new social media phenomenon, people are curious. And marketers are eager to learn if and how it can benefit their brand. While I’ve visited Pinterest to see what all of the buzz is about, I’ve neither ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/5/10/what-is-pinterest.aspxThu, 10 May 2012 18:49:34 GMTToo often employees get into the habit of relaying problems to management without offering viable options. You can build your reputation by going to management with solutions—not problems. A good example is delivering bad news to the boss. No one likes to do this, but waiting only makes it worse. So analyze the problem, develop solutions, analyse the pros and cons of each solution, and then approach the boss. Describe the problem clearly and concisely. Explain the impact. Accept ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/4/2/dont-go-to-management-with-a-problemgo-with-a-solution.aspxMon, 02 Apr 2012 15:42:01 GMT   A marketing strategy is the choices you employ to achieve an end result. Strategy is different than tactics, which are actions.  Strategy comes out of knowing and understanding the target customer, the value proposition that resonates with the target customer, and your company’s unique capabilities or advantages to deliver the value proposition. Let’s look at Lululemon as a case in point. Target audience: Middle- to upper-class females aged 16 to 45 in ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/3/26/what-is-strategy.aspxMon, 26 Mar 2012 14:51:48 GMTOver the past several years, marketing-related content has been lightly peppered with the term “social media optimization” (SMO). It’s now at the point, where people are taking notice and asking, “What is SMO?”    To explain SMO, one can first consider search engine optimization (SEO). In a business-to-business (B2B) context, SEO is about driving traffic to B2B websites, so SEO is a strategy to improve businesses’ search engine rankings. While a ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/3/6/what-is-social-media-optimization-smo.aspxTue, 06 Mar 2012 14:48:00 GMTMy LinkedIn (LI) home page wasn't serving the data that interested me. Instead, I was reading tweets that I'd already read on twitter! Determined to filter out the tweets, I ended up learning that it had been far too long since I'd viewed my LI Privacy Controls--they were in need of an update. Here’s a primer about the Privacy Control settings. Start by locating your name in the top right corner of the page. Select the arrow; select “SETTINGS.” A new page is served with the ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/2/9/do-your-linkedin-privacy-controls-need-an-update.aspxThu, 09 Feb 2012 14:46:00 GMTEach year MarketingSherpa issues a Marketing Wisdom Report. It's a collection of real-life marketing stories, test results, and lessons learned. To get your free 40-page PDF from MarketingSherpa, click on this link: MarketingSherpa Marketing Wisdom 2011 Special Report.   Enjoy!http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/2/2/get-the-marketingsherpa-marketing-wisdom-2011-report.aspxThu, 02 Feb 2012 14:45:00 GMTA week ago, Helene Campbell engaged in a twitter campaign to raise awareness for organ donations. In addition to her inspiring story, I have three other interesting stories of social networking in action. Perhaps these will inspire you to develop unique approaches that leverage social media to achieve specific goals.   #1. Inspiring: Donor Awareness via Twitter On January 18, Helene Campbell (20 years young, Ottawa) used twitter to ask Justin Bieber to help promote organ donation. As a ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/1/26/learning-from-social-networking-stories.aspxThu, 26 Jan 2012 14:44:00 GMTProfessionals outsource marketing requirements for many reasons, but it all comes down to solving a problem: a skills gap problem, an experience gap problem, a time crunch problem, etc. As a marketing communications consultant, I’m in the business of solving problems and, in doing so, I always strive to deliver what is “amazing.” The consultants that you hire either deliver what is “expected” or what is “amazing.” “Amazing” is different ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/1/18/delivering-amazing.aspxWed, 18 Jan 2012 14:42:00 GMT Maintaining relevancy and communicating with customers is critical to retaining existing relationships and attracting new ones. What tactic can you leverage to stay relevant in 2012?      A “digital newsletter” is an efficient marketing tactic to regularly touch your target audience. It doesn’t have to be long; in fact, the more concise the better. The key is to make it brief, make it relevant, make it valuable—and get it opened. Once you ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2012/1/10/stay-relevant-in-2012.aspxTue, 10 Jan 2012 14:36:00 GMTAbout 15 years ago, I took a one-day course on facilitating meetings. Since then I have facilitated many, many sessions. In particular, I enjoy facilitating brainstorming sessions. The creativity and participation level make the time enjoyable for everyone, and the outcomes make it time worth spent. Here are 8 ways to get the most out of your brainstorming sessions. #1 Agenda: Develop an agenda that defines the purpose of the meeting, the outcome that is desired, and the timeframe of the ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2011/8/28/8-insightful-brainstorming-best-practices.aspxSun, 28 Aug 2011 14:35:00 GMTThe majority of my time is spent promoting products and services to prospective customers. Once in a while, though, a client needs to promote their company to prospective new employees. Here are just 10 ideas to let new talent know that your company is hiring. Advertise jobs on an “advertising truck” ($): This is memorable! The truck drives around the city during the morning and evening commute. Run a monthly event (time): Are the majority of your employees engineers? ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2011/7/28/10-ways-to-promote-your-company-to-prospective-new-hires.aspxThu, 28 Jul 2011 14:34:00 GMTIf you have trade shows looming in the fall months, you’re probably planning them now. A successful trade show—or any event for that matter—is the result of sound planning and execution. 10 tactics to deliver a successful trade show Did you participate in this trade show last year? Read the Post-show Report. How can you improve as a result of what was learned? Read the Post-Show Report from the most recent trade show your company participated. How can you ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2011/6/26/ten-tactics-to-deliver-a-successful-trade-show.aspxSun, 26 Jun 2011 14:32:00 GMT         Although we still say “collateral” strategy, today, we're no longer talking about just print (or PDF brochures). We are talking about numerous forms of media: Corporate overview brochures, PPTs, videos, podcasts Product brochures, datasheets, demos, webcasts Solution web pages, ecosystem brochures, issues-based microsites, white papers... You see what I mean? With so many choices, how does a company define their ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2011/5/15/whats-a-e2809ccollaterale2809d-strategy.aspxSun, 15 May 2011 14:30:00 GMTI recently read customer research performed by a start-up company. Great stuff! If you are an established company, when was the last time you tested your marketing messages, your audience’s pain points, or your audience’s preferred buying cycle? Established businesses tend to forget the value of customer research. It’s because we know the customer so well; we talk with them every day. But internal and external environments change with the seasons. And the values- and ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2011/4/25/the-value-of-customer-research.aspxMon, 25 Apr 2011 14:29:00 GMTClients and creative professionals consistently commend me on my communications briefs. That’s because a solid brief gets the team to the desired result faster and more affordably. There are many variations of communications briefs. There’s the Creative Brief (advertisements, direct mail, etc.), Public Relations Brief, and Copywriting Brief, to name just a few. I believe that the primary purpose of the brief is to articulate what you are trying to achieve. By going through the ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2011/3/20/what-info-goes-into-a-communications-brief.aspxSun, 20 Mar 2011 14:27:00 GMTOver the years each of us has received a lot of advice from colleagues, direct reports, and “the boss.” Some of it may have made sense immediately; other advice may have taken a few years to appreciate.         Reputation: Don’t go to a meeting with a problem, go with a solution. People Management: Tell them what they did well, tell them where improvement is needed, tell them what they did well. Downsizing: The best thing ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2011/3/20/whats-the-best-advice-youve-ever-received.aspxSun, 20 Mar 2011 14:26:00 GMTDid you receive a higher volume of calls from sales people this month? I sure did. And most of them were pretty bad. Want to know the #1 reason they were bad? The companies didn’t do their research. Here’s an example. “Can I speak to the person in charge of your company’s IT requirements,” asks Mr. Sales Guy. “What, specifically, do you mean by my IT requirements?” “Your servers your computers,” replies Mr. Sales Guy. So I told him that I ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2011/2/27/mr-sales-guy-stop-wasting-my-time.aspxSun, 27 Feb 2011 14:24:00 GMT Any of us who communicate with prospects and customers via email newsletters are familiar with CAN-SPAM. The federal government has passed Bill C-28, which sounds similar to the CAN-SPAM regulations, but goes the extra mile to include social networking (e.g. twitter). The Bill is expected to be in force by summer. Here's a link to an article in the Ottawa Citizen on Bill C-28 that is a worthwhile read. Crosby out.http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2011/2/20/staying-within-the-laws-against-spam.aspxSun, 20 Feb 2011 14:23:00 GMT While in the USA recently, I came across these stats: Here are the stats in case you can't read the newspaper clipping: 54% - The number of adults who’ve checked their digital footprint in the last 5 months or less 19% - Never check their digital footprint 14% - Checked 6-12 months ago 13% - Checked more than 1 year ago The point here is that if you’re monitoring your digital footprint, then you’re managing your online reputation. In a social media savvy ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2011/2/13/do-you-check-your-digital-footprint.aspxSun, 13 Feb 2011 14:21:00 GMTEach year Marketing Sherpa issues a Marketing Wisdom Report. It's a collection of real-life marketing stories, test results, and lessons learned. To get your free 40-page PDF from Marketing Sherpa, click on this link: Marketing  Sherpa Marketing Wisdom 2010 Special Report. Enjoy! Crosby out.http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2011/1/21/get-the-marketing-sherpa-marketing-wisdom-2010-report.aspxFri, 21 Jan 2011 14:20:00 GMTIt’s a new year with a fresh slate. While every business needs to engage new prospects to grow their business, it’s just bad business to ignore existing, highly valuable customers. With that as the goal, here are 11 ways to engage your customers in twenty-eleven. Before you engage in these engaging ideas, keep in mind that you must (a) offer something that is valuable, (b) offer something that is relevant, and (c) keep your message succinct. 11 Ideas to Engage Your Customers ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2011/1/6/11-ideas-to-engage-your-customers-in-2011.aspxThu, 06 Jan 2011 14:19:00 GMTI believe that throughout 2011 marketers will continue to struggle to understand how and if social media is relevant. Mostly, when we think about social media, we think about social media marketing for the companies who employ us. But, we should also think about our own personal social media strategies. The best way to learn about social networks is to participate. The first step is to research each social network. Second step is to select which social networks you will ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/12/11/whats-your-personal-social-media-strategy.aspxSat, 11 Dec 2010 14:15:00 GMT Delivering exceptional customer service builds a company’s brand and, ultimately, makes a positive impact on your bottom line. Here’s a real-life story to illustrate seven benefits of delivering exceptional customer service. Each week I publish a blog article from my content management system (CMS) and then verify that it looks fine on my live website. As the result of a recent holiday, I hadn’t checked my website in about three weeks. So the next time I looked at it, I ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/11/14/7-benefits-of-delivering-exceptional-customer-service.aspxSun, 14 Nov 2010 14:10:00 GMT Now’s the time of year that marketing departments plan and implement their “Season’s Greetings Programs.” Some companies have a tried-and-true Season’s Greetings Program, while others do not. If you’ve been thinking of implementing your first-ever Season’s Greetings program—or thinking of changing up your tried-and-true program—here are some ideas to consider to wish your customers a happy holiday. Sending season ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/11/7/10-ways-to-wish-your-customers-a-happy-holiday.aspxSun, 07 Nov 2010 14:08:00 GMTWarning: The image on this page may be offensive to some viewers (yesterday was Hallowe’en ;-) Search engine optimization (SEO) continues to be an important consideration for companies wanting to be found on the web. You may not realize it, but you can SEO your PDF files. While content within a video cannot be indexed by search engines, the ‘surround’ content can be optimized.  I’ve read two good blog articles on best practices to get search engine spiders to ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/11/1/tips-for-seoing-pdfs-and-video.aspxMon, 01 Nov 2010 14:07:00 GMTMost projects that come my way are ones that I have a great deal of experience executing. This year, though, I was asked if I could help craft a product company’s Customer Bill of Rights. Having never heard of a Customer Bill of Rights—needs an acronym doesn’t it: CBR—I immediately googled and researched the topic. My research showed that, primarily, service companies are those that are articulating their CBRs; for example, airlines. That said, more and more product ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/10/18/have-you-heard-of-a-customer-bill-of-rights.aspxMon, 18 Oct 2010 14:05:00 GMTI spent two weeks in Italy; specifically, we spent time in Rome, Florence, Siena, and Venice. Have you ever been to Venice? That's a picture of Venice on the left. Venice is a culture onto itself. Built 'on water,' all of the roads are waterways. There are no cars in the city—amazing! But I digress. There’s nothing like visiting outside of North America to remind you of the marketing basics. Here are a few that I noted as we travelled through this bella ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/10/11/marketing-lessons-from-italy.aspxMon, 11 Oct 2010 14:03:00 GMT LinkedIn is a great forum for asking questions and getting well thought-out answers. Recently, someone asked what goes into an event debrief. Since I’m a firm believer in tracking the results of marketing initiatives, I was happy to provide a response. The value of a Post-Event Report starts with a solid Event Plan. Pre-event Read any historical evidence that was documented as a result of participating in this specific event in previous years, or similar events Do a ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/9/13/why-track-results-of-marketing-tactics.aspxMon, 13 Sep 2010 14:01:00 GMTRemember the movie Field of Dreams? Kevin Costner builds a baseball diamond in his back field with the belief that if he builds it, “They will come.” They being the baseball greats of yesteryears. And, they did come. But that’s Hollywood. This is the real world. When we build websites, we can’t rely on Kevin Costner’s approach. So why can’t we just hang the website out there in the web-o-scape and expect the phone to start ringing (or toning) with calls ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/9/3/is-your-website-a-field-of-dreams.aspxFri, 03 Sep 2010 13:59:00 GMTRenovating takes a lot of muscle—brain and brawn. Just ask the experienced contractors who spent 11 days working in my home! As I reflect on the project, I realize that the steps I took with the renovation project are much like the steps I take to develop successful marketing communications plans for businesses. First of all, let me state that I am an experienced renovateur. This is the third bathroom renovation project to which I have subjected my family. The powder room was an ad hoc ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/8/24/why-i-am-blogging-about-bathrooms.aspxTue, 24 Aug 2010 13:57:00 GMTYour customers are tapping their social networks to learn how to solve their business problems. For example, if they’re researching marketing automation tools, they may check out discussions on a LinkedIn group or ask tweeps for recommendations. Therefore, it makes sense to understand and manage how your company is being perceived in the social networking landscape. Market research firm, Invoke Solutions, recently studied how users of social networks [in the USA] perceive the advice ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/8/16/do-people-trust-the-advice-they-gain-from-social-networks.aspxMon, 16 Aug 2010 13:54:00 GMTHow do you feel when someone tells an inside joke, and you’re on the outside? Well, this is how our employees feel when they’re left out of the loop on the marketing initiatives. When employees are in the loop, they become brand ambassadors—and your greatest asset. So here’s a simple solution: The Marketing News Flash (MNF). The MNF is an email that provides a brief of the marketing initiative. I prefer to follow the 5W approach: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/8/8/are-your-employees-in-the-marketing-loop.aspxSun, 08 Aug 2010 13:52:00 GMT I think of LinkedIn as a social network for communications among business professionals; I think of Facebook as a social network for communications among friends and family. For this reason, I typically do not recommend that business-to-business (B2B) companies invest their valuable resources in Facebook to engage prospects. Facebook can be a valuable medium for business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing, though, and I received an excellent example of such a marketing initiative today. Here it ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/8/5/facebook-for-b2c-marketing.aspxThu, 05 Aug 2010 13:50:00 GMTIntegrating social media marketing into the marketing mix can achieve numerous goals for marketers: staying top-of-mind, positioning as a thought leader, positioning as an expert, improving customer service, recruiting new employees, etc. To achieve these goals, and depending on our target audiences, we choose from any of the following social networks: LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, blogs, and targeted discussion groups. Although eNewsletters are not a social media network, the point I ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/7/18/the-importance-of-subtlety-in-an-era-of-e2809cselfe2809d-promotion.aspxSun, 18 Jul 2010 13:46:00 GMTAs is often the case, a conversation with a colleague spawned today’s blog article. He asked me if I had experience setting up and supporting online communities. Years ago one would correctly guess that his question was about an online community on one’s website. Today, one can assume no such thing as an online community could refer to LinkedIn, Twitter, or a Blog/Guest Blog. [Cisco created a short-term online community for their recent Cisco Live event. This link takes you to my ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/7/12/yourcocomonlinecommunity-vs-linkedin-groups.aspxMon, 12 Jul 2010 13:28:00 GMTMore and more events are using social media networks to connect with a larger virtual audience, and tapping the live audience to exponentially extend the event’s reach. As marketers, it’s up to us to figure out how best to leverage these tools within our own event plans. What you leverage depends on your goals; your audience; your valuable and scarce resources (people, time); and whether you’re an attendee, exhibitor, or speaker (or the event organizer). Using Cisco Live as ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/7/5/integrating-social-media-and-event-planning.aspxMon, 05 Jul 2010 13:25:00 GMTIt’s happening more and more. We’re not reading the full email that appears on our mobiles. I’m not talking about promotional emails—I’m talking about business communications from our colleagues, customers, and partners. Because of real estate constraints (and distractions!), we think we’ve reached the end of the message but, in fact, we haven’t. Both sender and recipient are to blame. But is there a solution? Recipient: Scroll to the bottom of the ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/6/24/communicating-on-the-small-screen.aspxThu, 24 Jun 2010 13:23:00 GMTSteve Patrizi of LinkedIn, wrote an informative article for imedia connections. Click on How to Stand Out on LinkedIn to read the article. Here are a couple of my blog posts that include insights about LinkedIn: How Can Marketers Get the Most Out of LinkedIn? Did You Notice LinkedIn's New Status Field? Improve Your LinkedIn Profile Results of a Social Media Networking Survey reveals that 92% of upper management use LinkedIn. Crosby out.http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/6/17/how-to-stand-out-on-linkedin.aspxThu, 17 Jun 2010 13:20:00 GMTSix years ago the updateable content management system (CMS) for websites was just getting some buzz. Today, what marketer can live without ‘em? But, buyer beware. Many of my blog posts are inspired by customers. This is one such post. In the last month I’ve encountered two companies with sad CMS stories. Sad Story 1: The CMS that doesn’t offer a preview. Unbelievable but true. You have to publish the page to the public in order to see your mistake. Sad Story 2: The ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/6/7/the-joy-of-cms.aspxMon, 07 Jun 2010 13:14:00 GMTDo you ever read marketing articles and immediately see snapshots of colleagues (or avatars of tweeps!) who would benefit from the information? 21 Rules for Social Media Engagement is one of those articles. Over the past year I’ve read tweets that ask, “Do u have a #socialmediapolicy u can share?” I’ve read the question in LinkedIn discussions. As more companies add social media to their marketing mix—and more non-marketing subject matter experts transfer the ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/6/1/wondering-what-to-include-in-your-social-media-policy.aspxTue, 01 Jun 2010 13:13:00 GMT Google Alerts are email notifications of fresh Internet content of your choosing. A free service, it’s quick and easy to set up alerts that notify you when—for example—your company is mentioned in the tweetosphere, your competitors are mentioned in the blogosphere, or a relevant job opportunity is posted in the webosphere. The Google Alerts service has been available for a few years, but many of us could better leverage this tool. Here are 10 ways to maximize the ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/5/16/10-ways-to-use-google-alerts-to-your-advantage.aspxSun, 16 May 2010 13:11:00 GMTSlowly but surely a new form of the traditional press release is creeping into the news rooms of company websites. Driven by the proliferation of social ‘sharing,’ Internet search engine optimization (SEO) best practices, and the fact that the audience of the press release is no longer just journalists, it makes sense that the traditional news release template evolves with the times. News is no longer limited to traditional media like newspapers, TV, and radio. Consumers of ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/5/9/evolution-of-the-traditional-press-release.aspxSun, 09 May 2010 13:09:00 GMTA recent survey, Social Media’s Role in Decision Making by Business Professionals by The Society for New Communications Research (SNCR), found that 92% of B2B professionals use LinkedIn. I originally planned to write about 3 tactics you can use to get the most out of this powerful social media network, but my list quickly exploded to 7! #1. Expand your network. Every time you make a new acquaintance, invite him/her to join your network. Every time you login, you’re prompted with ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/5/2/how-can-marketers-get-the-most-out-of-linkedin.aspxSun, 02 May 2010 12:59:00 GMTThe “status” field in LinkedIn just got better—much better! While on LinkedIn last evening I noticed the improved status field. Here’s a quick snapshot of what I like about the enhancements LinkedIn has made to improve your social media marketing efforts. #1. Better explain why your content is relevant. Input your status in the usual way. Below the status field is a second field to add a URL. LinkedIn automatically searches it and populates a field with an image ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/4/23/did-you-notice-linkedins-enhanced-status-field.aspxFri, 23 Apr 2010 12:54:00 GMT Prospective customers are visiting your business website. Is it doing its job of opening a dialog? If it isn’t, you’re missing sales opportunities—worse yet, you didn’t even know there was a sales opportunity. Prospects may have landed on your website through organic search or paid search; through word of mouth or a trusted referral. Once they’ve landed, though, the only way you’re going to know about it is if your website convinces them you’re a ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/4/18/hows-that-website-working-for-you.aspxSun, 18 Apr 2010 12:50:00 GMTDid you know that 50% of marketing leads receive no follow-up from sales? If you fall into the half that follow up—congratulations! If you fall into the half that don’t, it’s time to take a hard look at your prospect nurturing process. The key to a solid nurturing program is to ensure the process is responsive, relevant, and repeatable. Step one: What is a “qualified” prospect? Define a “qualified” prospect. While it’s different for every ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/4/12/is-your-prospect-nurturing-process-responsive-relevant-repeatable.aspxMon, 12 Apr 2010 12:47:00 GMT If you’re in marketing, you’ve probably undergone a few experiences crafting the perfect boilerplate. It’s difficult right? Well, I came across this informative article by Jeremy Porter on the Journalistics blog entitled, How to Make Your Boilerplate Sizzle. After the preamble, Jeremy provides a template for crafting a boilerplate and a sample boilerplate. Definitely worth your time to read this article, and the comments posted by other ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/4/5/how-to-write-a-great-boilerplate.aspxMon, 05 Apr 2010 12:45:00 GMTToday, social media marketing is top of mind. So companies ask me, “Should we incorporate social media networks into our marketing communications mix?” The answer depends on what a company wants to achieve (goals/objectives), and whether their target audiences use social networks. As a marketing communications consultant, I am always on the lookout for new data to offer informed recommendations. Here are the results of a recent survey I read. CustomerThink published Social ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/3/29/results-of-a-social-media-networking-survey.aspxMon, 29 Mar 2010 14:42:00 GMTAbout ten years ago, marketing communications pros debated digital collateral versus print. I’m going to state the obvious: PDF won. I propose that it’s now time to rethink orientation: landscape PDF collateral or portrait?   Five reasons why landscape PDF collateral is an improvement over portrait #1. Your customers’ laptop, desktop, and tablet screens are landscape. (The inset picture is a combo laptop/tablet, which can be viewed in landscape or portrait). #2. ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/3/22/rethinking-orientation-landscape-collateral-v-portrait.aspxMon, 22 Mar 2010 12:37:00 GMTHere is a worthwhile 7:45 minute video that is packed with info you can use right now to improve your LinkedIn Profile. This video discusses how to make your profile more compelling via: Picture Headline Websites Summary Specialties Groups Keywords Blogs Interests Status updates Author: Lewis Howes Duration: 7:45 minutes Go to the Improve Your LinkedIn Profile now. Update: I turned a critical eye on my own LinkedIn ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/3/19/improve-your-linkedin-profile-and-the-power-of-video.aspxFri, 19 Mar 2010 12:35:00 GMTThe key to a successful plan is to ensure it is appropriately conceived. Are you developing a Marketing Communications Plan? An Event Plan? A Website Plan? In all cases, there are three harmonizing components that are foundational to the success of your plan. #1. Goals/Objectives Articulate what you need to achieve. Goals are statements of intent such as “increase revenue” or “build a reseller channel.” Goals are nothing without objectives. Ask yourself [and your ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/3/15/the-3-core-components-of-all-marcom-plans.aspxMon, 15 Mar 2010 12:31:00 GMT To blog or not to blog has been debated over the past decade. While I profess the benefits of blogging to clients, I’ve deferred for years because I don’t have time. Interestingly, that’s the same excuse I get from many of my clients (LOL!). I decided this year to make time; my goal is one post a week, which I believe is realistic. If you’re not blogging, here’s why you should set a goal and give blogging a second look. Five Reasons to Blog 1. Give your ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/3/8/to-blog-or-not-to-blog.aspxMon, 08 Mar 2010 12:27:00 GMTThe Winter Olympics was top of mind for the past two weeks. Now that the games have wrapped up, it’s time to reflect on successes and failures. This is similar to executing a marketing communications plan. Sports are strategic. Eyeing the gold medal, athletes sought coaches with the experience to help them achieve their goal. They put in hours of training. They fuelled their bodies with the appropriate nutrition. How is this like a marketing communications plan? When developing a ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/3/1/will-your-marketing-communications-plan-earn-you-a-spot-on-the-podium.aspxMon, 01 Mar 2010 12:24:00 GMT Earlier this month I blogged about the importance of investing time to craft an email signature that communicates an appropriate impression of you and your business (eSignatures: What’s Yours Telling Me about You? (Part 1)). Today’s blog covers how to construct eSigs that do double duty for you.   eSig Building Blocks A typical eSig includes two key messages: This is who I am. This is how you contact me. Wise businesses include a third promotional message: a succinct ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/2/22/esigs-make-your-esignature-do-double-duty-part-2.aspxMon, 22 Feb 2010 11:35:00 GMTUnexpectedly, Laurier Optical just rang my phone. The new glasses I ordered on Tuesday (today is Thursday) are ready for pickup. (Actually I ordered two pairs; too difficult to narrow the choice to one ;-) Because the optician had set an expectation that the new glasses would arrive on Monday, today's call was quite un-expected. Not so strangely, I'm more satisfied with the optician. It's such a pleasant surprise when a supplier is early rather than late. Exceeding ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/2/18/exceeding-customer-expectations.aspxThu, 18 Feb 2010 11:34:00 GMTWith the proliferation of YouTube, companies are turning to video to communicate their messages. I’ve also seen some very cool web-based interactive brochures that use video. Click here for one developed by Cyan Solutions based in Ottawa. The key to getting your message across appropriately is to ensure your body language enhances the message rather than detracts (or distracts) from the message. For this reason, whether you’re the person being videotaped, the ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/2/11/tips-for-looking-your-best-on-video.aspxThu, 11 Feb 2010 11:31:00 GMTA friend told me a story this weekend. A story that marketers will find interesting. Just before Christmas my friend purchased a flora lamp from Lee Valley Tools. A week ago she received a letter from this same retailer. Inside was a cheque for $18 and a letter explaining that they had dropped the price of the flora lamp in their new catalogue. $18 was the difference. Wow! Leveraging a powerful data mining tool, a bit of time, and $18, Lee Valley Tools is elevating their brand reputation ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/2/7/good-will-hunting.aspxSun, 07 Feb 2010 11:28:00 GMTI’ve seen a lot of email signatures—eSigs as I like to call them. I’ll bet you have too. Like conjuring a face from the voice you hear on the phone, an eSig conjures an image of the sender. As is all too frequent, the person is rarely identical to the mind’s eye. But, because an eSig is a powerful tool that will move from PC to PC to PC as you connect with influencers and decision makers about your product or service offering, as a marketing communications ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/2/4/esigs-whats-yours-telling-me-about-you-part-1.aspxThu, 04 Feb 2010 11:21:00 GMTPreamble: As a guest blogger, I contributed this article to the FreedomCafe Blog on January 27, 2010. FreedomCafe speaks to solopreneurs, so as you read this article, think of your particular business, and what you and your team can do to wow your unique customers. On to the article... You’ve heard this often: It costs less to keep your current customers than it does to find new ones. What can you do to wow your clients so they keep them coming back for more and they ...http://www.targetinsight.ca/article/2010/2/2/5-ways-to-wow-your-customers.aspxTue, 02 Feb 2010 11:15:00 GMT