Daily Mentions: Insights for the savvy

Your Expertise Is Needed By the Media

2012-02-09T20:29:00.001-06:00

Let's say for example you're watching the 6pm news. The anchor announces the top story, which is about the economy, then introduces the reporter that will be doing the story. The reporter gives us the broad strokes about key economic indicators and then there's a cut to her produced package. First, there's an interview with an economist, whose comments have been edited down to just a few salient points. Cut back to our reporter, who is now standing in front of a local restaurant. The reporter begins explaining how some small businesses are thriving despite the economy. The owner of the restaurant describes how she has paired a new service with select menu items. The camera pans around the establishment, giving us a good view of the interior. So although the story was about the economy, we met the owner of a local restaurant, learned something about the food and fare and we even got a glimpse of the ambiance as we watched diners enjoying their meals.

Have you ever wondered how reporters go about picking that regular person or business to feature in a news story? Of course they have contacts, but these are often noted experts in a given field. But what about the woman that clips so many coupons that she spends about $10.00 a month on average for groceries? Or the teen that volunteers for an after school reading program? How likely is it that a reporter would have them in their contacts? Not very. But there's a great way for regular people and business owners to get this type of exposure by sharing their expertise. It's Help A Reporter Out, or HARO, the source repository that pairs over 30,000 members of the media with sources just like you.

Here's HARO founder Peter Shankman with a quick overview:

You can register for free, and receive three media opportunities a day delivered to your inbox. There are other packages that offer more, but these costs.

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Not Getting Ink? Then Self-Publish

2012-02-01T04:53:00.003-06:00

I recently came across a blog post by investor, writer, entrepreneur James Altucher. In it, he talks about his decision to move from traditional publishing to self-publishing, and the benefits and process of self-publishing. In fact, Altucher says entrepreneurs should also be self-publishers. I have written a couple of books myself (although I've only published one of them), but those books had nothing at all to do my business. So his piece is quite timely because my plan is to self-publish an ebook or two on marketing and small business development.   Self-publishing can be a low-cost way to create new marketing and promotional opportunities, to expand your brand and create another revenue stream (though probably a small one, but then again, you never know).

Altucher has published eight books, of which three were self-published.  He says that after considering the dwindling profit margins in the publishing industry, along with numerous other headaches such as the time it takes between having your book accepted and it being published ( usually about a year), he'll only self-publish from now on. This makes perfectly good sense given that technology can shrink the timeline to two or three weeks from when you write your book to it being available for people to read it.

You may have heard of Altucher, especially if you're into investing, he's built a couple of successful financial websites, written for the Wall Street Journal and featured weekly on CNBC. You'd think that with his high profile he'd rather skip the grunt work and stick with traditional methods. Not so. Granted, he's had some rocky times with traditional publishers, but he says he'll never go back. And that's understandable.  He spent a whopping $70 to self-publish his first book, using Amazon's createspace.com (that included formatting for Kindle).  From what I know about self-publishing, that seemed unusually low. But after reading how he did it, I can see how it's possible.  By the way, I'd appreciate it if you'll use the Amazon search box on this site when looking up createspace.com.

Also, drop me a line, or post a comment, and I'll tell let you know if you qualify to have your ebook published and marketed for free.

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Like Produce, Website Content Should Be Fresh

2012-01-23T16:51:00.005-06:00

If you've ever gone to the produce section at your local supermarket looking for fresh strawberries only to find pints of over-ripened, browning fruit, you know what a turn-off that is. It's pretty much the same thing with your website. Attracting visitors is only one part of the equation, getting them to come back again and again is the other.

Keeping your website updated takes commitment and a little extra time, but is well worth the effort. Here are some tips for maintaining a website that will keep your visitors (and potential) customers coming back for more.

Content is king. Offer as much useful content as possible. If you don't have one already, consider starting a blog. Because this can be time-consuming, you might want to consider occasionally inviting a guest to write on a special topic. Another great way to expand your content is to add a podcast and videos.
If your business involves frequently changing information, you should regulary update your website to reflect these changes. Such information might include prices, stocks or inventory.
If you use white papers, articles or abstracts, add to or replace these items every couple of months.
Be consistent. If you change your marketing materials, are adding or discontinuing a product or service, make the necessary changes on your website.
Adding an industry-related news feature can also be another source of fresh content.

I realize that frequently updating your website can be a costly endeavor if you are using a web developer to make the changes. You might want to consider re-negotiating the terms of your agreement, perhaps extending the service contract in exchange for more flexiblility in making changes to your site.

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It's Loco Not to Be Local

2012-01-17T13:44:00.004-06:00

Here's some good news for SMBs: According to a recently released survey from American Express, an overwhelming majority of Americans place a high value on small local businesses. Of those surveyed, 89% said they believe that small businesses contribute positively to their local communities; 93% said they believe it’s important for people to support the small businesses they value in their community, and 87% believe that small business success is a critical element of overall U.S. economic health.

But the survey respondents also offered more than warm and fuzzy feelings towards small businesses. The study also indicates that consumers are putting their money where their mouths are when it comes to spending at local small businesses. Nearly one third of monthly discretionary spending is done at locally-owned, independent businesses, with just over $100 per month spent at their favorite store.

Consumers are clearly demonstrating a commitment to local SMBs, so take every opportunity to utilize marketing streams that are local-centric. Register at sites that showcase local commerce and can influence a buyer's decision such as Yelp, Yahoo Local Listings, Google Places, Citysearch, MerchantCircle, Insider Pages and many more.

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Market Your Business By Sharing Your Knowledge

2012-01-13T16:39:00.004-06:00

How often do you find yourself taking time to read about or listen to information that can help you improve your business? I bet it's quite often. In fact, you're probably reading this blog because you want to learn more about marketing and advertising your business. You're not alone. There are millions of people surfing the web, looking for answers that can help them to do everything from cooking gluten-free meals to studying for state certification.

You can gain valuable exposure for your business by offering your expertise to a highly targeted market of web surfers. As I discussed in a previous post, sharing can be a very important step in building your business. Offer your expertise as a free service, whether its answering questions directly, posting how-to videos, writing articles, blogging or producing podcasts. Helping others to learn can be an important part of your marketing strategy.

I'm not speculating about the benefits of knowledge sharing. For years, marketing gurus have used this technique to build name recognition and grow their businesses (think of the many free videos and ebooks that are available). Creators of good quality free content not only position themselves as experts, but build trust for their brand, and can increase conversion rates from website visitors to customers.

Give it some serious thought. And don't fret about giving away too much information. The important thing to remember is that you want to be able to share in a way that helps others and creates interest in your business.
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Facebook Launches Another Interesting Ad Option: Featured Stories

2012-01-11T13:55:00.000-06:00

(Happy New Year! Having completed my latest project, news-op.com, it's time to get back to sharing information that can help small and mid-sized businesses enhance their marketing and advertising efforts)

Facebook, (which in my humble opinion is one of SMBs greatest web resource) has done it again. By now, everyone is familiar with the recently launched Sponsored Stories. These are similar to regular Facebook ads, in that they are fee-based, but they differ because they are about your Friends' and Pages' activities on Facebook--stories that are already eligible to be in the news feed. However, Sponsored Stories are almost always in the ticker, and identified as being a "Sponsored Story". But still, Sponsored Stories are a step above a regular Facebook ad.

But wait, there's more. Today, Facebook launched it's Featured Stories. Now we're talking about ad exposure! Featured Stories will be embedded in the news feed and will not be identified as an ad. In other words they will look like any other posts. Users will only be able to determine the "post" as ad by the word ‘Featured’, which is greyed out underneath the post. When you hover over the word it will show you exactly why a particular post has been featured in your feed. Facebook is guarding against flooding users' news feeds with paid ads by promising that just one Featured Story will appear each day in a users' news feed.

Undoubtedly, this new advertising option will drum up debate, both pros and cons. But for the small and mid-sized business owner, let's welcome another opportunity to advertise on a larger, yet comparatively inexpensive scale.

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This Saturday's Video: Playing with Poop?

2011-09-10T12:15:00.000-05:00

Ok, like most other girls, I went through my Barbie phase. I also love cute little doggies. And I try to be environmentally responsible. But today's video leaves me wondering, was Mattel really targeting our little brothers with this one? Check out this commercial from Mattel featuring Barbie and her dog Tanner. And tell me, who would this appeal to most, boys or girls?

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What's In a Brand?

2011-09-08T02:43:00.003-05:00

Just pick up any marketing or advertising trade publication, or visit the numerous websites focusing on these industries, and you'll come across endless articles about the brand. I've have read many definitions of what a brand is, even what it is not. I've also found that there are as many different definitions, or interpretations of what constitutes a brand, as there are experts. My own definition is really quite simple. A brand is the essence of your business, represented distinctively and consistently.
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Is Your Business Being Hurt By You?

2011-09-07T02:04:00.000-05:00

Running your own business has been a lifelong dream, and you've made it a reality. You're giving it your all, being the chief cook and bottle washer, not to mention the incredibly long hours. But for some reason, you are not building the kind of loyal customer base that's critical for long term success.

Well, maybe you're overlooking something that customers actually notice right away. Are you running a sloppy business? I'm not talking about things like dirty windows, or tall grass, but the finer details which help to create the all so important image of your business in a customer's mind. Here are three areas that you can not afford to neglect:
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Don't Cast a Wide Net: Targeting Just As Important for SMBs

2011-09-05T10:11:00.000-05:00

Two of the following three statements are valid. Do you know which one isn't?

The weak economy is taking a very tough toll on SMBs.
Streamlining is very important, but shouldn't include eliminating your marketing/advertising budget.
In a tough economy, targeting your marketing/advertising is wasteful--you should cast a wide net.

If you chose number 3, then you're right. As tempting as it might be to stretch your marketing and advertising dollars by spending it any and everywhere without consideration of your target market, it's a mistake to do so.

It's of critical importance that you identify the consumers who are most likely to buy your product. And those are the consumers who are most likely to benefit from your product or service. If you take the approach of buying ad space in the local car club magazine because the price is very affordable, but you are selling shoes, then you're probably wasting valuable ad dollars. Sure, you may attract a couple of people that will by a pair of shoes, but because you failed to hit your target, your return on investment will likely be negligible.

Even larger companies can make the mistake of failing to target their marketing efforts. Simon Dumenco writes in Advertising Age about the likely advertising miscalculations of daily deal-maker, Groupon, which is currently hemorrhaging cash. Which makes the point that employing a targeted approach to any marketing or advertising campaign, not only is the best way to reach those who are most likely to buy from you, but it also helps to avoid wasting precious resources on people who are not interested or ticking people off with another "pesky ad".

In a previous post on this blog, 10 Ways SMBs Can Engage Customers in a Tight Economy, in point number two, I said that you should be diversifying your marketing/advertising. Remember, that means spreading your dollars around--some social, some traditional, etc., but not doing so without a strategy to reach your target--there is a difference.

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This Saturday's Video: Rhett and Link Strike Again!

2011-09-03T13:58:00.003-05:00

Today's video brings together two things that I really like; Commericals by Rhett and Link, the Commercial Kings and low-budget local commericals. BTW, would you get your hair cut at this salon?

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10 Ways SMBs Can Engage Customers in a Tight Economy

2011-09-01T18:36:00.007-05:00

Daily Mentions returns from it's break today. Thanks for stopping by.

Yesterday, Bloomberg reported that more than one million self-employed Americans decided to shut the doors to their businesses due to the recession. According to Kristin Arslen, president and chief executive officer of the Washington, D.C.-based National Association for the Self-Employed, diminishing opportunities and few customers are behind the failure of so many small businesses. Despite the promises made by politicians, few are able to simply wait for the eventual economic turnaround.

However, according to Arlen, some small businesses are actually thriving in this anemic economy. These are businesses that have been awarded state and federal contracts, or are in the healthcare or technology sectors. Good for them. But what about the majority of small businesses that don't get
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This Saturday's Video

2011-06-18T05:44:00.002-05:00

One passenger on Amtrak apparently did not like the "quiet car" restrictions. As you'll see from the video, not only is she unwilling to abide by the rules, but she is "very well educated." If she came to you for advice on how to repair her image after being caught on tape behaving badly, what would you recommend?

DAILY MENTIONS POSTINGS WILL RESUME ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

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Physical Store Equalizer: Making Online Stores Pay More

2011-06-13T21:09:00.001-05:00

Here's a question for you: Should retailers that have brick and mortar stores pay less for the products they purchase from manufacturers than their online competitors do? I ask this question because I recently read an article by Rafi Mohammed, a pricing strategy consultant, and author of The 1% Windfall: How Successful Companies Use Price to Profit and Grow .

Mr. Mohammed says they absolutely should. In the Harvard Business Review article, he shared an experience he had while shopping for a television set last Christmas to illustrate the point.

"I searched around online, and settled on a highly-discounted model from an Internet retailer. Before buying it, I stopped in at Sears to check its selection. A helpful sales associate came by to talk about my choice. I'd focused on brand and pixel clarity as my primary criteria. The associate explained why I should also focus on other attributes such as the refresh rate (important for fast moving images) and LED backlight (which provides brighter display and greater contrast). That brief tutorial made me rethink my purchase — and in retrospect, he saved me from buying a model I'd have regretted."

For years, we've been told that people are willing to pay premium price for great service. But according to Mr. Mohammed, that idea may soon be a thing of the past As it was demonstrated in his television shopping example, perhaps people want the best of both worlds.

"It's time for a new system in which manufacturers help compensate physical retailers for the value they bring to the sales proposition. They can do that by offering brick and mortar retailers lower wholesale prices than their web counterparts. I call this discount the Physical Store Equalizer, or PSE," added Mohammed.

I think Mr. Mohammed's idea is interesting but I think it somehow goes against the grain of a free market system. Retailers that own physical stores will do what they've always done, come up with new and better ways to attract customers. Maybe they'll even come up with innovative ways to get information-seeking customers to commit. And what about online operations, wouldn't that penalize them for not having a physical store? I'm not quite sure, but PSE just seems to over-reach in the quest to equal the playing field.

So what do you think about the Physical Store Equalizer theory?

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This Saturday's Video

2011-06-11T12:37:00.002-05:00

Chances are there are lots of interesting stories that you can share about your business. Marketing your business is not always about the direct sell. Have you thought about sharing the things that your company is doing that are outside the sales channel? What about charitable and volunteer participation? Do your employees play in a league? Share your stories with the world. Invest in a digital HD video camera such as the Hero from GoPro. For less than $300 bucks you can capture all the action in high quality high def. And for another couple of hundred dollars, you can purchase a piece of stabilizing equipment to avoid those annoying jittery shots. If you want to create effects, trim scenes, add text or play with transitions and more, use video editing software, such as Cyberlink's PowerDirector 9 Deluxe (less than $50). You'll have a professional looking video that will add another dimension to your marketing efforts when you place it in your social networks.

Considering the fact that you run a small business, would it be worth your time to produce a video to showcase a non-sales activity?

Ringing Up Sales with Long-Form Advertising (Part 2)

2011-06-09T00:12:00.005-05:00

In part one of this post (yes, I realize that it was nearly two weeks ago, and for that I apologize to you) I covered long-form advertising for television. In this post, I want to talk about using long-form advertising, or infomercials or paid programming, on radio. Having been a radio talk show host for many years, I have a special fondness for radio. I really like radio for both the intimacy and the immediacy of the medium.

The problem with most infomercials is that they come off as one big sales pitch. Of course they are, but I think that stations, both radio and television, do their advertisers a disservice by having a more-or-less "hands-off" approach to this form of advertising, which by the way, helps to shore up a station's bottom line. By "hands-off" I refer to the common practice of accepting the advertiser's cash, but doing little else in terms of production value, or anything else that might help to make the paid program successful. I fully understand that there are legal considerations, thus the need for disclaimers, but still, stations could do so much more to help advertisers with their infomercials.

A few years back, when my nightly program was cancelled to make way for a nationally syndicated show, I was eased over to weekends and fronted a few paid programs. I decided going in that I would approach the new gig quite differently than paid programs traditionally are done. I talked with the client and told him that I had some ideas to help make his show sound better. He liked my ideas and they worked very, very well. I worked with this particular client for nearly two years. Along the way, I also worked with a couple others and each time, I approached them with my ideas, and each client enjoyed tremendous success.

I took those strategies for radio infomercials and I then developed them into a proprietary system which I use with my clients that want to produce a radio infomerical. In short, a successful radio infomercial depends on many of the same variables as a tv infomercial: the product should be something that people will want to purchase; the pitchman (or woman) must know the product thoroughly, and the pitch person doesn't necessarily have to be you.

The keys to success when doing a radio infomercial is to play to the medium's strengths; as best possible, try to create a show that is as seamless as possible from the station's format, and finally, don't hard sell, relax and talk just as you would to a friend about your product or service.

Take a listen to an infomerical that I "co-hosted" where the client was selling real estate and financial services. I selected this particular show for this post because there were some technical problems--and that's the kind of thing that can happen when doing live radio. I think that a more organic approach actually appeals to listeners more than a highly scripted show. Unfortunately, there's no capacity for inserting an audio file with Blogger, so, you'll have to follow the link to my website, and near the top of the page, right next to the Blogger logo is a media player, click play to listen to the infomercial.

What do you think are the pros and cons of infomercials?

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Test

2011-06-06T17:11:00.002-05:00

Test

This Saturday's Video

2011-05-28T11:14:00.002-05:00

I've discovered a very sweet treat for gummy bear lovers the world over.

Would you partake of this confectionery behemoth?

Ringing Up Sales with Long-Form Advertising (Part 1)

2011-05-26T21:19:00.000-05:00

There are many options when it comes to advertising. But here's one I bet you haven't thought much about, long-form advertising. Long-form advertising, also known as an infomercial, has helped to make many entrepreneurs wildly successful. Of course, they are still many others who have gone bust while attempting to sell a new product with an infomercial, Personally, I like long form advertising. It gives the advertiser a lot more time to talk about the benefits of the product. And depending on the medium, consumers can ask questions and get an immediate response. Compared with a :30 or :60 second spot, consumers benefits more from an infomercial by having access to more information, seeing how a product works, being able to ask questions and hearing testimonials. In terms of cost, it comes down to content vs. frequency. I'll talk more about this in the next post or two.

However there are a couple of non-negotiable factors that must be in place in order for an infomercial to work. First, the product or service should be something that people will want to buy. Sounds obvious right? Well it's not. Do you remember the Slumber Sleeper or the Beer Burglar Alarm? Exactly. Next, you need a pitch person that is both knowledgeable and passionate about your product or service. Although it's your product/service, it doesn't mean that you're the best person to front your infomercial. You might want to consider a paid spokesperson. This is someone you'll compensate to represent your product or service. The late Billy Mays is a great example of a very successful paid pitchman. He was best known for his association with OxiClean, but he also represented several other products.

If however, you embody the passion and presence for tv, then hosting your own infomercial is the way to go. The one person that personifies a successful television infomercial salesman is none other than Ron Popeil. In fact, I consider him to be the king of the television infomercial, a marketing/infomercial genius. Mr. Popeil's inventions have been bought by millions, but that never would have happened without his incredible talent to sell in the long-form advertising format. I encourage you to read his bio. He learned a great deal at his father's knee, but Popeil mastered the art of selling in an infomercial. Popiel took his father's inventions, the Chop-O-matic and the Veg-o-matic and made them household names.

Popiel also introduced us to the Popeil Pocket Fisherman (I really wanted one of these), Mr. Microphone (I really, really wanted one of these), and the Showtime Rotisserie (not that I needed it, but I wanted to be able to just "set it and forget it"). There are about a dozen other products from his company Ronco, that Popeil has successfully sold using infomercials.

But wait...there's more. In part two of this post, we'll take a look at radio infomericals, including one in which I co-hosted.

Have you ever purchased a product that was advertised in an infomercial?

Another Way Technology is Leveling the Playing Field

2011-05-24T19:22:00.000-05:00

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, in business, technology is really the great equalizer. Small and mid-sized businesses can compete in ways they never would have been able to just a few years ago. They can pretty sell anywhere they choose, tapping into previously unapproachable markets. If you sell soap, the Internet allows for a global client base. No longer do the mom and pops of the world have to sit back and dream about expansion. Anyone with a well-designed website that has quality shopping cart software, and the appropriate fulfillment and distribution systems can have the same web presence as a multinational corporation.

Marketing and advertising options have also greatly improved for SMBs thanks to technology. And the one device that I believe holds the most promise going forward is your cell phone. A great example is text marketing or Short Message Service (SMS). In fact, SMS marketing is one of the fastest growing marketing channels, and for good reason too. Mobile phones are everywhere; audience measures on mobiles are 9 times more accurate than the Internet, and 90 times more so than tv.

The benefits are quite significant; when a mobile user texts your business, it's to request information or participate in your offer, so that's even better than permission marketing; you can get started for well under $100; you can create promotionals that require a quick response--and get it; you can develop creative promotionals that require an action such as forwarding your text to a friend, and of course the mobility factor can greatly increase traffic into your place of business.

Are you currently using text marketing? If you haven't thought much about using text messaging in your marketing plan, then perhaps it's time to consider it. Send me your feedback.

This Saturday's Video

2011-05-21T09:50:00.019-05:00

I'm still here, but according to California preacher Harold Camping, not for long. Today's video features a report on Rev. Camping's prediction of the rapture, but more importantly (far more importantly) is the fact that Rev. Camping seems to see all the hoopla as a good thing to give his church more attention, and at the end of the report, you'll also see they've made arrangements to collect more money on the heals of this publicity. So the question is, "Is any publicity really good publicity"? Let me know what you think.

Back To Business

2011-05-17T16:24:00.000-05:00

I'll post a new blog tomorrow. I've just about recovered from sending two of my daughters to prom this weekend.

Thanks,

Deborah

National Small Business Week is May 16-20th

2011-05-12T09:26:00.000-05:00

Each year, the Small Business Administration sets aside one week as National Small Business Week (NSBW) to recognize the nation's small businesses. There are approximately 27 million small businesses in the US, and they account for the creation of between 60-80% of all new jobs.

Throughout the week, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, DC is where the SBA will recognize the achievements of outstanding small businesses, present speakers from government and business who will address topics such as procurement, financial assistance, social media, exporting and growth strategies. The cost for the full conference is $550, but you can also select specific events to attend that are priced separately. But you don't have to go to DC for the SBA's conference, you can watch a live webcast.

In just the past couple of days, I've heard radio commericals from banks offering special packages for small businesses as a promotional tie-in to NSBW. In a web search, I also found other businesses offering special services to small business for NSBW, such as Sam's Club, which is offering a range of services and product discounts. Any time is a good time to take advantage of a great offer, and with the economy still struggling to recover, it's good to see increased efforts to support small businesses, which are the backbone of our economy.

Will you participate in any organized events for NSBW?

Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2011

2011-05-11T13:50:00.001-05:00

In some ways, the internet is still a new frontier. While we all know how to surf the net, the steady emergence of new technology and applications, keeps privacy advocates scrambling to find ways for consumers to maintain their anonymity (or as much as possible).

So it's no surprise that privacy advocates were elated to learn that Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) has introduced the Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2011. This is not the first federal bill of its kind (on the state level, California is considering similar legislation), but this one would allow consumers to "opt out", preventing ad companies and other networks from tracking their online activities. Chris Calabrese, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) legislative counsel, called Rockefeller's bill "a crucial civil liberty protection for the 21st century." But Do-Not-Track should not be compared with the Do-Not-Call list which prevented marketers from calling consumers. Rockefeller's bill is designed to prevent consumers from receiving targeted ads, but they will still be exposed to some ads.

If passed, the legislation would have far-reaching implications. Most notably for the online advertising industry and for mobile phone networks, both of which are key players in targeted behavioral advertising. The bill would allow for service providers to collect information needed from consumers to provide a particular service, but once that service has been provided, the information must be promptly deleted. It is likely that most consumers will welcome added online privacy protection, especially in light of the recent news that both Apple and Google were collecting data on the location of users of their respective mobile phones.

As both a consumer and member of the advertising/marketing industries I can see where both sides are coming from. However, one question that I would like answered is how will the proposed changes impact small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) that advertise online? SMBs use targeted online advertising such as Google Adwords, disproportionally more than bigger companies. If lots of people choose to opt out, what sort of impact will this have on the online advertising efforts of SMBs?

This should be interesting.

Do you support the Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2011?

Direct Mail and 2D Code, A Match Made In Heaven

2011-05-09T17:20:00.004-05:00

I will resume posting on Daily Mentions on Thursday, September 1, 2011.

I am re-posting the following since I received feedback following the original post that 2D Code was out of the reach of small businesses. I personally reponded to those who took the time to send me an email. As I stated, 2D Code is yet another tool for marketing. Here's the post, and as always I welcome your feedback. See 'ya on the 1st.

Today, small and mid-sized businesses are approaching marketing and advertising much like large companies; they are using a multi-tiered approach. Today we'll look at direct mail. It may seem that direct mail has taken a backseat to social media, and in a way it has. Everyone's talking about social media. There are forums, seminars and webinars to help us learn new and better applications for its use. But direct mail has not been idle.

Increasingly, we're beginning to see direct mail marketing incorporating technology. Savvy marketers are embedding their brochures, envelopes, fliers and postcards. Embedded code is helping to improve cross media marketing, and can increase your direct mail campaign ROI.

If you haven't already, you can expect to start seeing tags embedded with two dimensional (2D) code being used in direct mail. Two of the most popular are QR code and Data Matrix. Both are 2D codes (as opposed to the older 1D barcodes). Data Matrix actually preceded QR code, but holds only half the number of alphanumeric characters as QR code. Data Matrix is believed to be more secure than QR code, but Data Matrix doesn't use Japanese characters (Kanji). And since the Japanese are wild over QR code (it recognizes Kanji), it has emerged as the preferred code there, and increasingly, here in the US.

2D codes can contain text, URL or other data, and is readable by a dedicated barcode scanner or a camera phone. This is an example of 2D code:

This little bitty square is beginning to change the game for direct mail. I think of it as bringing your mailer to life. For example, let's say you own a shoe store. You're planning to mail large postcards to advertise your summer shoe collection. The postcard includes a QR code that has been encoded with your website's URL. When the postcard is scanned, visitors will be directed to your website where they can see more selections. Maybe you have a discount pin number on your site that can used for your 12 hour sale. If the scan was done by a mobile phone, there's a chance that the user is in his or her car and will head over to buy. Or perhaps an aspiring recording artist hands out business cards with a QR code which when scanned will send the user to a mp3 stored online to hear his music. Just think of the possibilities.

You can create your own 2D code. There are numerous code generators (especially QR) available for free online. Just do a google search. Sometimes for a fee (and sometimes there is no fee), you can get added features such as code tracking, editing and analytics.

It's this kind of cross media marketing that is helping to level the playing field for SMBs.

How would you use 2D code in your direct mail campaign?