Vol. 5 , No. 13     March 28, 2006

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Premium Content

Elaine Fogel
Electronic vs. Print: The Evolution of the Company Newsletter (Part 1 of 2)

Of the many marketing communications vehicles available, few have the longevity of the customer newsletter. In many organizations, it's evolved into the cost-effective and timely e-newsletter.

But those who choose to use one channel exclusively over the other may not be making the best marketing decision. The truth is: both have their strengths and weaknesses.

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Please note: This article is available to paid subscribers only. Get more information or sign up here.

William Arruda
A View From the Top: Why Some of the Best Marketers Are Women

Patricia Hume, global VP of Avaya, gives her own views from the top about what she looks for in new hires, why she sometimes hugs her co-workers, and why women just might be the best marketers.

Get the full story.

Or play the podcast! You can listen to the full interview through your computer. Or download the MP3 file and take it with you.



Note: Podcast recordings are available to paid members only. Get more information or sign up here.

Michael Fischler
The Four Colors of Market Planning

To create a complete marketing plan, one that drives near- and longer-term marketing action, I need only four "colors."

Here's how structuring the "color set" will help you focus your research, derive relevant conclusions, and then use all that information to create workable, living action plans for your marketing efforts.

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A key component of your marketing plan is your competitive analysis. For help with this step, please also see our new Marketing Template. Click this button to download the PDF.



Note: This Marketing Template is available to paid members only. Get more information or sign up here.

A Note to Readers

Launching Today: MarketingProfs
Daily Fix!

Greetings, discerning readers!

It's a banner day here at MarketingProfs! Today we launch the MarketingProfs Daily Fix, a group weblog featuring news, analysis, commentary, and opinion on advertising, marketing, and business-related issues—both offline and online. Think of it as a sort of Huffington Post for marketing (but without the politics, clunky design, and Clooney-gate).

Like the HuffPost, in fact, Daily Fix has a dual nature. First, there's analysis, opinion, and commentary on news (and newsy kind of stuff) from our stellar collection of 20-plus writers, a number that will undoubtedly grow over time. Second, there's the news itself.

The day's top stories, updated on the blog regularly, are provided by our good friends at Watershed Publishing, publisher of MarketingVOX and MediaBuyerPlanner. (Publisher Tig Tillinghast, in fact, is one of the industry luminaries who'll be writing for the Daily Fix. He has the best sidekick. Be sure to check out his photo.)

You might be wondering, "Why a blog? Why now?" To tell you the truth, yesterday I started to ask myself that question, too. By late afternoon, low blood sugar and pre-launch details were putting me in a slump, and I thought, "After years of having worked a daily newspaper beat, am I nuts?!"

I talk more about the madness in today's issue of Daily Fix, so check out my inaugural column (as well as my amended "Recipe for a Blog," originally created by Poynter's Chip Scanlan).

But for those of you inpatient sorts... here's the short answer: There are so many great minds writing great stuff out there, it seems a shame NOT to give authors and readers a place to come together. So often, I come across content or a submission that strikes me as a good read but isn't necessarily a great fit for the newsletter. Creating the MarketingProfs Daily Fix gives us a chance to share some of those additional insights with you.

My hope is that the Daily Fix will become an engaging, interesting, lively daily stop for many of you—a place to read the news and opinions of the day.

Thanks for checking it out. And please—let me know what you think. As always, but especially today, your feedback is both welcome and appreciated.

Until next week (or tomorrow, depending on where you look),

Ann Handley
ann@marketingprofs.com
Chief Content Officer
MarketingProfs

Last Issue's Top 5

Newly Posted Jobs

Nick Usborne
How to Beat the Competition With Your AdWords Campaigns

Nothing gets the adrenalin pumping quite like an AdWords campaign that delivers a strong ROI. Success brings a big grin on your face when you realize you can invest more in the campaign, expand the base of keywords, and make even more money. The more you spend, the more you make.

It's a great moment, while it lasts. But the problem is, it doesn't. There will come a point when you hit a plateau. You have tested and optimized different headlines, body text and ad groups, you have adjusted the bid prices, and included just about every related keyword you can imagine. What now?

Get the full story.

Paul McKeon
Lead-Generation Case Study: How Multiple Touches Can Lead to Profit Multiples

Salespeople are notoriously poor in following up on qualified leads. In fact, experts say, sales does not follow up on more than 70% of leads. Why? Field salespeople in most organizations are compensated, motivated, and managed to focus on short-term opportunities, not on the pipeline.

Contrast that scenario with the strategic marketing experts at CenterBeam, a San Jose-based IT outsourcing firm that provides IT outsourcing services on a fee-for-service basis. By making the lead-generation process a cornerstone of its strategic marketing program, CenterBeam is getting many of its sales from long-term leads cultivated on the "farm"—and a ten-to-one return on its outside investment in the farmers. Here's how.

Get the full story.

B.L. Ochman
Beware the Stealth Interview

Thanks to the time constraints and laziness of both traditional journalists and bloggers, you may be quoted in a story (sometimes at length), without having been interviewed—the victim of a stealth interview. There was a big brouhaha when something similar happened to actor George Clooney recently, but it's really nothing out of the ordinary.

Get the full story.

Scott Davis
You're Only as Strong as Your Weakest Brand Touchpoint

After years of paying lip service to the importance of marketing while engineering and design ruled the roost, technology companies are learning that maybe they need to be more like other businesses after all.

Get the full story.

Contact

Publisher:Allen Weiss
amw@MarketingProfs.com

Content: Ann Handley
ann@MarketingProfs.com

Strategy and Development:
Roy Young
roy@MarketingProfs.com

Director of Premium Services
Val Frazee
val@MarketingProfs.com


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