7 Ways to Avoid Overcommitting with Marketing
Advertising, B2B Marketing, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Websites Advertising, B2B Marketing, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Websites

7 Ways to Avoid Overcommitting with Marketing

Even if you have the budget to execute marketing projects and a marketing agency standing by to help, there’s another factor that can impact your success: Your internal marketing bandwidth. Someone on your team has to make all that marketing happen -- and it's easy to get in over your head. Here’s how to prevent this problem in your smart marketing strategy.

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When Bad Data Happens to Good Direct Mail
Advertising, B2B Marketing, Creative, Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy Advertising, B2B Marketing, Creative, Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy

When Bad Data Happens to Good Direct Mail

Customer and prospect data drives direct mail marketing. Data that’s outdated, inaccurate, or poorly processed can turn a good direct mail campaign into a wasted opportunity. Here are two examples of excellent mailings that failed because smart marketers that are usually highly skilled users of the channel relied on the wrong data.

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Is that Super Bowl Ad a Smart Marketing Strategy?
Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy

Is that Super Bowl Ad a Smart Marketing Strategy?

The Super Bowl is marketing nirvana for advertisers. Not only is it the most-viewed TV program of the year, but viewers are almost as interested in the ads as the game. But how do you know if a Super Bowl ad will be a winner -- and a smart marketing strategy? Here's my annual guide for how to evaluate the marketing effectiveness of Super Bowl advertising.

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7 Reasons Banks Fail at B2B Direct Marketing
B2B Marketing, Creative, Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Sales Strategy B2B Marketing, Creative, Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Sales Strategy

7 Reasons Banks Fail at B2B Direct Marketing

Banks are spending big money marketing products and services to small businesses via direct mail. Most of these direct marketing campaigns are terrible. Here are seven reasons why so many banks fail at B2B direct marketing and some lessons for your smart marketing strategy.

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Is That Super Bowl Ad a Smart Marketing Strategy?
Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy

Is That Super Bowl Ad a Smart Marketing Strategy?

The Super Bowl is the most-watched event on live television. Marketers spend millions to buy 30-second ads.But many of those ads will fail. How can you tell if a Super Bowl ad is a smart marketing strategy? Here's an encore post about to evaluate the marketing effectiveness of Super Bowl advertising from my viewpoint as a marketing consultant. I'll be tweeting comments throughout the game; follow me on Twitter: @jeangianfagna

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Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy

Mocking or Mean? When Ads Go Too Far to Be Funny

One of the most common creative approaches in advertising is making fun of someone or something.When it’s on point, an ad that mocks can engage and entertain. But when it goes too far, it feels mean, casting the marketer in a bad light and unsettling the audience.How do you know when funny goes too far in advertising? Here are five tips for developing a creative approach for your smart marketing strategy that mocks without being mean.

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B2B Marketing, Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Sales Strategy, Websites B2B Marketing, Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Sales Strategy, Websites

7 Smart Reasons to Use Catalogs in B2B Product Marketing

Before the web, marketers of business products relied on direct mail catalogs as their primary selling tools. But now everyone shops online. In a web-based world, do B2B product marketers still need print catalogs? Yes: Here are seven reasons why print catalogs continue to play an essential role in a smart marketing strategy for marketers of business products.

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Advertising, B2B Marketing, Creative, Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Social Media, Websites Advertising, B2B Marketing, Creative, Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Social Media, Websites

Association Membership Marketing: 12 Steps for Success

Member acquisition is a constant challenge and a top priority for most trade associations. Who do you target? How do you reach prospective members? And how do you convince them to join your organization?Here’s how the American Advertising Federation-Cleveland (AAF-CLE) developed a successful membership marketing strategy and campaign that exceeded its goals and laid the foundation for future member acquisition.

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Advertising, B2B Marketing, Creative, Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Sales Strategy, Social Media, Websites Advertising, B2B Marketing, Creative, Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Sales Strategy, Social Media, Websites

11 More Timeless Tips for Smart Marketing

How to be a smarter marketer:11 more timeless tips for creating smart marketing strategies from Cleveland, Ohio marketing consultant Jean Gianfagna -- part 2 of a 2-part post

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B2B Marketing, Creative, CRM, Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Sales Strategy B2B Marketing, Creative, CRM, Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Sales Strategy

Big Ideas in a Blue Box: A B2B Direct Marketer Gets It Right

Direct mail is a powerful tool in a B2B marketing strategy. Here are 12 lessons for using direct mail effectively in B2B marketing from a campaign by 4imprint, a Wisconsin ad specialties marketer.

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Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Public Relations, Sales Strategy, Social Media Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Public Relations, Sales Strategy, Social Media

When Does “Edgy” Marketing Go Over the Edge?

Have you seen the new “Ship My Pants?” ad campaign from Kmart?The TV spot is a viral sensation with nearly 16 million YouTube views. It’s been featured on CNN and The Today Show and it’s everywhere on social media.But just imagine the discussion that took place at Kmart when the company’s ad agency, Draftfcb Chicago, proposed an idea that sounds a lot like what happens when you don’t have time to make it to the bathroom.When is “edgy” marketing over the edge? Would you have said yes to “ship my pants?”Sometimes it's hard to know where to draw the creative line in marketing. Here are 10 tips for your smart marketing strategy.

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Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy

Marketers, Please Stop! 6 Creative Themes to Banish Forever

It was the Honda Presidents' Day Sale TV spot that finally put me over the edge: Yet another marketing campaign with an overused creative concept that makes consumers roll their eyes and wonder what marketers and their agencies are smoking.Why do so many marketers continue to develop ad campaigns that have no originality or insult the audience? Can’t we agree as agencies and marketers to stop the madness?As a marketing consultant, I’m sure I speak for millions when I say I’ve had enough. Here are six marketing approaches I’ve seen far too many times and hope never to see again.

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B2B Marketing, Creative, Marketing Strategy B2B Marketing, Creative, Marketing Strategy

7 Tips for Creating a Powerful Tagline for Your Brand

A brand identity is an organization’s public face. The visual representation of a brand – the logo – is often paired with a short marketing tagline that positions and differentiates the brand in the marketplace.The tagline’s role in branding is straightforward: Communicate the company’s most important advantage, benefit, or point of distinction in a few compelling words.But it’s harder than it looks – and most marketers fail.In part two of this two-part post, here’s advice for creating a powerful positioning tagline for your brand in a smart marketing strategy.

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Advertising, Creative, Marketing Strategy Advertising, Creative, Marketing Strategy

Branding Strategy: The Power of a Positioning Tagline

Which candy “Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand"? Which car is “the Ultimate Driving Machine”? Which auto insurance company puts you "in good hands"?If you're an American consumer, you know the answers to these questions without even having to think, because smart marketers like Mars, BMW, and Allstate have created unforgettable positioning taglines that have become powerful components of their brands.What is a positioning tagline? Does your brand need one? And how do you create a great one?In part one of a two-part post, I explain why marketers use taglines in branding. In my next post, I’ll share seven tips for developing a tagline for your brand in a smart marketing strategy.

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Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy

Is That Super Bowl Ad Effective Marketing? 7 Ways to Judge

An estimated 111 million people will be watching this year’s Super Bowl and a recent survey showed that many American adults prefer watching commercials to watching the game. That’s why marketers are willing to spend an average of $3.8 million for a 30-second spot.When you have an audience that big and that eager to hear your message, your ad had better be great.But how do you know if an ad campaign or creative concept will be a winner -- or be worthy of such a huge marketing investment? What makes an ad effective?As a marketing consultant, I believe the principles of great advertising are the same whether an ad appears in a mega-event like the Super Bowl or in a small industry trade publication.Here are seven criteria I use to assess the effectiveness of advertising in a smart marketing strategy. Keep these factors in mind when you’re evaluating Sunday’s Super Bowl ads.

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Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy Advertising, Creative, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy

Why Listening is the Most Powerful Skill in Marketing

A successful career in marketing requires many skills, such as copywriting, graphic design, and project management.But there’s one skill everyone in marketing needs to master, no matter what their role: Listening.Here’s why listening is essential for marketing success and 10 tips for doing it better.

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