The MarCom Strategist: A Free B2B Marketing E-Newsletter

October, 2011
Published by Dianna Huff
Volume 11, Number 7

Welcome!

Lots of exciting news this month.

First off, the Publicity Club of New England's October program is,"Blogger Relations for PR Pros." Scheduled for October 19 at 6:00 PM, the program features a panel of bloggers from CBS.com, Boston.com and yes, yours truly — with other panelists to be announced. Let me know if you're attending so we can connect at the event.

I'm also part of Chris Marlow's Copywriters Marketing Roundtable Series. Chris is interviewing 15 of the world's most successful copywriters between now and November. When Chris did my pre-interview, she asked some pretty tough questions, so I know you're going to get some pretty solid information (no hype or BS). Sign up for this event and you'll get access to the interviews plus a follow-up question and answer session on LinkedIn.

And finally, I'm offering a new service, Book Ghostwriting for CEOs. A couple of years ago I worked with two start-up founders to edit their marketing book. The book became a bestseller — and since then I've picked up other book ghostwriting gigs. Know a CEO who is writing a book and needs help? Send him or her my way.

Other than keeping very busy at work, my life is pretty low-key. Lots of working on the house, playing taxi driver to my son, and drinking cocktails with friends. It's a pretty good life. What about you?

Regards,
Dianna's signature
Dianna Huff

Aligning SEO and Marketing

Derek Edmond (@derekedmond), Principal of the search marketing firm KoMarketing Associates, asked some B2B marketing colleagues how SEOs can better align with strategic marketing.

You'll find some thoughtful answers in this Search Engine Watch post, including mine, where I state:

"SEOers can help their clients by understanding the marketing process, suggesting collateral and other content that helps people make purchasing decisions, and then optimizing this content. The days of SEO and marketing communications being two distinct silos are long gone. It pays for marketers to understand SEO and for SEOers to understand marketing and to work together toward a common goal: more sales."

Thanks, Derek, for including me in this awesome roundup!

Surprise Your Customers with Direct Mail Love

Have you noticed how your mailbox is empty these days? Mine sure is — as you can see in the photo to the right. I yearn for the days when I received interesting mail: well-written direct mail letters with calls-to-action, handwritten cards and letters from friends and family, and articles people tore out of magazines and sent to me to read because they were interesting.

I keep looking at my empty mailbox and thinking, "Damn, you know, it's a great time to send direct mail as there's so little competition." Besides, think of that delicious feeling you get when you see a hand addressed envelope or other types of interesting mail in your box. I'm sorry, but email just doesn't compare.

Instead of giving you tips on how to do direct mail, I thought I'd offer up a challenge: this month, send your customers some love in the form of direct mail. Some easy things you can try include:

Handwritten thank you notes

In this day of rudeness and general lack of civility, your handwritten note, thanking your client for his/her business, will make you stand apart. You can order personalized note cards and envelopes from Vistaprint for short money. Bonus — tuck in a gift card from Starbucks or Peets.

Below is a picture of the stack of cards I've received over the years. (Yes, I keep my notes -- I enjoy re-reading them as people have sent me very nice compliments.)

Rack cards with special offers

I admit, I hadn't heard of rack cards until I received a pretty classy one that contained a great call-to-action that led to a landing page. I was impressed — so much so, I hung it on my fridge for inspiration. I plan on sending out my own in the next month or so. You can order pre-designed rack cards from Vistaprint too.

Discount coupons

One year my Web designer, Jim Somers at Sonora DesignWorks, sent out $100 coupons to his best customers. You could use the coupon toward any job he did for you. I thought this a fabulous idea — and better than any Christmas card or email offer.

Birthday cards

I try to learn people's birthdays and when I do, I send cards. Yep, I make the time to go to the stationary store and pick out a card especially for the person (and sometimes I'll include special cookies). This is another one of those things that will set you apart. Even though we're all adults now, we still love being remembered on our birthday. Plus, you can put the card on your desk; those e-cards have a shelf life of about 90 seconds.

Interesting articles

If you don't read dead tree media, this tip may not work for you. If you do, tear out articles you think clients, vendors and colleagues might find interesting. Write a short accompanying note along the lines of, "Thought you might find this article of interest. Hope all is well!" People love knowing someone is thinking of them. I know I do. Plus, they might call or email you back, which leads to conversation . . . which leads to new business.

Direct mail letters with fabulous offers

Aren't you just a teeny tiny bit overwhelmed with email? I sure am! Since our mailboxes are empty, your direct mail letter, with an offer for a white paper, e-book, demo, info kit, samples, or free trial, will stand out. (Need help writing your letter? Call me!)

Bulky mail

Who doesn't love a present? One client I worked with sent me those plastic glasses with fuzzy eyebrows and a mustache. I still have them. Another client sent samples of his product to his list. If you have a white paper or e-book, you could have full color copies made and then send your best clients a copy with a nice note. I bet they read your enclosure as soon as it arrives — versus ignoring the email you sent with a link.

So here's my challenge to you: send out three pieces of direct mail love this month. When you do, leave a comment on this post and tell me what you did. If you like, you can send me some love, too, as I adore getting mail. My address is in the footer.

Do you miss receiving mail from people you know and love? Do you still send cards and letters? Tell me your story by leaving your comment below.

Thank you to my pal, Lois Geller (@loisgeller) for inspiring this article with her Joy of Direct Marketing blog post, "Direct Marketing: Why Not?" and to my good friend Michael Trager for his Facebook comment that also inspired this article.

B2B Marketing Consulting that Helps You Grow Your Business

"I don't tell you enough how wonderful you are," a client said to me recently. "One, you take the lead on projects. With so many vendors, I end up having to do the work myself. You just get it done.

"Two, you absolutely know what you're doing. I have complete trust in you.

"And three, you know how to write. I find it amazing that you consistently produce great stuff — often with me giving you two sentences of minimal direction."

Here's the deal: I've been doing B2B Web marketing since 1995. I know what works and what doesn't. I base my reputation on ensuring that I'm helping you grow your B2B business. My bottom line is this: if my work doesn't get you leads and/or sales, then I'm not doing my job.

In fact, one of my best clients sold his business earlier this year (for a nice profit) based in part on the Website I developed and maintained for him. I was sorry to see him go but very happy that he had such a great outcome.

If this type of success works for you, give me a call at 603-382-8093 or send email to info@dhcommunications.com.