

Ten Marketing No-Nos:
- Don’t assume you know what your customers’ needs are.
- Don’t underestimate the shortcomings of your business.
- Don’t try to market your product to everyone.
- Don’t take your customer’s for granted.
- Don’t hire slick salespeople with poor listening skills.
- Don’t design your marketing plan in a vacuum.
- Don’t leave weaker areas of the business alone.
- Don’t launch into expensive research every time.
- Don’t dwell on poor performance.
- Don’t stress out completely and lose your work-life balance.
Last week, a client’s email set-up was only partially receiving emails. Originally, I thought that this was because of the client’s inability to use Outlook. Allow me to explain what happened.




A regular update to one's website is a given. One reason I suggest my clients have sections that can easily be updated, e.g., news, is that search engines like to go through new content. That's why they have robots regularly combing the web, in fact, its their raison d'être.
Now, what I am specifically referring to is the look of the website, hence, the home page. Having sections on the home page that require regular update is a good idea. While this does not change the look, this is very search engine friendly.
Recently, I found that my work website while updated only a few months ago, was not working for me. While certain things were covered in the inside pages, this information should really be available a lot more easily.
How? Well, it should be right there. How did I do this? Well, through flash.
The difficulty with flash is that not all browsers are able to read this. This may require a download from the Adobe website. A link to this site on the web page is a must, with directions to download Flash Reader.
There should also be the facility to skip Flash, for viewers not interested in waiting for the Flash to download. We should always keep in mind that on slow connections a big Flash file is a problem. (Mind you, this is not as a problem today, as it was only last year.
Well, my main intro on my website now has Flash. And, with this, the script tells the story and shows some examples on the home page of content that will require one or two clicks to find inside the website.
The new home page is up and running.
So, what to do you think. I'd appreciate some feedback. Thanks.

He who whispers down a wellSo, it's really something worth considering. Remind your customers that you're still around. Call on them, ring them up, advertise, write letters and make sure your goods (services) and holler.
About the goods he has to sell
Will never reap the golden dollars
As he who shows them round and hollers.
Did you notice just how much spam you get in in your email account? If it’s anything like mine, it must be heaps.
It is some time back, but when email was still new, receiving one is a treat. But, today, you find that you’re copied with your colleague’s every email, your friends send you jokes, relatives send invitaions and so on, your in-box gets filled up very quickly.
And, to get through all of your email takes longer and longer.
A very cost effective way of getting your marketing communication message across is email. Definitely. With no postage to worry about, you can do this your self for next to nothing or get a professional services outfit to do this for you. And, this can still be done quite cheaply.
As you may have noticed from the above headline, I’m suggesting direct mail (i.e., snail mail) as a great way of getting your message heard.
Why snail mail?

Well, simply put, to get above the clutter. While emailing may be quite inexpensive, you may find it hard to be noticed in an a full inbox. You may also end up in a spam folder and not get noticed at all. Or, you may be accidentally deleted when your intended reader clears a full inbox very quickly.
You get my drift. To be noticed, you have to stand out. With all the clutter, this is quite hard.
So, doing a direct mail campaign may be a better way to go. While this will cost more, you get a better chance to get noticed. To get your message read!
The usual fundamentals apply. Plan your effort, get or prepare a good list, design your letter and other content, time your execution and of course, do not forget follow-up.
I’ll cover the essentials of a mail campaign in another post. Until then.
You have to have been living in a cave to realise that times are really tough. And, if you subscribe to the thinking that it’s better to be out there reminding people that you are still around, rather than hide your head in the sand and hope that this whole financial crisis thing will go away.