Two things have happened this week which show, on the one hand, how things can change in marketing without you really noticing, and on the other how a good idea can have real staying power. First, I was asked recently to do a presentation by the Chartered Institute of Marketing entitled “Marketing on a Shoestring”. Now I don’t know about you but, when faced with preparing a presentation (or proposal or any other document for that matter!) it is ALWAYS easier to start with something other than a blank piece of paper. You may end up with something completely different to what you started with but at least you have a structure as a launch pad. So faced with delivering this presentation, I was pleased to recall a seminar I had given back in 2009 entitled: “Marketing on a Shoestring”! (The recession was already starting to hit). I called up a copy of the 2009 presentation and reviewing it there was a key point that really struck me:
No reference to Social Media!
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter were already established and available in the UK but they hadn’t yet become established as the marketing tools they are today. What was around in 2009 and on the verge of breaking through into mainstream marketing was MySpace – but where is that now? Needless to say, my current CIM presentation makes significant reference to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter as valuable marketing tools in 2013; but where will they be in 2023, or even 2018? It isn’t very far off.
Only the best survives
When we first started doing email newsletters for clients it was as an add-on service to wider telemarketing and direct marketing programmes. It was only later that it grew into the mainstream service we offer today. While Social Media was barely making its presence felt in 2009, as far back as 2003 we were already preparing and sending e-newsletters for clients and they were already generating significant business opportunities. I came across an email from April 2003 which clearly demonstrates the power and effectiveness of B2B email marketing. The email was a reply to an e-newsletter we sent to a senior engineering manager at United Biscuits. It read:
I would like you to pay me a visit at Manchester Site I want a cost 2 replace Imaje coders on Jaffa
2 lines with a 5-figure enquiry value! And the response from our client:
...the contact is based at Carlisle but has responsibilities at M/C too. He's a high-level contact we've had difficulties trying to get in front of so please accept a pat on the back...
And email marketing has real staying power as the success continues…only last week another client reported a response to an e-newsletter that they say should lead to a 6-figure enquiry! If you’d like to see how e-newsletters can work for you, give me a call
