Giving back in an un-giving economy

In the current economy, companies are saving as much money as possible; they're saving costs on sales and marketing - they're always the first to go when times get rough - but also in production and manufacturing. No one can afford to spend needed, diminishing funds on frivolous or unnecessary things.

Cleaning House, Part 1

In these tough economic times - I wonder if it's EVER really "NON-tough" - marketers are looking for cheaper means of communicating with customers. Most often, people turn to "non-traditional" methods like Facebook and other social media to spread messages and build customer databases, but a new fad is emerging. The new "social media" for communication and data-building is actually one of the oldest tools in the marketing arsenal: direct mail.

Over the next few posts, I'll talk about the following topics, and hopefully get some responses supporting or refuting my claims:
- List Hygiene
- Targeting
- Prospecting
- Creativity

Now, before people start attacking me with questions, I know that many marketers HATE direct mail; I too am a hater. That being said, there are advantages to this type of marketing that aren't possible with web advertising and Facebook accounts. Feeling something in your hand, even if for a moment before throwing it away, leaves an impression in your brain that's different than seeing a web ad; there's an interaction in that second that can't be duplicated digitally.

Using Twitter for E-Commerce and Beyond

According to Nielsen's NetWare statistical survey, 41.7% of Twitter users are between the ages of 35 and 49. For companies, this is a prime demographic, full of influencers and decision-makers that can help propel sales and brand recognition on budgets that are a lot smaller than in years past.

Many probably know already that Twitter is a great way for companies to get feedback directly from customers, but the following article, "How to Use Twitter for E-Commerce," is a great introduction to using the site for more than just "feedback." Readers might be shocked at the possibility of using an online short message service (SMS) to sell products and services; I know I was!

Image via CrunchBase

If you think about it, you'll realize that it’s fairly similar to companies that send SMS messages via phones. In both cases, customers and prospects opt-in to receiving messages - on Twitter, they’re called “tweets” - from certain parties. Despite the similarities, however, Twitter’s the biggest thing in messaging these days. The Nielsen report, mentioned earlier, states that Twitter has grown 1,382% from February of 2008 to February of 2009. That's at least 10 times faster than any other social networking site.

Managers and marketers should read the following article to get some insights into using Twitter for e-commerce and regular sales.

Here’s the article:

How To Use Twitter for E-Commerce - Website Magazine - Website Magazine

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