The Consultants' Corner: Blog Articles
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30 of the Best Free (or Inexpensive) Marketing Tips to Drive Your Pipeline
If I were to post the full title of this webcast, 30 of the Best Free (or Inexpensive) Marketing Tips to Drive Your Microsoft Dynamics Pipeline, you might say "that's not for me. I'm not a Microsoft partner or a Microsoft Dynamics partner."
However, the tips in the webcast pertain to businesses of all types. They're relative to acquiring and building a prospect list, building your presence on LinkedIn to drive interest from prospects and customers, and e-mail marketing best practices. Of course, it's hard to pare the list down to just 30 tips. (I think that took more time than building the presentation!)
You can listen to the presentation on the Microsoft Partner Learning Center at https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/details.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=269781.
If you're not a Microsoft partner, just email me at cheryl@thepartnermarketinggroup.com and I'll send you the PPT deck.
How Popular Are You?
With "back to school" upon us, you might think I'm referring to the teenage angst known as popularity among high school and junior high kids. I don't blame you – it can be a priority in your child's life and a source of misery or joy. But I'm talking link popularity in regards to your website. Link popularity is the total number of web sites that link to your site. It's important because good link popularity can dramatically increase traffic to your web site. Increasing the number of quality, relevant sites which link to your site can actually improve your search engine rankings. More links are better and links from stronger sites (like Microsoft) are much better. For example, a site can have 1,000 links all from one poorly ranked site (not good) or 3 links from 3 strong sites (very good). The LinkPopularity site will give you a report from Google, MSN and Yahoo. I find the Yahoo report to be the easiest to read. It will show you the number of pages on your website on one tab, while the second tab shows you the "Inlinks" from other sites. Examine the Inlinks to determine which sites currently link to you, and brainstorm on how you can increase them. One easy way is to update your LinkedIn profile to include your website, and asking your employees to do the same. Tip: Need to find additional sites that might link to you? Run a LinkPopularity report for your competitors' sites and contact the sites that link to them.
Simple "Check-Up" on Your Website
Everyone needs a check-up at times. And even some non-humans like your car or your website. Sometimes websites can get away from you. You add a few pages, then a few more, then some more navigation and a couple of pages to support that. And you hope that your blog is bringing in some traffic and helping you secure more inbound links to your website but how can a person be sure? A simple tool from Yahoo allows you to "check-up" on your website. Site Explorer allows you to explore all the web pages indexed by Yahoo! Search. View the most popular pages from any site, dive into a comprehensive site map, and find pages that link to your site or any page on your site. You get a quick look at the number of pages your site is composed of and can drill down into each one. But I find the Inlinks to be more interesting. This is a listing of all the inbound links coming into your website – they can be from blogs, from articles you've written, from other sites that link to yours, etc. The greater the number of inlinks, the better for your search engine rankings. Check it out at http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com and you just might be surprised!
Spread the Word
Subscribing to various blogs helps us, as marketers, in a lot of ways. One big benefit we get is insights that we may not have thought of before. For example, I subscribe to Seth Godin's blog. Those of you in marketing will recognize the name as the author of "The Purple Cow" and other books. His blog today was about Who spreads your word?
In other words, how are you proactively spreading the word about your product or service? It's not just going to magically happen. It got me thinking about whether we can be better about targeting the ideal customer and getting/hoping/praying that customer will say nice things about us.
You used to be able to rely on those old tried and true tactics (like big advertising budgets) to get the word out. But now you have other, less expensive, options such as your website, blogging and other social media sources. But like any marketing idea, it takes work, it takes time, and it takes commitment to build your presence. (If it were easy, anyone could do it, right?)
Social Media as an Email List Growth Tactic
According to a recent study by Alexa.com (April 2009) users spend more time on social networks in an average day than they do on major portals like Google and Yahoo. Users spend an average of 25.4 minutes a day on Facebook and 8.3 minutes a day on Google. Many companies are using social media tactics to build their subscriber list. In three days, pizza giant Papa John's added more than 45,000 fans to their Facebook page by forwarding their NCAA-themed email marketing campaign. The campaign offered consumers a chance to win a trip to the final four by joining their Facebook fan club. Be creative with social media and add more subscribers to your monthly newsletter.
Remember the Little Red Hen?
I know I'm showing my age by even asking this question, but if you haven't heard the tale of the Little Red Hen here's an abbreviated version. The Little Red Hen asked her fellow barnyard friends (Duck, Cat and Dog) for help with planting the wheat, harvesting the wheat, threshing it, milling it and baking it into bread. In each instance, the Duck, Cat and Dog declined, saying "Not I, Not I". But when she asked who would like to eat the bread, she received an enthusiastic "I will, I will" from the group. Fortunately for the Little Red Hen (and unfortunately for the others), she had the right to say "Since you didn't help with the planting, harvesting, threshing, milling and baking, you're not going to help with the eating either."
The marketing lesson learned from this fable is that sometimes you have to contribute to the planting, nurturing and growing of the relationship with your customer and prospect. You don't get paid for the time it takes to do that and there's no guarantee that the crop will grow, but hopefully at a future time the effort expended will result in a new business opportunity. So if you're looking at the short-term view and wondering how you're going to get compensated for the effort, it's time to make a change. Build for the future by investing your time today and you'll have plenty of "bread". And you can even decide if you want to share it!
Do You Digg?
While a group of us here at The Partner Marketing Group were putting together an article for the fall issue of The Partner Channel magazine, we studied the business use of social media sites. One question we had was regarding the use of Digg. Most survey respondents were unsure of what www.digg.com was or offered, so I decided to look into it deeper. Here is what I found:
According to their website, "Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. From the biggest online destinations to the most obscure blog, Digg surfaces the best stuff as voted on by our users. You won't find editors at Digg — we're here to provide a place where people can collectively determine the value of content and we're changing the way people consume information online." So what does this all mean? Essentially we can upload articles, podcats, videos and then the community will vote on if they "Digg" your submission. If you receive enough Diggs, your submission could be promoted to the front page. Hmmm…what could others in our Microsoft community be doing out there? I wanted to know, so I signed up…When you sign up for Digg, (and you can quickly sign up if you have a Facebook account – bonus for you social media users) you can view what is posted according to different industries such as Technology, or you can do a specific search on topics, like Microsoft Dynamics. After that you can begin to Digg what you read, or post something of your own. Like the other social media sites out there you can connect with friends and colleagues by searching for them or inviting them to your site.
Like all social media sites, this can first seem overwhelming and just something else to add to your "to-do" list, but once you start exploring you will find some useful tools for your business. Within just a couple of minutes, I found 44 entries for Microsoft Dynamics GP, 83 on Microsoft Dynamics NAV, 171 on Microsoft CRM, and so on. From tips and tricks to product information, see what others in our community are doing out there! You Digg? I Digg.
Got the Gift of Gab? Put it to Work!
Break away from traditional media and give audio recordings a try! They are a great way to communicate and distribute information and marketing messages very inexpensively. Have you ever thought about doing a podcast or recording messages for your website or emails, or even capturing audio testimonials from your customers? Check out these online services that make it quick and easy to do audio recordings:
- www.gabcast.com - You simply call in via phone to record and publish your content. You get the first 5 minutes free and it's very inexpensive to purchase additional minutes.
- www.audioacrobat.com/index.htm - This site offers a 30-day free trial, then $20/month after that. If you are interested in creating videos as well, you can do this right from your desktop with a Web Cam.
Take advantage of one of the free trials from these sites and get gabbing! It's easy and fun to do!
Business Marketing Help!
If you're in business today (and you probably are if you're reading this blog), you've realized there's no shortage of free resources designed to help you run your business more efficiently, manage your people effectively, market your products and services, and take advantage of the "new" social media tactics. I can't even begin to list all of the websites that have information for you, but here are a few of my favorites.
Business Marketing Resources:
- Microsoft Small Business Center – this site has a host of free tools and advice for Management, Finance, Marketing, etc, roles in the company. Excellent article and information from a series of experts on each topic. I like the marketing section, of course, since it's my area of expertise, but very good information that applies company-wide.
- Business on Main – a good site with a "Knowledge Exchange" where you can read and discuss articles on key business topics, a Community which allows you to connect with other business owners, and much more. I especially like the "Answer Source" where I can enter a question about running my business and the community of people on the site can give me advice. The Tools and Resources section is also dynamite! For example, I can download a cash flow projection template, the IRS start-up checklist, learn how to get my business on the web and much more.
- Duct Tape Marketing partner page – this resource, from the folks at Duct Tape Marketing, highlights a number of vendors who can provide business services as well as recommended reading material, a referral marketing guide, and more.
- SBA (Small Business Association) – last but not least is that "standby" group that has been around for years and years, but they have some new "twists". I would recommend connecting with your local or state office for the best information. For example, I had a delightful conversation with the Arizona SBA office last week and found out they have excellent networking events such as "The Fast and The Curious", a speed networking session similar to speed dating, events with local Chambers where you can network with potential colleagues and prospects, training on Twitter and other social media and more. Check out your own SBA office and get involved! I know, I know…it's all a matter of having enough time in the day. But if you want to grow – or even just maintain – your business, it's time to set a schedule. Allocate one lunch hour a week at your desk to learning more about your industry, your customers, your prospects, and how to better market to them.
Are You Using ARRA to Close More New Business This Year?
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is excellent information to have in your back pocket when that "big deal" needs a little push to close it. Businesses that qualify will find that bonus depreciation is extended through 2009, allowing them to take a larger tax deduction within the first year of a property's purchase. Plus, a qualifying taxpayer can choose to treat the cost of certain property as an expense and deduct it in the year the property is placed in service instead of depreciating it over several years. This property is frequently referred to as section 179 property. Make sure your prospects and customers know about the provisions of ARRA that will allow them to justify the cost of your technology solutions. Note that some provisions expire in 2009 so be sure to advise your clients to check the tax laws to see if they qualify. If they do, they'll have plenty to thank you for!
Website Down and You Don't Know It?
Ever had someone call you (a customer or an employee) to tell you your website is down? If you're like me, you cringe when you hear that. But thanks to a company called Hyperspin, I never worry about being out of the loop. They will monitor my website for free and immediately contact me if it goes down. Plus, I receive an email report with % uptime and % downtime for the week so I can stay on top of any potential issues. Sign up for your free monitoring service!
Marketing and Sales Research Source
Marketing made easier. That's my feeling about the Hillsearch website (http://www.hillsearch.org) I recently found. For one low payment a month ($60) I can run D&B reports on my prospects before a sales call, download a list for a marketing campaign, research a vertical industry or find out which clients/prospects have had recent news articles written on them.
- Get the inside scoop on customers and competitors
- Prepare for sales calls and win more business
- Discover market opportunities and new prospects
- Uncover hidden Web sites not found via engines
- Get free, live support from Hill business experts
- Access the exclusive data reserved for large firms
Impress your clients and co-workers with the information you can find on Hillsearch.
What About "Tweako"?
You know about Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube but what about "Tweako", "Merchant Circle", "Mixx" or "Small Business Brief"? If some of these terms are new (I'll be the first to admit – there were some I had never heard of), then check out the article, Social Media Web Sites to Boost Your Business for a quick tutorial on social networking websites. With this cheat sheet, you'll have the basics of what each site does, who the target audience is and how users participate.
What Marketing Strategies is Sage Using?
When it comes to marketing strategies, the competition is usually pretty quiet. I rarely run across information that tells me what tactics the competition is using and how successful they are. But I happened upon this interview with Jeffrey Mills, director of marketing Sage North America's business management division on BtoB Online.
He says that the best performing channel for them is direct mail and talking to existing customers. Email is 2nd place and pay-per-click (search marketing) works as well. The direct mail success surprises me a little. For the most part, vendors and partners haven't been investing a lot of money in direct mail. The costs are higher than other types of marketing and the effectiveness hasn't warranted the extra expense. However, I'm a believer in direct mail and can safely say the most recent new business we've closed has come from a direct mail letter. So don't discount this tactic as part of your marketing mix. Like everything else, the list and the offer are crucial, but it can work to uncover opportunities that telemarketing, email and search marketing will miss.
Get (Free) Marketing Intelligence When Prospecting
In the prospecting process, it's always an advantage to know more—rather than less—about your prospect before picking up the phone to dial their number. Armed with a bit of market intelligence about the company, you can ask the right questions and position yourself as a knowledgeable expert. But—you ask—doesn't a person have to pay some sort of fee for that background information?
Typically, yes. But an excellent free resource is located at www.manta.com/mb. You can enter the name of the business and receive some basic information for free, such as number of employees, year founded, the key contact in the company (usually a C-level executive), the phone number, etc. (You can also pay the fee for additional information such as annual sales, but the free information is a great start to your research.)
Another great feature of the site is the ability to Refine Your Results, and find other companies similar to the one you're prospecting. For example, if you're researching Architectural Firms, you have the option to find other firms just like it in a targeted geography and to select the size of the companies. The site will serve up a list of all firms that meet your required criteria. You can actually drill down on each firm and see the contact info, the number of employees, etc. Gee, with a little legwork, you now have a list of companies to market to!
Don't get lost in the Blogosphere!
Monitoring what people are saying about you and your business is incredibly important. For those of you who may have a company blog but aren't sure how to really measure the effectiveness of it, there is a cool site available called BlogPulse (www.blogpulse.com). It offers specialized search engine tools for blogs and it helps analyze and report on the daily activity of your blog. BlogPulse has a couple of tools that can help you learn who's responding and linking to your blog as well as find out more information about bloggers who come to you. It also shows you trends in your blog activity as well as what blogs are similar to yours.
Seeds for Success
Most seeds (or anything you plant in your garden this time of year), will need a little extra care to take root. If you live in the northern tier of states like I do, the threat of snow is still quite real for at least another month. It's going to take a little time, but I'm quite determined to beat the weather, the deer and the rabbits in the gardening department this year.
The same principle of nurturing applies to your customers and prospects. If you don't build – and maintain – the relationship with them, what reason do they have for doing business with you? After all, you likely have a competitor (or 20) on the next street that sells the same (or a similar) product, so what's unique about what you offer? True story: One of my clients was furious that a Microsoft Dynamics GP customer of theirs bought Microsoft CRM from a competitor. They couldn't understand why that company didn't buy from them. When I questioned the partner about the frequency of contact with customers, the reply was "We check with them once a year to see how things are going." Once a year?!? That's all? No wonder that customer didn't know this partner sold CRM and could have helped them.
You might say "Ok, ok, you and a dozen other marketers have nagged me about this. But what does that mean in real tactical terms?" It could mean…
- A monthly newsletter to customers with valuable information they can use to manage their own business issues (not just a thinly disguised infomercial for your company).
- A phone call from your Customer Service Manager to ensure their implementation has gone well, they are fully utilizing the software you installed, and are happy with the results.
- A monthly communication (email, phone, or letter) to prospects to build the relationship with them, provide industry relevant information they can use, and become a knowledgeable expert on their business processes.
I know it feels like there's a million and one things to get done when you arrive at the office, but take the time to nurture the relationships you have already started with customers and prospects. (The explosion of social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are great examples of how critical networking and relationship building has become.) If you do, your "garden" will flourish (and without any worries about weather and critters)!
Identify More Prospects Now!
What are the "triggers" that prompt a company to start looking for new ERP or CRM software? It could be a merger or acquisition. It could be a new product, new management, or a new challenge. It might even be a recession. Regardless of the reason, you want to be alerted, right? Change is good for you in terms of prospecting. Whenever a company is going through a major change of some sort, it can trigger a change in their processes, and consequently, a change in their ERP or CRM solution. But how do you know when that type of change takes place?
By subscribing (it's free) to Google Alerts. You enter the criteria (geography, industry, type of news feed, etc) and Google will automatically notify you when relevant activity takes place. That will be your cue to contact the prospect to congratulate them on their acquisition/CEO/new product release and ask a few qualifying questions.
- You don't need a gmail account. Just a Google account. A) Go to Google news. B) Click on 'sign in.' C) Click on Create an account now > The alerts will go to any email address you choose. It takes about 30 seconds.
- Advanced news search gives you more options, and using a variety of search strings will help find more good news items. You can search just news, or include blogs and websites in the search.
It's quick, it's easy, and it's free. It's a great way to identify prospects that have a good reason to talk with you about their ERP and CRM processes, and you will certainly uncover some latent pain that you can solve with your solution.
Save Marketing Dollars through Inbound Marketing
Watching your marketing dollars these days? Inbound marketing which includes such techniques as blogging, social media, SEO and pay-per-click advertising, can be much more cost-effective than traditional outbound tactics such at direct mail, telemarketing and events. A study on b-to-b companies found that marketers are spending more of their lead generation budgets today on inbound marketing techniques as the average cost-per-lead is significantly less than what it would cost for leads generated through traditional outbound marketing techniques.
A great place to start with inbound marketing is focusing on SEO. There's a free tool called Website Grader (www.websitegrader.com) that measures the marketing effectiveness of a website. It provides a score that incorporates things like website traffic, SEO, social popularity and other technical factors. It also provides some basic advice on how you can improve your website from a marketing perspective.
Don't Wait for Your Customers to be Called - Get Your References in Writing!
I am expecting my first baby this June and am fully engrossed in researching all the products necessary for safely raising our first-born. Like any consumer, I have done my due-diligence by visiting retail stores, reading consumer reports and Googling everything from cribs to bottles. No product website full of features and benefits or sales clerks representing these products has been nearly as impactful as receiving references from other mothers on their baby product experiences. I especially appreciated hearing about the success of products they swore they didn't need or could never live without. After all, mothers do know best, right?!
Now I know researching baby products is not synonymous with identifying which ERP or CRM solutions are best suited for organizations in need of acquiring them. However, references do play a huge role in the sales process when prospective clients call on your existing customers to better understand their experience with your solution and team. References give credibility to your product and service offering through solid customer evidence. What if your prospect never calls your clients—are you missing the boat by not showcasing customer experiences in your marketing first?
Half the battle is in knowing where to start when composing an effective case study. Microsoft offers a Case Reference Builder that allows Microsoft Dynamics partners the opportunity to leverage a "self-help" case study template to compose your story in a professional format. Once you complete your customer profile, you can convert it into a high resolution pdf for posting on your website or have it printed to distribute with your other marketing materials.
There is nothing more compelling for prospects than learning from their peers on what products and service providers are serving them best. Let your clients' experiences tout your expertise for you. Please visit the following link to start your customer profile today!
P.S. You can also contact The Partner Marketing Group at info@thepartnermarketinggroup.com if you would prefer to engage a writing professional to craft your case study for you.
Is Your Referral Program Your Best Kept Secret?
Do you have a formal referral program? Do your employees know about it? Better yet, do your clients and business alliances know about it?
Have you ever heard a sales person tell you that they didn't have any success when they asked their client for a referral in the implementation close meeting? Do you wonder why customers resist giving quality referrals to you? Some reasons to consider:
- The customer hasn't been prepared.
- The customer isn't given time to think of whom to refer.
- The customer doesn't have an incentive to give you referrals.
Referral marketing is targeted, cost-effective, and potentially very powerful. Providing good customer service and follow through will help people feel confident in referring business to you. A good number of firms in the marketplace today admit to having a more informal approach to getting referrals. Instead of waiting for somebody to put in a good word for you, be proactive and develop a referral marketing strategy. Here are a few steps you can follow to create a referral marketing plan and start taking advantage of client referrals today.
Step 1: Referral Marketing is not a One-Time Campaign
Have you sent out a letter asking for referrals which garnered a low response? Communicating a referral program takes more than one letter. Inform your clients by integrating the key messages surrounding your referral program into everything you do, starting with your sales process. Let them know your goal is to make every client so satisfied with your product and services that they wouldn't hesitate to refer you to others. Keep preparing them by using the internet! List your referral program on your website and LinkedIn profile. You can also use statement stuffers or leave postcards behind to hand out during your client events or meetings.
Step 2: Define Your Target Audience
Before asking for a referral, be sure to clarify who your target market is. When your referral sources clearly understand the kind of companies that will value your product or service, it will be much easier for them to identify appropriate candidates for you to follow up on.
Step 3: Offer Promotional Incentives
Everyone likes to get a deal. So, you have a much better chance of receiving referrals if you offer promotional products or services in exchange for contact information. I recently asked some of my LinkedIn contacts if they would be willing to share successful referral program incentives they were using. A few of the responses included:
- Gift certificates can be given for referrals becoming qualified prospects. An additional gift certificate of increased value can be awarded when the referral becomes a client.
- One firm provides a thank you gift to the referral source and the new customer when a client closes.
- Another firm had a program where customers could earn points towards their customer event where new products were going to be demonstrated, training courses provided, updates given, etc. The points that they earned throughout the year doing referrals could be applied towards their ticket purchase to the event.
Not all of your referrals will generate new business immediately, but they still may have future business potential. Make sure you maintain good records on all of your referral contacts. Keep track of who made the referral and what measures you have already used to contact them.
For most businesses, the first step is actually developing a marketing referral plan. Without a plan, chances are you will get the occasional accidental referral from satisfied clients. But, with a little forethought and planning you may find that referral marketing can generate a substantial percentage of your new business.
Great Bargain on Search Engine Marketing Course!
From all the emails I receive, and the marketing websites that I visit, I can certainly tell that the push is on for more email and search engine marketing than ever before. It obviously makes sense—today, and probably for some time ahead—we need to watch our pennies more closely than ever before. Particularly marketers.
Here's a tip. Take the Insider's Guide to Search Engine Marketing course posted on the Microsoft partner portal at https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40073313.
Learn how to achieve better search-engine rankings, how to set up and manage a pay-per-click advertising program, and more. Take this self-paced course by SEMPO Institute (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization), a US$399 value offered exclusively to Microsoft partners for US$25. Use coupon code MSWWP08.
I'm not sure you're going to find a better bargain than $25 for all the knowledge you will gain from this on-demand, self-paced course. It's a no-brainer.
Next step after you enroll? It's up to you to be disciplined enough to schedule the time for the course. But I know you can do it!
Dispensable or Indispensable?
I realize it's not a pretty sight (the economy, that is). In one way or another, we're all feeling the effects, especially in regards to marketing. It's one thing to trim your marketing campaigns—which is probably prudent to a certain degree. However, some organizations are also cutting (marketing) headcount as well to weather the downturn. If you're in a marketing role today, the question becomes "are you dispensable or indispensable?"
Indispensable means:
- You've taken the lead to closely examine your current marketing strategies to ensure they're in line with the goals of the organization. Strategies and/or campaigns not in line, or not producing results, are quickly discontinued.
- The 2009 marketing plan is complete and in the hands of the executive team for approval.
- The 2009 marketing plan contains many ideas for low-cost and no-cost marketing such as public relations, e-newsletters, and more.
- You've met with the sales lead at your firm to ensure the marketing activities continue to support the sales team and will help them make their quota.
- You're the advocate/champion/evangelist in your firm for marketing. If you have questions on how to do that, read "Marketing Champions: Practical Strategies for Improving Marketing's Power, Influence and Business Impact".
- You continue to educate yourself on marketing topics (and you make sure your manager knows it) by attending the monthly Microsoft Dynamics Marketing Professional Community calls and the Microsoft Dynamics Principles of Marketing series. There are also excellent webcasts on a wide variety of topics on www.partnerbusinessnetwork.com.
We all realize how important on-going communication or nurturing is to our customers and prospects. It's time to closely examine how well we're communicating our value to our most important constituents: our managers and executive teams.
Email Subject Lines That Get Opened
As marketers we don't like to admit it, but in our gut we know there's an element of science when it comes to marketing. With a little wave of our hand, we like to say "it's an art, not a science", which is true to a certain degree. But without the foundation of science (research, measurement, analysis, testing, etc), we would have very little data to base our "informed" decisions and recommendations on. Consequently, more of our marketing ideas would "tank" rather than be wildly successful.
I ran across a short article on B2B Online (Jan 15, 2009) on email subject lines that's worth sharing with you because if your audience isn't opening your emails, you're wasting your time (and time is money). Basically, they apply the science of marketing to email marketing. In brief, the 4 principles are:
- Front-load your subject lines with the most important information. If you've only got 38 to 47 characters—the average number of characters that show up in the subject line of 57% of all U.S. e-mail recipients' e-mail programs—you need to put the most important information all the way to the left.
- Keep the subject line as short as possible to convey the message. Epsilon's research shows that shorter subject lines have higher click-through and open rates.
- Don't forget to test. This is another common suggestion, but one that still isn't heeded as it should be. At the minimum, you should be performing an A/B test on every message that goes out. The general rule is you can test 10% of your list in order to figure out which option is a better one.
- Dynamically (no pun intended) personalize the subject line. This is something that's simple to do, and shows that you know who you are e-mailing and what they are looking for.
How the Grinch Stole Business
I received this note from a colleague, Jeanette Hanafi, at Televerde and it was just too good not to share.
Recently, Charles Osgood (often referred to as CBS News' poet-in-residence) creatively played off Dr. Seuss and his infamous "Grinch" character to make a compelling point about the outcome of unwise decisions to reduce advertising and marketing spending and to skimp on programs that can generate much needed sales revenue in tough economic times. In his 90-second tome that all marketers should hear, Osgood rhymes...
If business falls off, you must not advertise.
Oh no, for that would be extremely unwise.
You must pull in your horns and not let people know,
How great are your products when business is slow.
If you let them find out, they might go out and buy.
You don't want that to happen, so don't even try...
To spark any interest in things that you make.
This might slow down the slowdown, for heavens' sake.