Variable data messaging (basically custom direct mail pieces “Your Name Here”) today is available and affordable. We have finally arrived at a stage where we can print one-off customized “messages” and send personalized email with links to personalized web pages and do it all affordably. We can Tweet, post to Facebook, create videos and send messages via phone – voice and text. We have more ways of bombarding potential clients today than ever before. And these same targets are getting better and better at avoiding our messaging attempts.

Our Internet service providers, Email clients, SPAM checkers, Virus Protectors, DVRs, voice mail, and caller ID, are all there and working hard to prevent unwanted intrusions. Yet, effective marketing – marketing that is relevant and wanted – is more valuable than ever. When I have a need, send me a message that solves my problem and I am going to buy what you are selling. Send it to me too early or too late and it becomes irrelevant.

Today we can find information easily and quickly on just about anything we want. So why am I constantly bombarded with messages I have not requested that may or may not be relevant to me? Unless I am actively seeking what you are selling, I do not want to view your marketing message. If you look at marketing from this perspective, you will see that traditional marketing messages are at best an expensive experiment with a hope and prayer of hitting the right target at the right time.

Let’s take, for example, a college trying to increase its enrollment by using a marketing campaign. The target audience would be primarily people in their late teens and early twenties. The first step in getting effective messaging into the hands of the right people is to find out what the goals of a company are. Who is their target audience? Who are their current customers? What do these customers (students) “look” like? What do they have in common? Once you know that, target others who “look” like your current clients.

You are not likely going to be able to target late teen and early 20-somethings via a direct mail campaign. You need to hit them where they live. You need to text them, you need to Facebook target them, you need to Tweet them, you need to YouTube them. You need to leverage your existing clients to help you get more who are like them. Then you need to diversify. Now that we know what we have, how do we attract those we want (target)? You attract people today just like you do when marketing first started.

The IEEO

You have to have an Interrupt. Once Interrupted, you have to Engage, then Educate, provide an Offer. The I is a headline: “Been rejected by Harvard, want the same education, with a better teacher to student ratio?” And yes, adding personalization will improve the “lift” “Bob, Stanford is a great school, but not everyone can get in. Want the same education with a better student/teacher ratio?” or “Bob, Harvard has a great Law School, but where do you go if your career choice is Recreation Management?”

Once you have gotten my attention, you have to Engage me. An Engage is a promise that if I read further I will get benefit. Once you have me engaged, you need to Educate me on why you are the better choice. And finally you have to get me to take action by providing me with an Offer.

Lastly, you must be willing to break the usual rules in order to appeal to your target audience. A direct mail campaign for late teens and 20-somethings is the wrong delivery vehicle. Email is better, Twitter, Text Messages with links, Facebook and YouTube are better still; all with links to pURLs that are much more in-depth, informative and educational, then with a call to action. Our college example might actually be better off targeting school guidance counselors with good printed materials on their various programs and the type of students they desire. Targeting unknown students with unknown interests is a waste of time, energy, and money.

Bottom line, know your audience and communicate with them in a manner that is engaging and appropriate.

Internet marketing, search engine marketing, and online marketing; no matter what you call it takes time. It also costs money, so when times are good, you would think companies would put more money into marketing so that you can avoid the downturns all together? Is there really such a thing as too much business?

A family member of mine was looking to promote their business with a more substantial online presence. They business is Sport Fishing in Alaska with Black Rock Charters. Three years ago when we first put up the website I asked if they wanted to do search engine marketing, they elected to put minimal effort/funds into marketing (which is more than most busy companies), they had more business then they could manage. In fact times were so good they added two additional boats to their fleet. For two years the boats were all full 80-90% for the entire season, then came 2008 and the boats were only full 70% of the time, now looking forward to 2009 the boats are below average bookings for this time of year.

So now, the owner/family comes to me and is ready to work towards online marketing, which is wonderful but a little late. If I had started 3 years ago, organic online marketing would have had more then enough time to get grounded and the rankings would be here. Now we have to work twice as hard in a shorter period of time in order to get similar results.

What I hope is that others take this into consideration when budgeting for marketing. Business always runs in a cycle, up one day, week, year and down the next. Marketing allows you to make the highs higher, and the lows easier to endure. If you plan for the future, by establishing a budget for online marketing today you will be one step closer to business success.

When times are tough, these companies start approaching us about our services once they realize that their competition is kicking their butt in placement on Google, Yahoo! and MSN. Since the client doesn’t have as much business as they used to, they look to us to get them ranked organically. The problem is that they want to be ranked #1 in the organic listings the next day.

Internet Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, or Online marketing; no matter what you call it, takes time. Marketing also costs money. One would think that when times are good, companies would put more money into marketing thus more likely managing to avoid the downturns all together. After all, is there really such a thing as too much business?

A great example of this persistent problem that I see often has to do with a family member of mine. Their business is Sport Fishing in Alaska with Black Rock Charters. Three years ago when we first put up the website I asked if they wanted to do Search Engine Marketing. They elected to put minimal effort/funds into marketing (which is more than most busy companies), simply because at the time they had more business then they could manage. In fact times were so good they added two additional boats to their fleet. For two years the boats were full 80-90% for the entire season. Then came 2008 and the boats were only full 70% of the time and now looking forward to Spring/Summer 2009 the boats are well below average bookings for this time of year.

Of course, the owner/family comes to me and is ready to work on their Online Marketing strategy, which is wonderful but a little late. If I had started 3 years ago, Organic Online Marketing would have had more than enough time to get grounded and the rankings would be here. Now we have to work twice as hard in a shorter period of time in order to get similar results.

What I hope is that others take this story into consideration when budgeting for marketing. Business always runs in a cycle, up one day, week, or year and down the next. Marketing allows you to make the highs higher, and the lows easier to endure. If you plan for the future, by establishing a budget for online marketing today you will be one step closer to business success.