THE WHITLATCH WEEKLY

The Chicago Cubs are the 2016 World Champions of Baseball.  Just saying that hasn't really sunk in yet, has it?  Talk about being patient. For decades, the Cubs have had both winning and losing seasons, a Billy goat , and a man named Bartman steal the dreams of thousands  millions. Achieving greatness takes discipline. It takes trust. It takes a group of individual skills coming together to accomplish a goal.    I was first introduced to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) when I was given a book called, SEO Made Easy: Everything You Need To Know About SEO and Nothing More ,  by Evan Bailyn .  It was my first day here at M1 Data & Analytics and I was eager to dive in and see what was so difficult with this SEO monster. Up to this point, I knew SEO was the reason why your link would or would not pop up in the search results, that's about it.  One chapter after another, I realized this was no overnight type of task. I wasn't going to be able to be committed one

I had the privilege of having a very smart and witty Grandmother, God rest her soul.   Man, was she a hoot.    Betty would do anything for anyone at anytime. I learned quite a bit from her. Lessons I still use to this day. This woman did a Crossword Puzzle every single morning for decades; she knew her stuff needless to say. She loved her family and friends very much and expressed that in countless ways.  I would always receive a card from my Grandma each year for my Birthday, as would the rest of the family. I can still picture one of her bright envelopes and that unique cursive (what's that) handwriting of hers. Growing up she had a Dog named Sadie. Each of her cards would always come with paw print stamps next to her signature giving it an extra special touch. I miss those cards. Direct Mail Marketing has a bad rep. Quite a few people I run into assume Direct Mail or Postal Marketing is a way of the past. I disagree. Don't get me wrong, you must do y

By now, I hope you have figured out who has gradually taken over the throne in Social Media Marketing the last few years.  You guessed it, the CUSTOMER.  By the end of 2016, 89% of Companies expect to compete mainly on the basis of CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE compared to only 36% only four years ago.  Just as Marketing and Advertising on Social Media began to get a little ridiculous, the CUSTOMER stepped in right in time.   Don't get me wrong, Marketing and Advertising are at an all-time high via Social Media and I don't see that changing anytime soon.  However, WHO - WHAT - WHEN - WHERE - WHY and HOW this Marketing and Advertising ends up in the CUSTOMER'S hands is no accident. WHO Defining and Identifying your CUSTOMER (Target Audience) is priority number one.  If you don't know what pond to fish in, how do you expect to catch any fish?  Knowing WHO your CUSTOMER is will help you know where to hang out - Facebook , Twitter Chat, Blogs, Forums, YouTube

Once upon a time, in a place far from here, lived a beautiful Email.  This Email (or E-Mail) was beautiful, friendly, and essentially harmless.  Sending messages all around the World, the Email began to grow greedy, selfish, and a bit shady.  Soon, the Email began to hang around the wrong crowd - THE MARKETING CROWD !   Those clever, creative minds convinced the Email that it could be more.  More than just a message. More than the exchange of a document.  A tool for Marketing and Advertising professionals far and wide.  A Marketing Email is still just an Email.  And so...the Fallacy of the Email is born. A " fallacy " is  a deceptive, misleading, or false notion, belief or misleading or unsound argument .  The day that Marketing and Advertising met the beautiful Email was a monumental day for business.  Not so much for the Email.  Think about how many times a day you have to delete an Email that was Ad or Marketing based?  Quite a bit, right?  But it's no

For every MARKETING or ADVERTISING strategy lies a TARGET AUDIENCE . At some point in time, that TARGET AUDIENCE will have a decision to make. Your PITCH, IDEA or OFFER was a SUCCESS or it was not a SUCCESS. Simple as that. For the majority of MARKETING or ADVERTISING professionals, I'm sure you can remember a time where it seemed as if your AUDIENCE was seconds away from buying-in to your IDEA, PITCH or OFFER then all of a sudden, they didn't.  They balked. Your AUDIENCE (for whatever reason) decided not to buy-in to your BRAND, PRODUCT or SERVICE. But why?

Nearly 10 years ago this month, I created my first and last Facebook profile. Sitting in my High School Library towards the end of my Senior year, I cluelessly put together a picture, a couple monumental dates and places, clicked on the "Save" button and wa-la.  Piece of cake. Now, if it could have only stayed that simple.  Social Media profiles are becoming more and more of a reliable source for representation of a person, company, or event. The days of uploading some random picture and being ok with it are gone. Establish what you will be using your Social Media profiles for. Business? Fun? Maybe both? Regardless, your audience needs (and wants) to know what they will be getting. Choosing the right Social Media platforms that fit your lifestyle is key. Don't feel that you MUST HAVE certain accounts to make everyone happy. For instance, I don't use Snapchat or Pinterest. It's just not me. Does that mean Could they work for you? ABSOLUTELY.   YOU MU