THE WHITLATCH WEEKLY

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 wron...

DO YOU EVER FEEL AS IF YOU'RE BEING TOLD WHAT TO DO A LITTLE BIT MORE OFTEN THESE DAYS? YOU MUST JOIN THIS GROUP. YOU MUST POST THAT PICTURE. YOU MUST DO THIS. YOU MUST DO THAT. AND THAT'S JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG. FACEBOOK , TWITTER , YOUTUBE, ANDROID OR I-PHONE, GOOGLE OR YAHOO. IT'S LIKE WE ARE BEING ASKED TO ENLIST IN A SOCIAL MEDIA BRANCH OF THE MILITARY. AM I RIGHT? WHAT STARTED AS A FRIENDLY BLUE BIRD AND A CATCHY THUMBS UP TO EXPRESS OUR FEELINGS OR EMOTIONS, SEEMS TO BE GETTING A LITTLE BIT PUSHY. MARKETING IS ALL AROUND US AT ALL TIMES. PICTURES, SLOGANS, ADVERTISEMENTS, ALL MADE TO PERSUADE OR ATTRACT A CERTAIN AUDIENCE TO A CERTAIN BRAND OR PRODUCT. THIS MARKETING IS COMING AT YOU FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT ANGLES - TELEVISION, RADIO, PRINT, AND ONE OF OUR NEWEST MEMBERS - SOCIAL MEDIA. IF YOU HANDLE YOUR COMPANY'S SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORTS, EACH DAY FEELS LIKE YOU MIGHT O-D ON TWEETS AND LIKES. IT'S OVERWHELMING. BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHICH PLATFORM...

THE TOP 5 REASONS WHY BEACONS ARE A MARKETER'S NEW BEST FRIEND Picture this... You're walking through the Mall and suddenly, an advertisement, contest, or even a coupon pops up on your phone. Conveniently enough, that notification is from the same store you're currently browsing this very minute. Creepy right? Well, to marketers and advertisers across the globe, it's not creepy one bit. In fact, beacon marketing (or proximity marketing) is going to explode in 2016. I bet you think your smartphone is pretty smart right now. You haven't seen anything yet. Let's revisit that little scenario I mentioned previously. The lead-off batter in today's Top 5 list: 1.) Proximity Marketing   Whether the grocery store, your favorite restaurant, or even the mall, your location says so much about yourself.  Especially if there is a trend or pattern to that location. Proximity Marketing not only enhances the experience and convenience for the consu...

What makes you open an email? Is it the subject ? Maybe the font or color ? What ever the case may be, there are several factors that determine the outcome of that email becoming a success or a complete flop. Deleted. Denied. Another email finding its way into the spam or trash folder.  But not so fast. You can't give up yet.  Email Marketing can be one of the most cost effective methods of marketing, but that is easier said than done. Like any marketing, it takes a certain skill. A certain touch. A certain art. Let's go ahead and clear one thing up. Email marketing will never be perfected. A campaign with promise of success could flop, as easy as a campaign expected to flop can be a success. Some elements are uncontrollable as a marketing professional and solely up to your target customer opening the email.  Here are some things you CAN control: IN YOUR HANDS -Avoid using large images. If your message has a low ratio of text to image, the message...