Aim Small, Miss Small

I've never been much for hunting, but I do like target shooting. A friend of mine taught me to "aim small, miss small." In other words, aim for the whole beer can and you might miss it entirely. Aim for the hole in the "g" on the label and, even if you miss the letter, you'll still hit the can.

"Aim small, miss small" also applies to B2B direct marketing.

Most direct marketers play the numbers game and send their generic message to anyone they think might have even the remotest interest in the message. Then they're surprised when unqualified responses trickle in.

If you "aim small" and develop a small, but highly targeted list, a highly relevant message and drive them to equally relevant content, response rates will drastically increase.

I know what you're thinking: small list = few responses (even with a high response rate)—and you're right. The key is your targeted message can only "miss small." You can't get too far off-base if you're speaking to a very select group of prospects the way you can when you're speaking to an entire demographic.

"Aim small, miss small" is the motto of evolved direct marketers who demand the highest quality responses at a price that will generate a positive ROIm. It also spells trouble for beer cans.

That's Marketing...

On countless occasions, professional marketers find ourselves explaining not just what we do, but what marketing, in general, is.

I like to use the following explanation—especially after a few cocktails. Feel free to use it yourself. It's not trademarked...

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, I'm fantastic in bed.

That's Direct Marketing.

You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, He's fantastic in bed.

That's Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day you call and say, Hi, I'm fantastic in bed.

That's Telesales.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, "By the way, I'm fantastic in bed."

That's Public Relations.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says, "I hear you're fantastic in bed."

That's Brand Recognition.

Well, I hope that helps anyone out there having trouble explaining marketing activities to friends and family. I have a few more for Social Media, Online, etc., but they're a little too racy for a corporate blog—even JDM's.

Stay tuned to @MarketingEvolve on Twitter for a few others too scandalous for Big Marketing Ideas. Got one of your own? Comment them below.

SEO Gold Hidden in Keyword Analytics

These days, online marketers understand the importance of data, but manipulating huge data-sets looking for that pearl of marketing wisdom, can be a challenge—to say the least. As Analytics Evangelist Avinash Kaushik explained in an interview for Search Engine Strategies 2010 Expo, most people only look at the first 10-20 results that their analytics tool provides. However, this is only the beginning of what the data can show.

Kaushik makes a good point. The real keyword gold is hidden in the diffused data after the top 20 results. The problem is manipulating that data efficiently, finding a pattern and correctly interpreting it. There are lots of tools out there that can help with data manipulation (including HRmarketer's new keyword tool), but none that help interpret it (which is why JDM's iAnalytics™ are a service, not an application).

Any SEO-er worth his salt will be quick to admit that SEO is more art than science.