Hasta La Creative!

Is direct mail a dieing art? Between email (cheaper and faster), social media, (cheaper, faster and easier to direct), and the green movement (wasting paper is a sin), direct mail campaigns are at best on the back burner. If your clients still like to invade traditional mail boxes you might want to offer a heart-to-heart.

Paul Hirsch has been practicing communications since 1983. He now owns his own marketing/pr firm in Northern California. Paul specializes in media relations, marketing collateral, website copy development and ad design. You can learn more about him on Facebook or by visiting www.nowville.com/paulhirsch.

The dilemma: your client is strongly suggesting something that you know is, at best, ill advised. Do you just shut up and do it, or do you put a stake in the ground? My advice: do neither. Instead, ask for five minutes to calmly explain why their suggestion is misguided, provide an alternative with solid reasoning behind it, and let them choose. Then, of course, do your very best to execute the chosen path. You’ll likely be off the hook regardless of how things turnout and you will probably enhance the relationship.

Paul Hirsch has been practicing communications since 1983. He now owns his own marketing/pr firm in Northern California. Paul specializes in media relations, marketing collateral, website copy development and ad design. You can learn more about him on Facebook or by visiting www.nowville.com/paulhirsch.

An early step in the media planning/buying process is sometimes ignored in the name of saving money. This is a misguided strategy. Effective trafficking and tracking gives clients an early picture of the performance they might expect when their campaign goes live and is a great way to avoid unhappy surprises.

Paul Hirsch  has been practicing communications since 1983. He now owns his own marketing/pr firm in Northern California. Paul specializes in media relations, marketing collateral, website development and ad design. You can learn more about him on Facebook or by visiting www.nowville.com/paulhirsch.

Nothing kills a poor product more quickly than great advertising. To retain your sanity have a staffer take the client’s product for a spin. If you find out it tastes lousy, washes poorly, or looses power going uphill you might want to pass.You may walk away from an account, but you’ll stand a better chance of maintaining your reputation.

The Classic Bomb

It’s almost trite to say that there is only one chance to make a good first impression, but it’s true. The day your team pitches that new account is usually the most important day in the relationship. Firms that deliver well-rehearsed pitches, display expert-level knowledge of the prospective client, and present fresh ideas with an aha moment stand the best chance of closing the deal.

Make Every Pitch Count