A frequently quoted definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. This is applies to so many things including marketing. If you haven't already, you should be taking a fresh look at your marketing strategy to make sure your outcomes for 2019 will exceed 2018. 

No doubt about it. Social media is part of the marketing mix for any business today. But, managing it and getting results from it can be a challenge.

Email marketing is a great marketing tool because it can be targeted, it is measurable, it has a high return on investment and it has vast reach – email is ubiquitous in today’s world. However, it needs to be done right for it to be successful.

Articles about how to have better results with email marketing, social media, direct mail and assorted other media come across my desk all the time. Each one focuses on one type of marketing tactic. 

One thread runs through all of them - content! Certain principles about content apply to all of them. Keep these in mind when developing any type of content and your results will be better.

• It's not about you - it's about your customer, the reader. Don't start with what you do, that will come later. Open with what your customer's issues are. Show empathy and understanding.
  
• Make it personal. Segment your messages so that each one speaks to a specific demographic in your audience. You want people to feel like you are talking to them.
  
• Make it engaging. Talk about the things that are meaningful to your audience, such as how a problem can be solved.
  
• Make it valuable. Give advise, make an offer.
  
• Make it brief. Short paragraphs and bullets will get your message across and hold the readers attention.
• Include images. Images act to immediately engage the recipient before they've read a single word.

By following these few principles you'll get more interest in what you have to offer whether you are posting on facebook or sending a direct mail piece.