If you’re a business-to-business marketer who uses trade shows to get leads for new business, you probably send direct mail and email marketing to prospects after the show to convert prospects to customers.

Lead generation via trade shows can be an important part of a smart marketing strategy, but if leads aren’t well qualified at the outset – and frequently re-qualified if they stay on your prospect database over time – your post-show direct mail and email campaigns could be a waste of your marketing resources. Here’s a case study in how NOT to do it.

Many marketers are jumping into Facebook with both feet, but others are hesitating. Should Facebook be part of your marketing strategy? Here are five factors to consider when taking the first step – a company Facebook page — and helpful resources to do it right.

Welcome to Smart Marketing Strategy, a new resource to help you develop and execute more effective marketing plans and campaigns.
I’m Jean Gianfagna, president of Gianfagna Strategic Marketing in Cleveland, Ohio. I’ve spent more than 30 years developing marketing strategies and creative marketing campaigns for some of the nation’s top business and consumer marketers.
During that time, I’ve seen [...]