Thanks to the internet, deep market and behavior analysis has become a mandatory factor in spending your ad budget.  Traditionally, print, TV and billboard advertising has lacked this feedback loop.

Regan National Advertising is attempting to prove the effectiveness of billboard advertising, by running these billboards and then re-surveying residents from these areas.  

Interestingly, only 1.3% of randomly surveyed residents were able to correctly answer the question, "What was the first word spoken on the moon?"  Regan believes that after running these billboards, another random survey will prove a higher percentage of correct answers, while a control city will remain the same.

If a higher percentage of people answer correctly, Regan can leverage its findings to re-ignite the billboard advertising market.

I've seen these billboards all over Salt Lake City lately.  They were brought to my attention by my business partner, Tyson Quick.

Read more about this clever experiment that helps add tangible metrics to an advertising medium with a traditionally fuzzy ROI.

Who Killed Social Media Marketing?

Nobody:  "Social Media Marketing is not dead, your strategy is." - Kevin Mesiab

So What Gives?

There's a lot of grumbling from the blog pundits about how Social Media Marketing is dead.  Even the so called "Social Media Mavins" and the "Marketing Gurus" are espousing an end to the 'hay days' of Twitter, Facebook, Social Bookmarking for marketing exposure.

They're Dead Wrong.

The days of massive conversions by spamming tweets, dm's and other nefarious tricks are dead.  But any marketing strategy that relied on this kind of "spray and pray" were dead before they started. 

So Adjust Your Strategy

I recently interviewed Jordan Kasteler from BlueGlass Interactive, Inc for Jounce.com.  Jordan is an expert in delivering high value, high ROI deployments utilizing Social Media Networks, the right way.  

Watch this quick interview and learn how to CPR your failing campaigns back to life.

If you enjoyed this article, do me a favor and share it by clicking tweet, or Share on Facebook.

Frequently we're called upon to contact potential partners.  Here are a few tips I've learned over the years that has proven extremely effective for getting what you want:

1.) Focus on them first

Beak down bariers.  The first paragraph or two should never mention what you need.  People care about themselves and their endeavors.  Talk about things you respect about them or their accomplishmentst.  Be genuine.  Don't fake it.

2.) Keep It Short

Never make the letter or email longer than 5 paragraphs, or 1500 words.  Most people are too busy to read a novel of an email. 

3.) Break paragraphs frequently

Partitioned information is consumed in small chunks.  This ensures your email gets read, even if its skimmed.

4.) What's In It For Them?

End the letter by focusing on how helping you benefits them in some way.  This must be genuine value and presented to them that way.  Do it with humility not expectation.

I have applied these simple techniques to thousands of partner discussions with tremendous success.  Practice these steps with every email you write until it becomes habit.  You will find that your contacts are more open and receptive to your desires.

Your Experience

Got some tricks of your own? Let's here what has worked (or not) for you.

Realize that inspiration lays out the broad strokes for us, but exceptional work is the product of careful and deliberate labor.  -Kevin Mesiab

A great idea is a spark in the kindling, hold it carefully.  

Stoke the glowing embers.  

Your work is not done.  

The first flickering light of fire emerges. You add more wood.  

Your work is not done.

You have nurtured a fleeting and ephemeral energy into existence.  

But your work is not done.

-Author Unknown