After spending seven years in the agency environment, I was ready for an adventure on the other side. The client side, that is! I took a job as an internal marketing manager for a corporate company. Although I had great success with many challenges that were thrown my way, I also fell short in a few areas. I had a background that focused heavily on traditional marketing tactics; however, my job required me to also incorporate non-traditional marketing tactics such as email marketing programs, banner ads, etc. While I had warned my management prior to being hired that I was not an expert in those areas, I had to figure it out. Fast. It was a rougher road than it needed to be.
So, when asked to write a blog that would be helpful to our readers, I was reminded of so many bits of wisdom that I WISH someone would’ve shared with me when I was on the client side of marketing and advertising. Over the next several weeks, I will share a four-part series in which I will provide advice I wish someone had given me in the world of interactive marketing.
Email Marketing
If you are looking to start an email marketing campaign — especially if it’s the company’s first — you need to enlist a partner who is an expert. In my former life as an internal marketing manager, we convinced ourselves that we could do much of it in-house; however, that was an incredibly laborious process. We could’ve saved time and money by hiring a digital partner such as LFI. So, I encourage you — if you’re taking on this endeavor, don’t feel as if you have to do it all on your own. Even if your company can only afford to hire a digital partner for consulting — do it! It’s worth the money and your email marketing campaign’s probability for success will increase dramatically.
(Contributed by Ashli Worden)