A critical component of any successful public relations, branding or marketing campaign is research.

In a down economy, businesses attempt to cut costs wherever they can. Surprisingly, one of the first items offered up for the chopping block is research. Research can be costly, but it’s a critical item.

1) Would you give an industry or customer presentation with zero preparation or important details?

2) How about purchasing a car without knowing the first thing about the brand or model you are about to fork over $30,000 for?

The answer to both these questions is probably no, but we’re amazed at the number of business leaders that propose limiting or completely eliminating research from their project budgets.

Most often these decision makers feel they already have a complete understanding of their target audiences and what they want. Others don’t feel it is necessary to thoroughly look at what the competition is doing. And the scariest of all are the ones that don’t think there is any value in the research process.

Without research you are essentially operating in the dark. Good research, both primary and secondary, gives you a baseline from which to measure success. If you skimp on, or all together eliminate, this critical campaign component you are setting yourself up for failure.

Research is never a waste of time or money. Even if the results of your research confirm what you already know, it is validation well worth paying for. Chances are you will learn surprising things you weren’t expecting. And sometimes the results can be downright dramatic.

What is your take on research? Is it fundamental to all your marketing efforts or have you done without it successfully in the past?

It’s not about Ashton Kutcher. It’s all about email identity theft. Every time your personal or professional email address goes on a press release, e-mail promotion, article or marketing piece, it’s been jettisoned into cyberspace – and it’s ripe for the taking.

According to spoof/spam expert, Justin LeClair of Evolve Systems, www.evolve-systems.com, “Spammers will brute-check Google for email addresses and when they find one that’s out there a lot, they’ll use it to spoof.” Even more scarey, you won’t even know it’s happening – unless you’re getting bizarre email bounce-backs you never sent in the first place.

Spoofing is simply using a pirated or forged email address to blast out spam to millions of recipients – seemingly from someplace (your email address) other than the actual spam source. Spoofing can get you blacklisted. It makes spoofer/spammers a lot of jing - five cents for every click on a spam link times thousands of clicks.

More bad news: once your email address is out; there’s nothing you can do about it – except assume an entirely new email identity in a distant cyberspace millions of light years away. The good news: you can deter spoofers. LeClair suggests that you “use a different email address for publicly published media, so you don’t end up getting your personal or professional email address bombed”, for example:  info@helpimbeingspoofed.net. 

Web 2.0 (dynamic, interactive, optimized) Web sites and blogs are like the proverbial tree falling in a forest if there’s no one around to notice. It takes a marriage of new  - and old - marketing communications vehicles to make target audiences aware of your new Web site, or blog, or forum, or bulletin board. So …

• Announce your new Web site with a press release to publications that your target customers read. Make sure to cover the innovative ways you encourage  interaction on the site and what the site offers visitors. News releases must have substance.
• Send a direct mail piece to your customer, prospect and friends list announcing the site and offering a giveaway to the first five who log in.
• Put your Web and/or blog addresses on every printed piece and every email you send out.
• Bring visitors back to your site with valuable downloadable tips or trends, case studies or articles; announce their availability in an email or in person.

The most effective marketing initiatives take advantage of the best new - and traditional - tools.

Whether you’re creating a marketing e-mail, an e-newsletter, Web or blog copy, remember S4 : Short, Simple, Scannable, Searchable to make your piece “sticky.”

• Short: Keep copy at 100 words or fewer. If you’re quoting from an article, provide the first paragraph, then a link such as “read more” or “article.”

• Simple: No fancy words, no industry jargon. Short sentences. A single idea at a time.

• Scannable: Use heads and subheads to give your piece glance value; enable the reader to “get it”
without pouring over each word.

• Searchable: Incorporate your key words (the words your customers use to find companies or
products like yours online). Helps your Web or blog copy pop to the top in online searches.