10 Years and Social Media's Convergence
Friends and readers, where's time gone? Back in 1999, I decided to start my own direct marketing consultancy. It wasn't out of any burning desire to be an entrepreneur again (I started a publishing company when I was in my 20s), but more out of self-defense. Living in Florida has its benefits and challenges. The benefits are obvious; the challenges not so much. Florida is the wacky company capital of the world (and that's putting it nicely), so this was a good measure to hedge my bets.
Fast-forward 10 years: I'm still a full-time consultant. In fact, the business is now a full-fledged agency. And sure, this economy presents significant challenges, but there are significant and potentially game-changing opportunities as well.
Social media represents one such opportunity, and I've been pushing it heavily in this column. I'm seeing successes, too. In the paragraphs below, you'll read about a contest I'm conducting for the first anniversary of my blog, which coincides with my corporate anniversary. I not only hope you'll take part in the contest, but that you'll come away with some useful ideas from it, too. Remember, it's all about engagement, and this contest is designed to engage.
The contest will award whoever can most accurately guess how many page views Gilbert Direct Marketing's blog received in its first year. The winner will receive a free, one-hour social media consultation. The consultation will focus on one of two areas (of your choosing): improving your LinkedIn profile for more results or a review of your social media sites and activities. One winner will be notified when the contest ends on Nov. 30. To enter, click here.
With social media in full gear, I'm seeing many new customers that want to enter that space. I advocate and use the same strategic methods and disciplines from my direct marketing experience — new media with classic DM strategy.
Jim Gilbert has had a storied career in direct and digital marketing resulting in a burning desire to tell stories that educate, inform, and inspire marketers to new heights of success.
After years of marketing consulting, Jim decided it was time to “put his money where his mouth was" and build his own e-commerce company, Premo Natural Products, with its flagship product, Premo Guard Bed Bug & Mite Sprays. Premo in its second year is poised to eclipse 100 percent growth.
Jim has been writing for Target Marketing Group since 2006, first on the pages of Catalog Success Magazine, then as the first blogger for its online division. Jim continues to write for Total Retail.
Along the way, Jim has led the Florida Direct Marketing Association as their Marketing Chair and then three-term President, been an Adjunct Professor of Direct and Digital marketing for Miami International University, and created a lecture series, “The 9 Immutable Laws of Social Media Marketing,” which he has presented across the country at conferences and universities.
