Shameless Self-promotion for Dummies in the Catalog Industry, Part 2

By Jim Gilbert

Seems my office Internet connection has been down for the past week while all of the cable wiring is replaced. Due to this, I had to postpone my last bit of research on the LinkedIn network and owe you a review next week.

For those who haven’t yet checked it out, please go to www.linkedin.com. Or better yet, go to my profile page and link to me: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimwgilbert .

Self-promotion Cuts Both Ways: A Cautionary Tale

Last week, I told you about a self-promotion effort that worked well for me. To continue the conversation regarding self-promotion, this week I must present a warnig. Awhile back, I received a call from a headhunter regarding a chief marketing position with a local company here in South Florida. The position sounded different and intriguing, so I applied, took the interview and did the usual post-interview follow-up.

The position was in a completely different market segment than I usually work in, and I knew I had to set myself apart from the competition if were to get hired. The president also told me a decision was going to be made relatively quickly and I was among the first candidates to be interviewed.

Based on this, my objective was twofold:

1. Differentiate myself from my competition; and

2. Keep myself in the forefront as a candidate while others were being interviewed.

To accomplish this, I created a series of postcards designed to be delivered at specific intervals over a week’s period.

Below are the actual postcards, each 6 inches x 11 inches in size. Each message was targeted to bolster a point discussed (and highlighted again in my follow-up “thank you” e-mail) in my interview — the points being new program/channel development and analytics.

The tone of the postcards deliberately was tongue-in-cheek, as I wanted to convey humor and create imagery with stopping power. I had these neat pictures of me snorkeling in Turks and Caicos and riding an ATV in the red Utah desert (see images below); a very nice contrast of images to make my points.

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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.