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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Companies:
Gilbert Direct Marketing

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Jim Gilbert

Jim Gilbert Author's page Jim Gilbert has been creating direct marketing programs that drive superior ROI for almost 30 years. Fluent in consumer or B-to-B, creative, operations, and analytics, he marries the strategic and tactical sides of direct and social media marketing in a seamless fashion that gets results. He's CEO of a multidiscipline direct marketing agency, Gilbert Direct Marketing, Inc., which focuses on direct mail, catalogs, DRTV, telemarketing, print, alternative direct marketing media and social media marketing. Jim has been involved in start-ups, expansions and turnarounds, and is an expert in helping multichannel marketers get to the "next level." He's a former adjunct professor, teaching direct marketing at Miami International University, and is President of the Board of Directors of the Florida Direct Marketing Association. Jim loves to talk direct marketing, and has done many lectures on direct and social media marketing.