wroughtiron communications marketing resources

Choosing an agency to represent your company is a lot like finding a mate. The chemistry has to be right and you’ve got to be able to understand and fulfill each other's needs. This article from Entrepreneur Magazine provides good insight into the ad & PR agency selection process. You can search for all types of marketing agency candidates at Agency ComPile.

Beware of ad agencies that are looking to win design awards and are not producing effective communications vehicles. It's all about you, not them. And beware of PR firms that don't understand your industry well enough to speak on your behalf. Trust me, the press will not want to deal with them.

SmartBiz.com is a great source for articles, reports and checklists related to advertising, public relations and many other aspects of marketing.

For banner advertising, Banner Tips is a good resource for tools and information.

For publication information, get media kits here. And don't forget to check out the publication's audit from the BPA.

You'll also find many a good link for all aspects of marketing at the Tilburg University in Holland (really), KnowThis.com, and Advertising World.

Direct marketing has long been a staple in most marketers promotional plans. On the web, the popularity of using email lists has exploded – and not in a good way. Using opt-in tactics and following netiquette is by far the right path to take. Here are the rules of the road and an excellent netiquette guide from Albion.

If you’re looking for mailing list resources, check out Liszt or the Publicly Accessible Mailng List directory.

If you’re putting together your trade show plan, the TechWeb calendar of high tech events can be a helpful tool.

Finding a compelling and knowledgeable speaker or expert opinion has gotten a lot easier thanks to web resources such as Experts.com.

Promoting your product or service on the web is now a business requirement. Some resources and tips for making the best use of online media in your promotional efforts can be found at Web Marketing Today, iMarketing and Dr. Hansen's Guide to Internet Marketing.

Everyone’s talking about it. Many are still trying to understand it. And a lot of companies are still not embracing its power in their marketing efforts.

What do you want your brand to represent? How do people perceive it? Here are some articles on branding that may help you find the answers. Searching Ad Resource for branding information & articles will also produce some enlightening results.

Find relevant usenet groups, join ‘em and listen – with an open mind – to hear what users think of you’re brand. You can learn a lot.

Check out your competition’s vision, mission and positioning. Take a step back and try to comprehend how they want their brand to be perceived. Then define these elements for yourself. Will your brand stand out in the market?

Beware of design firms that don’t dig into your brand strategy before looking at color palettes and typography. Your company I.D. materials must reflect your brand strategy, not define it.