Blogging

My, How Marketing Has Changed

Digital Marketing - How It Has Changed

I’m no super expert on Digital Marketing, but I do enjoy following the trends. I’m amazed at how much the mix of necessary tactics has changed in only a few short years.

The past (recent history):

  • Direct mail
  • Trade shows
  • Cold calling
  • Print ads
  • Email marketing
  • Website / SEO
  • SEM
  • PR
  • Referral marketing
  • Media buying
  • Social media
  • (What have I forgotten?)

New:

  • Some of the above (less cold calling, less print, less tradeshow spend)
  • Social selling
  • Employee advocacy
  • Influencer marketing
  • User-generated content
  • Customer engagement
  • Community management
  • #Hashtag optimization (shameless plug => @topicurious)
  • Content marketing (blog, video, infographics, eBooks, etc.)
  • Marketing automation
  • Big data
  • Personalization
  • Growthhacking
  • Mobile
  • UX
  • C-Level personal branding
  • Human-to-Human (#H2H via @BryanKramer)
  • Return-on-Relationships (#RonR via @TedRubin)
  • (What have I forgotten? => help me expand this list by commenting)

There is still no silver bullet. A smart mix of tactics is still required, but the mix is very different than it used to be.

I finally got “A Round Tuit”

Getting around to it

Hello, people of the interwebs. I’ve been thinking about starting up a personal blog for a while now, but I’ve been procrastinating. Well… I finally got myself “a round tuit” (see the image of the the round thing hanging on my wall), so I no longer have any excuses.

Why blog?

I’ve been asking myself that very question for quite a while. I’ve often wondered why people would publish their personal thoughts, in all their glory, for the whole world to see. I guess, since I’ve been putting my thoughts out there in 140 characters on Twitter and status updates on Facebook for a few years, I’ve become a little more comfortable with such a public forum.

A good blog has many important attributes. Interesting topics, quality writing, and frequent posts, just for starters. Those attributes require a lot of work and commitment, and I’m finally ready to jump in with both feet.

Why the name Craigthusiast?

I have many interests. Some are work-related, and many more are fun-related. I also love to learn. I don’t like being a noob at something. I prefer to be knowledgeable and expertly. I tend to become a student of the subject. Some might even say, an enthusiast.

Hopefully others will find my interests interesting too. I guess we shall see…

Some of the topics I hope to blog about:

  • Wine
  • Food
  • Music
  • Photography
  • Books
  • Sports
  • Current events
  • Being a Dad
  • Sales
  • Marketing
  • Social media
  • Technology and gadgets

Hope you enjoy! If you do, perhaps you’ll Tweet, Like, or +1 me to your networks.

+1… is that a verb now?

Also, please comment on this for me. I’m looking for some feedback. In your mind, what is the most important attribute of a good blog that makes you want to come back and read future posts. I’m still learning about this whole blogging thing, so I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks!

Craig