Follow me on Twitter @bizmkter. If you’ve been sitting smugly by while I berate your analogue brethren about their crappy printed direct pieces , time to wipe that smirk off. The sad truth is, most B2B email marketing is pretty lousy too.  So let’s agree to take a pledge. Yes, you. Put away that DayQuil, raise your right hand and repeat after me: “I solemnly swear that I will not send or cause to be sent any email marketing messages that are stupid, lazy, crappy, misleading, time-wasting, pointless, sleazy or that might get me sued.” ” Ok. MORE >>

or follow me on Twitter @bizmarkter. Just back from my first two trade shows of the season, and I am sad. It would seem, dear friends, that despite our resolve to not suck at these things, we just can’t seem to get it right. Last year we saw Angry Birds staffing booths, coffee cups greeting visitors and  what happens when you let marketing people do what they do best, which is not selling. Let’s say it together: trade show booths are very, very, expensive inside sales calls that happen to have nicer carpet than your office. So why is there so little selling? Exactly. And MORE >>

or follow me on Twitter @bizmarkter. Do you remember when email was invented? don’t have any specific memory of the day it turned up, like magic, on my computer at work, but I am fairly certain it was a matter of minutes before I joined every other marketer on the planet getting very excited about the possibilities of the medium. probably spent hours constructing presentations about the new age of customer conversations, the inevitability of one-to-one marketing and, naturally, the immense efficiencies of this incredible new relationship tool. don’t think so. What would my experience be? MORE >>

or follow me on Twitter @bizmarkter. Oh, goody. My LinkedIn connection, Diana, just endorsed my skills in marketing strategy. Yesterday Sylvie gave me a thumbs-up on my team-building expertise, and last week Martin endorsed me as the corporate communications guru I imagine myself to be.  Self-esteem is running high, which means self-doubt can’t be far away. An interesting side-note is that Martin invariably endorses me a day or so after we disagree about something in a board meeting. Is an endorsement the social media equivalent of an apology or an offering? Let me help you. MORE >>

Follow me on Twitter @bizmkter. Last week we looked at how tiny lapses in proofreading can do nasty things to a brand. Just in case this is a problem of not knowing how to proofread, as opposed to a problem of not caring about it, I offer my tips to get your stuff proofed before people like me are bored enough at a conference to check the spelling on the signage. In general, if you can get someone else to do it, that’s better. Here are some other people who can do it for you: The Legal Department. Next stop…. Somebody Clueless. Spouses can be helpfully clueless. Was that a good idea? MORE >>