(Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.FederalDirect.net and if you like this, please pass this along to your colleagues. To unsubscribe, email me at amtower@erols.com). Past issues available at http://www.federaldirect.net/newsletterarchives.html)

1) Amtower Off-Center Observations: Vendetta?
2) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Confusion and the "Huh?" Factor
3) SmartPay Credit Card Update
4) One Minute Marketing Clinic: Your News on Your Terms
5) Events, and Nothing but the BEST Events

Amtower Off-Center Observations: Vendetta?

Some readers have assumed I have a vendetta against trade shows and those who produce them, especially FOSE and the PostNewsweekTech group. Not so. I do not dislike any of those involved, I just do not find expensive events a practical avenue for reaching or exceeding pre-defined goals in a cost-effective manner. I am not a fan of eGov, either, when it comes to ROI for most vendors. These shows are expensive, and for mid-size and small vendors, they take a substantial percentage of the marketing budget.

I champion longer term exposure, which you cannot get from a trade show. And unless you have a big marketing budget with nebulous goals, I believe most vendors would get better return from longer exposure through the publication web sites and space advertising, or other carefully selected venues. This would provide prolonged exposure to a defined audience, possibly for the same or less money than you would spend on a trade show. There are also more targeted, often less expensive events for exhibiting products and services, like FIAC, and special interest group functions from FISSEA or the PKI Working Group.

I do not have time for vendettas. They are distracting, and frankly, we all have better things to do with whatever time we have. Even me. Vendettas waste time, and as Ernie once said, the best revenge is living well.

But I do make time to call things the way I see them, the best I can.

Not that I have an opinion.

A correction: I attributed the "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it" quote to Thomas Dewey in the last issue and it belongs to George Santayana. Darn - another correction and no appropriate Latin quote. I hate when that happens. I do attempt to stay within shouting distance of literacy.


The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Confusion and the "Huh?" Factor

Advertisements should define and clarify one concept: why should you buy this, call these people, or DO something. When this doesn't occur, you waste time and money, but more importantly, the mindshare you now own in the buyers mind is in the "waste of time" category.

In the last issue I referred to Hershell Gordon Lewis&Mac226; admonition about ads that make you go "Huh?", the marketing equivalent of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principal. The context for this was a discussion on how to communicate to your customers: who are you and what do you have to offer?

This is a critical concept when planning any marketing campaign designed to explain who you are and what you do, and it is not as simple as it sounds.

The Gateway ad I mentioned in the last issue suffers this way: "Humanology" with an ear on the side of a server. If you don't get a chance to see this, email me your fax number so I can fax it to you. This ad makes me think director Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey) has become an ad-man. And yes, I know he's dead.

The text doesn't lessen the confusion: "The Ear that hears your ideas and concerns then solves and fulfills them." I expect the next version on television to have a voice-over, with the computer speaking to Gateway founder and CEO Ted Waitt in that calm, HAL voice: "I have to kill you Ted. I miss the talking cows."

Creative is good only when it doesn't blur the message. Ad agencies should be required to post the Hippocratic admonition, "First, do no harm" in all meeting rooms.


SmartPay Credit Card Update

NO CHANGE since last issue: SmartPay statistics through June, 2003. With 45,000 fewer cardholders than last year at this time (339,000 vs 384,000), we are now at $11.4 billion, with the busy season still ahead. This puts us $700 million ahead of FY 2002, with 500,000 more transactions through June. My estimate for FY 2003 stays at $16.5 billion, with 27 million transactions.

Call me at 301-924-0058 for information on SmartPay mail list rental or licensing.

ONE-MINUTE MARKETING CLINIC: Your New on Your Terms

I have been a proponent of newsletters for years and have published several.

In my first public seminar in January, 1991, I used both the Cullinet Federal Newsletter and the Bohdan TechLetter as excellent examples of customer communication. Somewhere in the vast recesses of my office-library (and much to the dismay of my wife and partner) I have examples of B2G newsletters going back 15 years. I have approximately 3 tons of crap, I mean, research material.

Newsletters allow you to do several things. First, deliver targeted messages to a selected audience - your customers and prospects. You can send the press releases that will not get picked up by the trade press; you can discuss contract mods, tech refresh and new products; you can highlight partners, your personnel or skills; and you can share success stories. Does anyone out there listen to country music? Toby Keith had a hit last year entitled "I Wanna Talk About Me". This is where you can do it, albeit in a more modest tone.

You can still offer a snail mail newsletter, too. The advantage here is length. A hardcopy newsletter should be 4-to-12 pages. An email newsletter should not run more than three pages.

Keep the items short. Bite size chunks go down fast, can be remembered, and more of them will be read. Longer, more obtuse articles will lead to birdcage lining, or trashcan basketball. Have several people review the newsletter for clarity and brevity before it goes out.

Be advised that once you start, you shouldn&Mac226;t stop. And you can't be irregular about when it comes out. Monthly or biweekly is good enough for most. Weekly involves real work and the ability to get new, interesting stuff.


Upcoming Events

October 14, Amtower Presents: LEADS, SALES AND CUSTOMER RETENTION: Profitable Strategies for Business-To-Business and Government Marketers. This 3-hour session will feature my friends, business telemarketing guru Michael Brown and lead generation/management maestro Mac McIntosh, and me. Call me at 301-924-0058 for details http://www.federaldirect.net/oct14.html.
THIS WILL BE A GREAT EVENT, AND IN THE AMTOWER "THREE HOUR WITH LOTS OF STUFF" TRADITION, WITH LESS AMTOWER AND MORE FROM SANE GUYS!

The Second Annual B2G CATALOG SUMMIT will be in Chicago, November 10-11, 2003 at the DoubleTree O’Hare. Seats are already selling for this — don’t wait to reserve yours! And attendance will be limited to 100. Go to http://www.federaldirect.net/b2gsummit.html
THIS IS THE ONLY EVENT EXCLUSIVELY FOR DIRECT MARKETERS TARGETING GOVERNMENT, AND WILL HAVE SEVERAL GREAT PRESENTERS. IT IS NOT A DAY-AND-A HALF OF MARK!

Federal Channels, 2004: San Diego, CA. January 14: www.fbcinc.com/federalchannels/default.asp
ALWAYS CUTTING EDGE INFORMATION AND GREAT NETWORKING.

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