January is almost over, so we're looking forward to February marketing. Interesting they're saying that DATA is the new currency . . . here's the latest marketing update :
* Don’t Ignore Direct Mail in Today’s Social Media Marketplace
* Press releases with visuals boost views by nearly tenfold
* Email marketing: Deliverability trends and benchmarks
* The power of content in building a brand
* The human touch of direct-mail marketing
* What's the matter with this picture?
* Data: The new creative
... and more
Don't Ignore Direct Mail in Today's Social Media Marketplace
With the immediacy and excitement of social media, it's easy to forget about direct mail.
But this can still be a valuable part of your marketing strategy. 
Full story : cgtmarketing.com
The human touch of direct-mail marketing
Marketing strategies nowadays revole around the most convenient tools of reaching out to your audience. Shooting an e-mail to recipients in a mailing list or answering questions about your business using Facebook or Twitter can be accomplished with a couple clicks of a button using a computer from your own home.
However, does convenience bring in results? Full story : Business 2 Community
What's the matter with this picture?
Image Matters. The look and feel of your website says something about you.
And so do your headshots and company logo Ñ or the lack thereof. I don't think the impact of image is going away any time soon. Full story : Small Business Trends
Email marketing: Deliverability trends and benchmarks
Email is an essential tool for modern marketers, but avoiding common pitfalls and staying up to speed on the latest tactics can be a challenge. MarketingProfs has gathered essential email information and packaged it up just for you.
BE CAREFUL -- while the content is very good, Marketing Profs is a spam-friendly web site - BE CAREFUL where you click Full story : MarketingProfs
The power of content in building a brand
There's no mistake that good content shared through the right tools can be a powerful combination. Marketing communications is an invaluable asset for establishing a strong connection with key audiences.
But to maximize your brand's impression, content must intrigue, inform and inspire others. It's the secret to building a dominant brand in an overly crowded marketplace. Full story : Direct Marketing News
Data: The new creative
One of the hottest marketing catchphrases of 2012 is "data is the new creative." The premise is that all the creative in the world won't help you if your decisions are not data-driven.
For those who are squarely in the analytics camp, this new sentiment must feel like a vindication for long years slaving away, gleaning insights from facts and figures without much appreciation (well, maybe that's not entirely accurate, but sometimes it feels that way.) It's about time colleagues and clients realize they could have avoided numerous mistakes if they had only taken the time to look at the data first. Full story : MarketingDaily via MediaPost
Press releases with visuals boost views by nearly tenfold
Want more people to view your press releases? Include more visual elements in them Ñ doing so can increase the visibility of a press release by nearly 10 times, according to a new study by PR Newswire.
Press releases that include a photo are 1.8 times as likely (an 80 percent increase, if you prefer) to be viewed as their text-only counterparts, the study found. Inclusion of a video makes the likelihood 4.3 times as much as for a standard release. Press releases with photos and videos are viewed 7.4 times as often as text-only releases. Full story : Ragan
More: Media and Marketing Updates
And that wraps it for this edition of Marketing Update from DTG. Don't forget ... we encourage you to share your discoveries from the world of publishing, media, online and creative. Just give me a shout!
And, thanks for reading
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