Marketing Is Personal

Marketing is a personal matter. Sure, when we market, we market to thousands…but who reads our marketing materials? Individuals!

And who are these individuals? Each is a composite of age, education, religion, experience and families all wrapped up in ethnic heritage. People see the world through this multifaceted mesh.

Although this blog will address a variety of cultures, it will concentrate on Hispanic marketing because it is the largest, fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States today, wielding the greatest spending power of ethnic groups.

Savvy marketers recognize that most cultures, including Hispanic culture, share elements in common such as strong cultural identification and participation with family and community.

Inclusion Culture Enriches, a La 21st Century

With baseball season approaching and the various teams beginning spring training, we can focus on winning your business “game” using the latest marketing techniques. By helping you to combine your information on multicultural communication with these tools, we can hit your message out of the ballpark and score a homerun for your team.

Here’s how it works:

1. Multicultural Communication
   Recently, I read an article titled, Culture of Inclusion Enriches, which Richard Gonzalez wrote Dec. 31 in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
   
   Gonzalez wrote, “Why was it startling to see Latino actors speaking Spanish in a Super Bowl commercial this year (2006), advertising the Toyota Camry Hybrid?
   
   “Douglas M. West, former senior vice president and chief administrative officer for Toyota Motor Sales USA said, 'at Toyota, our work toward creating a culture of inclusion is in harmony with and supports our vision to become the most successful and respected car company in America.
   
   “Se habla dinero at Toyota”, says Gonzalez. Is it really any surprise that Toyota will soon surpass General Motors in world car sales?”
2. Internet Marketing
   Electronic marketing today seeks to establish and reinforce credibility through a variety of leading edge internet tools such as weblogs (“blogs”), which are articles providing up-to-the-minute information, RSS feeds and podcasts. Updated frequently, the blogs, RSS feeds and podcasts on our new Word Mason website will relate to various forms of multicultural communication so that you can stay on the leading edge of ideas and information. As the blogs are updated, previous articles will remain on the site, as archives. All three techniques can be interwoven to get maximum coverage, both primarily (by people accessing them), and secondarily (by being picked up by the search engines).

Terminology:
BLOGS (officially, web logs) – Articles which are written on a regular basis and posted to a company’s website. They can take a variety of approaches, even quote other experts. The blog writer must attribute all quotes from sources other than the writer.

RSS Feeds
Articles for which readers can subscribe through websites set aside precisely for listing them. RSS means “Really Simple Syndication”. This process can be as simple as tying it in with the blog, as set up by the website designer. The advantage of RSS feeds is that they are sent automatically to the subscriber’s list of desired information. The readership is targeted and looking forward to the articles. Readers do not have to search for the information; it comes to them.

Podcasts
– Interviews with experts, or verbal blogs which are listed on the writer’s website and (optionally) on outside Podcast listings such as ITunes. Podcasts provide “live” information which the listener can access while driving, walking the treadmill or taking part in any other offline activity.

Here’s how I’m using the Gonzalez article: You are reading this as a blog on the effectiveness of inclusion as a marketing tool. It’s linked to my RSS feedlist, and will soon become a podcast as well.

I’ll interview Mr. Gonzalez who wrote the Toyota article and Mr. Enrique Zapata, Hispanic Program Specialist with the Postal Service for one of my podcasts. Then I’ll send the digital podcast to my web designer for conversion to streaming audio, and it will be linked to my list of podcasts.

Ultimately, search engines and spiders will pick up the following: The Word Mason website, Toyota Motor Sales USA diversity site, U.S. Postal Service’s diversity site, Richard Gonzalez, Enrique Zapata and Douglas West. Ole! A double homerun using internet marketing techniques. Please contact The Word Mason to learn how internet marketing techniques will score for you.