Must-reads from MarketingProfs!

I can't tell you how much I just love MarketingProfs.com (I may even shell out the money one day to become a Premium Member, which is saying something for me!). Today, there are 3 very, very good articles for librarians that I recommend you save and read when you can.

The first is entitled "Turning Customers Into Your Sales and Marketing Department". The work refers to Fred Reichheld's research on something called a Net Promoter Score (I've mentioned this before). The authors go into a fair amount of detail about how to apply the Net Promoter Score and leverage your most enthusiastic customers to your advantage. I would be interested to see if this concept could/should be adopted for non-profits as I think it has potential in rallying our most dedicated patrons and unleashing their natural promotion skills.

The second article is called, "Marketing in Accelerated Culture" and it's fantastic! In fact, print it out and hang it on the nearest wall because the ideas presented here should guide marketers well into the future. The author, brand strategist Jay Pattisall, describes how and why old-school marketing is taking its last breaths, while newer marketers are making gains. As Pattisall boldly asserts, "In the future, marketing can no longer follow culture. It must lead culture." Right on!!

Finally, the article, "Strategic Social Marketing for Nonprofits" maps out a revised marketing mix for non-profits who are in the business of "selling" ideas and particular behaviors, rather than widgets. Sounds like us!