Red on Marketing Blog

It may be time to give your marketing materials a refresher

By Robert Celaschi

If you check out the little bio under my photo at the bottom of this article, you’ll see that “Robert has been a business journalist for 22 years...”

But it’s not true.

The fact is, this month marks 25 years since I started writing for business publications. I bring it up not to brag, but to point out how easy it is to let the details of marketing copy slip out of date. Where did the last three years go?

Even after all the research, all the editing, all the nice graphic design, you still need to keep an eye on the finished product to make sure it doesn’t get left behind as the rest of the world marches on.

Often it’s the little things that trip us up. For instance there’s that little line on most newspapers and magazines that says something like, “Vol. XXVI, No. 49.” Every edition should get a new number, and the volume number typically changes ever year or six months. It’s so easy to forget to change the number that many publications make part of their standard production checklists.

Even then it’s too easy to let the mind coast. I have seen weekly publications that dutifully change the number of the edition each week: 49, 50, 51, 53, 54 ...

Eventually someone says, “Hey, weren’t we supposed to change the volume number after 52 and start over with 1?”

Your turn

If you have been using the same marketing copy for more than a year, go back and read through it with a critical eye.

• Have any of the facts changed since they went into the brochure or onto the website?
• Do the photos and graphics still show reality? (Of course we assume that they did originally)
• Do the press release dates include the years?
• Do all your web links still go where you think they do?

Need a fresh pair of eyes?

A fresh pair of eyes can help you ensure your marketing materials will be effective in 2010... especially if they're attached to an experience B2B marketer. Get help >>