The document provides a list of "Twelve Marketing Musts for 2012" from DMA Solutions to other marketers. It encourages marketers to take the list and adapt it to their own marketing strategies and goals for the new year. The list contains suggestions like earning audiences' attention through engagement rather than just buying it, tying messages to current pop culture, crafting original and authentic content, optimizing online presence, and involving employees as brand ambassadors. Marketers are encouraged to use these ideas to transform their strategies through commitment and regular adaptation over the year.

2. Dear Fellow Marketers,
The great thing about being marketers during this era of open, two-way communication is having the
opportunity to “earn” our audiences’ attention versus only having the option to buy it.
We compiled this list of “Twelve Marketing Musts for 2012” to inspire and even validate other marketers within
our industry. These marketing musts (or “suggestions”) are what many companies are currently exploring or
already doing. What the “musts” have in common is that each will accelerate your two-way marketing
strategies, allowing you to fully realize the benefits of engagement.
Transformation isn’t an instant, wave-of-the-magic-wand occurrence. Most often, it’s the result of crafting and
adapting. It requires commitment and should happen regularly. We’ll be using this list to inspire
transformations for ourselves and our clients. We encourage you to take this list and make it work for your own
marketing strategies and goals in 2012.
Our best wishes for the New Year!
Dan’l and The DMA Team
www.dma-solutions.com thecore.dma-solutions.com

3. Cisco recently predicted that by
the year 2015 approximately 2/3
of all Internet traffic will be
video.
With iPhones, flip cameras,
etc., you no longer need the
fancy equipment to create
blockbusters about your own
FRESH stories!
Lights, Camera, ACTION!

4. Stay Current
What are your followers
and customers
interested in?
Get their attention by
tying your messages in
with the latest pop
culture phenomenon,
and before long you’ll
have a whole new set of
eyes on you.

5. Accessibility & Abundance
That’s the beauty of data. As
marketing has shifted from a
one-way path (push and tell) to a
two-way expressway (engage and
share), the types and availability of
data have expanded as well. It’s up
to marketers to find, consume,
digest and act on it.

6. Stop talking about being the “leading” or
the “largest.” Craft your message to
express what is REAL, RELEVANT and
TRUE! Authentic is the new descriptive.
For DMA, we share fresh produce
stories. It’s as simple as that.

7. Be Original
When a consumer hits your place(s) on the web,
what information will they see or hear about you
that is original? When planning for 2012, think
about what makes you unique and go with it.
Support your story with original content in the form
of stylized photos and custom artwork.

8. Flock Together
Use commonalities with fellow
industry companies to your
benefit. Whether promoting
complementary products, similar
company cultures or a common
social cause, forming a
partnership with a like-minded
company can double your
messages’ reach. The result - a
growing community of like-
minded followers ready for
engagement with both companies.

9. Are you shareable?
You’ve spent time and money to create
custom content that your readers will
love, so don’t let them click away from
your work of marketing art without inviting
them to SHARE it with their vast social
networks! Make your original content, pop
culture-centric promotions and custom
videos an easy-to share, viral marketing
tool and increase your social mentions up
to 7 times.

10. SM N B2B
Are you staying LinkedIn? Social networks
like LinkedIn go beyond posting jobs. It’s
about sharing, building and strengthening
your company. 2012 can be the year of B2B
growth if companies embrace social media
for B2B sharing and present themselves as
thought leaders amongst the competition.

11. Optimize or Die!
Ok… that might be a little dramatic.
But we all know that in the business world, irrelevancy is a
terminal disease. And in this noisy, ever-changing world,
optimizing our presence to customers is the holy grail of
staying relevant. Are you “there” when they come
looking? Are you available on their terms? Good SEO
and a strong mobile presence are just a couple of ways to
ensure you aren’t dying a slow death.

12. Support a Cause
Roughly half of consumers are more
likely to purchase a company’s
products if they outwardly support a
global issue that the consumer cares
about. In 2012, go beyond promoting
your cause on packaging. Make it a
part of your company culture and your
commitment will come across in all
your communications – social media,
packaging, press, etc.

13. Budget For The
Unexpected
There are plenty of marketing
opportunities that pop up during
the year that you’ll completely miss
if you’re unable to be nimble. Make
sure that your budget allows you
the flexibility to jump on a hot
opportunity at a moment’s notice.

14. Look Inside!
Look around, a strong group of brand ambassadors may be sitting at the very
next desk! All of your employees are valuable assets who can serve as
ambassadors for your product or brand in a number of ways, so involve them.

15. Visit thecore.dma-solutions.com to
read the full version of the Twelve and
to download a printer-friendly version.
thecore.dma-solutions.com