I’m back in the creative seat again. I volunteered to step in and head our creative staff after we agreed Jim Everhart, my predecessor, should spearhead our hyperintegration efforts.

I’m looking at things from a slightly different perspective now – a perspective of someone with a lead “creative” title and responsibilities. As I remove my account manager hat, something strikes me. We creative folks have more tools at our disposal – blogs, podcasts, email marketing, and the list goes on. Our primary function has always been to think of new and unique ways to tell our client’s story, demonstrate a benefit and craft compelling ways to reach out to a marketer’s various constituents – engineers, channel partners, integrators, other influencers and ultimately, end-users.

Sure, we still need to apply our traditional creative skills, but we now have these new, exciting tools at our disposal. Strategically driven, integrated programs now take on a new dimension. Eye-catching visuals, compelling headlines, clever offers, even well planned media buys in targeted trade pubs will no longer be enough. The same out-of-the-box thinking needs to be applied as we consider the appropriate use of these new tools.

When should we consider recommending these new tools and just as importantly, when should marketers take these recommendations to heart? If you find yourself asking any of these questions, it may be time to seriously consider putting these new tools to use.

The top 10 questions that indicate you need to think beyond traditional marketing tactics:
1.    How can we find out who are our customers?
2.    How can I begin to communicate with targeted prospects when I don’t have a list?
3.    My budget is too small to run ads with any reasonable frequency; what other options do I have?
4.    How can I find out if I’m getting a return on the advertising monies I spend?
5.    I have an event planned (e.g., trade show, new product launch, etc.). What can I do to generate interest without spending my entire budget?
6.    The number of potential users of my product is very small. How can I reach those users affordably?
7.    We’ve made a significant investment in our website. How do we get more prospects, customers and partners to visit our site?
8.    Because of the multiple channels in our sales process, we don’t have access to our end-user. What can I do to initiate and cultivate communications with those who ultimately purchase my products?
9.    Our communication efforts to our prospects and customers have been spotty and infrequent. Is there a tool that will give us the discipline to communicate with our audiences on a more timely basis?
10.    We seem to find new customers easily and they tell us they are happy with our products and service. Why don’t they come back and buy from us again?