The Marketing Memo #2: This is not a Cyber Monday sales email

Good morning marketers,

In amidst a sea of Cyber Monday emails, we’re here to deliver some actual tips, tricks, and tools to make you a better marketer — at no cost.

Here are three can’t-miss resources for you to check out:

1. A deep dive into a brand that breaks all the marketing rules — and succeeds

2. A marketing tool to borrow ideas from the competition’s emails

3. A quick tip comedians use to better engage with audiences

If you need a little laugh to kick-start your day, here’s a fun Monday marketing meme we loved:

Had a good chuckle? Now you’re ready for today’s newsletter.

Let’s dive in.

Case study: What Barnes & Noble did “wrong”

So often it seems like marketers are trying to emulate the success of other bigger, better businesses.

“Everyone’s doing email marketing.” “I should focus on B2B conferences like my competitors.” “I need to promote my brand on TikTok, that’s what thought leaders are saying.”

But Barnes & Noble booksellers did the opposite of what they “should” do — and it worked for them.

“Barnes and Noble’s future was uncertain in 2018 and 2019. The biggest bookseller in America was on the brink of bankruptcy. Then a new owner came in and shook up the look of the company,” writes author Edward Anderson. “By designing the stores to appeal to local customers, [Barnes & Noble CEO] Daunt is flying in the face of conventional wisdom. But the gambit is paying off with increased store to store sales.”

Read the full (unconventional) story here:

A tool to make the most of your Cyber Monday

Milled is a search engine for email newsletters. Use it to view emails from competitor brands or scope out email newsletter trends across industries.

Why editor Kati loves it: “I use Milled to get a visual overview of brands’ recent emails and get inspired by emails from all industries. On a personal note, I also love using Milled to find promo codes when shopping brands whose newsletters I don’t subscribe to.”

Today’s Tip: Address the Elephant in the Room

We loved this story on the importance of addressing unspoken concerns and tension in your marketing. Marketing is no longer a one-way street and addressing the "elephant in the room" can help build a more authentic brand and create deeper connections with your audience and customers. If done well, this will help you create content and marketing campaigns that resonate through the human touch.

Get more examples, insights, and some chuckles from Robert here:

Loved this newsletter? Forward it to a marketer you love in your life.

We’ll see you next Monday for the next Marketing Memo.

- Kati, Sinem, and Zulie

Subscribe to The Marketing Memo

Why subscribe? A memo (AKA a memorandum) is defined as “a way to inform a group of people about a specific problem, solution, or event.” When we thought about what we wanted to deliver with this newsletter, that definition hit the nail on the head.

If you want to keep up with problems, solutions, and news in marketing, The Marketing Memo is your ideal Monday read.