There are certain facts about business and marketing that “everyone” knows, but are they true? Not always.

“Cyber Monday (or “Black Monday”)” is the largest Internet shopping day of the year. Think “Black Friday” (day after Thanksgiving, traditionally the nuttiest shopping day of the year) and e-tail it. Neilson/NetRatings even predicts and reports on the event. Well, gee, if Nielson follows the stat, then it must be true that Cyber Monday is the largest Internet shopping day of the year.

Not so fast, folks. It ain’t over yet. Turns out the Monday after Thanksgiving is more like a starting bell to the holiday season. You e-tailers may be able to catch a breath or two, but don’t let your guard down just yet. According to a BusinessWeek article quoting Comscore, it is - historically - only the 12th largest Internet shopping day of the year.

As with most not-quite-facts, there is bit of truth to the rumor. By most accounts, a Cyber Monday phenomen does exist, resulting in healthier single-day sales for online retailers.

Here’s another well-known “fact:”

Monday is the best day to email your business ezine, with Wednesday coming in second. Not according to a recent eroi survey reported by emarketer. Turns out Sunday and Friday ranked first and second for both opens and click through rates. If you read closer, however, you’ll notice the study did not differentiate between B2B and B2C newsletters, groups that - I suspect - have very different behavior profiles. The lesson here? Monday may not be the best day to send your newsletter. Sunday may not work best either. The answer? It depends. Your subscribers are unique, so test and see what works for you.

So what’s my point? In marketing, don’t automatically take established “truths” as fact. The real truth may have gotten lost in the retelling, times and customer / consumer behavior may have changed or your customers may not conform to the norm. In any case, question the “truth” and you may find a hidden profit opportunity.

[Technorati: Business, Computers and Internet, internet sales, email marketing]

I just read an article proclaiming that Internet marketing is dead. The author raved that Internet marketing is filth and garbage and went on to describe the evils of email spam, using the terms “Internet marketing” and “spam” interchangably.

IT’S BS LIKE THIS THAT GIVES MARKETING A BAD NAME!

Unsolicited bulk email - spam - is an unsavory type of marketing, yes. Is it equivalent to Internet marketing? NO! Defining Internet marketing to be spam is like defining retailing to be “bait and switch.”

Bait and switch is an illicit tactic sometimes used in retail…looked on with disdain by honest retailers.
Similarly, spam is an illicit tactic sometimes used in marketing…looked on with disdain by honest marketers.

Retailing does not mean bait and switch. Internet marketing does not mean spam.

[Technorati Tags: Internet marketing, internet-marketing, spam, Email, Computers and Internet, marketing]

In 2000, the town of Halfway, Oregon changed its name to Half.com (Half for short). It’s happened again. This time, EchoStar Communications (which owns DISH Network) has struck a deal with Clark, Texas. Clark is now DISH.

In exchange for the name change, DISH residents receive 10 years of free DISH Network programming. According to Bill Merritt, Mayor of DISH, Texas, “We accepted this challenge because we believe this relationship will give us a unique opportunity to put our town on the map, and we hope it will help us attract new people and businesses so that our town can grow in the right direction. With free DISH Network satellite TV, we’ll become a place people are proud to be a part of.”

EchoStar perpetrated the deal as part of its “Better TV for All” campaign.

Free press and PR buzz for both? Yes. Smart strategy? That’s to be seen.

According to The Creative Group’s Salary Guide, those in niche marketing positions are bringing in higher salaries than their general marketing counterparts. An e-commerce marketing director averaged $122,200 salary in 2004 (not counting bonuses or benefits). The general Marketing Director had salary ranging from $65,250 to $106,250.

Regional index (100 being average) ranged from a low of 83 in Albuquerque, New Mexico to an even 100 in St. Louis, Missouri to a high of 146.0 in New York.