Amid my daily influx of spam and junk e-mail, this subject line stuck out to me like a nun at a Metallica concert. I recognized the sender — Toppers Spa — as a company whose messages I usually delete, even though I willfully subscribe to their e-mail blasts.

Maybe it’s because spring is officially here (according to the calendar anyway), or perhaps it’s because I’m in the middle of a busier than usual work week and subconsciously want a massage. Either way, something about “Spring is a time of renewal” made me open the e-mail and read about this week’s special spa packages.

Marketers and PR specialists need to know their audience. I can’t stress that enough. Companies aren’t going to make millions by promoting their products and services to the wrong potential buyers.

Knowing your audience is a science and an art. You can track leads and follow trends until the cows come home, and that definitely works. Some marketing extremists may even suggest trying to anger users from time-to-time just to see how passionate they really are about the industry and to see if their response offers a new approach. Regardless, marketing folks need to find a voice that speaks to the market.

But how do you do that? Ask yourself and your client the following questions:

• Who is my audience?
• What are my goals in reaching my audience?
• How will I deal with dissenting industry opinion?
• What is considered “professional” by my audience?
• What is considered “too uptight” by my audience

Answers are sometimes easily found by immersing yourself in industry blogs. Blogs are one of technology’s best modes of communication, many of them offering an open, unadulterated forum for industry banter. You never know what you can find out about your customers just by staying in touch with what they’re praising or complaining about.

So, back to my message from Toppers. Why did this appeal to me? Let’s consider women, because women are usually the more spa-going of the sexes (sorry guys!). Ask many women, and they’ll tell you that once the Easter season is over, they finally have time to relax after months of turkey, Christmas cookies, candy hearts and chocolate bunnies. In fact, for many of us “Spring is a time of renewal.” Out with the old and in with the new, starting with a little R&R for me.

Congrats, Toppers. You got my attention and my money with six little, yet very targeted, words. My aromatherapy massage is scheduled for Saturday.

Rosser Reeves fathered the USP advertising theory 50 years ago. His research showed that it would revolutionize advertising performance. Yet, where can you find a USP today? Certainly not in TV commercials, not in most print ads either.

Some agencies suggest you spend your ad dollars getting laughs or otherwise entertaining the audience; that will sell your product. They have many convincing arguments, too. “You have too many competitors to develop a USP” or “Your products are too generic.” My favorite: “You don’t want to turn away sales from outside your niche.” And they’re all backed up by the old standby: “The most important thing is to get your name out there.”

But is this true or is it just lazy marketing? B2B advertising with no USP is advertising with no pulling power. That fact will be obvious with the next direct mail offer that hits your desk. You will give it 3 seconds to find the USP. Otherwise it’s “hasta la vista, baby.” Advertising gets the same 3 seconds. If the hook isn’t set, the fish swim away.

Moral: get a strong USP or get a new agency.

All the Web’s a stage,
And all the B2B companies merely players:
They have their products and their services;
And one company in its time runs many campaigns …

I read with interest a column in the March 10 issue of BtoB Magazine titled “Should your next hire be a theater major? Maybe.” The article asserts that the key ingredient often missing from B2B online creative is a strong point of view. It continues to say successful point of view requires showmanship, “that extra and sometimes daring ingredient” that makes B2B buyers — not unlike theater patrons — want to come back for more.

As it turns out, good old-fashioned theatrical skills, or at least the ability to think like an actor or director, are just as important online as they are on the boards.

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The questionable personal conduct of New York’s soon-to-be ex-governor is actually a great analogy for many companies’ PR practices:

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I just read Seth Godin’s most recent blog entry and it really hit home. I just got out of a new business meeting where we discussed nailing down this particular client’s target market. Which is a completely feasible task. With the right research and industry knowledge, B2B marketers can target markets….or can we?

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Trade media has offset lost print ad revenue by offering advertisers more online opportunities including a growing number of sponsorships. One of the more popular offerings is “e-newsletter” sponsorships which target their circulation with guaranteed distribution numbers to advertisers. Typically the cost of these e-news letter sponsorships range between $2,500 to $6,000 or more depending on the size of the email blast and the profile of the audience. This cost is significantly higher than passive web advertising in the form of banner ads or print especially when considering the size of the “real-estate” the sponsor purchases in the email.

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PCs are for serious business people, and Macs are for students and long-haired artsy types who need to do stuff like photography, graphics and video, right? Well maybe, or maybe not. Apple’s computer market share has more than doubled recently. Apple’s Steve Jobs has done a number on consumers. Those students that Apple targeted in the 1980s have grown up and are now creating an adult-sized demand. “We want Macs!” seems to be the new mantra of business professionals. A stellar ad campaign and crafty marketing – such as paid placements in television and movies – are helping grow that seed that was planted so long ago. Talk about a long-term strategy!

What can you learn about this success story? You can look at what is behind the ballooning demand for Macs. What business people really want is what Macs deliver: simple usability, lightning-quick Internet access and video excellence. This is what B2B buyers want too. To learn about product benefits via the Internet and user-friendly tools. To be able to see, hear and trial products and services on their own – before the salesperson calls.