My son gleefully sent me a link to a comic offering a huge lesson in marketing. He’s ecstatic any time he finds a Web comic I’ll like because it means he gets to share something from his world with me. :-)

The comic is great, and reminded me of an enewsletter I wrote a couple of years ago about “indirect” marketing.

We spend lots of time and energy and worry on direct marketing—and copywriters are tasked with making measurable results happen as part of that effort. But really there are so many other ways we market and put our brands out into the world, without even realizing we’re doing so. And people notice and talk…about you, your company, your product, your service. They talk about how easy or cumbersome your Web site is to use, how happy or dissatisfied they were with their purchase.

I love my new saddle, but loads of people have heard me complain about the horrible experience I had with County Saddlery.

People talk. So give them something good to say, by making sure your indirect marketing is as well-thought out and consistent as your direct marketing is.