We hear a lot about content marketing, engagement, optimization and a whole bunch of other buzz words. Some people seem to specialize in buzz-speak. Here's an excerpt from an actual description of an event:

To get the most out of your email marketing, you’ll need to <strong>optimize</strong> this <strong>channel</strong> for success. That starts with using your data effectively. This session will reveal how to <strong>leverag</strong>e your email marketing to <strong>engage</strong> your customers more effectively.

I've bolded the buzziest words, and note too that the word effectively is used twice in these three sentences.

Of course every marketer wants to be effective. But before we can be effective, and optimize and leverage channels, we need to answer these basic questions:

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These questions are the basis for journalistic reporting. They are important because that is what we need to know.