More small business marketing articles. Enjoy!
More articles about Marketing, Sales, and Business
It’s Not Voodoo. It’s Marketing
Social media marketing isn’t a quicker route to the pot of gold.
Saying What You Mean
It is easy to confuse your target market by using what they might consider to be strange or unusual vocabulary.
Change Your Business, Or Watch It Die
Change is a given. React and adapt – or die.
Do you have Followers, Fans or Evangelists?
Getting your customers to help out with your marketing. Why? Because they want to.
The Fragility Of A Business Model
Disrupt your own business and industry – before your competition does.
Friendship Is The New Partnership
Most businesses treat client relationships as transactions. We think treating clients as friends produces better work, better retention, and longer relationships.
Where’s the Center of Your World? You’re Already There
Geographic location no longer has the advantage – or disadvantage – it had.
The Price Of Everything, The Value Of Nothing.
Relying on price as being your main selling point positions your value offering as a commodity – and a race to the bottom.
How Long Did It Take You To Learn How To Ride A Bike?
The time it takes to learn a new skill.
Start With “Employee Service” and “Customer Service” Will Follow
Your employees are your first-line brand ambassadors. Treat them well.
Bad Marketing Is Worse Than No Marketing
Lazy, incompetent marketers have less places to hide.
How Do You Make A Sculpture Of A Duck?
As a sculptor removes the superfluous, your marketing must remove the unnecessary in order to reach your target audience. Keep your messaging short, sharp and to the point.
Today’s Game Is About Changing The Game
The fact remains: your industry and customer expectations will change. You can either lead that change, or follow it.Why Video Speaks Louder Than Words
Your text-only website was fine five years ago. But today, customers expect more.
Why Human-Centered Design Drives Every Business
How you present something is at least as important as what you present.
Less Public and More Relations
Public Relations is in a race to grow up, before it faced increasing irrelevance.
Your Company Isn’t Perfect
Every business screws up. The difference between the good ones and the bad ones is how the screw-up is handled.
Simple Is Complicated
Complicating your messaging might make you feel good about yourself. But everyone else thinks you suck.
Asking For Permission With Your Marketing
Seth Godin’s “Permission Marketing” was ahead of its time.
Do As I Say, Not As I Do
There has to be buy-in at every company level in order for any marketing initiative to truly work.
Customers Are Lazy: We Need To Make Things Easier
Regardless of the size of your organization, customers are expecting it to be as easy to do business with you as with some of the biggest companies in the world.
Taking The Initiative
Maybe your customers aren’t asking you about something because they’re getting answers from someone else.
Marketing Specialization: The Right Person For The Job
Your in-house marketer is great at social media, but their web design chops aren’t all that? That’s perfectly normal.
Fail To Plan, Plan To Fail
If you don’t have a marketing budget, you don’t have a marketing plan. Which means you’re going to fail.
It’s Not (Just) About Content
Content is important. But context eats its lunch.
Spoilt for Choice
Customers are spoilt for choice. How do you make them choose you rather than the competition?
If We Build It, They Will Come
Whether it’s tradeshows, PR, social media or whatever else: today you need to be in the minds of your target market before the show starts.
Your Business Isn’t “The Best”. Stop Lying To Everyone
You’re NOT the best at what you do. If you were, you wouldn’t have to say it.
Are you Persuading, Informing, or Re-affirming?
Customers will resist marketing sales and messages that do not resonate with their own way of thinking.
Keeping Your Business Communications Simple
Study after study shows that people prefer simplicity. Less really is more.
Too Close To The Problem: Effective Communication
Sometimes it’s hard to see the real marketing problem because of one’s own proximity and familiarity to it.
Blending Into The Crowd: The Problem With Price Comparison Sites
If all you have to go on is your pricing being lower, you’re on a one-way ticket to irrelevance.
Saying No to ‘No’
Dear Middle-Managers: Stop being part of the problem.
The Importance Of A Content Marketing Strategy
Blasting messaging without a clear content marketing strategy is doomed to failure.
What Does Your Company Sell?
Are you selling price, or customer value?
Lingua Franca
Global commerce means brand language – in any language – should be seen as a strategic and valuable business asset.
Don’t Blame The Tools For Your Lousy Presentation
The reason your PowerPoint sucks is because you’re expecting the software to do your work for you.
Are Your Salespeople Selling? Or Are They Begging?
If all you are doing is asking for the sale, then you are not selling. You’re just begging the customer for the order.
Is Conventional Marketing Dead?
If conventional marketing is dead, it actually died a long time ago.
“One Size Fits All” Format Coming For Online Video
Some interesting news on the video content front.
Personalization Isn’t Enough: Why Marketing Needs Individualization
Individualization beats personalization any day of the week.Even more articles!