More small business marketing articles. Enjoy!
More articles about Marketing, Sales, and Business
Companies Don’t Control Their Brands: Customers Do. It’s Time To Rebrand Branding
Think you control your brand? Think again.
It’s Not What You Know…It’s Who You Know
How the internet, and social networks, have helped break down barriers to commerce.
Do the Right Thing: Fire Your Worst Customers
Not all customers are worthy of your time.
Has The Term “Outsourcing” Become Obsolete?
Business process outsourcing hasn’t just changed the way companies of all sizes operate and deliver their business value. Its presence can be felt in pretty much every level and department.
Mobile Marketing: Why We’re Overthinking the Obvious
The mobile revolution has already happened. Today’s opportunity is how businesses respond with appropriate focus, rather than technological complexity for its own sake.
Apples To Apples: Comparing Your Business To The Competition
Don’t be afraid, or in denial, about your business competitors. You know they exist, so do your customers. So stop pretending.
The Thrill Of The (Sales) Chase: But Don’t Forget Existing Customers
Selling to new customers is great. But selling to existing customers is easier and cheaper.
Hanging On The Telephone
Unscrupulous sales behavior always gets found out.
Russian Roulette
Marketing without targeting is like a broken pencil: pointless.
Who’s Damaging Your Brand?
Customers are looking at every touchpoint they see of your business – and judging you accordingly.
Now What Do You Do?
Know your market. Existing customers need different collateral to new ones.
Is Your Brand Helping Sales, Or Hurting Them?
Customers like to categorize brands in order to make sense of them. That can restrict your offering.
Marketing By Humans: Personalization Beats Automation
If you’ve got nothing worth saying, why should customers bother listening?
The Importance Of Re-evaluating Your Business Strategy
Every industry has their unique set of external influences that govern the validity of your business value. Make you that you know the factors that influence your business – and keep an eye on where they’re heading.
A Taste Of Your Own Medicine
Stand in your own queue.
Email Becomes “Me-Mail”
Integrating video into your sales and marketing messaging, collateral and customer engagement activities is taking on ever-greater importance. Video captivates audience attention far better than text and/or images alone, and also helps differentiate your company.
Trash The Template
Your “Best Practices”are quietly killing your business. The biggest risk isn’t trying something new. It’s assuming what worked in the past will work in the future.
Want To Change The Business Game? Then Change the Rules
There are hundreds of ways of changing the game. Most established companies can’t – or won’t – do it, because they see it as upsetting the status quo and destabilizing their own business model.
“I don’t want to hear about problems! Only Solutions!”
Ignoring the facts that are staring you in the face is tantamount to a wilful dereliction of duty.
Seeing Your Product Through Your Customer’s Eyes
Customers buy a solution to a particular problem that they have, in order to achieve a desired outcome. Their reason for buying is simply to make that problem go away.
Don’t Listen To Your Customers
Customers don’t always know what they want. That’s your job.
The Danger Of The Gilded Cage
Promotion often means rising to the level of incompetence.
What’s Your Company’s Video Strategy?
Businesses should be present in the market spaces customers frequent to avoid missing out on potential opportunities.
The Price Of Free
It’s tough to charge money for something your customers used to get for free.
What Value Do You Put On Creativity?
Underestimating the value of creativity in your business sets you on the road to becoming seen as a commodity.
The Second Mouse Gets The Cheese
If your business isn’t innovating, it’s going backwards.
Hidden Message
Some thoughts on Microsoft’s latest ad campaign.
A Simple Tip For Better Business Presentations
Try this one tip to improve your presentations, using something you probably already have lying around.
Why Less-Talented Competitors Keep Beating You
Customers choose to buy from you for many reasons. Your product is just one of them.
Judging A (Note)Book By Its Cover
The birth of a new product segment – and its soon-to-be rapid, untimely death.
How Do Your Customers Find You?
Customers find your business in a variety of ways, via numerous channels. It’s important to be where they expect to find you – as well as not in places where you’re not welcome.
Time To Outsource Your Marketing?
Outsourcing your marketing to an agency gives you access to top-drawer experience, experience, and advice. You’re still driving the initiatives, it’s just that someone else is behind the wheel.
Keeping Your Business Relevant In Your Customer’s Mind
If your company occupies a space that could conceivably be embraced by your current customer base, then why should they continue to buy from you?
Non-Optional Extras: Hiding The True Cost From Your Customers
When you have the gall to charge an extra $500 delivery on a $30,000 automobile purchase, the only thing the customer remembers is the insult of having to pay the hidden extra.
Are Your Marketing Materials Too “Wordy”?
Are you being too extravagant in your textual messaging? Just the facts, ma’am.
Making Lemonade From Lemons
Even once the economy bounces back, we’re not going back to ‘the good old days’. The climate will be different. Customers will be different, so business will need to be different.
Making a Mint on YouTube
Video sites such as YouTube don’t just give your business a platform to market. They can pay you too.
Standing Out From The Crowd
Your business needs to stand out. It needs to shout about how great it is. If it doesn’t, don’t expect anyone else to.
Tradeshow Trauma: Are Trade Exhibitions Still Relevant To Your Small Business?
Exhibiting at a tradeshow can be a very effective sales tool. But today, so can many other things.
The Writing’s On The Wall For Blogs
Blogging isn’t dying. But the quality and depth of blog articles must increase, in the light of increased competition for reader attention.
Missing The Point in Sales Copywriting?
Sales and marketing copywriting should be written from the customer’s viewpoint and language – not yours.Even more articles!