Do you have Followers, Fans or Evangelists?
Getting your customers to help out with your marketing. Why? Because they want to.
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.Online Video: Much More Than Just YouTube
People like watching moving pictures more than static ones.
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.
Business Designs On Commerce
How you present something is at least as important as what you present.
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.
The Right Person For The Job
Your in-house marketer is great at social media, but their web 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.
Are you Persuading, Informing, or Re-affirming?
Customers will resist marketing sales and messages that do not resonate with their own way of thinking.
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?
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.
Is Conventional Marketing Dead?
If conventional marketing is dead, it actually died a long time ago.
New Thinking For A New Decade
If you’re marketing this decade like you marketed the last decade, you will most likely be disappointed with your results.
Companies Don’t Control Their Brands: Customers Do. It’s Time To Rebrand Branding
Think you control your brand? Think again.
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.
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.
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.
External Influences
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.
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.
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 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.Even more articles!