January 23rd, 2012
If there’s one thing that can be said with certainty about SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (the Protect IP Act), it’s “the issues are confusing!” What does it all mean? From media reports that both are bad for business, particularly small business - to backers of the proposals, the reports are confusing to say the least.
At the most basic level Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: crisis communication, internet, journalist
Posted in Healthcare, Internet marketing | No Comments »
January 23rd, 2012
- VHS tapes.
- Landlines.
- Encyclopedias.
- Film (the Kodak kind).
All examples of products that have already, or will probably soon, disappear from use. Why? Because they were made obsolete due to new advancements, replacements or changing consumer demand that led to their demise. That kind of evolution is happening all of the time. Sometimes slowly. Sometimes rapidly. Just as Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Innovation, Marketing, Strategy
Posted in Innovation, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Technology | No Comments »
December 30th, 2011
As the New Year approaches it’s time to begin thinking about New Year’s resolutions. I’m pretty goal oriented and actually love this time of year–it’s always fun to look forward to new possibilities and make new plans for growth and achievement. I also believe that thinking about and committing our goals to some formal form (whether hard copy or online) serves to formally mark them in our minds and increases the odds that we will actually move forward to achieve them.
Here are my “top 3 marketing resolution recommendations” for 2012: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: marketing strategy, measurement
Posted in Marketing, Strategic Planning, Strategy | No Comments »
December 27th, 2011
The concept of the “4 P’s” was first put forward in the 1960’s and still used in many circles today, although from time to time a new “marketing mix” will be proposed by some marketing expert to replace this classic formula. To me, the basic principles are still sound and still apply despite
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Advertising, Marketing
Posted in Advertising, Marketing, Marketing communication | No Comments »
December 8th, 2011
How do you effectively develop rapport with customers? How do you connect and compel those who have “raised their hands” and said “yes, I want to connect with your company” to continue coming back for more and, better yet, to spread the word about how great you are to others?
In a world marked by increasingly sophisticated technology, it may seem trite but it’s true that developing rapport with customers is not rocket science. In fact, my advice which, initially, may sound very general, is simple: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Brand management, Customer Service, marketing strategy
Posted in Customer Service, Customer communication, Marketing communication, Strategic Communications | No Comments »
December 4th, 2011
A new year is right around the corner and I, for one, am looking forward to a great year! Based on feedback from my clients, and my own experience in 2011, it seems that there are some early signs of an uptick in consumer demand for products and services. Here’s hoping that’s true and that it’s something that all of you are benefiting from. I was recently asked by a business reporter and colleague for my small business marketing predictions for 2012 – here they are: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Business development, Marketing, marketing strategy
Posted in Business development, Marketing, Strategy | No Comments »
November 27th, 2011
Someone told me once that the definition of creativity is the ability to pull a range of random pieces of information together to develop an idea. It might be an idea for a new product, an idea for a new process or an idea for a new approach to a vexing problem. The point, though, is that the more you know about a lot of things the more likely you are to be able to use the things you know to create new ideas. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Business development, Strategic Planning, Strategy
Posted in Business development, Strategic Planning, Strategy | No Comments »
November 22nd, 2011
Not every business is capital intensive which is good news for the many people out there right now interested in starting a business, but feeling hampered by lack of capital. There are a number of things that many would-be small business owners — particularly service-related business owners (e.g. consultants, accountants, attorneys, etc.) can do these days to start their businesses on a small budget. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Business development, Marketing, Technology
Posted in Business development, Marketing, Technology | No Comments »
November 20th, 2011
I’ve recently encountered situations with clients in two very diverse industries, with two very different marketing challenges, that were both embarking on major marketing initiatives in the absence of some very important information. They hadn’t clearly identified the specific results they were looking for.
They thought they knew. In fact, when I asked them they both provided me with a lengthy explanation of what they were hoping to achieve. The trouble is that Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Business development, Customer Service, marketing strategy, Strategic Planning
Posted in Advertising, Business development, Customer Service, Marketing, Strategic Communications, Strategic Planning | No Comments »
November 18th, 2011
A student asked me the other day what the greatest marketing challenges facing business today were and whether I think these challenges are different than they have been historically. That’s a great question and I’ve pondered it for a while.
Ultimately, what I decided is that Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Advertising, communication tactics, Marketing, Strategy
Posted in Advertising, Marketing, Strategy | No Comments »