Archive for August, 2012

Marketing on a Shoestring Budget

Thursday, August 30th, 2012

I’ve worked in marketing for a number of years with clients with both large and small budgets and with a number of not-for-profit organizations that typically need to keep costs down. My personal approach to marketing, regardless of budget, is to always strive to “get the most, for the least” (in terms of time/money/effort). And, in truth, these days most organizations’ budgets are dwindling so less is definitely more!

Foundationally, I feel the key to marketing on a small budget (or large budget, for that matter) is to have (more…)

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Talking Baby Ads Working, but E*Trade Not So Much – How Does That Work?

Tuesday, August 28th, 2012

I recently read a very interesting–and puzzling–article in AdvertisingAge about E*Trade’s recent management shakeup. The company is apparently searching for a new CEO after unexpectedly parting with its current CEO in August. The article goes on to talk about the company’s stock slump and general poor performance. The surprising part, to me, is that (more…)

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How to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Your Web Site

Tuesday, August 21st, 2012

Most businesses today have a web site. Once that web site has been up and active for a while, they often wonder whether their site is as effective as it might be. We work with a number of clients to help develop, position, evaluate and improve their web sites from a content standpoint (more…)

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Engaging Your Audience Through Social Media

Thursday, August 16th, 2012

Social media is top of mind for most of us today with the big question being: “how can I use social media effectively?” It’s unfortunately not an easy question to answer and, in truth, probably no different than asking: “how can I communicate effectively,” in general. The list of do’s and don’ts could go on and on and on…

I write and speak frequently about social media issues, work with clients on their social media efforts and experiment with my own social media accounts and tools to try to get an indication of what works and what doesn’t.  Some key points that I’ve discovered and that I often share with clients and other audiences: (more…)

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Ramp Up Your Email Marketing Effectiveness

Monday, August 13th, 2012

I did an interview recently with a reporter who was looking for tips on email marketing effectiveness. Whenever I do this type of thing, or write bout email or Internet marketing, or even *think* about email or Internet marketing, I’m always struck with how very much the *same* online marketing is to traditional marketing. The tools may be different. The reach may be different. But the bottom line, by and large, is that the techniques (more…)

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The Value — and Limitations — of Leading Indicators

Thursday, August 9th, 2012

Working in large organizations I became very familiar with “leading” and “lagging” indicators and, admittedly, sometimes  I found what I thought was the “complexity” of the concepts to be a bit overwhelming. But, I’m very data-driven and very committed to measuring the impacts of my efforts whether working in an organization, for a client or for myself. The premise is really quite basic: if you are looking for (more…)

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Creating a Lasting Brand Image

Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

Why do some brands become cultural legends that stand the test of time, while others ebb, flow and eventually sink? The brand is the cornerstone of any business and is, unfortunately, often misunderstood. That is possibly why the brand is also often so mismanaged. Brands are not, are not, ARE NOT logos, taglines or corporate colors. Brands are not advertisements. Brands are not Facebook pages. (more…)

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Create, Co-create, Collaborate or Die

Thursday, August 2nd, 2012

We’re all familiar with the saying: adapt, migrate, mutate or die. Charles Darwin put forth his theory of evolution in 1859 and its relevance to businesses has long been applied by academics and business experts. But, in today’s fast-paced environment, while still applicable it suggests a pace that is much slower than our reality.

Adapting, migrating and mutating takes time–sometimes a long time.

While it may not be relevant from a biological standpoint, businesses today might be well advised to follow a different piece of advice: (more…)

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