Archive for September, 2022

What’s the Purpose of Advertising: To Entertain or to Sell?

Thursday, September 29th, 2022

I used to love the E*Trade commercials with the talking babies. They were cute, clever, and they made me laugh. In fact, every time I see one—regardless of how many times I’ve seen it previously—I laugh. I liked them. They were well done. They had good production values. They were clever.

But, did they work from an advertising standpoint? (more…)

Generating Responses, Followers, and Referrals—An “A-ha!” Moment

Monday, September 26th, 2022

17877227 – social media

A while ago I experienced an interesting phenomenon related to the release of my monthly e-letter. I’d gotten into the practice of posting notices to various LinkedIn groups when a new e-letter was available, inviting new subscribers. I had been doing this for about 14 months and (more…)

How Do Your Customers Perceive Your Brand?

Wednesday, September 21st, 2022

It is not uncommon for me to be approached by a client or a potential client who wants to “develop their brand.” They are often surprised to find that they already have one—we all do.

You may also be surprised to learn that, whether you realize it or not, you have a brand identity. You may not know what that identity is, but you have one!

Many business owners believe that they define their brand. In truth, a brand is defined by your customers or clients. The definition is based on (more…)

If Your Goal is “Implied,” You Don’t Really Have a Goal

Thursday, September 8th, 2022

In interviewing for a job several years ago, I went through a round of interviews with various members of the organization. When meeting with the Chief Administrative Office (CAO), he handed me a brochure and said: “What do you think about this brochure?” My immediate thought was: “In what regard?,” but I resisted the urge to say that and, instead, said:

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The (Absolute) Power of Product and Its Impact on Your Marketing

Tuesday, September 6th, 2022
Marketing is a must-have for businesses of any kind and any size. In fact, all businesses are using marketing to some degree whether they know it or not.

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When It Comes to Hyper-personalization Use Your Spidey Senses

Thursday, September 1st, 2022

Digital technology available today makes it possible to hyper-personalize communications with customers and prospects. But, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. I think the biggest mistake that marketers can make in pursuing hyper-personalization (more…)