I’ve been a rabid marketing practitioner for decades. I understand and believe in the power of marketing for companies of all types and sizes, across all industries.
And, I’ll admit, there have even been times when I’ve been too eager to turn to marketing when a go-slow approach might have served me better. (more…)
One of the key lessons I remember from a time when I did a lot of writing about consulting and had the opportunity to interact with dozens, maybe hundreds, of consultants, was the importance of focusing on prospecting even when you’re very, very busy.
It’s wisdom that I was well aware of when I started my business, Strategic Communications, in 2008, and at first was very easy to do. I wasn’t that busy after all during the early days (especially since this was 2008 and the beginning of a recession!). But as many consultants warned me what I’ve fallen prey to over the years was slacking off on prospecting when my workload became too heavy. (more…)
Social media can be a great way for businesses of all types and sizes to connect with their audiences and stay connected with them! In fact, for small businesses in particular, a social media strategy focused specifically on customers (rather than prospects, or the masses) offers the greatest potential to not only keep but to grow business.
“XYZ customer thinks our product should do ABC!” or “XYZ customer doesn’t understand…”
Moving forward with communication tactics without a good understanding of the target audience, their current attitudes and beliefs, and the drivers that might lead them to positive action relative to your product or service is never a good idea.
On the other hand, many companies—particularly small companies—don’t have the time or resources to invest in expensive research activities.
It’s a conundrum—but one that can be addressed (more…)
If you’re not on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites —and believe it or not, many, many people are not!—you may be missing out on some very important conversations. Some of these conversations may be about you!
In working with a client recently, we did some quick online research and they were shocked (more…)
Sometimes it can be the smallest of things that leads to a lost opportunity from a marketing or sales perspective. Small things that can, I think, be easily corrected.
I had a personal example of this recently while working on a proposal for a branding project. I needed to gather some price information for some elements of the project. In two cases, I contacted two different individuals, asking for some estimates. In each of these cases, one of the people got back to me right away—the other, not at all. (more…)
“Fast follower” is a term used in marketing circles to refer to a company that moves quickly to do what its competitors are doing, or to do what one specific, extremely innovative competitor is doing. But I’ve never really liked the idea of
You’ve no doubt heard the definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.”
It’s a common malady in the business world, and particularly evident these days during tough times. Companies know that the results they’re getting aren’t what they’d like to see and are not likely sustainable, yet they don’t quite know what to do about it. So they keep doing what they’ve always done in tough times – they (more…)
I’ve had a LinkedIn profile since 2009. It has become the top source of referrals for my content marketing and marketing consulting services. Not because of the “brilliant” posts I share. Not because I get tons of likes and shares. Not because I write clever copy.
So how have I successfully leveraged LinkedIn to generate leads—and new clients—consistently? (more…)
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