In the world of sales and marketing, we often hear the terms “value” and “price” used interchangeably. Specifically, many people think that the lowest price option is the best “value” because it’s the cheapest. That may be true in the narrow context of commodities – $100 for X amount of ABC grain is a better value than $150 for X amount of XYZ grain, because for true commodities, there is no difference between ABC and XYZ brands. But for non-commodity products and services, value and price mean very different things, and marketers need to be aware of the difference. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Marketing and Branding’ Category
Value Trumps Price in Effective Marketing
Sunday, April 15th, 2018
Webinars Still a Viable Option for Building Audience
Thursday, March 22nd, 2018
Webinars are still widely promoted online, but does the format still resonate with end users and, if so, which ones? Can webinars reach, and influence, a B2C audience or are they primarily used for B2B outreach? What emerging technologies are moving into the webinar space? These are questions marketers need to be asking themselves. (more…)
5 Branding Missteps You Should Avoid
Thursday, March 15th, 2018
Branding is an area we explore regularly with clients – conducting brand audits, developing brand positioning, etc. Some of the most common errors we see are: (more…)
Do Buyer Personas = Stereotypes? Yes, but…
Thursday, March 8th, 2018
We recently responded to a reporter’s question of: “Are buyer/audience personas just a better way to say ‘stereotypes’?”
The answer:
Yes, but…
Advertising Isn’t About Entertaining Unless it Also Drives Sales!
Tuesday, March 6th, 2018
“Dilly, dilly!” It was the marketing catchphrase of the year, according to the Wall Street Journal. And it’s definitely catchy. I love the commercials and the catchphrase and smile every time I hear it. I’m not alone.
Unfortunately, despite the popularity of the company’s new ad campaign, sales are slumping. (more…)
Should Manufacturers Think More Like Pharmaceutical Companies When it Comes to Marketing?
Thursday, February 22nd, 2018
When you think about the types of companies you typically see ads for, manufacturing firms don’t typically come to mind. That’s because, historically, manufacturing companies haven’t invested a great deal in traditional marketing. They tend to be focused more on business-to-business (B2B) sales, than business-to-consumer (B2C). Their business focus has typically been on achieving operational efficiencies to drive down costs and increase profits. They set themselves apart from competitors by providing higher quality, faster turnaround or lower cost, and they haven’t typically spent much time thinking about the end user consumers of their products. (more…)
Email Marketing is Not Dead: Why It’s a Top Tool for Connecting With Millennials
Tuesday, February 13th, 2018
You don’t have to be a tech-savvy millennial to set up your email’s junk mail filters to ensure you never see an unsolicited advertisement. But when it comes to millennials, email marketing may be one of the best options available. Matt Bryant, writing for PPR North America, writes that, “millennials, the first generation of digital natives (grew up using computers), don’t respond to traditional advertising and marketing tactics as past generations did. A recent study found that 84 percent of millennials don’t like traditional advertising nor do they trust it.” So, how can you effectively reach this group? You may be surprised. (more…)
Answers to Your Top Questions About Super Bowl Advertising
Thursday, February 1st, 2018
As Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots approaches, it’s an obvious time to take another look at some of the data on the marketing spectacle that surrounds the event. Here we address some of the top questions many consumers have as they prepare to watch the commercials (er, game…) (more…)
Content Marketing and the Pathway to Purchase
Tuesday, January 23rd, 2018
Business owners know that bringing in new sales can be extremely challenging and often frustrating. More often than not, a potential prospect never makes it from sales lead to paying customer. There are a number of steps along the path to purchase and prospects can be lost at any one. But it doesn’t have to be this way! At least not in the world of online marketing. Great content generation can help move prospects through your sales funnel more effectively. (more…)
Content Marketing: A Wide Range of Options
Thursday, January 18th, 2018
At Strategic Communications, we are big advocates of content marketing. It’s crucial to offer something of value to your potential customers rather than simply advertising to them. Blogs and whitepapers can be great vehicles for this type of marketing, but there are many, many forms of content marketing, and some might not seem to fit that label at first glance. (more…)
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