Archive for the ‘Strategic Planning’ Category
Tuesday, June 7th, 2022

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…)
Tags: content marketing, digital marketing, internet marketing, marketing strategy, search engine optimization, SEO
Posted in Business Development, Content Marketing, Internet Marketing, Marketing and Branding, Marketing Measurement, SEO, Social Media, Strategy | No Comments »
Thursday, May 26th, 2022
A recent LinkedIn question resonated with me—”Why don’t people like to talk about pricing UPFRONT?” Why indeed?
Have you ever been frustrated when trying to make a purchase decision because you can’t get pricing information from coy salespeople or cryptic web sites? In my opinion, (more…)
Tags: how much does it cost, marketing strategy, Pricing, pricing strategy, sharing prices, strategic marketing
Posted in Business Development, Marketing and Branding, Strategy | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 18th, 2022
Does market share matter? It’s an old argument I had a number of years ago with an organization I worked for. They were very focused on market share. I didn’t think they needed to be. That focus, I felt, kept us from pursuing other marketing objectives that IMO would have been more meaningful.
Despite the fact that many large companies and brands do focus on market share, it doesn’t always matter.
A simple example will illustrate: (more…)
Posted in Marketing and Branding, Small Business Strategy, Strategy | No Comments »
Friday, May 13th, 2022
A prospective client contacted us recently wanting to produce a white paper to serve as a promotional tool. The white paper needed to include: a focus on the new national campaign theme, a focus on the new local campaign theme, a focus on the areas served, a focus on the organization’s new direction for the coming year, a focus on…OK, hopefully, you get the point.
If you focus on everything, you’re focused on nothing!
It’s tough to focus. Any organization has multiple objectives and messages that need to be conveyed and there can be a tendency to try to “do it all” in one message. The trouble with that, though, is (more…)
Tags: areas of focus, content pillars, effective advertising, effective marketing, finding focus, focus areas, marketing strategy
Posted in Content Marketing, Internet Marketing, Marketing and Branding, Marketing Communication, Strategic Communications, Strategy, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, March 31st, 2022
Corporate giving and community support have become more important than ever before in an environment where need is great—and growing. Organizations benefit not only from the goodwill generated through their giving efforts from those they support, but also from the loyalty and goodwill these efforts generate among employees. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)are major focuses today for companies, for investors, for employees, and for others.
The world is watching. (more…)
Tags: corporate giving, corporate social responsibility, CSR, ESG, giving strategy, goodwill
Posted in Community Relations, Marketing and Branding, Strategy | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 18th, 2022

Our company is named
Strategic Communications to emphasize our belief that to be effective, communication must be strategic. Too often, marketing initiatives are focused more on tactics (let’s get on TikTok! let’s put up a billboard!), rather than
strategy. That’s probably one of the biggest mistakes that marketers can make. Why? Because unless you just “get lucky,” and you might, simply picking tactics may result in doing the wrong things, wasting time, effort, and money.
(more…)
Tags: content marketing, marketing plans, marketing strategy, marketing tactics, strategic marketing, thinking strategically
Posted in Content Marketing, Marketing and Branding, Strategic Planning, Strategy | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 5th, 2021

Effective corporate communication has always been important. Now, though, in a hybrid and continuing uncertain corporate environment, it’s more important than ever for organizations to determine how effective their corporate communications efforts are, and what adjustments or improvements need to be made to keep employees engaged, productive, and employed!
What worked pre-pandemic almost certainly doesn’t work anymore. It’s critical that corporate communications and HR staff work together to create a strategy and plan for moving forward.
(more…)
Tags: communicating with employees, communication strategy, corporate communications, employee brand ambassadors, Employee Communication, internal communications
Posted in Career Advice, Employee Communication, Internal Communication, Strategic Communications, Strategy | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 7th, 2021
One of the things I really love about the work I do is the ability to stay continually connected with clients and experts in a number of areas, especially traditional and digital marketing. Technology and competitive forces have caused change to be constant and rapid. Over the past year, especially, the pandemic has prompted a wide range of changes across all industries and areas of professional practice.
So how can you keep up on the changes that impact your work to make sure you’re remaining relevant as an expert in your field and valuable to those you serve? (more…)
Tags: career development, digital transformation, learning and development, professional development, tracking trends, training and development
Posted in Career Advice, Strategy | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 29th, 2021

I saw a very interesting question in an online group I monitor recently: “Is it ever a good idea to give your work away?”
In this case, the question was related to consulting services but the question could just as easily apply to companies selling tangible products. And, perhaps, it is in comparing the two ─ services and tangible products ─ that this answer can make the most sense: “Yes, there are definitely times when giving your work─or your products─away can be a good idea!”
But when?
(more…)
Tags: Business development, charging for your services, charging for your work, giving your work away, pro bono, product sampling, speaking fees
Posted in Business Development, Client Relations, Customer Communication, Marketing and Branding, Small Business Strategy, Strategy | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021
I’ve worked in marketing for a number of years, and I know that it can be a thankless role at times. After all, the marketing department is a cost center, not a revenue center. It’s a function that is often highly scrutinized in terms of how dollars are being spent and what results are being achieved from those expenditures. Marketing staff is sometimes viewed as “squishy creative types” who don’t really understand business issues but like to throw money at bright, shiny things and the latest social media craze. (more…)
Tags: business goals, business objectives, content marketing, marketing strategy, seat at the table, strategic analysis, strategic plan
Posted in Career Advice, Marketing and Branding, Strategy | No Comments »