Much of my work over the years has been with “service brands” — brands that are not tied to a particular product, but to the delivery of some type of service — educational services, health care services, energy services, engineering services, consulting services, etc.
Developing and maintaining a strong brand for a service is, in my opinion, significantly more challenging than developing and maintaining a strong brand for a product. Why? (more…)
Most people think “advertising” when they hear the word marketing. That’s understandable because much of what we see/hear as consumers involves traditional advertising activities—newspaper ads, television commercials, billboards, etc. These media ads are the most visible and “in your face” marketing activities, so it’s not surprising that most of us think that these ads are marketing.
But, they’re not… (more…)
“Social media” is often referred to collectively as though “social media” is a single entity. Of course, it’s not. Each channel is different—reaching different people and sharing messaging in different ways. LinkedIn is very business-focused. TikTok is based on short, entertaining video clips. Facebook is highly social—a place for people to connect with friends and relatives.
Many organizations and individuals using social media for business purposes, to connect and engage prospects and customers, use multiple channels.
One foundational question they face is: “Should my messaging vary across social media platforms?”
A while ago my husband went to the movie theatre to buy some tickets that we were going to give to some people who had helped us out with a project. He wanted 8 tickets. The theatre said “No, sorry – we only (more…)
Too often when marketers think about increasing customer engagement, they tend to err on the side of selecting promotional options. That, though, is often premature and can result in a lot of money spent unnecessarily. Worse, in some cases, their efforts can also work against them. (more…)
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.
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…)
Want a quick tip to help you evaluate the effectiveness of your advertising copy? It’s simple. Just take a look and see how many times you use words like “we” or “our.” What’s wrong with those words? They’re you-focused, vs. they-focused—they being the target prospects you’re hoping to influence in some way. Instead of words like “we” and “our,” your copy should include (more…)
I’m often surprised when I work with clients and companies to find that they aren’t taking advantage of the valuable information they have at their fingertips about their customers and their sales patterns.
Fact-gathering and research are two important steps in implementing any kind of communication campaign – internal and external. Yet, it’s a step that is all too often overlooked in the zeal to “do something—DO SOMETHING NOW!” But taking the time—just a little time!—to step back and look at some data can help direct the “do” into areas that have the most potential for success. Bigger impact—less investment (of time and money). What’s not to like about that? (more…)
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…)
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