Posts Tagged ‘marketing strategy’

Hiring Marketing Talent? Why Strategy Matters.

Tuesday, October 3rd, 2017

Hiring marketing or content marketing talent?So, you’re in the market for a strategic marketing professional. You’ve screened hundreds of applicants, and it’s down to the handful you’ve picked to invite in for interviews. But this is an inherently creative position, and cookie-cutter interview questions about an applicant’s past experience or about their evaluation of their own qualifications might not give you enough insight to pick the right man or woman for the job. (more…)

Best Practices for Marketing Complex Products and Services

Wednesday, March 29th, 2017

In the Information Age, consumers often have very short attention spans. There’s simply so much content out there competing for your attention. Even the typical 30-second TV commercial has become too long for many consumers to focus on. At the same time, technology becomes increasingly sophisticated. Squeezed in the middle of these two trends are those poor souls trying to tell the market about their revolutionary, spectacular product or service that happens to be extremely complicated. (more…)

Tips for Marketing Your “Boring” Business

Monday, March 27th, 2017

Let’s face it. Not all businesses are as flashy and exciting as manufacturing high-end sports cars, groundbreaking technology or exquisite luxury items. The marketing for some products is as simple as letting people know the product exists. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for most companies, and this means they may need to work extra hard or be extra creative in making sales. As Ryan Holiday writes for The Huffington Post, (more…)

Why Profiling is Good For You

Tuesday, August 16th, 2016

diversity, profiling, marketing segmentation, targeting, positioning, writing copy, targeting minority audiences

I’ve been in marketing for many, many years — in fact, I could say for most of my life. I grew up in a family-owned business that I was forced to work in at a very young age. My father had some unique ways of promoting his business that my brother and I were conscripted into. One of those was riding through the streets and neighborhoods of Milwaukee as our dad drove a van painted with do-nut characters, with speakers on the top blaring out Chuck Berry songs. (more…)

6 Steps and 6 Days to an Effective Content Strategy: Day 4

Monday, July 18th, 2016

content marketing, content management, content strategy, strategic marketing, marketing strategically, strategic communicationsJazz Jones has a clear focus on her goals, objectives and her target audience. She knows who she’s attempting to influence and she’s done thorough research into their AIOs (activities, interests and opinions). Now, she’s ready for the next important step in creating a content strategy. (more…)

Small Business and Content Marketing: Opportunities Abound but Strategy is Key

Tuesday, December 1st, 2015

Content Marketing Institute’s 2015 “Small Business Marketing Trends-North America” study, sponsored by Copyblogger Media’s Rainmaker platform, focuses on how small business marketers are changing their marketing practices. It also points to some potential opportunities for these small businesses and others to better leverage the value that content marketing can provide. Chief among the keys to content marketing success is having a strategy. (more…)

Don’t Create Strategies or Tactics Without These Critical Insights

Thursday, August 27th, 2015

by Linda Pophal

 

So, you’re in the market for a strategic marketing professional. You’ve screened hundreds of applicants, and it’s down to the handful you’ve picked to invite in for interviews. But this is an inherently creative position, and cookie-cutter interview questions about an applicant’s past experience or about their evaluation of their own qualifications might not give you enough insight to pick the right man or woman for the job. (more…)

Think Before You Give That Next Customer Discount

Thursday, January 29th, 2015

A few years ago I was lamenting my cable bill with a friend who told me she had recently told her cable company she wanted to cancel her service because, based on how little she watched TV, she couldn’t justify the monthly fee. Rather than lose a customer, the cable company offered a steep discount. I’ve heard of others who have used the same strategy successfully.

I recently came across a Harvard Business Review piece called “The Downside of Discounts,” which reminded me of these cable company discounts. (more…)

Are You Engaged in Marketing Malpractice?

Tuesday, November 19th, 2013

I responded to a reporter’s query this week related to best (or I should say worst!) practices in marketing. His question was related to “marketing tactics that don’t work.” I had two initial thoughts about that query:

  • I definitely believe that many of the marketing tactics being deployed today are ineffective—not worth the time or money spent on them and not generating relevant results
  • The reason this is true, though, is not because of the tactic–but because of the strategy, or lack thereof (more…)

How Can You Measure Your Advertising Effectiveness?

Tuesday, October 8th, 2013
It’s very important for businesses of any size to track the results of their marketing campaigns. Small businesses, in particular, are often “budget-challenged,” so it is especially important that they know that their marketing efforts are achieving desired results. The biggest benefit is that they will have information to tell them how to use their marketing budget most effectively.
There are a variety of ways they might track the effectiveness of these campaigns: (more…)