“XYZ customer thinks our product should do ABC!” or “XYZ customer doesn’t understand…”
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? Read the rest of this entry »
As we enter 2023, I can’t help but notice lots of commentary about what we can expect on a variety of fronts, including marketing. As I think about marketing in 2023, a few things spring to mind, maybe because I was doing a lot of reading about them during the last week or so of the year while I was enjoying some downtime. But, I see three key trends for 2023: a continued focus on local marketing, disruption from ChatGPT, and increasingly sophisticated use of data and analytics.
Many of you have probably been at goal-setting seminars or workshops where the leader will pose a question like: “Would you like to make more money?,” and, of course, everybody nods or raises their hand. Then the leader will approach a workshop participant and Read the rest of this entry »
And, quite honestly, it may not even really matter to them.
A lot of businesses worry unnecessarily about market share. It’s understandable because we read a lot about market share in the media. It’s something that big companies worry about a lot and, to a large degree, they need to. Smaller companies, though, really don’t need to be worried about market share. In fact, Read the rest of this entry »
I’m a big fan of conducting SWOT analyses, not only for strategic planning but really for any situation where you’re faced with an important business decision. A SWOT can help you gain clarity around the strengths and opportunities you can leverage and the weaknesses and threats you need to overcome. Pretty basic, but very powerful when done well.
Though common in large organizations, many small businesses and solopreneurs may not be familiar with the tool. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s not unusual, when I’m meeting with a new prospect or making a presentation related to marketing and the issue of competitors comes up, for someone to say: “We don’t really have any competitors.”
My response: “Well, actually you do.”
Even the latest and greatest brand new technological innovation that nobody has ever seen before will have to think about competitors. Here’s why. Read the rest of this entry »
The business market is different. While some consumers are also small business owners, it can be challenging to ferret out those segments. In addition, small businesses do not represent a homogeneous group that has the same needs, interests, avocations, and “hot buttons.”
This distinction can represent challenges to companies not familiar with—or aware of—the distinctions between B2C (business to consumer) and B2B (business to business) advertising.
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… Read the rest of this entry »
In a digital world where literally anyone can be a “publisher,” I’m often asked why (or if) public relations (PR) is still important for marketers. My answer:
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