Marketing Archives

10 Copywriting Tips to Generate Results!

I’m a copywriter from way back and, although, my life has taken a number of twists and turns since my old copywriting days, writing has been a passion of mine for many, many years and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. The thing is, much of what I learned as a professional copywriter holds true regardless of the type of writing I do: whether I’m writing a brochure, copy for a newspaper ad, a script for a radio announcement or a page or blog for a web site, there are some tried and true techniques that can be used to boost the odds that the copy will get the results I’m looking for.

Following are some tips I’ve gathered and used over the years — can you add to the list? Continue reading “10 Copywriting Tips to Generate Results!”

Is It Time to Update Your Web Site?

Web sites have become a “must have” for businesses of any size, in any industry or geographic location. In fact, to a large degree, if you don’t have a web site, you don’t exist. When potential customers are looking for products or services they are very likely these days to turn to the Internet and do a search. If your business doesn’t come up in their search efforts, you’re not likely to be part of their consideration set. Continue reading “Is It Time to Update Your Web Site?”

How to Use Social Media to Grow and Market Your Business

The wide proliferation of social media sites–from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram–provide a myriad of opportunities for businesses of any size to connect with their target audiences. That can be good news and not-so-good news for marketers. Why? Because while the out-of-pocket costs for using most of these tools is low to none, the time investment can be significant. Add to that Continue reading “How to Use Social Media to Grow and Market Your Business”

Challenges on the Horizon for Marketers in 2014

As 2014 rapidly approaches (I can’t believe how rapidly it’s approaching…) businesses are looking ahead to the New Year and thinking of the challenges and opportunities they will face. We recently responded to a reporter’s inquiry about marketing challenges lying ahead in 2014. Here’s our perspective:

There are two key challenges that businesses are likely to face in 2014 from a marketing standpoint: one is evergreen, the other is continuing to emerge: Continue reading “Challenges on the Horizon for Marketers in 2014”

Some “Silly” – But True! – Advertising Rules You Shouldn’t Overlook!

The field of advertising is traditionally known as a haven for “creative types.” And those types often come up with some pretty creative “rules” for doing business. Some of the rules may seem pretty silly, but they work. And there’s nothing silly about that. For instance: Continue reading “Some “Silly” – But True! – Advertising Rules You Shouldn’t Overlook!”

Why Marketers Often Fail to Sufficiently Narrow Their Target Audience

One of the most common missteps made by businesses large and small, in both the for-profit and not-for-profit arenas is a failure to clearly identify the desired target market. Why? In my experience, I see this happen for a variety of reasons: Continue reading “Why Marketers Often Fail to Sufficiently Narrow Their Target Audience”

#1 Marketing Tip

What does it take to be an effective healthcare marketer?
What does it take to be an effective B2B marketer?
What does it take to be an effective retail marketers?

Regardless of the audience asking, or the way the question is posed, my #1 recommendation is always a two-part recommendation and it’s one that I convey to clients and students communicating in both internal and external settings. Continue reading “#1 Marketing Tip”

To Discount or Not to Discount – An Age-Old Question With No Easy Answers

Pricing is a complex issue for any organization or business and one of the key considerations that organizations must make is whether to discount what they have to offer. Even the “big guys” sometimes get it wrong. Consider J.C. Penney’s recent missteps with their move away from discounts under short-lived CEO Ron Johnson. Pricing is one of Continue reading “To Discount or Not to Discount – An Age-Old Question With No Easy Answers”

How Do You Find and Target the Right Customers

We sponsor, and I present a session on marketing at, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Entrepreneurial Training Program; my session is on marketing. When I first spoke with the program’s director about the program he pointed out that one of the major missteps that he saw from participants was that they too broadly defined their target audiences. They generally felt that their products or services appealed to “everyone.” He was right. Continue reading “How Do You Find and Target the Right Customers”