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”
Here’s a comment I read recently in an online forum:
“Other marketing channels, such as email, still prove to be better at driving conversions than social. Despite this, companies are still spending a lot of time and effort on their social campaigns – why?”
My first reaction was: Continue reading “Which Drives Better Response? Email marketing or social media?”
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”
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”
It seems that interest in online marketing is hotter than ever; every week it seems we get more questions from reporters, prospects and clients about do’s, don’ts and best practices of online communications. Last week we received a question about what we would view as the “Big 3” online marketing mistakes that we see businesses make, especially small businesses. Continue reading “Common Online Marketing Mistakes”
The skills of great marketers are many, but are primarily rooted in an understanding of consumer or human behavior and all of its complexities. Marketing is a challenging field of endeavor because, while there are certain principles and tenets of practice that are widely accepted, there are also many exceptions that challenge the rules. I’ve been a marketer, I’ve worked with marketers, I’ve hired marketers–both as staff people and as external consultants or vendors. I’ve worked with both effective and not so effective marketers. What does it take to join the ranks of the effective marketers? In my opinion, those who will be most effective in marketing-related positions are those who: Continue reading “What Makes Great Marketers Great?”
I was interviewed recently by a reporter with Inc. Magazine about the prevalence and value of outsourcing the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) role. It’s a topic that I definitely have an opinion about–one that may seem to be at cross-purposes with my own self interests. As a marketing communication consultant I’ve actually served in the role of an “outsourced CMO” on a couple of occasions. In one instance, the client was looking for not only my assistance with current marketing efforts, but my recommendations for how they should proceed in the future — should they continue to outsource this function, or should they hire someone to handle their marketing efforts on staff?
Continue reading “Should You Outsource Your Marketing Function?”
Last night I showed students in my Advertising Copy & Design class a video that I’ve seen a number of times, now, but that continues to both delight and amaze me. It’s Google’s “Project Re: Brief” which tells the story of four classic advertisements and how their original creators teamed up with today’s new breed of advertising professionals–and some technical experts–to create some truly amazing advertisements. The iconic spots they recreated were: Continue reading “Iconic Brands Revisited With a Boost From Technology”
Despite the fact that the United States Postal Service (USPS) is struggling and about to cut back on their delivery, there are some (including me) that believe that traditional direct mail still holds benefits for both marketers and consumers. In an increasingly cluttered email environment, after all, marketers will be challenged to come up with new ways to “capture eyeballs.” Traditional direct mail may hold some opportunities for a number of reasons: Continue reading “The Big Benefits of Traditional Direct Mail”
Marketers often pose questions like: “What are the best practices when marketing to women?” In my opinion, that question is far too broad. Women are not a homogeneous market segment. There are a myriad of variations among them. I was recently asked this question; here’s how I responded: Continue reading “What to Avoid When Marketing to Women? Defining the Audience Too Broadly”