6 Steps and 6 Weeks to an Effective Content Strategy: Week 2

content marketing, content management, content strategy, strategic marketing, marketing strategically, strategic communicationsJazz Jones is hoping to build business for her leadership development coaching for healthcare professionals. She’s clarified her goals and objectives and is ready for Step 2: identifying her target audience. Continue reading “6 Steps and 6 Weeks to an Effective Content Strategy: Week 2”

6 Steps and 6 Weeks to an Effective Content Strategy: Week 1

content marketing, content management, content strategy, strategic marketing, marketing strategically, strategic communicationsIn last week’s blog post we met Jazz Jones, a physician and former healthcare administrator who is hoping to raise awareness and generate new coaching business through content marketing. Her first step:  Continue reading “6 Steps and 6 Weeks to an Effective Content Strategy: Week 1”

Content Marketing Strategy Revisited: Taking a Journey With Jazz Jones

content marketing, content management, content strategy, strategic marketing, marketing strategically, strategic communications(This was a very popular series for us a few years ago so we thought we’d take a look back and revisit.)

There is no shortage of content marketing experts these days, and there’s no shortage of ideas on the best ways for companies to leverage their content to achieve desired results. The problem is that these ideas are often without context–not grounded in real-world examples that can help would-be content marketers get their arms around what content strategy is all about.

Here, through a fictional example of a company that’s interested in gaining clients and driving business through content marketing, we apply the advice of content marketing experts to demonstrate how it can be used in concrete ways. Continue reading “Content Marketing Strategy Revisited: Taking a Journey With Jazz Jones”

Three Big Buckets of Effective Social Media Strategy

It’s hard to succeed at anything if you’re not focused. Whether you’re golfing, driving, taking an exam or giving a presentation, losing focus on your objective can be disastrous. The same is true of your social media activity. Granted social media marketing is a longer-term activity than golfing or giving a presentation, but the importance of focus is no less important. In particular, we’ve selected three key elements marketers should keep their focus on when engaging in social media. Continue reading “Three Big Buckets of Effective Social Media Strategy”

Leveraging Big Benefits From Loss Leader Pricing

content marketing, content management, content strategy, strategic marketing, marketing strategically, strategic communicationsby Justin Grensing, Esq., MBA

At first glance, it might seem like a ridiculous strategy to price a product below its cost. Wouldn’t you just be losing money? While this is true, many companies do just that, and they do lose money. On that specific offering. This is part of a strategy known as loss leader pricing. As defined by Inc., “loss leader pricing is an aggressive pricing strategy in which a store sells selected goods below cost in order to attract customers who will, according to the loss leader philosophy, make up for the losses on highlighted products with additional purchases of profitable goods.”

A great example of a loss leader is razors. Continue reading “Leveraging Big Benefits From Loss Leader Pricing”

Should Manufacturers Think More Like Pharmaceutical Companies When it Comes to Marketing?

8970947 - illuminated light bulb in a row of dim ones concept for creativity, innovation and solutionWhen you think about the types of companies you typically see ads for, manufacturing firms don’t typically come to mind. That’s because, historically, manufacturing companies haven’t invested a great deal in traditional marketing. They tend to be focused more on business-to-business (B2B) sales, than business-to-consumer (B2C). Their business focus has typically been on achieving operational efficiencies to drive down costs and increase profits. They set themselves apart from competitors by providing higher quality, faster turnaround or lower cost, and they haven’t typically spent much time thinking about the end user consumers of their products. Continue reading “Should Manufacturers Think More Like Pharmaceutical Companies When it Comes to Marketing?”

All It Takes is a Little Nudge

Hiring marketing or content marketing talent?People may sometimes think about marketing as the process of convincing someone to buy something they may not be initially inclined to purchase. Maybe it’s luring a customer away from a competitor or convincing someone to buy something they don’t really need.

From a more marketing-friendly perspective, though, the process could be seen as Continue reading “All It Takes is a Little Nudge”

Hiring Marketing Talent? Why Strategy Matters.

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. Continue reading “Hiring Marketing Talent? Why Strategy Matters.”

Best Practices for Marketing Complex Products and Services

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. Continue reading “Best Practices for Marketing Complex Products and Services”

Tips for Marketing Your “Boring” Business

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, Continue reading “Tips for Marketing Your “Boring” Business”