When 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?”
Tag: marketing strategy
All It Takes is a Little Nudge
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.
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”
Why Profiling is Good For You
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. Continue reading “Why Profiling is Good For You”
6 Steps and 6 Days to an Effective Content Strategy: Day 4
Jazz 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. Continue reading “6 Steps and 6 Days to an Effective Content Strategy: Day 4”
Small Business and Content Marketing: Opportunities Abound but Strategy is Key
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. Continue reading “Small Business and Content Marketing: Opportunities Abound but Strategy is Key”
Don’t Create Strategies or Tactics Without These Critical Insights
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. Continue reading “Don’t Create Strategies or Tactics Without These Critical Insights”
Think Before You Give That Next Customer Discount
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. Continue reading “Think Before You Give That Next Customer Discount”