For those of you who have braved the bold new world of Twitter, it’s likely that you’ve come across the symbol #. In the old days, we referred to this as a “pound sign,” generally referring to its use on a phone. Today Continue reading “What the Heck is a # and Why Should You Care?”
Tag: Marketing
Predictions for 2010
Okay – going out on a limb here, I know – but just couldn’t resist the “power of publication” with my own blog and all. Never before have I had such a great opportunity to share my personal thoughts with the masses at virtually no cost. Who knows, of course, how many people will actually see this. But – for the sake of posterity – here are my predictions for 2010. Continue reading “Predictions for 2010”
No cost/low cost resources for marketers and entrepreneurs
I know there’s something just “wrong” about blogging early on Thanksgiving morning, but I acknowledge the fact that I’m a workaholic and frankly what better time for a little peace and quiet to actually think without interruption!
This blog was prompted by an email from a friend/colleague who is pulling together a list of resources for small businesspeople/entrepreneurs and asked me if I had anything to add. I did – more than I thought I would actually. So, I decided to share my list Continue reading “No cost/low cost resources for marketers and entrepreneurs”
It’s Not Always About Location
Location. Location. Location.
Traditional marketing wisdom would lead one to believe that where a business is located makes a difference. And that makes logical sense, most of the time. A recent experience, though, suggests that location can be trumped by other things – Continue reading “It’s Not Always About Location”
No Web Site? No Customers?
We’re in the process of planning a trip to Florida and my husband has been researching restaurants. The other night he was sharing the results of his research and said: “I’ve found a few good ones – there were a couple of others I wanted to check out, but they don’t have a web site, so forget it.” Continue reading “No Web Site? No Customers?”
Crossing the Line Between PR and Marketing
There’s a raging – and quite interesting – debate taking place in a LinkedIn forum I participate in on the relationship between PR and marketing. I’ve found it especially interesting since I recently was engaged in the same debate while teaching PR courses at a local university.
Surprisingly to me, there is a group that believes quite strongly that PR *is not* part of marketing. That it is a separate and distinctly different function within an organization. That’s “crazy talk” to me – Continue reading “Crossing the Line Between PR and Marketing”
Overpromise – Under-deliver?
Apparently KFC’s recent launch of a grilled chicken sandwich so exceeded expectations that KFC ended up damaging relations with consumers, the media and franchisees, according to a recent item in Public Relations Tactics (a PRSA publication). Continue reading “Overpromise – Under-deliver?”
Pay for Performance – Good Idea, or Not…
I just read a piece in The Economist about a movement to pay advertising agencies for value, not hours, and how this trend is catching on. Currently, the American Association of Advertising Agencies estimates that about 10 percent of compensation agreements are value-based, according to this article. (Not sure that figure supports the suggestion that this is a trend that is “taking off”…)
Anyway, my initial reaction in reading this was: “Well, why not? Why should agencies just be paid for being “creative,” and racking up what can be enormous fees? Continue reading “Pay for Performance – Good Idea, or Not…”
Think Carefully About Suboptimizing Your Brand!
One of the keys to establishing a strong and meaningful brand is consistency. A surefire way to become inconsistent is by “suboptimizing” your brand by focusing on the parts, rather than the whole. Or, in other words, by having a tough time deciding “who you want to be.” Continue reading “Think Carefully About Suboptimizing Your Brand!”
Your Best Customers Are Your Best Customers
We’ve all heard it before, but somehow in our ongoing quest to add *new* customers, we have a tendency to forgot to focus attention on the ones we already have.
Datran Media, an e-mail services company, recently asked marketers to rank what advertising goals they considered most important for 2009. The results were: Continue reading “Your Best Customers Are Your Best Customers”