Articles
Branding Strategies in Marketing
The Difference Between Microsoft & Apple Marketing
For years, Microsoft has taken heat on their marketing, or their lack of it, to the consumer market, especially when compared to Apple. Simply put—they just don’t get it!
Yes on occasion they come up with a really cool campaign and the market is both surprised and impressed all in one. But those feelings usually don’t last because Microsoft doesn’t stick to any marketing, let alone what works! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Microsoft, in fact, I like them and if you get me talking about OneNo…
How Many Eggs Are In Your Basket?
The biggest mistake I see companies make when it comes to advertising is simply, they put all of their eggs in one basket. They do too much of one thing by taking the ‘Consistency Rule’ so literally that it actually hurts them and most of the time they do not realize this until it is to late. Companies tend to focus on one type of marketing, one media, or they beat the wrong message into their various types of media.
Marketing is this abstract thing that we have convinced ourselves we can make co…
Marketing is this abstract thing that we have convinced ourselves we can make co…
How to Gather Actual Marketing Data
It’s no secret that you need to track your marketing efforts—how else are you going to know what works and what doesn’t!
But there is a trick to tracking your marketing that many companies either forget or don’t know about. The trick is in tracking multiple sources. When a prospect reaches out to you, make sure you are asking specific questions like:
But there is a trick to tracking your marketing that many companies either forget or don’t know about. The trick is in tracking multiple sources. When a prospect reaches out to you, make sure you are asking specific questions like:
- How did you first hear about our company?
- How have you recently heard about us?
Bulls Eye: Striking Gold in Marketing
Imagine sitting in a bar and someone comes up and offers you a bottomless box of darts. No matter how many you take out and throw, there will always be more in the box. Sounds great right? Think of the scores you will be able to achieve with an endless source of darts. There is just one catch: to use the darts in the box, you must be blindfolded.OK Let’s assume that the box is marketing and the darts are all the different marketing tactics—specific actions or ideas. I bet some of you are thinkin…
The Employer Branding Secret
The essence of Employer Branding is about organizational authenticity, isn't it? But coming up with a really strong and differentiating Employer Brand seems to be easier said than done. It’s also usually filled with a lot of buzz words.The more social and transparent that we become, the harder it is for companies to “say this” and “do that”. Accountability now comes from all angles—those who have financial power, those with political power, those with social power, and those that will have the p…
Are Legos Sexist?
I don’t know if you have noticed, but Lego has been taking a beating lately with claims of the company being sexist in their marketing and who they target their products to. It is no secret that generally speaking, boys are more interested in science and engineering. It is also no secret that the media and toy companies have decided that all girls must love dolls and pink.So what’s the problem?
The problem is we are creatures of conditioning. How we raise our children and what we expose them to s…
The Right Words for Marketing
“A culture of trust that encourages empowerment and innovation, we provide people with the freedom, flexibility and opportunity to do great things for our company, employees and customers.”
This quote and others similar always accompany a business receiving an award for best work place. The other time you hear this or some version of it is when companies are going through or need to go through a major cultural change.One of the first construction conferences I presented at, I was having a drink …
How to Navigate FTC Regulations: The Secrets to Effective Testimonials and Endorsements
For some, testimonials are what sell their business. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is finally catching up to the constantly evolving digital world. For the better part of a decade, the agency lagged a full Internet generation behind advertisers who saw online communications evolving faster than laws governing their fair use. Now the FTC is codifying and enforcing what were once only unwritten rules. As a result, companies caught crossing the bounds of appropriate online behavior now face ha…
You Realized that You’re a B2Comm Biz, Now What?
As you saw in another post I wrote, B2Comm stands for Business to Community. B2Comm businesses leverage and utilize both B2B and B2C businesses, but they target an entire community instead of only individuals or other businesses.
Also, in that post I mentioned that commercial contractors are an example of B2Comm companies, which surprised many readers. Let’s take a look at why and cover how your marketing will change because of it at the same time.
Generally speaking, commercial contractors have f…
Also, in that post I mentioned that commercial contractors are an example of B2Comm companies, which surprised many readers. Let’s take a look at why and cover how your marketing will change because of it at the same time.
Generally speaking, commercial contractors have f…
Clients or Customers: Who Cares!?!
The other day, a friend of mine on Facebook posted about a discussion she had with someone about “Clients” or “Customers.” They were discussing the differences between the two and which word you should be using to address them.Here is my question for you: Does it matter?
Yes I know there are die-hards out there who “know” the difference between the two, and perhaps one word invokes a different state of mind within your company. But in the end, seriously does it matter?
Do you want to know my answe…