Surely, you’ve been let down. If you’ve been in business for any length of time you’ve probably been underwhelmed, disgruntled, or downright ripped off by “marketing people.” Sorry to hear that. So have I. The fact is, more than 5 million people provide marketing services of some sort in the U.S. There’s no barrier to […]
Where marketing goes wrong Read More »
There was a group discussion on LinkedIn recently that started with this question: “Does website design really matter? ” It provoked quite a debate… Graphic designers and advertising people in one camp, web programmers and entrepreneurs in the other, arguing their respective positions. The paint-by-numbers group believes web design doesn’t really matter at all. Design
Does website design matter? Yes, as long as first impressions matter. Read More »
Marketing videos are popping up faster than you can yell “cut.” The YouTube stats are mind-boggling… It’s the second-busiest website on earth, with 2.7 billion monthly users. There are 114 million different YouTube channels, so you can delve deep into any subject under the sun. Seriously. Five hundred hours of new video content is uploaded
Why most marketing videos fail. (Unscripted advice on the missing ingredient) Read More »
Recently we had a client who didn’t like the photos we had taken for her website. She didn’t appreciate the fact that we had done something different than the usual, corporate head shot. She said they didn’t look “professional enough” — didn’t think it was good personal branding. The problem is, her idea of “professional”
Effective Personal Branding — The corporate head shot is not the ticket. Read More »
I’ve been writing the Brand Insight Blog regularly since 2008. The single most popular post I’ve ever written focuses on the difference between marketing strategy and marketing tactics. Thinking and planning vs. doing and implementing. Seems there’s some confusion there, to say the least, about the definition of marketing tactics vs. marketing strategy. For example,
Strategic Thinking + Tactical Acting – For better marketing you need both Read More »
The marketing landscape isn’t really a landscape anymore. It’s more like a fast moving landslide, snapping trees and engulfing unsuspecting business owners up to their ears in muck. Most clients I know are wearing so many different hats, they can’t begin to sort out all the “marketing opportunities,” much less make sound strategic decisions regarding each one.
Sorting through a landslide of “marketing opportunities” Read More »
Most business owners and CEOs have no idea how to hire the right marketing person. They just don’t know what to look for. I’ve seen many smart business leaders churn through dozens of people before they find a match. The revolving door gets costly. Most businesses rely on small, efficient teams of people for all
How to hire the right marketing person — the first time. Read More »
There’s so much buzz about AI in marketing I need a bee keeper’s suit just to write this. The marketing world is swarming with articles, opinions, podcasts and videos about how AI’s going to change world completely. I’m sure they’re right. Most of the publicity is positive, touting the time savings and efficiency that Ai
Ai in marketing — The amazing potential and real limitations Read More »
I recently ran across this graphic (below) from a marketing person who teaches marketing people how to market themselves more effectively. This simple graphic hierarchy represents one of the most common misconceptions in marketing. It’s a trap that many business owners and CEOs fall into. If this is how you visualize the marketing landscape, I
The most common misconceptions in marketing Read More »
Let’s talk about one of the most popular marketing metaphors of all time: The Marketing Funnel. Sales funnels, marketing funnels and conversion funnels are ubiquitous in the business world. It’s an idea that dates back a hundred years, and it goes like this… At the top of the marketing funnel you have
Flip the marketing funnel — make it a mountain. Read More »
