Testimonials and Reviews Give You Bragging Rights Without You Bragging
Too often business owners neglect to commit time to something critical after a project is finished—asking the satisfied customer for a testimonial or review. I had an interesting experience recently while working with a client who is an architect and general contractor of custom designed homes. A...
Marketers’ Generational Biases Often Miss The Mark
I never know where I’ll find the next marketing gem, but they do appear from time to time. This time it’s about generational bias in marketing, appearing in the "IdeaWatch" section of the January-February 2022 issue of Harvard Business Review. It’s based on a white paper called “Swiss Influencer...
Much to Celebrate During National Small Business Week
This is National Small Business Week—April 30 through May 6—the week to celebrate businesses defined by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as having no more than 1,500 employees and a maximum of $41.5 million in average annual receipts. You guessed it. That’s a lot of businesses! In fact,...
How Does Your Company Measure Sales Success?
How does your company measure sales success? Is it a full funnel? Is it the number of leads generated? Is it the number of sales closed in a month? No question, metrics are an important measure of success. But a measure of what success? What sales and marketing strategy have you put in place in...
Win More Customers with Digital Marketing
If it seems like everything is digital today, it’s not your imagination. Traditional media, like newspapers, TV, and print magazines are gasping to survive. Meanwhile, digital marketing media has grown continuously since 2011. Time spent (in minutes) viewing traditional marketing media has dropped...
Make Your Website Stand Out From The Others
Great websites do stand out from others. These website are easily found, build trust, and make it easy for visitors to discover what they're looking for, so they can take the next step. A great website is not about just creating a beautiful design, but about creating a device to convert first time...
5 Ways to Make Email Marketing Work for You
A common question new clients ask me is “Which marketing channel will give me the best return on my dollar?” That’s a good question, in any economy, but especially now. I come up with one consistent answer—Email Marketing. With an average ROI of $45 for each dollar spent, it’s a good choice and...
5 Pillars of Successful Brand Building
Branding companies and their products and services is what I do. As a marketer, I know it’s at the center of helping my clients get recognized, grow and stay top of mind with customers. I’ve distilled forty years of “branding” expertise down to five basic tenants I call “The Pillars of Branding.”...
Is Yours a “Yes, and” Company Culture?
Many of you remember the improv show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” You laughed and marveled as Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady, and Colin Mochrie created hilarious skits from a few words tossed to them by Drew Carey and audience members. Their quick wit depended on the “Yes, and” theory that’s not just...
4 Things You Need To Do To Survive a Recession
If, as predicted, a 2023 recession challenges businesses, will you survive it? Here are 4 things you can start to do now to prepare for a recession. Big Tech companies are laying off employees by the thousands. Google is the latest, laying off 12,000. I think it’s a bellwether. Many economists are...
