From the category archives:

Marketing

Marketing Schmarketing. What does it mean?

April 28, 2010
Thumbnail image for Marketing Schmarketing. What does it mean?

When people ask me what I do, I usually say “I’m an on-demand chief marketing officer” which is a fancy way of saying “I’m a marketing guy”. This response is usually met with a blank stare. It’s not that these smart people don’t have an inkling of what “marketing” is – it’s just that the [...]

Read the full article →

Tell me brands don’t matter.

April 6, 2010
Thumbnail image for Tell me brands don’t matter.

While you may not care about Walmart or how it does business, there is something to be gained from watching them learn marketing and merchandising lessons – especially when they learn the hard way.
Think about it. Walmart is huge. Regardless of how you feel about the company, they represent a giant consumer laboratory – when [...]

Read the full article →

Rule #5 of Marketing: Capitalization

March 19, 2010
Thumbnail image for Rule #5 of Marketing: Capitalization

Ok, this is where I break your heart. Effective marketing takes money. That’s just the truth. Take a deep breath now and accept it. it’s not just a question of “how much” – it’s more a question of “how fast”.  The more money you invest, the faster you realize a return. When it comes to [...]

Read the full article →

Rule #4 of Marketing: Persistence

March 13, 2010
Thumbnail image for Rule #4 of Marketing: Persistence

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard people say “We mailed a brochure one time and we didn’t get a single lead. That’s why we don’t mail anything anymore.” These otherwise talented individuals are breaking the law of persistence. Think about it: there is a person out there who needs your product or [...]

Read the full article →

Rule #3 of Marketing: Consistency

March 9, 2010
Thumbnail image for Rule #3 of Marketing: Consistency

In the buyer’s mind, consistency = quality. The rule of consistency can be applied to many functional areas in a business. When it comes to marketing a consistent message, consistently delivered to the right people will pay dividends.
Think of it this way. Drip marketing works because it delivers multiple “touches” over time. Consistent, high quality [...]

Read the full article →

Rule #2 of Marketing: Concentration

March 5, 2010
Thumbnail image for Rule #2 of Marketing: Concentration

Ever hear the term “scatter shot”? Or “shot gun approach”? While few of us would admit to such a lapse of common sense, the reality is that most small businesses engage in Scatter shot Marketing. The symptoms of this disorder include:

constantly trying to figure out who to call on
the reinvention of the prospecting process every [...]

Read the full article →

Rule #1 of Marketing: Simplicity

March 1, 2010
Thumbnail image for Rule #1 of Marketing: Simplicity

Marketing success comes down to one thing: knowing the rules of the game. Think about that for a minute. Let it swirl around in your brain. Seems like common sense, right? You can’t win a game if you don’t know the rules. Over the last couple of decades of creating successful marketing initiatives, I’ve discovered [...]

Read the full article →