How to be a smarter marketer: 21 timeless tips from 21 years of experience in developing marketing strategies and campaigns, from a Cleveland, Ohio marketing consultant - part 1 of a 2-part post....
View More"Football on Your Phone," the hilarious hip-hop spoof featuring the Manning brothers rapping for DirecTV, is a viral sensation. It’s also very smart marketing. Here’s why “Football on Your Phone” broke through in a crowded media marketplace and what makes this ad a smart marketing strategy....
View MoreDirect mail is a powerful tool in a B2B marketing strategy. Here are 12 lessons for using direct mail effectively in B2B marketing from a campaign by 4imprint, a Wisconsin ad specialties marketer....
View More
Remember when “cookies” on websites were controversial? People used to be uncomfortable having cookies track their activities on the web. But cookies are nothing compared to the tracking technology available to marketers today. Sophisticated tools enable marketers to follow your every move online and even in real life in a retail store. Having such in-depth customer knowledge and the ability to pinpoint prospects so precisely is a marketer’s dream – but some of the latest technology makes me wonder if we’re on the verge of going too far. Here are some thoughts on the...
View MoreBlogging is a great way to share your expertise and position your organization as a thought leader in your industry. Blogging offers particular value for business-to-business marketers like me who sell professional services. How can you get better results from your B2B blog? Here are five tips I discovered when analyzing my blog traffic. Traffic Tells a Story – and Offers Valuable Insights I started my Smart Marketing Strategy blog almost four years ago to promote my Cleveland marketing consulting firm. Blogging has produced great results for my business: Establishing my credibility as...
View MoreHave you or your business won an award? Congratulations! Once you’ve toasted to your success, it’s time to capitalize on your honor to promote your business. Here are 13 ideas for showcasing business awards in a smart marketing strategy. Why Awards are Great for Marketing Awards offer your business powerful marketing advantages. Winning an award enables you to: Stand apart from your competitors; Position your company as tops in your field; Instill pride in your staff; Spotlight your staff’s capabilities and achievements; Remind clients and prospects of your commitment to excellence; Generate positive...
View Morere you creating a new website for your business? You may want to build it on WordPress. WordPress is a free blogging and content management system and a hugely popular website platform. More than 60 million sites are on WordPress, with 330 million visitors viewing 3.4 billion pages each month. We recently created WordPress sites for one of our clients and for our strategic marketing consulting firm in Cleveland. Here are some tips and tricks we learned about WordPress that could be helpful to your smart marketing strategy....
View MoreTrader Joe’s, the quirky grocer and wine merchant, is destination shopping for many consumers. There’s a Trader Joe’s near my home in Cleveland, Ohio and my friends often find a way to squeeze in a trip to Trader Joe’s when they visit. Why is Trader Joe’s so popular? Because it does two things exceptionally well: It sells high-quality food and wine at value prices and masterfully brands itself and its private label products. Here’s how Trader Joe’s turns an ordinary private label product – a box of facial tissues – into a...
View Moref you’re a business-to-business marketer who still doesn’t have a business page on Facebook, relax: You probably don’t need to be on Facebook after all. As social media has matured, each social media channel’s role and value has become clearer. Though Facebook is by far the dominant social network, B2B marketers increasingly are questioning its value for connecting with business decision-makers. I’m no longer advising most of my B2B marketing clients to focus on Facebook. Here’s why – and what it might mean for your smart marketing strategy....
View MoreHave you seen the new “Ship My Pants?” ad campaign from Kmart? The TV spot is a viral sensation with nearly 16 million YouTube views. It’s been featured on CNN and The Today Show and it’s everywhere on social media. But just imagine the discussion that took place at Kmart when the company’s ad agency, Draftfcb Chicago, proposed an idea that sounds a lot like what happens when you don’t have time to make it to the bathroom. When is “edgy” marketing over the edge? Would you have said yes to “ship my...
View More
