Before the web, marketers of business products relied on direct mail catalogs as their primary selling tools. But now everyone shops online. In a web-based world, do B2B product marketers still need print catalogs? Yes: Here are seven reasons why print catalogs continue to play an essential role in a smart marketing strategy for marketers of business products....
View More
Behind every great marketing success story is a great business — an organization with such a strong foundation that the marketing (almost) comes easy. Here are five fundamentals of a successful business that are essential for a smart marketing strategy, based on my experience as a marketing consultant....
View MoreMember acquisition is a constant challenge and a top priority for most trade associations. Who do you target? How do you reach prospective members? And how do you convince them to join your organization? Here’s how the American Advertising Federation-Cleveland (AAF-CLE) developed a successful membership marketing strategy and campaign that exceeded its goals and laid the foundation for future member acquisition....
View MoreHow to be a smarter marketer:11 more timeless tips for creating smart marketing strategies from Cleveland, Ohio marketing consultant Jean Gianfagna -- part 2 of a 2-part post...
View MoreHow 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 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 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
