At the beginning of a new year, most of us will resolve to live healthier lives and clean out our closets. New Year’s resolutions also can extend to marketing – and many smart marketers use the turning of the calendar page to make some long-overdue changes to their marketing strategies. Here are 10 resolutions to make your marketing more effective in the New Year....
View MoreOne of the biggest mistakes marketers make is focusing on the tactics of marketing – the new website, direct mail campaign, or Facebook promotion – without first developing a marketing plan. Though a comprehensive marketing strategy for a large company can be a big undertaking, nearly every marketing plan involves these 10 essential steps....
View MoreIf you live in a solidly red or blue state, you may be seeing very little political advertising this presidential year. But here in the Buckeye State, we are drowning in political ads for the presidential campaign and the U.S. Senate race between Sherrod Brown and Josh Mandel. How bad is it? Here’s a snapshot of what life is like in Ohio and other swing states this election season – and some thoughts about whether this massive media buy is a smart marketing strategy....
View MoreCompanies that sell to businesses often rely on referrals to find new customers. But the day may come when referrals aren’t enough. New competitors, new technologies, new types of customers, or new sales territories can create new challenges for your business. To achieve your goals – and capitalize on your opportunities – you need marketing. If you’ve relied primarily on word of mouth to promote your business and you haven’t done much marketing, where do you begin? Here’s advice on the first five things to do to create a smart business-to-business (B2B) marketing...
View MoreHow Target scored an “A” on back-to-college direct mail marketing with a dynamite catalog -- and some lessons from their approach for your smart marketing strategy....
View MoreIf you’re a business-to-business (B2B) marketer, white papers can be a powerful way to demonstrate your expertise and differentiate your company from competitors. In part three of a three-part series, here are 11 ideas for using white papers as marketing tactics in a smart B2B marketing strategy....
View MoreWhite papers are one of the best ways to market a business or professional services company. But there's more to developing an effective white paper than just writing about what you know. To create a white paper that supports a smart marketing strategy by establishing your credibility as an expert in your marketplace and positioning your company as a preferred solution provider, you need to plan carefully and think strategically. In part two of a three-part blog post, here are 10 tips for creating a great white paper from my...
View MoreIf you market to business decision-makers, there’s a powerful marketing tool that can help you stand out from competitors and demonstrate your expertise: A white paper. Part 1 of a three-part blog post explains why white papers are so effective in business-to-business marketing and how to create a high-impact white paper for your smart marketing strategy....
View Moreour company’s brand represents the value customers receive when they interact with your business. It's a promise: When you choose to purchase from us, this is what we will deliver to you. When you break that promise – through defective products, shoddy workmanship, or poor service – you might lose the customer. But in this age of social media, you might also lose your reputation. Remember the musician who made a YouTube video about United Airlines breaking his guitar? It got more than 12 million views and spawned a whole culture of...
View MoreShould you be blogging? If you’re marketing via social media, the answer is yes. Almost every successful social media marketing strategy has a blog as a core element. Blogging offers marketers many powerful advantages. Here are five reasons blogging is crucial to a smart marketing strategy for every marketer using social media. 5 Ways Blogs Help Social Media Marketers Blogging creates natural opportunities for social media updates. Every blog post is something new and valuable to share with your followers on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media. Blogging makes you more than a content...
View More
