This is almost too simple. USER EXPERIENCE means the experience of the user. “Duh”, right? Joe arrives on your website. Sometime later, Joe leaves. What happens in between is HIS user experience. Of course everyone’s user experience is different. Does it matter? Is user experience something to concern yourself with? Or is it enough to… Read More »
You can avoid stepping in an awful lot of dog poo, if you are aware of this. There are “Marketing Fads” and there are “Marketing Fashions.” Fashions good. Fads bad. What’s the difference, and how do you tell? And why is this such an important distinction? Read on. FASHIONS A fashion is a more-or-less organic,… Read More »
Another very simple marketing concept. It can clarify and improve all your marketing efforts. Marketers strive for uniqueness. They feel this is how they justify their paycheck. Clients often don’t want to be too “out there.” Usually they run screaming away from controversy. There is a complete spectrum from completely “old hat” and boring, to… Read More »
A lot of my articles deal with things to worry about. We’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving. Let’s give thanks for the marketing opportunities and resources we have. Never before seen in the history of the world, let alone 30 years ago. 30 years ago we didn’t even have the internet. My nominees for the biggest game… Read More »
Here’s another important marketing concept for you. One that the smallest business can easily employ to their advantage. A “touch point” is any point where your business contacts the world. Business cards, email signatures, websites, truck signage, invoice forms – you may have dozens of them. This matters. Dealing with it is easy. Doing so… Read More »
Despite the constant hype of *NEW* and *BETTER*, there are tried and true marketing methods. Actions and tools that WORK. People will always invent new ones. Some of what them will be great. Most will, no matter how good they sound, be a bust. Sturgeon’s Law says “90% of everything is crap” (Science Fiction writer… Read More »
This is not an article about how to market a shiny, worthless mineral. A vast array of snake oil salesmen are busy trying to sell you marketing services or programs. They sound good, they make you salivate over getting rich. They are also worthless. Marketers market. The first thing they market is themselves. Regardless of… Read More »
Does it matter how you spend your marketing dollar? Silly question. That spend should be making you money. If it isn’t…. Understand “marketing channels” and you’re better able to figure this out. A marketing channel is a distinct method of getting your message out. Examples include postcards, organic Google rankings, and email newsletters. There are… Read More »
I keep talking about trust. Some might say I’m obsessed. I just think it is the second most important word in marketing. I wrote about the first, VISIBILITY, last week. Believe me, TRUST is mega-important. Why? You are marketing in a world where DISTRUST is the default position. Suspicion. Mistrust. And let’s say it, Fear.… Read More »
Here it is. The most important concept in marketing. VISIBILITY. This is a very simple principle. Maybe too simple, because people talk around its edges all the time. Rarely discussed is the big picture view of it. How visible is your brand, company, product or service line? To your prospective customers that is. The people… Read More »
One of the most important words in Marketing is “Engagement.” This has nothing to do with getting married. It’s closer to Jean Luc Picard on the Starship Enterprise saying “Engage.” Engagement is connection. If you don’t connect with your prospective customer, what are you doing? You might as well be talking to the air. How… Read More »
One of the “Big Picture” things to understand about Marketing. “Subtlety” and “Marketing” don’t go together. These two words should never appear in the same sentence (joke). Many people object to the sort of P.T.Barnum method of marketing. “Step right up kiddies! 25 cents and you’ll see a sight never before seen on Earth… The… Read More »
I shouldn’t have to say this. If you want someone to buy something, annoying them is a bad tactic. Counter-productive. And yet, and yet, examples of this are common. There is even a strain of thought that this is a smart marketing tactic. Because you get their attention. Seriously? By survey, the most unpopular thing… Read More »
Have you heard? You should do branding! Everyone needs branding! Branding is great! You’ll get more business with good branding! And that is True. But what even IS branding? Too many people just use it as a buzz word to try and sell you something they don’t even understand themselves. So let’s explain what it… Read More »
I’ve talked about the general formula for marketing. Now here’s the general formula for marketing SUCCESS: TEST MEASURE REFINE REPEAT Why is that? First of all, there is no such thing as a perfect marketing campaign. Any campaign, no matter how successful, can be improved – usually it can be improved… Read More »
