I am constantly bemused by how people can’t seem to get the ground rules of social media. They really aren’t all that difficult. At the most basic level, they come down to good manners and courtesy. Unfortunately, these concepts seem to be more honored in the breach than in practice. Yet ignoring them has a…
What is your Web site’s ROI? When was the last time you heard anyone ask that question? CFOs are demanding (and marketers are scrambling for) a clear definition of social media return on investment. But Web sites have become so much an assumed part of doing business today that the question never seems to come…
Entrepreneurs often liken the process of bringing a new product/company to market as giving birth. And the analogy is not far off the mark. Months, often years, are involved in defining a vision and giving it tangible substance. Blood, sweat, tears, and (quite often) most of the money an entrepreneur has or can borrow have…
For generations, parents have been telling their kids the same things. As kids, we swear that we’ll never say those things to our kids. Then, one day, we are shocked to hear them coming out of our mouths. So one wonders if there aren’t some elemental truths in these nostrums – and if they might…
The Dark Side of Branding and Name Recognition Once upon a time, we were told “Call me anything you want; just spell my name right.” Or “there is no such thing as bad publicity.” Arrant nonsense, of course, although it has seeped into everyone’s consciousness. If that was true, companies wouldn’t spend untold millions on…
Social Media Marketing and the Art of Playing Pool When you play pool, the balls occasionally align so that you have a clean shot from the cue ball to your target ball, right into a pocket. Unfortunately, these shots are all too rare. More typically, you have to figure the angles, the best way to…
4 Common Barriers to Marketing Success Successful companies generally become successful by finding their own unique way of approaching the marketplace, interacting with and satisfying customers, and providing goods and services that fill a need. They become successful by breaking the rules, not by following them. Then their methods become fodder for pundits and academics…
Defining the Product Life Cycle The product life cycle, for marketing purposes, is usually defined as having four stages: Market Introduction – where the costs are high, the sales are slow, and revenues are dismal. Growth Stage – where there are increasing economies of scale, reducing costs. But at this stage, competition starts…
Literacy as a Competitive Advantage I was reading an article by Charlie Adams called Will the Internet Make Grammar Obsolete. He is absolutely incensed at the lack of literacy on the Internet. His contention is that sloppy grammar, misspelling, and Internet abbreviations are so pervasive today that the new normal is standards that are so…
Marketing a Service We are told that we live in a service economy. More economic activity revolves around services than around buying and selling goods. But a service is a strange thing. You can’t feel it, see it, or taste it. And you can’t transfer ownership of it. So how do you sell it? Well,…