State Farm has a TV spot where they highlight the benefits of community involvement.  But then it takes an unexpected turn.  Instead of talking about how much time their agents spend volunteering, or how much they donate to charities, they offer up a website — neighborhoodofgood.com — that connects volunteers with causes they can volunteer…

It’s a link on nearly every website — the place where the company often makes their best case.  But what if you changed the perspective?  Put the focus on the prospective customer, and ask the question, “Are we right for you?”  Then list a number of questions that can help them discover the answer.  Are…

Still waiting to jump on the video train?  Consider this: online video views grew 220 times in the last year.  Not 220%.  220 times.  So if you’ve been waiting for this video fad to blow over, it’s time to throw in the towel.  There are so many fast, easy ways to create video now, there’s…

When it comes to marketing, let feelings guide you.  Not yours.  Theirs.  For example, customers hate to feel stupid.  And that’s amplified online.  So any process that isn’t ridiculously clear and easy to follow is just making customers — or potential customers — feel bad.  People who feel bad don’t buy.  And customers don’t want…

Why do bars and restaurants have happy hours?  Simple, right?  To drive business on slow nights.  So if everyone knows it, and everyone knows it works, why don’t other kinds of businesses take the same approach?  Why don’t more companies look at times of the day, or days of the week, or months of the…

An associate struggling to open something recently was heard to mutter, “If CEOs ever had to open their own products, this wouldn’t happen.”  Pretty good point, isn’t it?  How often do the people who make decisions about the customer experience actually have the customer experience?  Seems simple, but there’s a powerful marketing reason to go…

Whether it’s your website, an email, a brochure or a press release, white space is your friend.  Keeping paragraphs short and leaving space between them, or leaving white space on the page, gives the prospect’s eye a place to rest and makes your message feel easier to read.  No matter how persuasive your copy is,…

What does your prospect value?  Not in the service or product you’re selling, but personally.  Is she crunched for time?  Then any sales pitch that takes up a lot of time is going to meet resistance.  Does he hate to read?  Then a 30-page proposal isn’t going to get you very far.  A detail person? …

Think you know seniors?  Think about this.  70% of seniors are online.  And while 77% have cell phones, only 18% have smartphones.  But — and it’s a big but — they’re more likely to own a tablet than any other age group.  Half of them are on Facebook.  And they’re far more likely to click…

Are you up against competitors with deeper pockets than yours?  The best way to counter being outspent is to color outside the lines.  Push the envelope.  Make your message and your brand larger than life.  Leap out of your comfort zone.  Make yourselves nervous.  Make your brand memorable.  For all his size, Goliath was slow,…