Magicians have a saying: “We don’t keep magic secrets from you; we keep magic secrets for you.”  They understand that their audience comes to be dazzled, to enjoy the amazement that comes with not understanding how the magic works.  Same for your brand.  When you make it magical, when you add an element of adventure…

Many banks have spent the last few years painting themselves into a corner.  As customers look for convenience, banks have worked hard to move them out of the branches and onto their phones.  Sounds smart, right?  But as personal contact is drained from the equation, banks have let the value of relationships erode, and set…

The companies who have the best marketing — the kind you talk about, share and remember — have at least one thing in common: they all give their audience credit for being smart and having a sense of humor.  Here’s the sad part: they’re the minority.  Too much great advertising and marketing never sees the…

One more note about marketing copy.  It’s not for you.  Prospects don’t need your technical jargon.  They’re not impressed by your mastery of industry lingo.  They only want to know what you do, how it helps them, and why they should choose you over the other guy.  That’s all.  So keep it short.  Edit yourself…

…when it comes to your website.  That’s the repository for all the information a prospect might want.  And there are two great reasons for this.  First, your site is where prospects go for answers and information.  Second, all that information should be loaded with the terms people use to search for you, which means that…

You know the trend toward getting rid of stuff you really don’t need?  Try that with your marketing.  Look at your billboards, ads (print and digital), mailers, emails, blog posts — in short, everything — and lose everything that isn’t absolutely necessary.  For example, why put a phone number or web address on a billboard,…

Looking for a new way to promote your benefits?  Try flipping things around.  Is your service faster than anyone else’s?  Apologize for the fact that customers won’t get to listen to “on hold” music.  Do you see patients right on time?  Run an ad to sell your unused waiting room furniture.  Prices low?  Suggest humorous…

There’s more pressure than ever right now to measure everything in marketing.  Well…not exactly everything.  The truth is, we measure what’s easy to measure.  Open rates.  Clicks.  Page views.  Impressions.  Likes.  Shares.  And all of that can tell us something.  But not all of it leads to sales.  In fact, in too many cases, very…

Would you spend $50 to reach one prospect?  How about $25?  How about $100?  $1,000?  Especially in the B2B world, the correct answer is always “maybe,” and in many cases, it’s “definitely.”  Two things determine that answer.  First, what’s the lifetime value of this customer if you win her or her company — the total…

It’s always been a challenge.  But in today’s digital world, it’s an epidemic.  Companies spend a lot of time and money putting their message in what they hope is the right spot at the right time.  But many spend very little on the message itself.  Does it sell?  Does it sell a benefit?  A unique…