Too often, companies don’t take advantage of one type of marketing or another because of the cost. But what matters is the return. If you invest in marketing, and it produces five times your investment in new income, that’s a fantastic return by any measure. And think about the lifetime value of a customer. It’s…

Remember the first time you flew on an airplane? Remember the thrill? Remember actually watching the safety instructions? Now think about how you feel when you fly today. You ignore the safety talk and focus on email or Snapchat, just trying to get comfortable. You may not even look out the window. The things we’ve…

Not really. Just stop saying it. “Solutions” is becoming the most overused word in marketing today. As with any overused word, its omnipresence drains it of all meaning. And it’s so vague that it doesn’t really tell anybody anything about you. “Technology solutions.” “Business solutions.” “Financial solutions.” Meaningless. If it’s true that attention spans are…

People always want to know how they compare with others. So turn this to your advantage. What performance measures can you use to engage customers or prospects? What percentage of people have already undergone the procedure you’re promoting? Which services do people in a certain income bracket use? What are the stats that show how…

You might only think of Twitter and other social media as channels to get the word out about your company, or to engage with fans and followers. But Twitter in particular is a fantastic tool for gathering business intelligence. It can tell you what your customers and prospects like and follow, so you can follow…

Engaged customers are the holy grail for any business. They buy more. They defect less. They spread the word for you. But research shows that just a small level of dissatisfaction results in a much bigger hit to engagement. Which means it’s time to take a look at how you’re serving and communicating with your…

Everyone has too little time. No argument there. So doesn’t that suggest that you should work harder than ever to make clarity a priority? To make your website simple to navigate? To say what you do in plain English? To make the app simple and intuitive? To make the process easy, and the outcome obvious?…

We often name positions based on the benefit they provide to the organization. This is especially true with front line, customer-facing team members. But the titles we use send signals to the consumer about our priorities. An account representative sees you as an account, not a person. A financial advisor dispenses advice — but most…

Much of what passes for marketing is just presenting capabilities. Here are the machines we have. Here are the services we provide. It’s like putting the measurements of all the Miss America contestants into a spreadsheet. Everyone looks pretty much the same…and it’s a boring read. But marketing is the swimsuit competition. It’s the talent…

What’s the right amount to invest in marketing? Invest too little, and your brand’s voice goes unheard. Overspend, especially on the wrong things, and ROI tanks. So don’t start with dollars. Start with goals. How much revenue will it take to generate the profit you need? How many new customers (or how much new business…