It’s surprising, with all the technology available and all the ways to use it, that so few companies are making effective use of video in their marketing.  Whether it’s something purely promotional or something informational, there are screens everywhere just looking for relevant content.  From your lobby to your prospect’s laptop, opportunities abound to put…

It’s no secret that everything in the world of business races along at a blinding pace.  The technology that was supposed to usher in the four-day work week has instead brought a higher volume of work and tighter timelines.  So it’s worth remembering that, at least when it comes to marketing, speed can be the…

Look around just about any small company you can think of.  How many of the people there are wearing suits?  These days, probably very few.  Now look at most business-to-business marketing materials.  You’d think everyone in the world was sporting a suit at work.  Marketing messages have to be grounded in reality.  People react in…

One of the easiest – and most often overlooked – marketing resources is information.  If you can keep your customers informed and share ideas related in some way to what you do, you build a connection that’s much harder to break.  And that connection can be a springboard to developing new relationships, to getting referrals…

One crucial role of marketing is that it sets expectations.  If a restaurant markets itself as a fine dining establishment, consumers will expect something different than they would from their neighborhood bar and grill.  But if an ad for a fine dining spot looks thrown together or cheap, it undermines the brand and lowers expectations. …

It’s no secret that few companies are using social media well (if at all).  And if your company falls into that category, one pitfall is that you don’t see how well your competition is using it.  Unlike a billboard or a TV spot, your rivals’ social media success can fly completely under your radar if…

An awful lot of businesses have trouble articulating their brand.  Here’s one big problem with that: if you don’t know what your company’s brand is, how can you expect anyone else to know?  And if potential customers don’t know, why would you expect them to choose you?  Your brand gives people a reason to choose…

It’s been said that you can master an instrument faster by practicing five minutes every day than you can with a single two-hour practice session once a week.  That same strategy makes sense for social media.  Often, what overwhelms business owners or marketers is the amount of time social media like Facebook or Twitter can…

In a radio interview, an expert on education noted that, without fail, the best schools are intentional in what they do.  In other words, it’s no accident that they’re exceptional; it’s what they set out to be, and every decision they make is infused with that purpose.  Are you intentional about creating a powerful brand? …

Recently, a salesperson related a dining experience that offers a grim object lesson for every business.  Visiting a restaurant for the first time, she asked the server how she liked a couple of menu items.  The server’s response?  “I don’t eat here.”  The salesperson’s response?  “Me either.”  And she left.  Forever.  If you offer consumer…