You know the words, right?  “Later on, we’ll conspire, as we dream by the fire, to face, unafraid, the plans that we made…”  It all sounds so lovely, bathed in that warm holiday glow.  But… It’s one thing to be fearless when you’re comfy and cozy, making plans for the future.  But it’s something else…

Ever stop by a business at the end of the day, only to find that they’re closed?  Or skipped lunch to do something because that business closes at 5?  Of course you have.  Probably more than once. Here’s the irony.  If you went to the websites for those businesses, they all talk about great service…

A few years ago, something changed in the business world…and probably not for the better.  Companies stopped sending Christmas cards to customers or clients or associates.  And while this has meant a little less holiday cheer to go around, there’s a much bigger issue at stake. Think of it from a marketing perspective.  Once a…

If social media is part of your marketing mix, here are seven steps to higher engagement. 1. Choose Wisely. LinkedIn and Twitter work well for B2B companies, while Facebook and Instagram lead for consumers (with Snapchat a close third). There are plenty of other options for both, of course, but just make sure that each…

You can only build a strong brand if you set yourself apart from your competition. But you can’t do that if you don’t really know what the competition is doing. Too many marketers ignore this – and weaken their own brands in the process. Luckily, this is an easy problem to solve. Start by visiting your competitors’ websites. How’s…

Is your website working for or against you? Here are five telltale signs that your website may be killing your brand instead of building it.  A Starving Newsfeed. No news is not good news…at least on your website. If you have an “In the News” tab with no recent posts, it’s actually doing the opposite of what you think. It’s telling…

Anyone who’s been successful at sales will tell you that listening is a lot more important than talking. What you hear has at least as much impact than what you say.   Great salespeople ask open-ended questions, then listen to the answers. Only then do they think about whether they can solve the prospect’s problem, and what…

There’s a paradox that plagues every marketer. People are reading both more and less.   They’re reading web content and whitepapers. Blogs and tweets. Reviews and articles. Billboards and emails. Magazines and Facebook posts. In fact, people are spending more time reading than ever. But they’re also reading less – or trying to. Shorter attention spans demand shorter copy. So if you want…

What if there was a marketing tactic that was proven to boost recall of your brand?  One that caused prospects to spend more time with your message?  One that led to increased sales? There is.  But there’s a problem.  Even though it’s scientifically proven to move the needle in big ways, there’s a good chance…

You’ve seen the numbers. But just in case, here are three more. About 80% of all global consumer web traffic comes from video. You read that right…80%! Facebook alone racks up over 8 billion video views daily! And in spite of the way it devours data, mobile video is expected to consume more than 75% of mobile data traffic by 2020.…