Here’s a sentence from the home page of a real website: “At _________, we offer expertise in the design and execution of market surveys and custom market research to meet the specific needs of our individual clients.”  They offer expertise – who doesn’t?  They meet the specific needs of their individual clients – as opposed…

Too often, a company becomes enamored of a cute or clever advertising idea.  The problem arises when the idea has little or no connection to the core benefits of the product, service or company it’s selling.  You can see this in its most evolved form during the Superbowl.  People often recall a particular commercial, and…

A billboard shows a company’s logo and a picture of its staff – probably a dozen people – then tries to squeeze in some copy at a size too small to read from a passing car.  The errors compound one another.  A picture of your staff does absolutely nothing to create or reinforce your brand…

How do you react when a competitor launches a direct attack against you, calling your company out by name and casting you in a negative light?  Too often, businesses take the “we’re not going to dignify this attack with a response” approach.  That’s almost always a mistake.  As in politics, an unanswered attack only gains…

More and more companies are finding that their fan bases on Facebook outnumber traffic to their own websites.  Coke has nearly 11 million Facebook fans, while the number of visitors drawn to its website continues to fall off.  The story is the same for Kraft Foods’ Oreo, which claims the number three spot on Facebook…

The key principles that guide great speakers can also make your marketing messages much more effective.  Keep it short and simple.  Focus on one idea.  Use stories.  Be relevant to your audience.  No matter the medium, following these rules will make your next message resonate more, whether it’s a speech, a print ad, a radio…

Sir Isaac Newton’s First Law of Motion says that a body at rest tends to stay at rest unless an outside force is applied to it.  This applies to prospective customers and clients, too.  Especially in these times, no one makes a move unless they’re given a powerful nudge.  So the question is this: is…

Williams-Sonoma, which owns Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids, is ahead of many companies when it comes to gathering and using information.  For example, by collecting the names of those who bought cribs from one of its stores or online over the years, the company has been able to target marketing messages to this list,…

Open one of the Legacy reissues of trumpeter Miles Davis’ Columbia recordings, and you’ll find an insert promoting “The Top Ten Must Have CDs of Miles Davis.”  This, of course, leads any fan to believe that he or she should own all ten, and sets a mission – and sales – in motion.  How could…

One of the most frustrating challenges in business is waiting for a prospect to make a decision.  And often, they’re not deciding between you and your competitors – they’re deciding whether to do anything at all.  That’s especially true in this economy.  And that means its time to add a sense of urgency to your…