Blog : strategy

Can a Survey Benefit Your Business?

Can a Survey Benefit Your Business?

Last weekend I was out running my usual Sunday errands and one of my stops was the grocery store. I had my list ready and was ready to start shopping but when I walked through the door they were handing out coupons for 50% off toilet paper. Now, I normally stick to my list and get in and out, but the coupon seemed too good to pass up. So I added toilet paper to my list. When I got to the aisle and found the toilet paper, I stopped and sort of just stood there. There were so many options, how do I make a decision? This isn’t normally where I buy that kind of stuff so it all seemed really overwhelming.

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Influence Marketing for B2B and Advisory

Influence Marketing for B2B and Advisory

Influence Marketing Is…

Although a potentially “hot topic” in content marketing, Influence marketing has been around since the days of greek curators and royal or celebrity endorsements of soaps and beverages in the late 1800’s. Today, we’d defind Influence Marketing as the act of engaging with current and potential leaders in your industry in order to gain ranks as a leader yourself, to increase meaningful activity on social media platforms, as well as to build your digital (and face-to-face) community of brand advocates.

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The "Free" Phenomenon

The "Free" Phenomenon

I’m a pretty old dog. I’ve been in the branding and marketing business for over 30 years, so I tend to think I’ve seen most everything. But it’s been impossible for a while now not to notice a phenomenon that I really thought I’d never see — working for free. We’re surrounded with free access to really complex services. Facebook is free. Twitter is free. Even hosting has become practically free.

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Facebook Graph Search: What It Means For B2B

Facebook Graph Search: What It Means For B2B

Like us on Facebook

Why Likes Have Just Become More Important.

The hype is under way as an enticing new feature called Graph Search continues to be rolled out by Facebook, and the question on everyone’s mind is, “how can we utilize this new feature to optimize our business’ social media presence?” Besides being an ingenious incentive developed by the social network giant to encourage businesses to spend more time on its site, Graph Search has some interesting features which may shake up the way people make decisions. Although Graph Search is not a search engine which combs the entire internet, it does search the content that people on Facebook put on their pages (likes, check-ins, etc). Graph Search enables users to search for business pages, photos and people and, in the results, see how they are connected to those items through their friends or even through their friends of friends.

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Avoiding Marketing’s Shiny Object Syndrome

Avoiding Marketing’s Shiny Object Syndrome

We’ve all experienced it at one time or another – that uncontrollable urge to spend time or money on the latest gizmo, app, online tool, trick or offer. Remember Dug, the adorable talking golden retriever from Pixar Disney’s movie, Up, who in the midst of conversation would become distracted and exclaim, “Squirrel!?” You may chuckle, but Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) occurs all the time, including in our marketing.

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It's not all about you.

It's not all about you.

We’ve all been there. You’re part of a great presentation or meeting among your peers or clients; great discussion ensues; wonderful, meaningful questions that apply to the whole group are being presented and answered and commented on; and then it happens. One person asks a question that pulls the focus away from the tremendous momentum that has been occurring and focuses on his or her specific issue. It sucks the energy from the room. Do you know what I’m talking about? It’s frustrating, discourteous and ultimately disheartening. Even masterful facilitators can find it difficult to get back on track. And that is a great reminder for those charged with developing website strategy and content. It’s not always all about you.

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How To Reach Success in Marketing

How To Reach Success in Marketing

I glanced down… the ground was 300 feet below me and I had to jump. I had to trust that I would make it down safely. My heart was pumping fast and I was more frightened than I’d like to admit, but I leaned back, as instructed, and took the leap. I was rappelling into a cave. Initially I was scared, but once I jumped I was able to sit back and enjoy the beautiful views around me.

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Brand Strategy: What’s your ONE big thing?

Brand Strategy: What’s your ONE big thing?

I was reminded this past week, on a few different occasions, that the art of positioning is based on the ability to narrow focus and to let go. In a meeting with a new client who was struggling to clearly define the services his company provided and to whom, it became clear that his biggest challenge was in positioning. In his attempt to be more service-oriented and have greater reach, the company tried to become too many things to too many types of customers, and the brand lost relevance.

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Running a Business and Fahrenheit 451

Running a Business and Fahrenheit 451

do nothing
. . . and why you need to take some time off.

It’s the end of August, often thought of as a slow time for advisors and consultants –– and, well, business in general, as people take vacations and prepare for school. Interestingly, this year, we haven’t really noticed a let up. Networking events have been packed to the gills, clients have been calling with new projects, and we all seem to be busy. Even some of the lucky few who have been able to get away manage to answer emails or take calls. One colleague joked that he wasn’t in a hurry for a proposal because he had one more day to collect sand between his toes (yet he responded to my email in record time). So we’re on vacation, but are we really on vacation?

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