fbpx Skip to content

Marketing strategy

A wrapped package, with the caption, "If someone tries to sell you a marketing package, tread cautiously. Many fail to fit your unique marketing needs."

Small Business Marketing Packages: Approach with Caution

We’ve all come across them: the AMAZING marketing package deals. You know what we mean; they promise to get your company/product in front of thousands of potential buyers with one easy package. Sometimes they come with a pretty steep price tag, but they sound like such a sure-fire thing that many of us end up taking the plunge and spending thousands of dollars… or sometimes they seem so inexpensive you’d be stupid not to try it out. But wait. Would...
Read More
A car engine, with the caption, "Good marketing, like a car, works pretty much all the time. If yours has broken down, don't assume that cars aren't for you - run a diagnostic instead."

Marketing not working? Six ways to troubleshoot

If you are a small business and you don’t feel like any of your marketing works… well, let’s just say you’re not alone. I hear this over and over, and often not just from small businesses. I’ve heard the infamous, “marketing doesn’t work for us” line from businesses ranging from one employee to fifty. And the reality is that they aren’t wrong. But they also aren’t right. Don’t worry, I haven’t lost it. The truth is that at the very...
Read More
A video camera filming, with the caption, "Conventional wisdom would have us all believe that video is the greatest marketing thing since sliced bread. But we advise caution. Here's why."

Don’t make me watch your stupid marketing video

Marketing video fail: a few weeks ago, my mortgage company sent me an email regarding their annual audit of my escrow account. In the past, they’ve sent me a letter describing the change and letting me know when my payment will adjust. I read the letter, absorb the information, and I’m on to other things in under 10 seconds. Sounds good, right? No need to mess with that formula. This year, it appears the marketing department at my mortgage company...
Read More
Two rams butting heads, with the caption, "Copying what the competition is doing is the best way to never stand out."

Business marketing: three three reasons why you should stop looking at your competition

Between the two of us, Theron and I have about 40 years of business marketing experience. And I’m willing to bet that the one thing we’ve heard the most in all those years is, “We should be doing [some idea] because our competitor is doing it”. These things that the competition are doing range from great ideas to really terrible ideas. But they all have one thing in common: the sense of gut-wrenching urgency from the requester. We have to...
Read More
A turtle crawling in grass, with the caption, "A critical eye is good. But second-guessing yourself too soon will break your marketing."

How to succeed in marketing your business: learn the patience game

My husband recently shared a Masters in Business podcast with me in which the Winklevoss Twins (of The Social Network/Facebook fame) were interviewed. You can listen for yourself, here. The point that hit me the strongest was that their investment strategy relies on a little-appreciated trait: patience. In fact, studies have shown that most professional investors are quite good at buying great investments. Where many of them fall down is in selling them; the majority make great selection decisions, then get...
Read More