Many of our consulting clients are small businesses. For some reason, even though budgets aren’t what they are in the larger companies we work with, I love the potential that exists with small businesses. When we make recommendations to larger companies, it takes sometimes many months to get them going, working through multiple chains of command and different budget buckets. With small companies, sometimes we execute projects the same day. Also, there is a smaller decision-making base, which helps make decisions faster and more focused. Ultimately, that’s why small companies rule. This is the first page of Seth Godin’s book Small is the New Big: “Small is the new big. Recent changes in the way that things are made and talked about mean that big is no longer an advantage. In fact, it’s the opposite. If you want to be big, act small. Consumers have more power than ever before. Treating them like they don’t matter doesn’t work. Multiple channels of...

Came across this simple, but excellent post by Dave Navarro at Freelance Folder. The three questions that Dave discusses are: #1 – Why Do You Enjoy Being My Customer? #2 – What Else Do You Wish My Business Did? #3 – Who Should You Tell About My Business? According to Dave, these are questions we never ask, but need to ask our customers. Strategy Tip: If we consistently deliver valuable information to our customers, they will be more open to answering these questions. This should make sense, since we are giving them something of value, and they will give something of value in return.

LEGO pieces are literally all over our house. We have the traditional sets, like the airport and fire station, the Star Wars series, LEGO Creators, and just about all the Bionicles. If you have boys (or girls) of any age up to 14, you probably know what I am talking about. LEGOs are small building toys for kids anywhere from four years old on up. If you are asking how they relate to content marketing, read no further. LEGO is perhaps one of the elite companies in the world at attracting and retaining customers through the use of valuable and relevant content. But, before I mention any specifics, I need to tell you a quick story. My son, Joshua, recently celebrated his sixth birthday.  At the party, he received a card from his Aunt welcoming him to the LEGO Brickmaster Club. With his new club membership he receives LEGO Builder sets and an issue of Brickmaster every two months. This is over and above what he already receives as a member of LEGO club. It goes without saying that Joshua was...

The marketing function in a business often develops and evolves in a silo. Sales messaging becomes the predominant communications to customers, and overall communications initiatives become tactical and short-term in nature. After a while, management begins to forget if they ever had a marketing strategy in the first place. In order to market effectively, and focus on the ongoing communication needs of the customer, the entire marketing organization must be aware of the organization’s critical success factors (CSFs). By defining these CSFs, the marketing team has much of the information it needs to create an effective long-term marketing strategy. Below are a list of key questions that must be communicated within your management team. Best case scenario is if the answers to these questions come directly from the CEO. What are the organization’s top priority business goals, both short and long term? Critical Success Factors (CSFs) are the key elements that must go right for...

I was flipping through my notes on the book, “Managing Business-to-Business Marketing Communications” by J. Nicholas DeBonis and Roger S. Peterson.  Excellent book, and here are the highlights as it pertains to customer retention. The Fundamental Principal of Marketing It is exponentially more profitable to keep existing customers than it is to acquire new ones. The rule of thumb is that it costs five times as much to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one. Many marketers focus the majority of their efforts on lead generation activities. Although new business is always an important driver to any business, more companies than not seem to neglect the MOST PROFITABLE marketing strategy, which is keeping and growing your current customer base. What Customers Need “Customers need and seek out relevant, accurate information for appropriate buying decisions, information that provides a better knowledge of the marketplace and its products, is clear and easy to understand,...

The August 13th BusinessWeek article from Jack & Suzy Welch is truly eye-opening from a marketing perspective (link to article provided here, but requires BusinessWeek subscription). Welch discusses how customer loyalty has changed from a one-way (competitive price, excellent product quality, easy access, great service, etc). to a two-way partnership. Welch states: “With the two-way-street approach to loyalty, you and your customers don’t have a deal as much as you have mutual dedication. Because you, the seller, are not delivering on just price, quality, and service. You are demonstrating intense loyalty by giving him a comprehensive, inimitable way to win. Better productivity. Faster throughput. Lower inventory. More innovative products. You are delivering something—anything—that makes you indispensable to your customer’s success. Then, and only then, will you get complete loyalty in return.” This is important because it displays how much buyer behavior has...

This topic has been on my mind lately. It can really be summed up in the “old school” vs “new school” debate. I know it’s not that simple, but bear with me. The No. 1 question my team has received as we prepare to launch Junta42 is about marketing. How are you going to market? What kind of space are you going to buy? Investing in a sales force? What’s the marketing plan? And so on and so forth.Continue reading

Scott Carp suggests that the only true business model on the web is distribution. Custom publishing can no longer afford to be (or be perceived as) second-rate content. The time for marketers (and responsibility) is now!

Callaway Golf TV, launched about a month ago, is a content marketing site that works. Using video straight from the pros, it's like customer testimonials on steroids. Take a look.

An interview with Marcus Grimm, a marketing executive with NXTbook Media, offers some interesting applications for marketers and publishers to consider. Take a look at Grimm's view of the evolving digital publishing landscape.

An article on living in "Bigdealville," points out that banner ads won't cut it if the advertiser really wants to engage the user. Custom integration is key to any online program. Here are a couple takeaways.

Some thoughts on Cisco's recently launched microsite on the human network concept. Site is professional and easy to navigate. Here are other pros and cons.