So, you think your marketing campaign is cruising. OK, where’s the evidence? You better have some, or you’re a ship without a rudder. Maybe you’ll reach your goal. Then again … Basically, every campaign needs a progress report. Many score-keeping tools exist. Selection is a personal matter, being dependent on circumstances and objectives. But whichever ones get the call, they …
Is Branding Dead? – March 2019
J. Walter Thompson is a legendary American advertising agency famous for many, many firsts. The ad agency idea of the ‘Account Executive’ and the ‘Creative Department’ were both born at JWT in the 1880’s. But neither achievement is more significant than the development and perfection of trademark advertising. JWT literally wrote the book on how to build an impenetrable trademark …
Marketing OC: Is Branding Dead?
J. Walter Thompson is a legendary American advertising agency famous for many, many firsts. The ad agency idea of the ‘Account Executive’ and the ‘Creative Department’ were both born at JWT in the 1880s. But neither achievement is more significant than the development and perfection of trademark advertising. JWT literally wrote the book on how to build an impenetrable trademark …
Marketing OC: Will Cutting Edge Computing Impact the Marketing World?
Recently, cloud computing has impacted countless fields of endeavor. For marketing research teams, the technology has translated into massive data storage and efficient retrieval. But as invariably happens, something new comes along to grab a portion of limelight. One of these newcomers, however, is grabbing more than a little. It’s called ‘edge computing’. Edge computing describes a process in which …
Ads & Tech: No More Click-Away and Other 5G Perks
It may seem trivial in the everyday word. But in digital space, a few measly seconds can be everything. In fact, this miniscule amount often means the difference between success and failure. A few seconds is the normal load time for many ecommerce pages. A pittance, right? Not to the speed-minded user. Such a ‘delay’ can seem like an eternity. …
Shakespeare’s Ultimate Tip for Brand Marketers
“To thine own self be true” advised Polonius in Act I, Scene III of Hamlet. The author, one William Shakespeare, intended this daily tip to convey a simple but important message – understand yourself and face the facts, no matter how unsettling. Once you’re clued in, the stage is set for proper action and necessary adjustments. The Bard’s wisdom fits …
Digital Marketing: Insist on Less for Instagram Videos
With digital marketing expanding its reach, brands are riding the trend with gusto. All avenues are being explored. One such avenue is the online video — especially those inhabiting the social media space. Instagram is one of those spaces, a realm ripe for snappy vids. Video success, however, is not a guarantee. Many simply don’t engage. Instead, these ho-hummers drive …
Digital Marketing: Should Bots Get the Boot?
Is it possible to work for a brand and not pay an income tax? It is if you’re a chatbot. Never late for work, the bot is digital software hand-crafted to emulate an unfailingly loyal, personal human assistant. It’s mission: help visitors, whatever their needs. Have a question? Need some direction? The resident chatbot is ready to serve. Increasingly, the …
Digital Marketing: Why Your Brand Needs One More Warehouse
Chances are, your business uses one or more warehouses for product storage. Well, here’s an update — you’re going to need another one (if you don’t already have it). Now, don’t stress. You needn’t raid profits to fund warehouse expansion. The additional storage space is constructed solely from bits and bytes. And it’s quite invisible to most observers. It goes …
Holiday Shopping II – The Battle for Bargain Buyers
Bargain buyers are on the loose! Thousands of them! Maybe millions! And they’re all after the same prize – deep, deep discounts. It’s those after-Christmas sales. They do it every year. But the sales are doing more than luring shoppers. They’re also igniting fierce competition. Brands are in a heated battle for after-holiday market share. But with bargain hunters in …
Last-Minute Holiday Marketing for the Truly Tardy
If you intend to market your brand to last-minute Christmas shoppers, plan for abundant opportunities. The late buyer is amply-represented in the population, creating ideal conditions for a selling bonanza. Yeah, the prospects are out there in droves — scratching their heads, biting their fingernails, groping for answers, and wondering how they got caught in a time squeeze. If only …
B2B Marketing: Rinse the Mud Off Your Feedback
Where do you stand with customers? How do they rate your brand? Thumbs up, thumbs down, somewhere in betwixt? Ho-hum or hey-hey? For answers, marketers often utilize the survey. But how accurate is the feedback therefrom? Much depends on the source. If survey questions were crafted with care, a rich, golden harvest is a strong possibility. But if questions missed …
Digital Marketing: Why Marketers Need Pixel Power
‘Get to know your customers’ — this arguably is the oldest and most often-recited of all marketing maxims. The phrase has been worn to a nub through the ages. Nevertheless, it rings true then and now. Marketers must know the shopper mind; know what drives their actions. Minus this knowledge, messaging is wild guessing. There’s no getting around it. The …
Digital Marketing: Create a Core Curriculum for Curious Customers
Do people fly to your website yearning to learn everything possible about your brand? Cherish their thirst for knowledge. The eager visitors are flashing a major signal – inviting you to seize a golden opportunity. You now have an open door to their minds – and a chance to convert the curious into fiercely loyal customers. Your mission is obvious …
2 Incredibly Simple Shortcuts to SEO Improvement
SEO and digital marketing – a common blend in the digital world. Well-established would be an understatement. But well-established doesn’t mean well-executed. As with other big-time endeavors, trial-and-error, experience, research, and fine-tuning all lay the groundwork for SEO success. There’s a rub, however — all this takes time. True, it’s time well-invested. But what self-respecting marketer doesn’t crave a way …
Success Steps for High-End Brand Digital Marketing
It doesn’t matter if the product is a yacht, an exotic perfume, or something in between. High-end brands demand special treatment in the marketplace. Traditionally, they’ve received that treatment in conventional outlets such as print and display. Unfortunately, the ROI from these conventional resources is dwindling. Simultaneously, the ranks of online shoppers are swelling. Marketers of luxury brands see the …
A New Piece in the Retail Marketing Puzzle
Should brand marketers overhaul their retail marketing strategies? Well, that might be a bit extreme. Nevertheless, some changes are in order. Changes? Aren’t brand marketers solidly plugged into e-commerce? Why tamper with digital success? Because changes are rocking the retail sector. Big changes. The kind that demands quick reflexes, keen insight, and flawless adaptability. According to ShopperTrak, a data analytics …
Digital Marketing: Why Email Belongs in Your Starting Lineup
Brand marketers have tons to juggle these days. Social media, SEO, mobile, video, metrics, digital this and digital that … all this and more commands non-stop attention. But with so much hogging the limelight, is something important stranded on the sidelines? The reference here is to the fading status of email marketing. Make no mistake about it. Brand marketers still …
Marketing by the Book: If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It
Blogs, articles, social posts, and videos are acclaimed staples of content marketing. But they’re quick snacks, tantalizing and consumed in a flash. What about deep probes that expand a topic to new dimensions … that demonstrate a brand’s undeniable expertise? For that, brand marketers must go by the book – the ebook, to be exact. Pack an ebook into a …
Digital Marketing: Where to Drop the Dollars
A little there, a sprinkle here, and maybe a dash lobbed into that area … this method of distribution might fly in the meal-preparation sector. But for the distribution of dollars in a digital marketing budget, the methodology is extremely hazardous. Randomness simply doesn’t pay. Far safer and more productive is budget prioritization. Resource allocation means simply to channel the …
Marketing OC: Marketing Strategies to Supercharge a Startup
Digital or brick n’ mortar, startups must strike like lightning. Ready to pounce with fangs and claws is fierce competition. Marketing strength, therefore, is essential for the newcomer. While the potential strength-boosters are varied, the following three strategies have proven themselves uncommonly effective. Build Advance Awareness Open your doors, market your goods. A typical sequence for many a startup – …
B2B SEO Marketing: Better Keyword Connections in Three Winning Moves
In the realm of SEO, keywords make or break campaigns. Therefore, brand marketers must choose wisely when selecting this all-important verbiage. Knowing what maximizes reach is essential. The first focal point is a brand’s field of prospects. Knowing who is conducting online searches, and what makes them tick is paramount. Frequently, brand marketers choose and implement keywords based on assumptions. …
Mobile Marketing Mandate
The necessity of mobile marketing is a foregone conclusion in contemporary marketing circles. But knowing what’s needed isn’t necessarily the same as knowing what to do. As with most important endeavors, the basics must be incorporated before unleashing the mobile campaign. Doing otherwise will create a wall between your website and two important visitors – search engines and customers. The …
Feed vs. Read: And the Winner Is …
In the search to maximize marketing impact, advertisers bravely explore new roads to success. One road to the land of gold has been the automatic news feed. This handy packet of content generally is supplied via channels such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter. The thinking here is simple – topics of proven interest will draw viewers. Especially when the content …
Getting Past the Marketing Midpoint
Website visitors are pouring in, tromping down the marketing funnel. There they are, in the middle. Will they advance or abort? That all depends. Their decision largely will depend upon what they encounter. They’re on a quest to solve a problem or reach an objective. So, they want answers – and they’re set to research the universe to find them. …
When Narrowmindedness Pays Off for Marketers
Be wide open and embrace all. A good policy in many instances. But there are times when narrow thinking can pay generous dividends. Case in point is the microsite. This destination is a public arena ripe for brand promotion and user engagement. The distinguishing factor, however, is that the microsite is a different URL than your website, which is narrowly-focused …
Brick and Mortar: The Digital Path
Who says digital and physical retail must be diametrically opposed? Those who do are in for a stunning surprise. The two have met … and the meeting apparently is good, and destined to get better. Driven by an urgent need to be relevant and competitive, brick and mortar retailers have responded to the digital challenge by importing and adopting the …
The Value of Consistency in Multichannel Marketing
Multichannel marketing has changed the game. Marketing was a lot simpler when the only available delivery system was word-of-mouth. Invent the wheel, and tell your neighbor about it. Or maybe roll it over to a friend for a quick demo. Eyebrows raise, jaws gape, and the next thing you know, wheel mania is raging through the Bronze Age community. Ancient …