The pandemic has prompted businesses to put longstanding assumptions to the test. Quarantine has revealed that many operating principles were more like unquestioned habits. Companies are reconsidering everything—including where they get the marketing help they need.
Category: Marketing Strategy
A Path to Rapid Revenue Recovery
In a previous article, we wrote about the McKinsey & Company roadmap as a tool to Rapid Revenue Recovery. Now we’re building on their advice to act quickly by providing five actions you can take now. We believe these are smart investments of your marketing resources that will pay off as we move into the new normal, whatever that may bring.
Planning now for a healthy recovery in the post-COVID era
The world changed and so did marketing. Where do we go from here? First, we were all just trying to keep our balance (along with our health) as the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic sank in. Businesses took defensive measures to limit losses in revenue, employees and customers. Work from home and adoption of […]
4 Trends that are Affecting Business Planning and Investment in Websites Trend #2 – More Features, Less Hassle
Your customers expect your site to be a breeze. Here’s how to deliver. Designers and developers are always cramming new features into their sites as bandwidth gets cheaper and devices more powerful. Each feature is an improvement (at least in theory)— but a truckload of improvements can destroy your site’s user experience. We get spoiled […]
4 Trends that are Affecting Business Planning and Investment in Websites Trend #1: Security
Small businesses are realizing that hackers aren’t snobs about who they attack. They just want in. And they’ve learned that small to medium sized businesses are easier prey. Easier because of the dangerous delusion that no cybercriminal would try to hack, say, The Kupcake Korner when they could be hacking Pillsbury and its vast, flour-begotten fortune. […]
How People Use Smartphones for Online Shopping
More and more consumers are using smartphones for online shopping. Are you adapting to suit their needs? With more than half of all internet traffic coming from a mobile device, it’s more important than ever to make sure your website is primed for mobile viewing and mobile online shopping. The research below can be used […]
Two Faces for Facebook? How we Solved a Client’s Facebook Dilemma
When is it appropriate to show multiple brand personalities in social media? Learn more about Facebook branding strategy below. A client had an interesting Facebook branding strategy question. Their events management business, based at a beautiful, unique location, hosts all kinds of events, from weddings to corporate meetings. They wanted our advice on one of […]
Business Tip: Prepare for the Holidays in Summer
You’re probably familiar with the phrase “Christmas in July”, a phrase used loosely to describe summer indulgences. It holds an actual function for countries in the Southern hemisphere, whose seasons are reversed. And though we find ourselves on the top half of the planet, we are thinking about the holidays even in the 90+ degree […]
Are people still watching TV? Nielsen says yes
Experts have long predicted that TV and radio will lose a Darwinian battle to subscription on-demand services like Netflix. But Nielsen’s latest report shows TV’s still going strong. The recent Nielsen Q1 2016 Total Audience Report indicates the media evolution trend is continuing. However, broadcast—that’s TV and radio combined—is still the most powerful medium. For […]
Do we ever say no to clients? Yes. Here’s why.
Is the client always right? Well…no. Here’s how to spot when a client is going against their own best interests, and how to say no (politely). How to say no to a client? And when is it appropriate to do so? Sometimes, it isn’t appropriate. For instance, consider this scenario. Client: Shouldn’t the email blast […]
Remixing the Marketing Mix: Moving Beyond the 4 Ps of Marketing
The classic marketing mix is referred to as the 4 Ps of Marketing: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. It originated in 1960, and over time marketers added additional P’s, like Packaging, People, and so on. I once worked for a corporation that used 10 P’s. (No, I can’t recite them). Whatever the number, the point was to […]
Is a Short-Sighted Marketing Strategy Limiting Your Business?
The most popular definition of marketing, according to a quick Google search, is “the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.” This definition, while practical, covers a common, but short-sighted perception of the role of marketing. By this description, companies make a product or service, and it’s the […]
Volkswagen Emission Scandal: A Great Brand Gone Bad
The Volkswagen emission scandal is the latest example of a company that seriously damaged its brand credibility. Can Volkswagen ever recover its customers’ trust? Volkswagen managed to seriously damage over 50 years of brand credibility with their stupid “diesel dupe” software scandal. Share value has fallen over 30% since news of the debacle broke. Trust will […]
What is Branding, and How is it Different from Marketing?
What is Branding? Branding is the ongoing activity that creates experiences and strengthens the bonds between people and a company. In other words, it’s taking a brand and making something positive happen with it. It’s a verb. So the deeper question than “what is branding” is, what’s a brand? What’s this thing we’re going to […]
NC Businesses: Today’s Marketing is Complex
We wanted to learn what’s important to NC businesses when it comes to marketing. So we conducted an informal survey to discover common threads of thought. If you’ve ever felt like the tidal wave of new marketing technologies and media is overwhelming, you’re not alone. NC businesses report their top marketing challenges are generating leads, […]
