Creating great customer experiences separates market leaders from the rest of the pack. Here are 12 ideas, best practices, strategies and words of advice for advancing your digital marketing efforts in the year ahead. 1. Digital transformation is ‘all or nothing’ Adobe CEO and President Shantanu Narayen addressed the pain points many organizations face today: The need to stay ahead of competitors, the struggle to achieve…
As with all things worthwhile, pursuing a career that is meaningful and fulfilling requires a significant investment in preparation and learning. Most of us have a signifier of success that we want to reach. Once we reach the point where we feel we are finally “there,” though, how do we decide where to put our focus? How can we keep our careers on track for the…
With 2016 officially in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to start thinking about how your marketing strategy will evolve in 2017. It’s a good idea to step back for a moment, assess the success of last year’s marketing campaigns, and consider ways to evolve your digital strategy in the year to come. Overall, 2016 was a year filled with changes and advancements in the digital space.…
You don’t need us to tell you that when it comes to tech, staying ahead of the curve is a pretty good idea. In such an innovative and fast-paced industry, new technologies are emerging every week, every day… basically all the time! Sometimes there’s no way to predict what’s right around the corner; all we can do is look at current trends and speculate where they…
If you've written out a marketing strategy, you’re already ahead of the game: Too many companies neglect the act of formalizing their plans, instead relying on general ideas and improvisation, which almost never turns out well. Thinking through and documenting your strategy separates you from the pack, but there’s a harsh truth about that first draft you whipped up in the meeting room: It probably sucks.…
If one of the greatest marketers of his time were to tell you what he considered the essential elements of a sales letter, wouldn’t you listen to what he had to say? Well, that’s exactly what Robert Collier provided for us. In the last chapter of The Robert Collier Letter Book, he summarized what he saw as the attributes of the ideal sales letter. Collier was…
Steve Jobs didn't have a master's degree, and he certainly wasn't an engineer, but he excelled at marketing. Those marketing skills propelled Apple into the top spot and turned the company around from near bankruptcy. Apple’s marketing has become a benchmark for other companies that want to reach similar heights of recognition and revenue. Whether you are a top tier content marketing agency or a SaaS (software as a service)…
Believe it or not, the USPS really does know a thing or two about direct mail marketing. Not only do they provide a delivery service for your packages, but after years of delivering direct mail they have compiled a helpful list of what not to do with your campaigns. 1. You don't identify your audience. I say this a lot, but it’s worth saying again, the more you target your most responsive prospects,…
Yes, Hollywood may dramatize the plight of the entrepreneur. But sometimes the best way to capture reality is through fiction. Wherever you are in your business venture, you can glean some insight from these 18 provocative and wildly entertaining films. Subject: Entrepreneurship. 1. Startup.com. Startup.com is a 2001 documentary film that examines the rise and fall of the real-life startup GovWorks that raised $60 million from Hearst Interactive Media, KKR, the…
Customer loyalty is everything for a new business. Customer acquisition is important -- otherwise, you’ll never build up a customer base -- but if those customers don’t stick around long enough to make multiple purchases or subscribe to your services for longer than a month, you’ll end up spending more in the acquisition phase than customers are actually worth to you in the long run. Why loyalty…