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Is firing your team a good marketing strategy?
It was sad news to hear the Chicago Sun Times fired the entire photography staff (28 people) at the end of May. This story, which didn’t merit many headlines nor involve a paper I read, touched me in a big way. It seems blurry smart phone images with heads chopped off along with writing rife […]
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Two old maples, two squirrels and strategic marketing musings
I had to chuckle watching the black squirrel in the background as the hasty red squirrel buzzed around. He was so casual in his approach I saw and enjoyed his every move. The nervous counterpart seemed stressed and uncomfortable. The plodder showed delight with each hop he took – discovering something new and unexpected. His relaxed and steadfast approach reminded me of the methods employed by some of the most successful small business owners I’ve known.
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Social Media is an oxymoron
We’ve all been lulled by the excitement – and distraction – online interaction can provide. Unless you have benchmarks in place to measure investments, however, chances are valuable time is being diverted from productive marketing efforts as you idle in the online traffic jam.
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Marketing concepts made easy with eleven tips for getting great print media exposure
You might be surprised at how putting a little research and thought into being more personable will drive sales to your business. The skills you learn as you set out to craft good marketing concepts for the media will last a lifetime – and carry over to many other communications tools and places you discover as you set your mind toward business growth.
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Do you fly or fall into business success?
Anyone who’s seasoned in the marketing, copy writing or advertising fields understands there are production precepts that must be followed. Forget about creative genius for a moment (and even that requires some solid understanding of consumer behavior), simple technical expertise is critical before anyone can rightfully call themselves a professional.
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Commercials and corporate strategic marketing are changing
Remember when every woman in television commercials was pencil thin and in her early twenties? Somehow they even managed to make leggy models sprawling car roofs relevant when hawking products that only the elderly would need. It wasn’t that long ago.
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Be unreasonable to develop good marketing concepts
Often the wacky, non-traditional, unexpected and contrary marketing concepts work better than the tested results that everyone else is applying. Usually, if you’re laughing out loud as you develop a message to go out to your prospects, they’ll have as much fun with it as you did. That makes you memorable.
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Why would women in business want to secure respect?
Frankly, some women in business seem to get too worked up about enforcing their definition of respect. It’s more about how comfortable you are with yourself than external factors. Anyone who wants to succeed should recognize others see the world differently. Does that make them wrong? I don’t think so.
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Cats provide great lessons for buiness smarts
Appreciation is a huge motivator when it comes to referrals – the lifeblood of any successful business. Sure, you can be a carnival barker and pull in some suckers, but they don’t come back (or say good things about you). Consider offering a sincere purr the next time someone helps you with a business challenge or client recommendation. Heed the other side of this one too – if it doesn’t feel right, walk away.
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Rethink branding precepts for better strategic marketing
Times have changed. Today, people are attracted to businesses offering a face and a name willing to be out there and accountable for product or service satisfaction. Focusing on fluff, image, market research drag time and the latest (usually yesterday’s by the time you see them) fads for quick returns rarely work.