The conventional wisdom is that segment-of-one marketing is the logical outcome of big data, and that the gains (more relevant targeting, more effective ad buys, lower costs, higher sales, etc.) far outweigh the risks. But have they? As organizations move to more sophisticated data-oriented marketing, it is all too easy [More]
So how to solve this problem? The high-level answer is that this is precisely what marketing should be doing: generating leads. And turning leads into proposals is precisely what the business development function is responsible for. So where's the disconnect? Yes, CRM, marketing automation, content strategy, thought leadership, newsletters, advertising, [More]
And then, an old picture crops up, or an embarrassing tweet, or a tone-deaf social media post is surfaced. When this happens, your reputation — and a lifetime of good work — goes out the window. Yes, disaster. Yes, people change over the years, so what you said (or posted) [More]
Sadly, many organizations (and some individuals) want the former, but their words and actions demonstrate the latter. Why? When it comes to marketing, there is always a strong linkage to emotion, with significant effort spent building visuals and writing engaging copy. But when it comes to operational corporate communications, too [More]
Assuming that this is truly the reason (it sometimes isn't), then what are your options? Here are four ideas: The problem here may not be one of time, but one of prioritization. Work with the client to help them re-quantify the real cost of not going through with the project. [More]
Every character in a script needs to see themselves as a main character. But the skill of the writer is to balance all of these "main" characters throughout the arc of the story, to hold the attention of the reader. This is an exceptionally important concept for those looking to [More]
Unfortunately, the answer is rarely found within instruction manuals, YouTube videos, and training, as these are often focused either on configuration, or on the "clickety-here, clickers-there" of how to use each bit of system functionality. Or, management believes the myth that the system will work only if every field must [More]
While every situation is different, these action points will help you both recover… and reduce the risk going forward. Use this list as a checklist for when it happens, or as the basis for a plan you put together in advance.• Immediately change all of your passwords to strong passwords, [More]
Unfortunately, launching an affiliate program is far easier said than done. And these programs rarely deliver on their promise; here are ten reasons why, and some clues on how to get them to deliver. Clients are not actually the best affiliates, despite knowing you the best. The best affiliates are [More]
Smart leaders (and boards) recognize that brand balance choices are as strategic a decision as any other marketing one. Here are the five levels of brand balance, and why each may have a role. Level Zero, Irrelevance: At this level, a leader's brand makes no difference, internally or externally. While [More]
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