Each summer for the last three years, my wife and I have stayed at the same hotel while visiting the Montreal Jazz Festival. Each time Ali was at the desk checking us in with a smile. Each time asking us a question or two. Not only did he know his [More]
Have you ever gone to a website, and for whatever reason, felt the need to actually contact the organization? You may have a product or service question, or you may have a technical issue that needs resolution. Or perhaps a billing error that needs to be fixed. Unfortunately, many organizations [More]
Are your blog posts really that effective? Do they grab the reader, and convince them to read on? And is there a magic bullet that can immediately make this so? Too often, a blog post is an outgrowth of "stream of consciousness" thinking, and rarely hits the mark. Adding strategy [More]
No one cares about you - they care about how you can solve their problems. Write for your readers. These two expressions epitomize the most important marketing concept: relevance. How often have you seen a post, picture, tweet, or comment that adds zero value? Or where the signal-to-noise ratio is, [More]
What's your reaction when you read a company newsletter, instruction manual, or other corporate communication? Do you think it is plastic, anti-septic, and homogenized? If so, you're like most people - they see corporate-speak as fake, and they can sniff it a mile away. The best communicators have always known [More]
What do you do when you are disappointed with a product or service that you have purchased? Most people turn to the web: a quick check on Google solves many problems. And a few choice words on Twitter or Facebook can let everyone know about the experience. From an organization's [More]
Have you ever been in a situation where despite your best efforts, you cannot make headway? Or where you feel like a fish swimming upstream? This inertia - resistance to the new - is a key reason why implementing change is so difficult. It's also why selling new products to [More]
Have you ever felt that something was missing with your digital communications? That your Tweets, Posts, and Status Updates were being disregarded - almost as if you are speaking to an empty auditorium? That you may have lots of "friends", but it seems that they are more absent than friendly. [More]
Facebook now has over 2.5 billion users - an astounding number. On the other hand, you (or your organization) may have but 1000 or 10,000 - hardly a dent, and at best, a rounding error. Whether your number is on the lower side or hovering at a billion, this singular [More]
There is no shortage of call centers working hard to sell SEO (Search Engine Optimization) services. Some of them are small fly-by-night operators, while others work at the venerable Yellow Pages. Sadly, many organizations (and people) succumb to these pitches, and spend significant dollars each month chasing a top ranking. [More]
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