We marketers have something in common with magicians. Prestidigitators and product promoters are both students of human behavior. While magicians take advantage of distraction, marketers tap into three other psychological traits. Unlike magicians, we marketers have no code that prevents us from revealing our secrets. Tips and tricks blogs on growth hacks must number in the tens of thousands by now. So, I don’t fear being ostracized from the CMO club. Here are three of the ways marketers use … [Read more...]
Next-Step Marketing
I’m a big fan of the buyer journey. It’s one of the most powerful marketing tools available. I’m also a big funnel geek and spend a lot of time counting leads and tweaking conversion rates. The buyer journey and the funnel are essentially the same idea – mapping the process a prospective buyer takes before becoming a customer. Understand how sales happen, and you can scale your business. Otherwise, you are merely hoping, which is not a strategy. Despite the power (not to mention the stress … [Read more...]
Four First Steps to Make Your Marketing Authentic
Authenticity. Everyone wants it. Nobody wants anything inauthentic. Fake. Substitute. Artificial. Ersatz. Even though it's intuitive, too many marketers ignore this basic desire and put out advertisements and campaigns that come across as phony. Marketing needs to be authentic. Marketers need to understand that their customers want something real and deliver it to them in every way – in the product, in the promotion, and in their language. No customer wants to be sold. Or on the receiving end … [Read more...]
Marketingspeak: Butter Bars and Hamburgers
Marketingspeak is my occasional series on interesting words I encounter in my day job in marketing. I do my best to channel the late great William Saphire, whose 'On Language' column brought a smile to my face many a Sunday. – TM In an occupation chock full of fluff, it was nice to encounter these two hearty web marketing terms. No empty calories here. This combo is a protein-packed marketing value meal. Butter bars are rectangular notifications that appear at the top of a web browser, … [Read more...]
Bite-sizing Budget Requests: Three Steps to Justify What You Need and Prevent CFO Freak-out
If you're a CMO, you've probably experienced what I call the CFO freak-out. "You want how much money? For what? Are you insane?" The freak-out tripwire varies by company size, but it’s always safe to exercise caution north of twenty-five thousand dollars. That kind of money isn't pocket change for any organization. Many marketing leaders lack sensitivity to the concerns of their financial counterpart seated across the boardroom table. They stumble right onto the budget land mine. Sticker … [Read more...]
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