Marketing Craftmanship

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

Insurance companies report that doctors who admit their mistakes and apologize to patients are rarely sued. Although client communication is at least as important as actual performance in most service businesses, companies seldom give that task the attention it deserves. For scheduled contact, consistency also matters.

Ad brokers 100

Ad brokers Business Loyalty Opinions 100

Marketing Craftmanship

SEPTEMBER 2, 2014

Many B2B companies, and professional services firms in particular, do not succeed at marketing for two major reasons: Failure to understand that the vendor selection process has fundamentally changed. At the upper limit, the responses ran as high as 70%. Failure to respond properly to the new vendor selection process.

B2B Thought Leadership 100

B2B Thought Leadership WOM B2B Marketing Thought Leadership 100

Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 14, 2015

Business owners across all industries and professions start companies because they have a specific expertise or interest – whether it involves trading currency futures or replacing car mufflers – and eventually discover that selling their product or service is neither in their wheelhouse, nor something they enjoy doing.

Paid Search Agency 100

Paid Search Agency Advertising Agencies Planning B2B Thought Leadership 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 5, 2013

B2B companies – professional service firms in particular – can benefit by creating a culture similar to the Marine Corps; training all employees with basic marketing & sales skills that can help the firm to grow and succeed. Semper Fi.

B2B Sales 100

B2B Sales Cross-Selling Work Management B2B Marketing 100

Marketing Craftmanship

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

For most companies, there is no way to predict when a prospect will purchase their product or engage their services. To succeed, firms must communicate with target audiences at least on a quarterly basis, and that contact should not be postponed, skipped or stopped. The Key to Making the Short List. Consistent application is critical.

Sales Cycle 100

Sales Cycle Marketing Management Lead Nurturing Sales Qualified Leads 100

Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 19, 2011

Most brochureware websites contain no content that requires updating, and other than perhaps a “Contact Us” form, no interactive capabilities. Based on these impressions, website visitors will likely conclude one or all of the following: This company is out of business.

Thought Leadership 100

Thought Leadership Paper Press Case Study 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JANUARY 25, 2012

To serve the company well, understand what the public wants and needs. Keep top decision makers and other employees informed about public reaction to company products, policies and practices. Realize a company’s true character is expressed by its people. Manage for tomorrow. Generate goodwill.

Public Relations 100

Public Relations PR Paid Search Agency Opinions 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JUNE 11, 2015

Many companies view marketing simply as a checklist of items they believe to be essential: Website…check. Marketers often throw far too many shoes into their suitcase, either because they see competitors wearing them, or they wish to avoid explaining why their company lacks the trendiest footwear. White Paper…check. Blog…check.

Planning 100

Planning Trade Show Paper Marketing & Strategy 100

Marketing Craftmanship

NOVEMBER 29, 2013

Database companies, notably Cision and Vocus, empower PR people to create enormous lists of journalists in a matter of minutes. In his column, New York Times’ David Segal reports that he has removed his contact information from the 5 leading media database companies.

Public Relations 100

Public Relations PR Blast Campaigns Press 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JANUARY 10, 2015

Peppercom’s research shows that: Nearly all of the largest funds have a website, but most of those websites have no marketing value, and consist of little more than a logo and contact information. Two-thirds of the largest hedge funds have a LinkedIn presence, but only 10 of those funds post any meaningful content on that social media site.

Practices 100

Practices Planning Enterprise Management Transparency 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 27, 2013

The original purpose of white papers as a B2B marketing tactic was to produce objective information, packaged as quasi-academic research, that might validate a company’s or product’s value proposition. And there are still many companies that produce legitimate white papers containing helpful, objective information.

Paper 100

Paper Paid Search Agency Advertorials Allocation 100

Marketing Craftmanship

NOVEMBER 9, 2017

With rare exception, companies assign very little planning or resources to proactively managing the effects of a restructuring on its brand equity. A brand is the promise a company makes to its customers. Brands help customers understand what a company knows, what it stands for, what it will deliver and why they should trust it.

Brand Identity 100

Brand Identity Branding Urgency Marketing Enterprise Management 100