Interactive Products & MarketsAccording to a recent study , customers who interact with a brand via social media spend 20-40% more with that company than other customers.  With the right marketing strategies in place, you can actually drive direct sales from social media. Remember, both social broadcasting and social listening are key components of any solid social media campaign.  This recent article from Marketing Profs expands on this and offers an overview of how to deploy a social media sales mechanism in your company. What are you doing to drive direct sales via social media? MORE >>

Product management and product marketing own this puppy… so, let’s talk about some best practices that will help bring your efforts into clear focus. Everybody wants to have a glowing competitive analysis in hand and be able to report to upper management that “yes, we really are the best.&#   Your marketing department has gone to great lengths to show how your product line stacks up favorably against the competition. Here are some tips for ensuring you discover your product’s true strengths and weaknesses so you can improve. It’s all about me! MORE >>

Venture capitalist Stu Phillips of Ridgelift Ventures writes about companies needing to “eat their own dog food” when it comes to using their products. He makes the point that they’ll understand product issues and fix them faster if they do. And yet, I see technology companies using ONLY their own products internally. Does Microsoft use web-based office productivity software? Products & MarketsWhile I agree, I think it’s especially important that companies eat the competitors’ dog food too! Does HP use Sun servers with Solaris? Does Apple use Nokia phones? MORE >>

Products & MarketsThese days, brands are looking for loyalty wherever they can find it. With consumers increasingly careful about spending, and even health insurance being seen by some as discretionary, brands need to hold onto as many customers as possible. Our recent work for a health care client suggests that what seem like automatic renewals may lull brands into a false sense of customer loyalty. Think about it. When it comes to health insurance, most Americans still get their insurance through their job. birth, marriage, divorce). Have questions or comments? Let me hear it! MORE >>

Interactive Lead Management Other Interesting Topics Products & MarketsCheck out this good visual illustrating content marketing and the connection between content type, distribution channel and the multi-stage purchase funnel… For a full view of the infographic and to read the article, click here. MORE >>