Recipe For “Brand Chocolate”: How To Be Irresistible

How do some brands seem to have that irresistible quality that creates a loyal following of happy clients who talk about them and refer others?  How do some brands seem to be found while others disappear? To explain, I like to use the analogy of a chocolate shop.  The chocolatier’s dilemma is that she has this amazing ingredient to work with that so many people will enjoy once they experience it but there are other chocolate shops on her block, so many ways she could prepare her chocolate, and so many different customers she could serve.  So how does she …

5 Key Digital Marketing Best Practices for 2016

I’m often asked the question “what’s the next big thing in digital marketing?”. The truth is that the next big thing isn’t one thing at all, it’s everything. As consumers we are overwhelmed with data. We reach for our smart phones as soon as we wake up in the morning to check email and our favorite news, weather and social media channels. We use Waze to get to our appointments more quickly, use our online apps to help us perform our jobs, order lunch using GrubHub, use GoToMeeting so we can still meet while we’re mobile, search product reviews and …

Digital Marketing Trends for 2016

This year has shown us that any doubts we may have had regarding the dominance of mobile is over. Mobile is clearly where it’s at. That said, as I have often advised, behind every digital campaign is real people who are seeking information, education and entertainment. Responding to real people requires that your brand be authentic to who you are. Data analytics may be cool but it represents the behaviors of actual people so if we remember to speak to those people with our content in a way that responds to their needs, then we are more likely to make …

Why “Me Too” Marketing Usually Fails

I was speaking with someone the other day who wanted nothing more than to understand the “secret sauce” of one of his competitors.  If only he knew what this guy was doing to attract business he could replicate it and watch his own business grow by leaps and bounds.  Is it possible to peer into someone’s online strategy?  Sure it is.  You can see from the code on their website what keyword phrases they are likely optimizing for, you can see which other websites link to them, check out their traffic and know in which directories they are listed, where …

How to Clone Your Best Clients

You walk into your waiting room and there she is, Mrs. Manning, smiling as you enter.  Although she is a client, after all this time a handshake is too formal for her and you greet with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  As you walk her into your office you chat animatedly about her kids, your kids and their latest soccer games.  Even as you get down to business the tone is light and truly collaborative.  You share a mutual respect but truly enjoy working together.  And thanks to Mrs. Manning telling her friends and work colleagues about …

A Hashtag Primer for Small Business

A hashtag is a keyword or phrase preceded by the hash symbol (#), that people include in their social media posts. Essentially, it makes the content of your post accessible to all people with similar interests, even if they’re not your followers or fans.  For instance, let’s say you’re an Apple fan and that you’re playing with the idea of buying an iPhone 5. A simple “#iPhone5″ search on any social network will open a dedicated news feed with all iPhone 5 latest updates, deals, rumors and hacks. The results you see on this feed are the aggregated posts of …

Small Business Vision: Why Do You Do What You Do?

One of the most important statements you can make as a small business owner is to articulate your business vision and say why you do what you do.  A vision describes the fundamental purpose of your business, why it exists and what it is meant to do.  It is a moral statement that guides the decisions you will make along the way and will remain in place over the long term.   Here are a couple of examples: Amazon Vision Statement:  “Our vision is to be earth’s most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find …

Is Your Brand More Like Carnival or Royal Caribbean? 5 Ways To Tell.

Recently my family and I took a Caribbean cruise. We’re not new to cruising, in fact this was our seventh. But the first six were with Royal Caribbean so this was our first experience with the Carnival brand. I’ll save you the suspense and tell you that it will also be our last, but what I did find interesting was observing the vastly different strategy that each brand employs from its website, to customer service, to the ships themselves and their excursions. I wasn’t expecting the same standard on Carnival as I had previously experienced with Royal, but I wasn’t …

the importance of focus in business

The Importance Of Focus When You Run A Business

The importance of focus in business becomes evident when you first start your business. You feel a surge of excitement from your great idea, and a sense of certainty that “this is it”! You have done your homework and you just know that this will work. In a way, it feels like having a child and you put your entire heart and soul into the process. And then, you get your first client, then your second and your third…hurray! You’re thrilled to have your great idea validated by others who are willing to pay you for your product or service. …