My in box is full of newsletters proffering advice on writing better, writing more often, writing to make millions, writing for various audiences, and writing simply for the hell of it. Many are sending the message that you MUST write a book if you are to be taken seriously. One email sender posits, “A book […]
The top five challenges that marketers of all sizes say they face in today’s saturated media environment are: 1) Proving ROI (return on investment) of marketing activities; 2) Securing enough budget; 3) Managing our website; 4) Identifying the right technologies for my needs; and 5) Training our team. Looking at the top two challenges, it […]
The Local Search Association (LSA), a national organization whose members are local advertising and marketing specialists, surveyed more than 2,000 consumers to understand their video usage patterns in their purchase-decision process. The survey discovered that of the 2,000 consumers surveyed, 44% said they used online video while searching for local products and services. Of those […]
Writing content for websites is a breeze for some and a nightmare for others. Countless companies and individuals exist to help make sense of the content-development process. MarketingProfs, for example, is a nifty and engaging consultancy with the dynamic Ann Handley at the helm as Chief Content Officer. The company produces and manages an ever-increasing […]
Words that evoke emotion are important for marketing teams to include in sales and marketing materials. According to a study conducted by CoxBLUE, the ten words in the graphic above are the most powerful words in the English language – and they are especially useful for marketers to use when trying to engage prospective customers. […]
Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) in most categories took a huge hit during The Great Recession, according to Pam Danziger of Unity Marketing,who analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data on the number of SMBs before and after the recession. As one might imagine, some categories fell by single digits (measured by the number of stores), while others […]
Many websites are essentially “online brochures” that are meant to explain a person’s or a business’s products and services. Without a blog that is regularly updated with new material, however, these online brochures are static — and they do little to attract new visitors who may be searching for the products and services offered. A […]
Advice for high school freshman was proffered by Eric Zorn and published in the Chicago Tribune, around the time his twins were heading there. With his permission, I included his Top 12 Tips in a little presentation I made for a young man my husband and I “mentor.” After I re-read the tips in the […]
Every day, articles about small business owners are published online and in print, describing in detail the trials and tribulations they face as they strive to succeed. They work IN the business as well as ON the business. Day and night, they put in long hours. When they are not actually working, they are thinking […]
My Top Ten Tips to improve writing are broken into five “put” rules (what to put into your writing) and five “cut” rules (what to cut from your writing). Put one book per week on your “just finished” list. If that’s a stretch, make it one book per month. Or put into your brain every […]