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Are You Building a Business That's Ready to Scale - or Just a Business That Has Had Great Growth?
There is a version of business success that feels like momentum but isn't quite there yet.
Crowd-Sourced Marketing Content: Uber-ization of the Creative Community
Mon, Jan 23, 2017 — Over the past decade, crowd-sourced marketing content has evolved from an unconventional approach for start-ups to become mainstream - particularly in Europe. Leading European brands, across a huge spectrum of industries, have been using crowd-sourced marketing content for digital production and visual design. More recently, North American firms are starting to see the benefits and it’s gaining acceptance.
What do Value Propositions, Word Clouds, and Before/After Diet Ads have in Common?
Thu, Jan 19, 2017 — As consumers, we can’t miss the constant series of “before and after” adverts promoted by diet product companies. You know the ones I mean. Big and unhappy before, slim and smiling after. The long-term and continuing use of this approach can be explained by only a couple of reasons: (a) either these companies can’t think of any more creative ways of marketing their products, or (b) the ads actually work.
Take the “Path to Closure” to Ensure Forecast Accuracy Success
Tue, Jan 17, 2017 — Only a half a generation ago, we thought we had it made, technology-wise. Getting onto the World Wide Web was as easy as loading up the latest CD mailer from America Online; and we were able to send important messages to beeping little black boxes that resided on our belt clip or purse strap. We truly had it made – or so we thought.
5 Steps to Building Credibility
Fri, Dec 30, 2016 — It’s hard to build a name for yourself when you’re brand new. There’s always the catch-22 of needing a foundation of customers to develop credibility, but needing credibility to attract new customers. You can have the most innovative, honest and necessary product on the market, but if no one knows about it – it’s time to get people talking.
A Christmas Carol: Mr. Fezziwig’s Lessons for Management and Marketing
Tue, Dec 20, 2016 — Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is a much-loved staple of the holiday season, and a personal favorite of mine from one of my favorite authors. Presented for the first time in 1843 to wide acclaim and commercial success, the short novel or one of its many adaptations still entertains millions all over the world over a wide variety of media. It’s easy to see why. The story’s message of forgiveness, generosity, hope and redemption resonates with people of many backgrounds and traditions. To this day, it possesses life – and business – lessons that are every bit as relevant as they were in Victorian England.
5 Ways to Drive Business Growth from the Outside
Mon, Dec 12, 2016 — There are two critical elements to achieving your business growth goals: One, you must successfully run your business from the inside. Two, you must monitor the external environment. While most CEOs know the inner workings of their businesses, they are less in touch with the outside factors that affect it. Case in point: In a recent webinar I hosted, “External Factors that Stall Growth and How to Combat Them,” I asked participants, “Do you have a system to identify and monitor external factors that affect your business?” One-hundred percent of participants responded, “No, but I do want to create a system.” The presentation then focused on helping to identify the external factors businesses should be monitoring and how to monitor them.
9 Ways to Improve your Marketing Dashboard
Wed, Nov 30, 2016 — A marketing dashboard holds every measurable piece of data that is relevant to the growth of your business. Dashboards of the past were often uneditable screen shots, or endless Excel columns that blurred into mind-numbing statistics. The truth is, your dashboard is the star of the show, and can be a revenue-building machine if done smartly.
How to Survive the 5 Fatal Factors that Threaten Your Business
Fri, Nov 18, 2016 — Understanding the external factors that hinder your growth and survival The Bureau of Labor and Statistics in 2016 reports that only two-thirds of businesses will survive 2 years, half of all businesses will survive 5 years, and a mere one-third will survive 10 years or more. Most of us have heard these statistics, or at least a version of them. In the modern market, the success of a business depends on its growth. But why do some businesses successfully grow and survive while others become a failing statistic?
Insights, Integration, and Impact: A CEO’s Guide to Hitting Targets Every Time
Mon, Oct 24, 2016 — Is it possible to hit our growth targets every time? American sharpshooter Annie Oakley, also known as “Little Sure Shot,” would say it is. In fact, legend has it that the famous markswoman was known to consistently slice a playing card perfectly in half with a single bullet – and as a child, she was so reliably successful at game hunting, that she used her skills to pay her parents’ mortgage in full.