“It worked really well, until it didn’t”
Thu, Mar 9, 2023 |
Over dinner with Ted, the retired founder/CEO of a successful company in the electric power sector, I heard an interesting story with a widely applicable lesson.
Successful Digital Marketing Implementation - Tactics in Search of a Strategy
Thu, Jun 11, 2020 — Part One: How to Prevent Digital Marketing Tactics from Killing Strategic Objectives Are you experiencing the following issues with digital marketing tactics? Are you frustrated with digital marketing initiatives and have a hard time seeing adequate ROI? Is the company's marketing strategy getting lost in translation when it comes to digital tactics? Do you feel stuck between your marketing strategy and your digital marketing agency? Is it hard to understand why digital marketing tasks aren’t getting done correctly or in a timely manner? Are you struggling to get your website to both look attractive to your target market and drive results? Does your website need work, but things move at a snail’s pace? Does your digital agency promise the world and then struggle with the most basic tasks? Is there a lack of reporting and regular meetings to review progress and results? If you have run into these or similar issues, join the club. Digital marketing initiatives sound great in early team meetings and brainstorming, but can often become a nightmare during the implementation of tactics.
It’s Not Too Late to “Act Digital”
Wed, May 20, 2020 — Sometimes events get ahead of you. Did you have intentions of implementing a business continuity plan for your business but perhaps it just never got the priority needed to get it defined and operational? Because of events like COVID-19—events we can’t control—now is the time to make it a priority and make it happen. The adoption of “digital” in your business may be another of these initiatives with great intent and little traction. With the need for increased abilities to manage your employees, and your customer acquisition and relationships more virtually, you may be behind the curve.
Slam Dunks that Aren’t
Wed, Oct 30, 2019 — It might be correct to tell a basketball player that the best way he or she can score points is to dunk the ball through the hoop. Correct, that is, if the player is, say, 6’6” or taller. That advice, however, is not very useful for a player that’s 5’6”.
The Digital Crystal Ball: Three Ways to Use Predictive Analytics at Your Company
Fri, May 17, 2019 — The crystal ball—oft spoken of in folkloric terms, but never available when you need it—has entered the realm of the possible. In our switched-on world, where digital interaction is present virtually every moment of an individual’s life, we as marketers now have the tools to peer into the future—using data, and not crystalline, to gaze forward at where our business is going. Predictive analytics—the process of using new and historical data to foresee the result, activity, behavior, and trends of our consumer base—is the key that is making successful businesses, well, successful. Enterprises primed for growth in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace are using predictive analytics to gain a deep understanding of the customer base to maximize revenue, efficacy of marketing budgets, and, of course, profits.
Maximizing your Digital Marketing Channel Mix
Wed, Apr 17, 2019 — “Going digital” with your marketing mix has never been more essential. Most advertisers continue to increase their digital marketing spend in 2019 as billions of consumers are using online social media as a jumping off point into purchase decisions. With more money flowing into digital marketing, the digital channel mix continues to grow in complexity. Though search marketing, display advertising, social media, and mobile remain the mainstays of a digital advertising footprint, each has its role in supporting a particular business objective. When integrated properly, they maximize how we attract consumers, and turn visits into revenue. But before you leap into the digital marketing fray, it’s critical to understand your enterprise’s goals and objectives: Are you seeking to simply educate the public about an innovative offer (market education)? Do you want a target audience to gain greater awareness of your offering as a viable alternative (Brand Awareness)? Are you simply looking for more people to buy your product (raw traffic)? Or, do you want to motivate your current consumers to buy more of your product (higher net per sales)?
How Small- and Mid-sized Business (SMBs) Can Execute the “Virtuous Cycle” of Digital Growth
Thu, Dec 13, 2018 — This is the final installment in our series. This article will emphasize effective adoption of best practices, offer a logical sequence to implementation, and discuss building organizational and program maturity. This article will help you understand how to achieve “digital growth champion” status. This is also the last in a series of five articles focused on helping executives in small- and mid-sized businesses utilize digital technologies effectively to assist in accelerating revenues and profits. If you missed the first four articles, you can find them here: Article 1 Article 2 Article 3 Article 4
Aligning Business Strategies and Digital Platforms to Drive Growth in Small- and Mid-Sized Businesses (SMBs)
Thu, Dec 6, 2018 — This is the fourth in a series of articles focused on helping executives in small- and mid-sized businesses utilize digital technologies effectively to assist in accelerating revenues and profits. If you missed the first three articles, you can find the first here, the second here, and the third here. Three previous articles included an introduction to four major ways digital technologies can help your business and described a spectrum of technologies and a possible implementation roadmap, and associated digital proficiency with enhanced business performance. We also looked at how business process needs and priorities should help guide your digital paths and how to organize your people for success. We are ready to discuss the third step on the “USA” digital roadmap: “Implement New Platforms and Technology.”
The Role of People and Organizational Structure in Digital Growth for Small- and Mid-Sized Businesses (SMBs)
Thu, Jun 21, 2018 — This is the third in a series of articles focused on helping executives in small- and mid-sized businesses utilize digital technologies effectively to assist in accelerating revenues and profits. If you missed the first two articles, you can find the first one here and the second one here. The previous articles included an introduction to four major ways digital technologies can help your business, described a spectrum of technologies and a possible implementation roadmap, and associated digital proficiency with enhanced business performance. The second article also took a deep look at how business process needs and priorities should help guide your digital paths. In that article, I also introduced the “USA” model for digital transformation.
The Role of Processes in Digital Growth for Small- and Mid-Sized Businesses (SMBs)
Mon, May 14, 2018 — This is the second in a series of articles on helping executives in small- and mid-sized businesses utilize digital technologies effectively to assist in accelerating revenues and profits. The previous article included an introduction to four major ways digital technologies can help your business, described a spectrum of technologies and a possible implementation roadmap, and associated digital proficiency with enhanced business performance. It also included a 10-question survey to help you set an internal benchmark for your digital programs. In this article, I’ll provide practical guidance on where to start a journey for those businesses with a minimal digital growth path today.