I’m certain your company offers outstanding products or services. I’m just as certain that the best way to promote those products or services is to stop talking about them. I’m not suggesting that marketing efforts are useless or the products or services should sell themselves. What I am saying is that too many companies become … Read more
Both amateur and professional marketers make a fatal mistake far too frequently. What mistake? Forgetting the call to action in the materials and messages they develop. What is a call to action? In simple terms, it’s the instruction you give to the reader or viewer about the next step you want them to take. “Call … Read more
With so many new technologies in our lives, it’s no surprise many folks are becoming overwhelmed. The sheer volume of information is pushing a growing number of people into overload, and even when we know something will provide a benefit to us, we groan at the thought of having to learn yet another new thing. … Read more
Like average Americans, you’re exposed to thousands of marketing messages each day, from TV commercials to billboards to slogans on fast-food drink cups. How many of the ones you saw yesterday do you remember? Probably just a couple – maybe a few if you really strain your memory. So why do so many companies and organizations … Read more
From an early age, we’re taught to put on a happy face, no matter what happens. So when I reference something in copy that could be perceived as negative, many clients are quick to request its replacement by something with a bigger smile. Generally, that’s not a good idea. Sometimes, what’s negative is actually far … Read more
I’ve spent many years in the advertising industry, and from time to time, people ask me if there are any books about the craft of creating advertising I’ve found particularly valuable. I’ve read many, but the single most influential upon my work is a tattered 1972 paperback that still occupies a prominent place on my … Read more
One of the most common mistakes in advertising and marketing materials — one that’s even made by professionals who should know better — is forgetting to include a call to action. In simple terms, a call to action is the instructions you’re giving the reader or viewer, so they know what you want them to … Read more
No matter how much technology a company uses in its marketing, its chances of success or failure are likely to come down to the organization’s ability to build relationships. That’s usually what effective sales and marketing efforts are all about. You want to build some sort of positive relationship with the prospect or customer, so … Read more
Ready for some pig heart and stomach on a bun? Not salivating yet? I’ll add BBQ sauce and pickles. Still not hungry? You might be surprised that it’s been a success for McDonald’s. Of course, they don’t call it barbecued heart, stomach, and tripe. They call it McRib. And it’s a perennial top-seller for the … Read more
While reading a book about the history of the New Yorker magazine (About Town by Ben Yagoda), I encountered an interesting bit of 1930s correspondence between the magazine’s founding editor, Harold Ross, and author E.B. White. Perhaps best known today as the author of Charlotte’s Web, White objected to the magazine’s acceptance of an ad … Read more