I often point to flawed marketing efforts by well-known companies. It isn’t that I have something against big business; it’s that those big players tend to make some of the biggest, most amateurish mistakes in their marketing efforts. Usually, the underlying concept is sound. The execution is where it falls flat. Take the email I … Read more
At a time when new technologies seem to appear every day, most folks are becoming overwhelmed. While they’re impressed by all the new features and opportunities, and while many can see at least some of how these new advances will benefit them, the sheer volume of information is pushing a growing number of people into … Read more
There’s a mistake that both amateur and professional marketers make all too frequently. It shouldn’t happen but it does. That mistake is forgetting the call to action. What is a call to action, you ask? In simple terms, it’s the instruction you give to the reader or viewer about the next step you want them … 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
Part of human nature is wanting to be liked. Deep within each of us is that child who wanted the other kids on the playground to play with us, the middle-schooler who desperately wanted to be seen as “cool” by his or her peers, and the young adult who hoped to be appealing to prospective … Read more
I’ve done work for companies that have their own lexicons — even style guides spelling out exactly how things should be worded. For example, I used to do a lot of work for some divisions of Amoco Oil (since absorbed by BP). Among the no-nos in their style guide was that you couldn’t refer … Read more
In Louisiana, they call it lagniappe. It’s a wonderful word describing those unexpected little extras we receive now and again. At the Indianapolis B2B Marketers October panel discussion, a restaurant’s server delivered some lagniappe that doubled as an excellent lesson for marketers. Following a delicious lunch at the downtown Ruth’s Chris, the panelists engaged … Read more
One of the lessons I learned during my ad agency days was the value of a good “swipe” file. A swipe file is simply a file (or box) where you throw ads, articles, brochures – anything you like or think is particularly effective. When you were given a tough assignment, you’d sift through the swipe … Read more
For many years, I produced a regular newsletter for a public library. While the library was a first-rate facility, one of the challenges it presented was rivalries between the many departments. The circulation director thought the youth services department received too much coverage, and youth services thought there were too many articles about reference services, … Read more
Every time I attend a conference, I’m reminded of one of my many PowerPoint peeves. It’s not my biggest peeve (which is the presenter who subjects you to copy-heavy slide after copy-heavy slide, and makes it worse by assuming that you’re illiterate, so he reads every word to you), but it comes close. No, the … Read more