Harsh sentiments, yes. But networking sort of sucks. Or at least that’s the feeling I often come away with after most networking events. One of my main gripes is the very nature of this beast — to get something from someone else. When everyone in the room wants something from someone else without the willingness to give something in return, the whole thing comes off as self-serving and disingenuous — not to mention, defeats the entire purpose of networking.
Read MoreSo much has been written on creating landing pages we should all be masters at the craft. It’s one of our best points of contact to change visitors into leads. But many of us still falter with its construction, and we inevitably hurt our conversion rate.
Read MoreCalling consumers to take action is probably the single most important concept in marketing. After capturing the attention of your audience and articulating how your products or services can benefit your readers, you tell them what to do. Without some sort of directive, the consumer is less likely to take the next step. And you fail to convert.
Read MoreAfter a quiet launch just over a year ago, Every Door Direct Mail is getting a massive multimedia marketing push. Part of the campaign is a series of television spots, each taking clever aim at the problems still facing businesses today. Finding an audience, driving in traffic, and just getting views are all fodder for these ads. And though they don’t come out and say it, it’s hard not to notice that they’re talking about the web as well.
Read MoreConsistency has long been a linchpin in marketing strategies. The more consistent the message is across all points of contact, the more likely the brand becomes recognizable to the consumer. So recognizable that it almost controls the public’s perception of the product, not to mention turns consumers into customers — at least that’s our hope.
Read MoreIf you do anything with SEO or search marketing, you’ve no doubt heard rumblings of another change in Google’s algorithm. The shift is said to reward sites with high-quality content, while penalizing those overstuffed with keywords and questionable links. Barring any glitches, it’s a good move, allowing all the cream to rise to the top — at least when it comes to page rank.
Read MoreA lot has been written about consistency in marketing, and for good reason. When a consumer hears the same message in the same way at each point of contact, it builds brand awareness. This awareness makes your brand recognizable, differentiating you from your competitors. It also ensures that anyone talking about your brand talks about it in the way you want it to be talked about.
Read MoreInbound marketing. It’s not a new concept when it comes to marketing strategies, yet it's quickly becoming “all the buzz” with marketers, not to mention those who hire them. The idea is simple enough. Create useful content that brings consumers to your site. Content that maximizes search engine rankings and social media outlets to establish relationships between you and consumers. These relationships eventually earn you trust. Trust you then leverage to convert into business.
Read MoreLocation-based marketing. It’s becoming a piece of many social media marketing strategies. With the help of geo-fencing, consumers get a text or offer from a local business as soon as they — or really their smartphones — enter a virtual parameter. It’s like targeted marketing, but only to people within a certain radius.
Read MoreFebruary marked the end of endless markdowns at JC Penney. Instead, the retailer has moved to a simpler approach to pricing. Each item now falls in one of three tiers. First, all merchandise gets a “Fair and Square” price of about 40% less than the average ticket. Each month ushers in a theme sale, where products related to a holiday or time of year get a “Monthly Value” discount. From there, those items that don’t sell are put on clearance, either the first or third Friday of the month.
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