Pump up your gravity
Every business has gravity. Some businesses, like Wal-Mart, Google or Starbucks, have lots of it. Others, like the restaurant around the corner or the commoditized printing company, have very little. When a business has a lot of gravity, customers stay in orbit around it. When a business has little gravity, customers fly away into Space.…
There’s nothing as valuable as…
… an existing client! Listen to this: a friend wrote to his cellphone provider in the Netherlands to cancel his contract (he’s moved from there and doesn’t need a phone anymore). The company writes back, saying stay with us please, and as a carrot offering a year’s contract including 90 minutes of free calls a…
Printing money?
I like Vistaprint. They’ve done some very nice postcards for me – great for small runs. They also have a smart marketing machine. 1) They encourage you to sign up to get emails from them with the bait of special discounts2) They mail frequently – once every few days3) They put great offers in these…
Just keep showing up
There’s nothing like persistence to get a job done – especially when most people give up after just one or two efforts. It’s particularly important in marketing for 2 reasons: 1) When there’s such a noise coming from advertising in general, it often takes more than one appearance to get noticed 2) If you keep…
Here’s a job for you
Take a look at this paragraph from a job ad recently posted in Canada: The successful applicant will provide support in the elaboration of traditional and interactive communication plans, and carry out marketing analysis for diverse customers that are related to the Internet. In addition, you will identify the possibilities of new mandates with actual…
It’s all about the stories
Years ago, when I was a newspaper journalist, there was nothing that sent a buzz around the newsroom more than when a good story popped up. And even later, when I was working with the website Expatica.com, we lived for stories. Something new. Something you didn’t know. Something that reveals something unusual, provocative…even shocking. Stuff…
13 Newsletter Sins
Boring them to death. If they fall asleep, they’re not going to read…and they’re not going to take action. Writing just about yourself or your company. Your mother will be interested but your customers won’t. They’re all tuned to WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). So make it about them…not you. Publishing only when you…
Secrets of a successful newsletter
The content should be about your clients, not about you. Many businesses think all they need to do is say how great they are and people will come rushing. Unfortunately, that’s not the case; it will seem like bragging and you won’t engage the reader. Instead, the content should be about topics that interest the…