Marketing Execution
Ideas are a Dime a Dozen. It’s Execution that Counts.
I have an idea that will change the world. But I’m not telling anyone about it. But you should still buy it.
Read More »The Secret Marketing Voodoo Behind the Austin Blues Revue
How do you create a serious buzz in a town full of buzz? The answer might surprise you. In this installment of A Moment of Clarity I show you how you can do the same for your business.
Read More »Not Making the Short List? Look for Chinks in Your Armor.
Nobody ever tells you when you don’t make the short list. They just disappear adding insult to injury.
In this week’s Moment of Clarity I share how chinks in your perception armor can cost you deals.
Read More »Drowning in the Red Sea of Competition?
A quick review of one of my favorite books, “Blue Ocean Strategy”. We’re going to need a bigger boat…
Read More »Blogging Facts and Statistics
Not sure if blogging is worth your time? Here’s a few stats to consider. Oh the sweet irony as you read my blog to learn about blogging.
Read More »Guerrilla Marketing a trade show… Always bring a gun to a knife fight.
It sounds counterintuitive from a business startup, but I love cheap clients.
I’ve learned over the years that the clients with less money to spend are more likely to be adventurous in their marketing.
That thrills me.
Read More »Why marketing guys suck and how to avoid this trap.
Marketing planning (even a little) can greatly reduce your risk when it comes to the time, treasure and talent you will invest in growing your company. Or at least that supposed to be how it works.
I talked to a friend the other day who said her company was desperately in need of creating a steady stream of opportunities. But they’ve been spending thousands churning through “marketing” guys that somehow didn’t make this happen.
I hear this almost every time I talk to a potential client. I think it sucks for them and I’m ashamed at some of the people in my industry. In this week’s Moment of Clarity I show you the real issue.
Read More »The Unblinking Eye of Lost Opportunity
I drove past one of those LASIK eye surgery places today on my way to a planning meeting and saw it. A giant photo of an eye in the front display window. In fact, the eye had me feeling like prey back in the days when getting eaten by a huge lizard was a definite possibility. As this mega eye stared into my soul I thought to myself “What a lost opportunity”.
Read More »This is everything that’s wrong with marketing today.
I picked up a package of gum the other day and noticed the copy on the box. It read “Trident – Fuse it up! Chew the sweet pieces with the sour pieces and you’ve created a fusion of flavor that’s all your own!”
OK. Wait a minute. What the hell does that mean? Do I want to “Fuse it up!”? I don’t think so. I just want some gum. I don’t want my own “fusion of flavor”. That sounds like an atomic bomb going off in my mouth. Who writes this meaningless claptrap? Was there a focus group where some highly paid advertising agency 20-somethings asked “If you wanted something to explode in your mouth, would it be Trident?” Probably.
Read More »Crowdfunding and Marketing. A recent report by Clarity.
Late last year I completed a research project for a client that was interested in crowdfunding. It occurred to me that others might get some value from this research and my experience raising money via the crowd. You can download the report below. The power of the crowd is shaping up to be a valuable tool for entrepreneurs. If/when the SEC decides to let people crowdfund for equity, I believe it will finally become a viable tool to raise capital. My experience with crowdfunding and my research tells me that success is predicated upon a sound marketing strategy. You’ll need to create your program to reach far beyond your friends and family if you are attempting to raise any real money. The most successful crowdfunded projects embarked on significant marketing and promotion campaigns. In other words, they didn’t just rely on word of mouth – they pulled all the levers,[…]
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