Savvy marketers understand that it’s not about what they’re selling, it’s about what their customers are buying. It’s about solving a customer’s problem and then clearly and succinctly explaining why your solution is different and better than any other. Today Amazon alone sells over 200 million products in the USA. Some are winners; plenty are losers. Consumers have more choices than ever before, so it’s imperative that it’s easy to buy from you. This concept applies to…

The world is still reeling from the death of Prince Rogers Nelson, the multi-platinum-selling music producer, songwriter, musician, business mogul, and marketer who achieved wide fame for ‘1991’ and ‘Purple Rain’. Savvy marketers can learn a lot from Prince.  Lesson #1: Be true to your brand. Prince didn’t just luck into a net worth of $300M and an iconic, highly emotional brand. He knew that everything from the people he surrounded himself with to his ruffled attire, bright colors, and…

It’s been a wild year for marketers. 100 million people use Snapchat daily, Google sprang a major rebrand with the reveal of a holding company called Alphabet, adblocking technology hit mobile, and the ROI for direct mail campaigns is on par with social media ads. Digital marketing has undergone a substantial transformation. The technology that enabled the changes is advancing at a pace few brands can keep up with. So, what does this mean for marketers?…

Why does emotion matter? Herman Muschamp, the boisterous New York Times architecture critic wrote “…in the last 50 years, the economic base has shifted from production to consumption. It has gravitated from the sphere of rationality to the realm of desire, from the objective to the subjective, to the realm of psychology.” His message? In a post-industrial society, material satisfaction is so easily attained that emotional fulfillment is now the real challenge for business. The key subconscious…

In a world burdened with voiceless emails and texts, the power of a phone call is severely underrated. It’s easy for an email or tweet to get lost amongst all the other messages cluttering up our busy lives. Even in today’s tech-crazed world, a phone call still has the power to grab your attention and create an emotional connection. Email has become the default communication method for business people. Last year, according to The Radicati Group, 109…

You bump into a business associate you haven’t seen in years and he asks you what you’re doing these days. You open your mouth, pause, try to organize your thoughts, and start rambling. Who knows, he could have been a potential customer or someone who could help grow your business. You don’t get a second chance. That’s why you need a short, compelling pitch that explains why a customer should pick your organization. Next time someone asks you “What do…