“If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.” – David Ogilvy I just read an interesting post on ad agency focus in the Web 2.0 world by DJ Francis of Online Marketer Blog. The article elaborates on what David Ogilvy said about creativity so many years ago. Year after year, I come back to this philosophical kernel: sales is where the…read more →
“the average ad is read by only four percent of the people on their way through the publication it appears in” (layout design typography)
Inbound marketing is the modern, Web-connected alternative – although it integrates off-line advertising, direct mail, billboards, text messages, magazine ads and so forth. It’s really not about offline/online. It’s more about integration, conversion and accountable measurement.
Way back in 2007, Marianne Kolbasuk McGee wrote a great article on Web trends in InformationWeek. There was and is still so much going on in this market.. the mind reels. I think it still holds up beautifully today. Actually a lot of small businesses have failed to capitalize on these trends, and it’s now 2012!!! Here’s a taste from…read more →
Business people don’t always directly relate shipping to marketing, but the indirect ties are undeniable. This applies to all kinds of businesses, not just eBay. Let’s start with customer satisfaction: * Customers who love your service come back * Satisfied customers tell two friends.. and so on * Your product becomes more valuable when it’s shipped quickly * Items that…read more →
I’m a fan of Seth Godin’s books. I don’t get paid anything to promote them, but I just end up doing that because I read them and always find a few gems of wisdom within. The marketing/advertising/good-business books are light, airy and fast paced. They’re not chock full of compelling research or detailed justification, but that’s part of the reason…read more →
Don’t you love it when people sprinkle the words “honestly” and “frankly” into their conversation? It sounds like rookie car salesman banter. When written in marketing copy, the effect is even more disturbing. It often shows up in these forms: “in truth,” “truthfully,” “to be completely frank,” and “quite frankly.” It’s supposed to sound conversational, but ends up arousing suspicion….read more →
Sometimes I write this blog on a laptop in a courtyard near a Pilates studio. The studio has a benefit pitch written on the window. It’s a quote from Joseph H. Pilates himself: “In 10 sessions you feel better…. In 20 sessions you look better…. In 30 sessions you’ll have a whole new body.” How about that! A promise, a…read more →
I wrote an article for MelissaData way back when “Social Media” and “Social Networking” were in their infancy. It’s called “5 Tech-Savvy Sales Lead Generation Ideas” and can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/2owbqw The ideas are still fresh and relevant today. You just need to make sure you schedule time and put in the effort. Without some discipline, these lead-gen activities…read more →
t’s a bad idea to build pages for nuances in the search engine algorithms anyway, as hundreds of signals exist and they’re changing all the time
“Phil – part of your talent lies in your ability to work with a host of personalities and corporate cultures..not an easy thing to do. Global Crossing looks forward to continuing our relationship with you. The only way you could get a “10″ on Response Time would be to become a full-time Global Crossing employee – which doesn’t’ appear to be in the cards. I put a 9 down only to manage my own expectations that I may need to wait a few days for you to be available…. 
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Michelle Soltesz
Senior Marketing Communications Manager
Global Crossing
