Don’t Skip the Strategy in Your 2026 Marketing Plan
Small business owners often spend money on marketing tactics that don’t work. Use these 3 steps to build a 2026 plan that will help you say “no” to the wrong things and “yes” to the right ones.
Category Entry Points
Category Entry Points are moments when a specific buying situation prompts customers to enter your market category. Link your brand to CEPs that fit you best to increase the likelihood that customers will choose you when it’s time to buy.
How Branding Helps Customers Think of You Before They Know It
Human brains make thousands of decisions automatically each day. Effective branding helps your customers think of you instead of filtering you out.
How Brand Associations Work as Memory Cues
Brands exist as a web of cognitive associations that consumers have connected to your brand in their memories. Refresh these memories to make your brand more likely to come to mind in buying situations.
Take time to map your customer journey
Whether you’re building a content marketing strategy or trying to improve satisfaction, understanding what your customers are going through will help you make the experience better. By considering each customer’s personal experience, what they’re trying to achieve, and how you can help, you may find areas where you can: Large …
Tell, show, and do to create brand experts
After putting effort and investment into developing a strong brand, how do you ensure everyone uses it correctly?
New digital media tactics offer benefits and risks
A story in today’s New York Times highlights the challenges of using new technology to reach prospective buyers across the Internet: Money is funneled to smaller sites through a complex system of agencies and third-party networks, which can resemble a stock exchange. This system, known as programmatic advertising, allows brands …
Digital marketing spend exceeds $50B year to date
According to the the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s report on Wednesday, in the third quarter, marketers spent 20 percent more year over year on digital advertising, reaching $17.6 billion during the quarter, and more than $50B year to date. Read more: Digital Advertising Grew Double Digits Again to Hit $17.6 Billion in …
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions or Fully Anticipated Questions?
Years ago, while working for a software company, I got into a lengthy discussion with a developer and tech support manager about the value of adding information to the company’s tech support FAQs. With the launch of a new, better version of one of our flagship products, the interface had …
Starbucks' Holiday Latte Mistake
Starbucks Swaps Holiday Drinks [Updated: Thankfully, Starbucks returned to their Gingerbread Latte roots. Maybe they read our blog. Or, perhaps the sight of people spitting out their drinks got to them. Either way, I’m glad to have my drink back, and the marketing lesson still applies. Read on…] I’ve written …