If you’re a marketing manager, chances are that you’re already sold on the benefits of employee-generated content. It’s a potent sales tool when used correctly. The problem is, getting your fellow employees to actually create content is hard. They’re busy with their own work, stressed, and… wait, isn’t that your job anyway? Moreover, even when … Read more
Used car salesmen — ya gotta love em’! OK, you don’t. But you do have to admire them from a marketing standpoint. Why is that? Because they completely trample one of modern marketing’s sacred cows — the know, like, trust factor (i.e., KLT factor). They seem to run on nothing more than bluster, moxie, and … Read more
Do copy writing trade secrets really exist? Put another way, is writing copy “not generally known or reasonably ascertainable” by a novice? The answer, like so many other questions in business, is yes… and no. Yes: copy writing is definitely not generally known by those outside of marketing circles. Ask them what copy writing is … Read more
“How do we mention competitors by name without starting a full-scale war?” “If we do acknowledge them as competitors, are we ready to go head-to-head with them?” It’s a familiar set of questions to anyone planning their company’s content strategy. Most corporate style guides advise against naming competitors. “Naming” could cause problems. You might end … Read more
Did you know the key to structuring a movie was “starting a scene as late as possible”? It’s true. At least according to William Goldman, Academy Award-winning screenwriter (All the President’s Men). Meaning, when the movie director yells “action,” something should be happening, not about to happen. “You don’t want to begin with ‘Once Upon … Read more
Apparently, things aren’t so rosy at Walmart. Heck, you knew that already. Walmart — for lots of reasons — is easy to dislike. I won’t go into any of them here. What I will talk about is their commodity pricing model, and why it’s been so disastrous. And why you should avoid do everything in … Read more