"Advertising is what you do when you can't go see somebody. That's all it is." Fairfax Cone (1963) "Advertising is salesmanship mass produced. No one would bother to use advertising if he could talk to all his prospects face-to-face. But he can't." Morris Hite (1988) People who don't understand the sales process don't understand advertising. Unfortunately, people who don't … [Read more...] about How Advertising Works
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Brand Development Process
The brand development process is just that - a process. So many small business owners want it to be a task to be completed. Something to check off your list of things to do. It's easy to understand where someone might get that idea. After all, the term branding was first used to describe burning a mark into the flesh of cattle. I'm sure the cowboys who perform this job are … [Read more...] about Brand Development Process
Niche Marketing: Narrowing Your Focus
Niche marketing means narrowing your focus. When you narrow the focus of your marketing messages, you increase the likelihood of creating effective advertising. It's important to keep in mind that advertising never forced anyone to buy anything. If you cannot create a marketing message that addresses the specific needs of your target customers,it will not make it through … [Read more...] about Niche Marketing: Narrowing Your Focus
Niche Marketing and Advertising Effectiveness
There are a lot of reasons why you would want to tightly target your advertising message to a specific niche market - one of the best is that doing so will increase your advertising effectiveness. Many small business owners are reluctant to narrow the focus of their marketing efforts. Seeking better results by narrowing their focus seems counterintuitive to them. They want to … [Read more...] about Niche Marketing and Advertising Effectiveness
Viral Marketing: Be Careful What You Wish For …
I've written before about the perils involved in the pursuit of viral marketing. on the surface, it appears that viral marketing is a GREAT way to get "free" marketing by creating enough "buzz" to elevate a marketing campaign from "ordinary" to "viral". Fortunately, marketing doesn't carry the risks of say, oh brain surgery. When you screw up and make a marketing mistake, … [Read more...] about Viral Marketing: Be Careful What You Wish For …