Outside distributors can give you instant access to markets that might be costly, time-consuming, or even impossible to reach with a direct sales force. But along with its benefits, external distribution poses some challenges. << MORE >>

Some time ago a college-level student working on a careers project asked me to answer some written questions about the work I do. The final question was "What do you think is important about effective writing in the business world?" << MORE >>

Video as a marketing tool

Accessible production tools and high-speed Internet have made video a potentially powerful tech marketing tool. It can be used for everything from product introduction to user education to online sales. But to use video effectively, you have to understand its strengths, its limitations, and what you are trying to accomplish.

Because it works in two channels simultaneously—sight and sound—video can deliver information quickly and powerfully. Its visual component can convey complex ideas that would be difficult in text alone. And ...

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In his book A Whole New Mind, author Daniel Pink suggests that the Information Age, the heyday of the logical, sequential, left brain, is ending. In its place, we are entering the Conceptual Age, one that will, increasingly, cater to, and be served by, the intuitive, synthesizing right brain. One of the reasons for this transition may be the accelerating rate of change. The left brain’s methodical processes are thorough, but they can also be painstakingly ...

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Ground Ivy...sounds charming, like something you might actually want to grow. In fact, by its common name, "Creeping Charlie," it is one of the most hated weeds known. Of over 200,000 hits on Google, most include phrases like "how to get rid of," and over 1200 include the term "nightmare." << MORE >>

As promised, an example (six examples, actually) of marketing that rhymes and was extremely successful<< MORE >>

What, you may ask, does poetry have to do with marketing? Actually, there are some interesting links between rhyme and persuasion, but you’ll have to read two more blog entries to find out what they all are. In the meantime, think of this as a small diversion, and couldn’t we all use a bit of diversion these days!<< MORE >>

Branding helps buyers make complicated decisions. It tells prospects what to expect from you and lets you focus your marketing on a well-defined market.<< MORE >>

Knowing exactly what and when to capitalize has always been somewhat problematic, but the recent proliferation of informal communication, e.g., email, has added to the problem. One area that seems to stump a lot of us is job titles.<< MORE >>

Successful marketing doesn’t just reach the right audience, it reaches them at the right time. Johnny Morris, the founder of the Bass Pro Shops chain, got his start by locating displays of fishing tackle in a chain of liquor stores after noticing fishermen stopping in on the way to the lake. << MORE >>