Avoiding the “Capability Trap”
It’s time to put pen to paper and lock in budgets for the year ahead. When you’re considering the finances you’ll need to resource your teams and projects for the next four quarters, it’s important to make sure you’re targeting the best areas. But what does that mean—the “best”? Many times, teams are seeking solutions […]
Are You Erasing Your Voice by Megaphoning?
One common mistake that marketing and communications professionals make is “megaphoning.” This vice is partially what it sounds like: being really loud with your efforts. But the problem actually goes a little deeper. Being loud, on its own, can be a positive trait: bold, unignorable, memorable. But when your campaigns or outreach efforts are megaphoning, […]
What Is “Demand Gen”?
No, it’s not the crop of babies who will be born after Gen Z. In marketing, “demand gen” is another way of thinking about your “lead gen” (or lead generation) activities. Some marketers think that traditional lead generation strategies are just a little too passive. They often rely on your qualified leads finding you and […]
Should You Use AI to Optimize Customer Service?
Try as it might, artificial intelligence hasn’t managed to fully replace real people when it comes to customer service. In fact, customers continue to report frustration when they’re forced to engage with chatbots in the course of seeking assistance online. Interestingly enough, however, people are not as bothered when they have to click categories and […]
Tips for Befriending Your Competitors
It might sound baffling to suggest befriending a rival business. It’s certainly uncommon in smaller markets where just a handful of companies are competing for all customers. In those cases, the question is: Why? The very idea of friendship implies trust. But in business, it’s important to guard strategic plans and trade secrets. You don’t […]
Do You Write Your Ads for Mobile?
If you’re creating digital ads on most platforms, your content will easily and automatically translate between desktop and mobile displays. Once upon a time, you would’ve needed to draft two entirely separate ads so that one could appeal to desktop users and the other would look best on a tiny phone screen. But smartphone screens […]
3 Quick Tips for Pretty and Persuasive Marketing Decks
Whether you’re making an important internal presentation to colleagues or external presentation to potential clients, a good set of slides can make or break you. That’s true no matter how good your pitch is or how polished your talking points might be. And it’s even more pertinent now, when so much work is done long-distance, […]
Communication Insights for Virtual Marketing
Zoom fatigue is real. After hitting the one-year mark of transitioning our businesses online and working from home, we’ve all gotten used to meeting with clients through screens, giving presentations remotely, and shifting almost entirely to e-commerce models, we’re all feeling a bit zoned-out when we sit in front of our computers these days. It’s […]
What Can FAQs Tell You About Your Customers?
Stop thinking about Frequently Asked Questions as a one-way street! Yes, it’s essential to have this section on any business website. That’s because it allows visitors to learn about your business on their own terms. They can find solutions to common problems and pursue self-help before they reach out to your customer service team. Without […]
Is Customer Service Your Untapped Marketing Asset?
Marketers spend a lot of time thinking of ways to capture their audience’s attention and turn it toward a company’s products and services. But what if your audience is already reaching out to you? It makes more sense to use every exchange as an opportunity to share insights, announcements, and updates. That includes customer service. […]