How do you know if your brand message is confusing?
Why do we use fancy words or buzzwords? We want to sound smart. In our quest to sound smart, we sound like everyone else, confusing, and unoriginal. I think Matt Damon's character, Will, in Good Will Hunting is a good example of responding to an MIT student who...
Brand Strategy Consultant vs Marketing Manager: Which One Is Right for Your Business?
Everywhere we look, there are consultants. In the field of brand and marketing strategy there are a dime a dozen, so, if you are considering a brand and marketing consultant, who do you trust? How do you know if they will lead you with integrity and profitable...
Why Marketing Leaders Need to Read Fiction
My wife, Debra, and my oldest daughter used to work at a used bookstore in Old Town Manassas. They loved conversations with customers about fiction and non-fiction books, history, and life. They also loved giving recommendations when a customer was looking for...
Jackson Pollock, Cats, and Beer
I am an eclectic person when it comes to the things I enjoy in life. With music, I may listen to the Battlefield 1 soundtrack from the Xbox One game or the metalcore band, August Burns Red. Another day, I might listen to Benny Goodman or to the Cats Broadway. When it...
Why Doesn’t Seth Godin Tell Me Exactly HOW to Be a Purple Cow?
I am currently reading Seth Godin’s “Purple Cow”. I figured I would enjoy his book because I enjoy reading his blog. There are other authors that I enjoy as well as those who have similar to Seth Godin’s style including Mitch Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie) and Patrick...
Don’t Be Afraid to Question Your Marketing Consultant or Agency
I was talking with a business owner the other day about his social media strategy. He mentioned that his business was on Facebook and Twitter, but he never used Twitter, so I asked why he was on Twitter. His response was simply "because I was told that I should be on...
What is a Digital Strategy?
The question is often asked – “what is digital strategy?”. There is an array of answers that include web design and development, social media, SEO and SEM, analytics and measurement, methodologies such as agile and waterfall, big data, and the list goes on. Many...
4 Mindsets that Will Derail Your User Experience
In the last couple of years, we have seen an explosion of multi-device usage, which has escalated the importance of user experience to the top. In that time, many blogs and articles have been written on the best practices and mistakes surrounding user experience. I,...