Evolving Value Propositions

Evolving Value Propositions
When you position your product or company, the value proposition is typically grounded in brand fundamentals that are expected to remain core to the business across multiple years. So how and when do you adjust your positioning for normal evolution and growth? What happens when market conditions change so dramatically that they impact your...

It’s Time for a Marketing Audit!

It’s Time for a Marketing Audit!
When was the last time you did a marketing audit? If it’s been over a year (if ever) then now is a great time to tackle this important piece of marketing hygiene. This is especially true if the current world situation has slowed your company’s usually hectic marketing pace. Conducting a marketing audit helps you take a good, hard, objective look...

Make Your Customers’ Lives Easier

Make Your Customers’ Lives Easier
Most companies say they excel at saving their clients time, but are all of your touchpoints really demonstrating that you understand how to help them do that? Kids Science Labs’ original voicemail message is a great case in point. Watch this quick 90-second video to learn how to more strategically use your customer...

Execute Tactics More Strategically

Execute Tactics More Strategically
Use what you know, or can infer, about your customers’ behaviors to help you make better marketing decisions. Check out this brief video for ideas on becoming more precise in how you execute your marketing tactics.

B2B Content Marketing: Digital vs. Face-to-Face

B2B Content Marketing: Digital vs. Face-to-Face
There’s exciting new research out from my alma mater, the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, about how B2B marketing teams can help drive more quality leads to sales through digital content marketing. The research, conducted by professor Bobby Calder and his team at the Medill School’s Speigel Research Center, explored which...

The Top Reasons Startups Fail

The Top Reasons Startups Fail
I recently came across some research done by CB Insights about The Top 20 Reasons Startups Fail. They’re data aggregators backed by the National Science Foundation and other heavyweights, and they regularly read startup post-mortems and compile an aggregation of why startups fail.  The first thing that really stood out to me was that HALF...

Smarter Marketing for Smaller B2Bs

Smarter Marketing for Smaller B2Bs
Background: Earlier this month, I met with Mark, the founder of $100K B2B cabinet hardware company. His five product lines consist of colorful knobs and handles, and he’s just about to launch two new lines in neutral colors. Like most companies in this space, the bulk of Mark’s business comes from showroom sales to interior...

The Difference Between Strategies and Tactics

The Difference Between Strategies and Tactics
Many people seem to have a hard time differentiating between strategies and tactics. Here’s a video from one of our Marketing Strategy workshops that lays out our handy rule of thumb and some real world examples.  

Have I Got an Opportunity For You! Evaluating an Unsolicited Tactical Opportunity

Have I Got an Opportunity For You! Evaluating an Unsolicited Tactical Opportunity
If you’re like me and the companies I work with, you probably get unsolicited emails pitching goods and services every day. Some are worthy of your consideration, but most aren’t. I’ve seen clients asked to sponsor Bears radio because they’re headquartered in Chicago or to pay to participate in a holiday promotion on an obscure culinary cable...

The Care and Feeding of Your Brand Ambassadors

The Care and Feeding of Your Brand Ambassadors
One of the Techstars companies I mentored this summer, Pak’d, delivers healthy custom lunches to your door. Targeted at moms, Pak’d has had a lot of success using a “Mombassador” program in the Chicago area as part of its launch. I was recently having lunch with Rebecca, one of the co-founders, when she asked me for advice about managing and...