Tag Archives: competitive strategy

Retailers greatest new e-tool

Want to show prospective customers your range, layout, this weeks specials, or the new greatest design? Google business view uses the same technology as streetview to give browsers a view of the inside of your business. The most obvious immediate … Continue reading

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Start with the things you can do.

No business can do everything, so the easy way to start is to do the thing you can do well, as long as it is at least partly the thing that also makes you different. In a suburb not far … Continue reading

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Mixed marketing metaphors.

I have a mate who is an academic economist, a really smart guy used to arguing a point of view, and with a box of stats on call to support any contention he makes, alternatively to pull down anything that … Continue reading

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3 points to measure e-marketing productivity.

When looked at from the “helicopter perspective ” there seems to be three points of threshold competitive activity that you simply have to get right, or all else is irrelevant. Having a few meaningful measures at those three points is … Continue reading

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6 reasons you might be “engaged”.

Many put forward the notion of “Engagement” as the objective of Social Media and web based activity, it crops up with the regularity of a hot dog seller at a big football game. However, I have yet to see a … Continue reading

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Business of Social Media.

The business function of Social Media is to spread the message, and make sales. Each platform differs in the balance between the “Social” and “business” focus but nevertheless, they are essentially the digital equivalent of a social gathering. Some are … Continue reading

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6 strategies to be successful, in everything

  In life, and all its aspects, business, social , relationships, there are no shortcuts, just easier and simpler ways of doing things. It is just that it takes time and effort to find the easier, more productive, and value … Continue reading

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5 classic marketing steps that still work.

In 1968 a seminal Book called “Consumer behaviour”  Engel, Blackwell & Kollat described the 5 steps in the marketing process that dominated marketing thinking for the next 45 years. It is clear that they are still as valid now as … Continue reading

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6 ingredients for SME success

The post on the 2 tools SME’s need  in early August  led to a comment that, whilst the headlines of focus and discipline made sense, the challenge is in implementation. Fair comment. So, how do you build the needed focus … Continue reading

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12 key success factors for SME’s

Small businesses make up the vast majority of business numbers, make a huge contribution to economic activity and health, but most do not last 5 years. Over  20 years of observing small businesses as a contractor and consultant, I have … Continue reading

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9 tips to crafting effective headlines

David Ogilvy said many things that have gone into the marketing lexicon, one that is particularly relevant to the ways we are communicating today: “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. … Continue reading

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6 Really simple steps to increase the effectiveness of your website.

The blokes I saw as a youngster who had outrageous success with the girls were not always the best looking, or the most interesting, or had the best cars (although all these assets did seem to help) they were the … Continue reading

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Intersection of sales, marketing and technology

  18 years ago running an ingredient supplier to the food industry as a contractor, I sponsored a project of quantifying a range of ingredient specifications against a matrix of  organoleptic, and cost outcomes given a range of processing parameters. … Continue reading

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2 tools SME’s have to have

  Most SME’s I see are run by a single person, without the benefit of any sort of advisory board beyond those with whom he/she has dinner sometimes, when they get the time. The hats they wear  make Josephs coat … Continue reading

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7 parameters of a C21 marketing scorecard

Developing metrics to measure the impact and ROI of marketing is becoming a game of choice around competent boardroom tables. Given the level of marketing engagement around many of those tables, it seems sensible for marketers to take the initiative. … Continue reading

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“Design” is a verb

Design is often used as a noun, “I will do a design for you” is common. However, when you think about it, design is not just a thing, an end product, it is a process of moving from an idea, … Continue reading

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Design doing

Steve Blank is one of the real thinkers in the innovation space who gets out there into the weeds and gets stuff done. The illustration at the top of this post is one from a recent post on his blog … Continue reading

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7 essential sales tips for SME’s

Most of us recognise that the best sales lead you have is a satisfied existing customer, so why do SME’s so often fail to capitalise on them?. It seems to me that there are a number of reasons, usually they … Continue reading

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6 challenges (and 3 rules) of content creation

The single biggest stumbling block I see to successful digital marketing is not the technology, or the money, desire, or need, it is simply the unwillingness or inability to create relevant, engaging content of value that suits the context in … Continue reading

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Heston Vs Jamie, a retail bunfight.

  It is fascinating to watch the evolution of the marketing of the two retail gorillas, Coles and Woolworths. It is clear what they are doing, setting out to engage consumers with the freshness, range and provenance of their produce, … Continue reading

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