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When the Founder Is the Rainmaker: How to Scale Without Losing the Spark
In many founder-led businesses, the founder isn’t just the leader—they’re also the best (and often only) rainmaker. They land the big deals. They have the trusted relationships. They know the pitch inside and out because they are the pitch.
It works—until it doesn’t.
As the business grows, this model creates a bottleneck. Every new opportunity depends on one and only person. And it’s the same person every time. But there’s a downside. When that person is also responsible for running the business, mentoring the team, and shaping the vision, something eventually gives.
2024 Marketing Crystal Ball: Navigating Trends and Turbulence in the Digital Horizon
Tue, Jan 23, 2024 — Though the “Rise of the Machines” is well underway, there are trends other than Artificial Intelligence (AI) that are at the top of our minds at the start of 2024. The year ahead is fraught with challenges both analog and digital, from a pivotal presidential election to economic uncertainty. But it is the aforementioned digital revolution that has humans racing to determine how they can integrate AI into their marketing and business models.
Is ChatGPT Going to Change Search Marketing?
Tue, Mar 21, 2023 — Microsoft’s recent announcement on adding ChatGPT AI Technology to Bing must be sending warning signals to Google on the future of search marketing. With the integration of ChatGPT in Bing, the search engine will be able to provide results in a natural language – more conversational than a list of links that is today’s norm.
Insights First: Four Keys to Owning the Post-COVID Marketplace
Tue, Jun 1, 2021 — Interest rates are low. Vaccinations are high. And for the first time in more than a year, we can see the bottom of the faces of our friends and loved ones. Indeed, optimism is abounding these days, and if you are a business owner, you’re likely straining at the reins to get back out there and reap the rewards. As a marketing executive, I know that feeling – it seems that dollar bills can be plucked out of the air, and you want to reach up and grab your bounty.
Successful Digital Marketing Implementation - Tactics in Search of a Strategy
Thu, Jun 11, 2020 — Part One: How to Prevent Digital Marketing Tactics from Killing Strategic Objectives Are you experiencing the following issues with digital marketing tactics? Are you frustrated with digital marketing initiatives and have a hard time seeing adequate ROI? Is the company's marketing strategy getting lost in translation when it comes to digital tactics? Do you feel stuck between your marketing strategy and your digital marketing agency? Is it hard to understand why digital marketing tasks aren’t getting done correctly or in a timely manner? Are you struggling to get your website to both look attractive to your target market and drive results? Does your website need work, but things move at a snail’s pace? Does your digital agency promise the world and then struggle with the most basic tasks? Is there a lack of reporting and regular meetings to review progress and results? If you have run into these or similar issues, join the club. Digital marketing initiatives sound great in early team meetings and brainstorming, but can often become a nightmare during the implementation of tactics.
It’s Not Too Late to “Act Digital”
Wed, May 20, 2020 — Sometimes events get ahead of you. Did you have intentions of implementing a business continuity plan for your business but perhaps it just never got the priority needed to get it defined and operational? Because of events like COVID-19—events we can’t control—now is the time to make it a priority and make it happen. The adoption of “digital” in your business may be another of these initiatives with great intent and little traction. With the need for increased abilities to manage your employees, and your customer acquisition and relationships more virtually, you may be behind the curve.
Slam Dunks that Aren’t
Wed, Oct 30, 2019 — It might be correct to tell a basketball player that the best way he or she can score points is to dunk the ball through the hoop. Correct, that is, if the player is, say, 6’6” or taller. That advice, however, is not very useful for a player that’s 5’6”.
2019 Top Internet Trends and How They Impact Your Business
Tue, Jun 25, 2019 — For at least the past decade, developments in digital marketing – and technology in general – have served to disrupt virtually every industry. Whether you manufacture a product or deliver a service, your business undoubtedly has been roiled by digital developments, and their impact on the expectations – and buying behavior – of your customer base. Keeping apace with forthcoming developments can help any business better prepare for what’s to come – altering practices to successfully navigate this digital-first world.
The Digital Crystal Ball: Three Ways to Use Predictive Analytics at Your Company
Fri, May 17, 2019 — The crystal ball—oft spoken of in folkloric terms, but never available when you need it—has entered the realm of the possible. In our switched-on world, where digital interaction is present virtually every moment of an individual’s life, we as marketers now have the tools to peer into the future—using data, and not crystalline, to gaze forward at where our business is going. Predictive analytics—the process of using new and historical data to foresee the result, activity, behavior, and trends of our consumer base—is the key that is making successful businesses, well, successful. Enterprises primed for growth in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace are using predictive analytics to gain a deep understanding of the customer base to maximize revenue, efficacy of marketing budgets, and, of course, profits.
Maximizing your Digital Marketing Channel Mix
Wed, Apr 17, 2019 — “Going digital” with your marketing mix has never been more essential. Most advertisers continue to increase their digital marketing spend in 2019 as billions of consumers are using online social media as a jumping off point into purchase decisions. With more money flowing into digital marketing, the digital channel mix continues to grow in complexity. Though search marketing, display advertising, social media, and mobile remain the mainstays of a digital advertising footprint, each has its role in supporting a particular business objective. When integrated properly, they maximize how we attract consumers, and turn visits into revenue. But before you leap into the digital marketing fray, it’s critical to understand your enterprise’s goals and objectives: Are you seeking to simply educate the public about an innovative offer (market education)? Do you want a target audience to gain greater awareness of your offering as a viable alternative (Brand Awareness)? Are you simply looking for more people to buy your product (raw traffic)? Or, do you want to motivate your current consumers to buy more of your product (higher net per sales)?