Campaigns & Execution

How to Think About Search Engine Marketing

Many B to B companies are just getting started with search engine marketing.  If you’re one of them, you’ll want to know the difference between two basic types of programs:  “paid” & “organic” search. But first, how big is search engine marketing?  U.S. and Canadian advertisers spent $5.75 billion on it in ’05  — and it could reach $11…Read More

Campaigns & Execution

How to Create PDFs

Do you need to create sales documents that you can easily email to clients or post on your website?  If you’ve never created a PDF, you don’t need to hire a graphic designer to do it.  You can download free or low-cost software to create PDFs from your Word, Excel, Powerpoint or other printable documents/files….Read More

Creative & Brand Development

How to Blend In

One of my favorite blogs is Snark Hunting, published by the corporate naming gurus at Igor.  If you ever need convincing about how a name can help your company stand out, set aside some time and read their stuff. Or just read this single post.  It’s about two naming companies and their Google paid search…Read More

Strategic Planning

How to Define Marketing

I was sitting there in the hot, cramped conference room of a small hardware manufacturer when the CEO proclaimed “Marketing doesn’t work.”  He went into elaborate detail about expensive brochures, an unsuccessful email campaign, and how they surveyed their customers and got useless data.  He repeated his mantra several times — “Marketing doesn’t work.” I…Read More

Creative & Brand Development

How to Get Feedback on a Name

Naming your new product, service or company is tough enough.  It’s even tougher to find a name that’s protectable, memorable and supports your value proposition. So once you’ve narrowed your list down to a handful of names, how do you choose? Everyone wants feedback on a name, and it’s tempting to start quizzing family & friends:  “Do you…Read More