Marketing Spark

Creating content on a regular basis is hard. Not everyone can publish every day. Not everyone wants to publish every day.... Don’t write if it feels forced. Don’t write for the sake of writing. Don’t write to keep a posting streak alive. Write because you're inspired.

If your Website's page speed hasn't been optimized, the time is now to make improvements. Google's Page Experience algorithm update will make page speed more important than ever. Learn more about Page Experience and what B2B companies need to do from Huckabuy's Geoff Atkinson, who appeared on my Marketing Spark podcast recently.... https://podcasts.apple.com//googles-big-algo/id1518693165 See more

My weekly Marketing Spark newsletter is live! I hand-picked content about Ben & Jerry's, the power of listening, 26 B2B podcasts, and how Scott Galloway went from NYC prof to business/podcast superstar https://preview.mailerlite.com/c8z8m0

Why do marketing leaders have such a short shelf life? There’s so much buzz when a new a head of marketing is hired. But, in time, it evaporates. ... Why? The biggest culprit is when the head of marketing and the CEO fails to create a partnership. Both people need to align on strategy and tactics. They need to agree on a roadmap for success and how they’re going to get there. It doesn’t mean they need to work side by side and make decisions together. Not would be an efficient way to work. But they do need to operate from the same page in the manual. They need to be confident about the overall direction and agree on how to change course. When the CEO and head of marketing create a cohesive partnership, that’s powerful.

Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple - Dr. Suess. At a time when connecting with prospects and customers is increasingly difficult, it is important to keep things simple. As much as a product has multiple features and able to address a variety of problems, clear and clean messaging and copywriting are a no-brainer.... It’s not about dumbing things down but marketing that's accessible, user-friendly, and easy for people to quickly understand (aka the "get" factor). When someone visits a Website, for example, they spend a few seconds to determine whether your product meets their needs. If there’s any confusion about what you do, who you serve, and the benefits, it’s literally game over. It doesn't mean you can't be creative or bold but your marketing has to be simple.

Social media is a great place to tell brand stories. I got an opportunity to explain Sergey Ross' podcast: https://www.sergeyross.live//73-how-to-tell-a-good-brand-s

The biggest gains in business are not found in statistics or facts or big data, but in dreaming what could be. - Terry O'Reilly in This I Know (A must-read for any marketer!) There is so much truth in that sentence. Marketers and marketing have fallen in the data trap: if everything can be measured, it should be measured.... The danger is we lose our creative instincts and willingness to do things based on gut feeling, intuition, and ideas that are exciting, provocative, and different. Data is a powerful way to quantify how marketing performs. And it should definitely be leveraged to make smarter, faster decisions. At the same, data isn’t a silver bullet for marketing success. In many cases, marketing thrives when we do things that engage, educate, encourage, and entertain the people who really matter: customers.

Yesterday, I won the B singles title at my local tennis club. I didn’t win because I was the better player. Far from it. I won because I was more persistent.... Over the two-hour match (exhausting!), I didn't get discouraged or upset. I kept grinding away, stroke after stroke. In time, my opponent began to fade. It took time but I could see the path to victory. In marketing, persistence (and consistency) is a key part of success. Everyone likes an overnight success story or instant gratification but it usually doesn’t work that way. Ad campaigns, brand positioning, social media engagement, SEO, and content marketing take time to make an impact. It’s a slow burn. But, boy oh boy, the fire feels good when it gets hot. A lot of marketing success happens when you show up every day. It’s tough slogging and sometimes you’re not inspired. But don’t give up. Persistence pays off.