Previously, I offered some tips on putting your website to work for you. This month, I’m back to help make sure your website can be discovered by search engines, such as Google, which is vital to helping both customers and other businesses find you on the internet. The primary goal of search engine optimization (SEO) […]
The first employee people see
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Imagine you hired an employee who, when asked about your inventory, could only tell people what you used to sell. Or when asked where an item could be found, could only inexplicably point to empty space or not answer at all. Simply put, a single interaction with this employee might lead your customers to assume […]
Knowing customer needs before they do
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You’ve got a great location. You’ve got massive inventory lined up on nursery benches. Perhaps, you even have indoor lines of merchandise, such as home décor and clothing. As far as you can tell, you’ve got everything a good nursery or garden center should have. So, why aren’t people buying anything? Accurately anticipating your customers’ […]
Spending your first digital dollars
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Beyond the ads you see on Facebook, Instagram, and Google, digital advertising may be something of a mystery to you. Many small- and medium-sized businesses aren’t sure where to start when it comes to digital marketing, because it is still fairly new and its landscape is ever-changing. Given the challenges, you may be curious about […]
Does your customer’s experience match your marketing?
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Imagine this scenario: you see Apple’s commercials. They’re full of young people having fun, living their best lives (we’ve all seen them). You see Apple’s advertising — slick, smooth, promising technology that changes your life and leads you into the future. You hear about Apple’s products and how innovative and game-changing they are for the […]
Brand positioning
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The thing that beats price, quality, or service every time 1. Quality: “We have the best products or services around. No one can beat the things we sell!” 2. Price: “You’ll pay less with us than you will anywhere else. No one can beat our prices!” 3. Service: “We have better service than anyone else. […]
Five business books worth reading
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I love reading in just about any genre, but I don’t love reading books about business. The writing is often dry, the information sometimes unhelpful, and the tone often a little too boastful for my taste. That said, the right book can make a significant impact on work habits, creativity, and overall outlook. Here are five […]
Marketing efficiency
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This is the Efficiency Issue of Digger, so I’m joining the party to talk about efficiency in marketing. By that I mean ways you can do more with less: less time, less money, fewer resources and so on. You may be expending too much time, effort or money. Here are a few simple suggestions for […]
When simplicity beats creativity
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At Pivot, the marketing agency where I work, I have the enviable (at least I think so) position of being on a creative team tasked with dreaming up creative campaigns for our clients. We’re the group that sits around bringing every resource to bear — clever plays on words, less clever puns, cultural references, eye-catching […]
Who is the hero of your ads, and why does it matter?
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Have you ever noticed how most Internet companies advertise their services? One company has super-fast speeds, one has ultra-fast speeds, one has blazing-fast speeds, and another has lighting-fast speeds. What’s the difference between super-, ultra-, blazing-, and lighting-fast speeds? Your guess is as good as mine. These companies are making a mistake many advertisers make […]