Good marketing strategies, tried and true, are hard to pin down these days, perhaps because they are hard to articulate in few words.

However, there’s help, from the excellent book Kellogg on Marketing.  In the book you’ll find ten elements of a good marketing strategy.  These elements are receiving a lot of attention by smart people in business.  We’re including them in our client’s marketing plans – and we think you should including them in your plans, as well.  (Here’s the best part: they are easy to understand and measure.)

The table below came from research notes we did for a client back in 2002-3. It proved helpful in focusing the content of boardroom presentations and in preparing various communications.  The attributes are still in play and performing well. We hope this list (and the book) will be helpful to you, too, as you seek to innovate in today’s new market.

Look to see which ones your company has employed is or is working to employ. Which ones have you found to be most effective? Which ones haven’t you pursued that merit attention?  Let me know what you think: zself@appleadv.com.

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Filed under: Bank Marketing & Advertising, Business At Its Best, Marketing, Small Business Services by Zack Self
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“Being relevant”  determines everything about a business — what it sells, how it sells, how it prices what it sells — but especially should it impose a discipline on customer-facing communication.  So, how are you doing with your customers?

Here’s how you find out if you’re relevant – or not.

Evaluate your company’s communication.  A majority of companies large and small fall into three categories listed below, each with an example from actual Twitter and Facebook posts: (more…)

Filed under: Bank Marketing & Advertising, Business At Its Best, Communication, Public Relations, Small Business Services, Social Media by Zack Self
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