Top 10 Success Tips for Small Business
The Globe and Mail’s Report on Small Business in conjunction with Achilles Media brought a one-day event to Vancouver recently. The event was geared to entrepreneurs, to kick-start small and medium enterprise to the next level. These are my top 10 success tips for...
Marketing ‘Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams’
What is it about the human psyche that makes us want something we can’t or don’t have? You may recall yourself as a young child wanting a toy that a playmate had, or you may see it in your own toddler who needs to have what you are holding, and you might even reflect...
The Power of the Wisdom Circle
There is an old English proverb that states “two heads are better than one” meaning two people may be able to solve a problem that an individual cannot (‘head’ here means ‘mind’). When it comes to solving problems, I couldn't agree more with this statement – it is...
Project Approach to Developing a Strategic Marketing Plan
Strategic Planning: Purpose and Objectives Strategic planning is a critical component of good management and governance and it contributes to an organization’s stability and growth. A company’s strategic plan acts as a blueprint to guide its activities or direction...
Principles of Traditional Media vs. Social Media
Eyes and ears versus hearts and minds. It was this statement made by Lawrie Ferguson, chief marketing officer, Coast Capital Savings, at a recent Business in Vancouver marketing panel that inspired me to write this blog post. When I heard it, I thought, “yes! That’s...
Investment in Marketing
I recently attended Business in Vancouver's BLUE breakfast panel at SFU's Beedie School of Business. Panelists included the likes of Lawrie Ferguson, chief marketing office, Coast Capital Savings and Steve Mossop, president Ipsos Reid West, both of whom were very...
Why You Need a Marketing Strategy
If you have a company that is in the business of making money, then you need a marketing strategy, because the marketing strategy is your roadmap to guide you in your efforts to get the maximum impact for the marketing dollars, time and resources you invest to reach...
You Are Leaving Money on the Table. The Only Question is How Much?
Small changes to your website could result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in incremental revenue. I recently took part in a webinar sponsored by the American Marketing Association entitled: Keys to Website Success. I was curious to learn what Lance Loveday, CEO...
Driving Customer Acquisition by Looking Beyond AIDA
All consumers follow a buying process, whether they know it or not. We all do it – probably a dozen times a week if not more. When we are presented with an opportunity to make a purchase we subconsciously ask ourselves a series of questions, and depending on our...
5 Fatal Marketing Mistakes that CEOs Make
Working with small and midsize companies over the past decade, I’ve noticed some patterns and similarities in how CEOs (usually also the founder of the business) approach the marketing function within the organization. I’d like to highlight what I believe are 5 common...