Content Marketing Today

They registered a slogan that's all about them.
It has nothing to do with how they benefit their clients.

If you watch any business-oriented TV, you've probably seen the Grant Thornton commercials.  They've spent millions to tell the world that they have 'a passion for the business of accounting.'  Are they suggesting that their fellow accounting firms lack a passion for the business of accounting?   That seems unlikely.  In fact, their slogan has essentially no customer value because it's all about Grant Thornton.  Apparently, they aren't passionate about content marketing.

Read More

If your retail website doesn't showcase what you sell, you won't turn many visitors into buyers.

Of course, we know that FOS Furniture must sell furniture, because 'furniture' is in their name. But, when you arrive at their home page you have no idea what sort of furniture they sell. Sadly, FOS is suffering in the SW Florida economy like many of their retail colleagues. The depressed real estate market has dampened sales from Naples up through Cape Coral. FOS is shuttering two stores in Bonita Springs and Fort Myers. Tough market aside, a much better website could have made a positive difference. Learn how to do it better. Read More

Be Customer-Centric, Not Company-Centric If you are in the business of getting people to buy things from you...or even if you are a non-profit that depends on contributions to survive, you'd better take a different online approach than the now defunct Southwest Florida advertising firm, Devious Designs. Read More

It amazes me how often ad agencies can talk their clients into advertising campaigns that won't sell any product, but aren't likely to help the brand either. All around business guru Tom Peters mentioned just such a campaign in a recent post that involves a drumming gorilla. OK, it's funny (and it follows below--I couldn't resist)! But it is so far removed from the product that it sure seems like a lot of money for nothing. You might say they made a monkey out of their clients in the name of 'creativity.' Read More

Yes, of course it should. But here's one that's missing the content marketing boat. Communique PR is a Seattle-based firm founded by PR veterans who are comfortable with billion dollar clients and multi-million dollar budgets. As we all know getting regular media exposure for their clients, is the name of the game. Keeping those client brands [...] Read More

But Can He Save This Newspaper?   In a recent editorial, Phil Lewis, editor of the Naples daily news, wrote about increasing traffic to the newspaper web site. His editorial was frighteningly notable for two reasons: • He admitted that he and his fellow editors had no idea what articles were being read in the [...] Read More

Everywhere we shop, stores collect information about us in return for offering special discount cards.  But, as Anna Murray of 'Content is Queen' points out, they seemed to have squandered the chance to connect with us in a meaningful way.  And it would have been so easy and so profitable for them.  We want to [...] Read More

Your visitors are busy and impatient. You have less than 10 seconds to engage them. They want to know exactly what you do and how you can meet their needs. And, depending on what you do, a strong graphic is equally important. An example of a site that most visitors won't dig, is this [...] Read More