In 1995, Newsweek ran an article claiming that all the hubbub about the Internet was overblown. It’s online communities couldn’t possibly replicate the benefits of face-to-face interactions, so “this trendy and oversold community” would never last. The author claimed online stores were overblown and that “my local mall does more [...]
“Know your audience” is a classic adage of sales and marketing. It’s key to crafting persuasive sales pitches and relevant content. The better you understand who you’re talking to, the better you can appeal to their interests, aspirations, and struggles. But what happens if you don’t know your audience? Maybe [...]
When every marketing decision comes back to your bottom line, it’s easy to focus on the things that create the biggest immediate results. That’s why so many email lists, blogs, and social media pages wind up being just a series of sales pitches. It might also be why your audience [...]
As an advertiser, you want your audience to see your ads and think, “Hey, this is for me!” You want to speak to their aspirations and problems so clearly that they feel like you understand them and your product or service can really help them. You want them to see [...]
You spend a lot of time trying to target the ideal audience for your lead generation campaigns. But once you find a good audience, you need the ideal offer for that audience. The right lead magnet makes your campaign a lot more effective. But choose the wrong one, and you’ll [...]
Anytime you interact with your audience, they have an emotional response—to your behavior, your message, your brand, or the issue you’ve brought to their attention. They may experience delight, disgust, surprise, desire, disappointment, joy, or other emotions that shape how they respond to your content and what they associate with [...]
Test. Measure. Change. For digital marketers, that’s an endless cycle. We create variations of every ad, email, headline, and landing page, measure how our audience interacts with them, and then choose the versions that deliver the best results. But a single A/B test isn’t enough to create trends or make [...]
Instagram has quickly become one of the world’s largest social media platforms. With more than 1 billion users worldwide and more than 100 million in the US, it’s no wonder businesses are using Instagram to connect with their target audience. But just because everyone is on it doesn’t mean it’s [...]
Every brand has a story. It’s the reason you exist. It’s what you do. It’s the problem you help your customers solve and the aspirations you empower them to fulfill. Maybe you inspire people to have a positive impact on their community. Or you equip pastors to lead their congregations. [...]
Most people don’t go into the holiday season knowing exactly what they’re going to buy. But they do plan to spend money. A lot of it. In 2017, the average US consumer expected to spend more than $900. And they’re more generous during this time of year, too. Where that [...]