LinkedIn recently announced the 10 most overused buzzwords in LinkedIn profiles.
Are you ready to have your socks knocked off by the greatest clichés for the brand called you?
Ladies and gentlemen. Drum-roll please. Read more »
Please Tell Me This Wasn’t You
Monday Morning Marketing Quote: When Does This Go On Sale?
Are you training your customers to ask, “When does this go on sale?”
Today’s Monday Morning Marketing Quote discusses the pitfalls of limited-time offers and comes from my partner, Roy H. Williams and his book, Magical Worlds of the Wizard of Ads: Tools and Techniques for Profitable Persuasion.
“Yes, limited-time offers, when they work, cause people to take action immediately. The downside is that limited-time offers don’t work better and better as time goes by. In truth, the work worse and worse. When an advertiser makes a limited-time offer, the only thing that goes into long-term memory is “This advertiser makes limited-time offers.” In essence, that advertiser is training his customers to ask, “When does this go on sale?” – Roy H. Williams
Monday Morning Marketing Quote: Easing The Burden Of Choice
Are you suffocating your customers with choice?
This week’s Monday Morning Marketing Quote discusses how you can ease the burden of choice to drive more sales. Our quote comes from the brilliant Sheena Iyengar and her book, The Art of Choosing. (affiliate link)
“People often refer to the Long Tail as evidence that we’re not overwhelmed even when faced with millions of options. But we see this effect only for items that are clearly different from one another, like books or songs, not to mention that consumers can amass thousands of such choices over the course of their lives. When one alternative is not easily distinguishable from another, and when the goal is to find the single best item — who needs a library of flossing options? — more choice isn’t as useful or as attractive anymore. It simply creates noise, hampering our ability to focus.” – Sheena Iyengar
Monday Morning Marketing Quote: Are You Overestimating Your Personal Experience Factor?
How well are you delighting your customers?
In this Monday Morning Marketing Quote, I talk about the endowment effect, which states that we value our own possessions more than other people do. Today’s quote comes from Dan Ariely and his book, Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. (affiliate link)
“Why does the seller of a house usually value that property more than the potential buyer? Why does the seller of an automobile envision a higher price than the buyer? In many transactions why does the owner believe that his possession is worth more money that the potential owner is willing to pay? There’s an old saying, ‘One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.’ Well, when you’re the owner, you’re at the ceiling; and when you’re the buyer, you’re at the floor.” – Dan Ariely
Monday Morning Marketing Quote: Who And What To Leave Behind
Who and what are you willing to leave behind on your journey to market leadership?
This week, we continue our discussion on how to correctly position your company in the market, and in the mind of the customer. Today’s Monday Morning Marketing Quote comes from Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema, and their book, The Discipline of Market Leaders: Choose Your Customers, Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market. (affiliate link)
“Courage in the face of doubt is essential because selecting a value discipline is not just a choice about what to do, it is a choice about what not to do — about what and who to leave behind on the journey to market leadership” – Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema
Monday Morning Marketing Quote: A Quick Guide To Brand Extension
When should you extend your brand versus re-brand under a new name?
Today’s Monday Morning Marketing Quote discusses brand extension and quotes Al Ries and Jack Trout and their book, Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. (affiliate link)
“When a really new product comes along, it’s almost always a mistake to hang a well-known name on it. The reason is obvious. A well-known name got well-known because it stood for something. It occupies a position in the prospect’s mind. A really well-known name sits on the top rung of a sharply defined ladder. The new product, if it’s going to be successful, is going to require a new name. New ladder, new name. It’s as simple as that.” – Al Ries and Jack Trout
Monday Morning Marketing Quote: Position Your Brand With An Array Of Interlocked Activities
Is your position built on a system of activities, or individual activities?
This week’s Monday Morning Marketing Quote is how to correctly position your company, products or services for the long-haul. Our quote comes from the brilliant strategist, and Harvard professor, Michael E. Porter and his book On Competition, Updated and Expanded Edition.
“Strategic fit among many activities is fundamental not only to competitive advantage but also to the sustainability of that advantage. It is harder for a rival to match an array of interlocked activities than it is merely to imitate a particular sales-force approach, match a process technology, or replicate a set of product features. Positions built on systems of activities are far more sustainable than those built on individual activities.” – Michael E. Porter
* Interlocked activities that reinforce your chosen position also boost your credibility in the eyes of the customer.
Pioneers and Settlers
A paradigm shift alters the way things are normally done. It represents a departure from established norms and shakes up the status quo.
Joel Barker, researcher and consultant, popularized the concept of paradigm shifts in business more than a decade ago. Barker observed that business leaders fall into one of two main camps: pioneers and settlers.
Pioneers are courageous individuals who embrace change. They trek into dangerous, new territory, map it and make it safe. Pioneers own the edge. Read more »
Authors Access Interview
I recently spoke with Irene Watson and Alan E. Smith from Authors Access about the importance of credibility in marketing.
Authors Access is chock-full of terrific expert interviews to help you get your book published and noticed. Check it out.
Oh, and here’s the link to my interview: http://www.authorsaccess.com/marketing/tom-wanek-currencies-that-buy-credibility-for-your-book
Off topic: Listen to my interview with Alan and Irene. Tell me, doesn’t Alan E. Smith sound a lot like Steve Buscemi? I think so.
Old Spice Meets Blendtec
Yes, the Old Spice ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ campaign is a viral juggernaut. Still, it’s no match for Blentec who throws down the gauntlet with this spoof of the Old Spice guy.
Watch the video, and swan dive into the strongest blender this side of Jupiter. It’s wickedly funny.
Tom is in high demand as a 
