How Aggressive Should My Marketing Be?

I’m often asked by entrepreneurs, or challenged by clients, to answer “how aggressive should my marketing be?” I find this to be an interesting question, and one that has just one simple answer.

If you’re an entrepreneur who sells a product or service, you may have started your business due to a pain in your life. That pain may have been a real pain, like needing to protect your child, or something less tangible, like wanting a better scheduling tool. Read more »

After you launch, turn from Marketer to Salesman

Last Thursday, a friend of mine (we’ll call him Ben) launched his online course. He had spent many long days (and sleepless nights) pulling together this course and he was very excited. After a dozen hours of research, he chose his membership platform. Then, he reached out to a few designers to have them reproduce his worksheets. Ben built out a beautiful membership site, full of high quality videos that he shot over the course of a few weeks.

If you’ve built a membership site, or ever launched a digital product, you know just how much work is involved in the process. The amount of small details that are critical to a successful launch are easy to overlook, and Ben did a great job keeping everything on track for the launch. Read more »

Do These 3 Things to Break Out of the Commodity Trap

Is a commoditization trap to blame?

Look at all you’ve accomplished… you’re an expert. You’ve been in your trade for years, maybe even decades. You’ve slogged through certifications, board meetings, happy and unhappy clients. You’ve innovated in your niche, creating new ways to deliver value to your customers.

Maybe you’re even an active member in the Chamber of Commerce or the Rotary. You understand the benefit of giving back to the community.

Anyone could see that you are a seasoned expert in your field of work. Nearing or even passing your 10,000 hours of experience, you’re grasping the much-deserved medal of mastery. Read more »

The “Fat Guy Gold Chain” trick to native ads

Maybe you’ve heard of the term “native ads.” If you haven’t, they refer to ads that look like they’re a part of a website, a newspaper, a magazine, etc. They look like they belong.

Native ads have been used for decades, typically providing an education to the reader. David Ogilvy did this in spades with his classic full-page ads on removing different stains using Rinso. Read more »

Marketer’s Fallacy

Marketer’s Fallacy: Assuming because YOU wouldn’t, THEY won’t.