In a previous blog post we have established that you can’t ignore your business competition. But putting them under the microscope once and then just leaving it is not enough. Things change and develop very fast in today’s world, so you always need to keep your finger on the pulse. Analysis of the business competition varies greatly between businesses and markets but there are always basic things to consider such as: … [Read more...]
Why You Need To Analyze Your Business Competition
Recently I met with the CEO of a promising Icelandic startup company. When I asked him how their competitors did things, he said he didn’t care that much about their business competitors, he just wanted to focus on what they themselves were doing. I get it. Don’t get sucked into focusing too much on the other guys. However, here’s the problem: In your marketing, you are trying to convince people to buy from you rather than someone else. … [Read more...]
I Love Pablo!
Once I went into a shop to look for snow pants for my daughter. As I came in there was no one in the store. In a little while a man comes out and when I ask him whether he has any snow pants for a 9-year-old girl he points absentmindedly in to a corner and says; "if we have them, they are over there". He then took up a newspaper and started reading! I didn't find any snow pants, and if I had, a don't think I would have bought them. Why should I? I got zero service. Then recently I went shopping at Wrentham Outlet just outside Boston. Like many women I know, I hate buying jeans. I love my … [Read more...]
Blah blah bla bites, blah RAM, blah blah MHz blah… – Talk Like A Human!
What do you mean you don't get it? Really?! There are actually a lot of people out there who think a lot of other people get it and can't understand why there are not lots of people lining up to buy from them! :) A few local IT companies have approached me about their marketing. These are smaller players in the market, offer various IT services and often also sell hardware. Most of these don't sell a lot to IT specialists. Their main customers are individuals and small and medium sized businesses who don't have an IT person, or if they have one, they are general IT managers who have a good … [Read more...]
Content Marketing: Don‘t Build Things On Sand
Content marketing can be a very very strong marketing tactic for smaller businesses. It does require time and effort, but not necessarily that much cold hard cash – sometimes no cash at all. What it does require however is that you have already laid a solid foundation. If you don't know who you want to appeal to and if you don't know your viewers or readers, how are you going to make content that appeals to them? How will you know where best to share it with them? How will you know what kind of content they want to see? – do they like text, video, images etc? Also, you don't want to only … [Read more...]