Tag Archives: Soapbox

It’s clear the era of traditional mass messaging is over

We need to fundamentally rethink our strategies as we transition from mass messaging to targeted storytelling. Greg Heist on June 30, 2020 There was a time—and not terribly long ago—that getting marketing messages to a mass audience was relatively easy: identify a target demographic and then figure out the mix of broadcast and print ads … Continue reading It’s clear the era of traditional mass messaging is over →

Is my data telling me the truth?

Data Security

How email security programs affected my perception of data integrity. Allison Walter on June 18, 2020 As marketers, we face the overwhelming challenge of demonstrating proof that our tactics are effective. But how can we convince management if we are not convinced of our own data? Here’s the reality, which I recently learned for myself: … Continue reading Is my data telling me the truth? →

Don’t kick SMBs to the curbside – for many, it’s their new lifeline

Marketing Guide

While technologies to enable curbside pick-up have been around for years, local business require solutions that work without IT support and infrastructure. Bill Dinan on June 1, 2020 As many states are beginning to ease their COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, local businesses that rely on in-person or consumer touchpoints are investing in strategies to enable consumers … Continue reading Don’t kick SMBs to the curbside – for many, it’s their new lifeline →

Customer-centricity in the new normal

Customer Service

All our underlying assumptions about what makes consumers tick need to be pressure-tested. Greg Heist on May 5, 2020 In what seemed like a moment, the entire world changed. Everything we took for granted about the economy, consumers’ attitudes and values, and ways we collectively went about living our lives have been suddenly turned on … Continue reading Customer-centricity in the new normal →

Enjoy the attention glut while it lasts

Small Business Tools

Working from home has been a boon to the attention economy, but understand that it will not last. Chris Elwell on May 1, 2020 Across industries, producers of “virtual events” are reporting stunning rates of attendance and engagement. Let’s face it. The NFL draft typically gets good ratings, but this year experienced audience increases of … Continue reading Enjoy the attention glut while it lasts →

SMBs increased exposure from remote work requires a different data security approach

Remote Work Environment

Privacy settings may not be aligned with the usual office devices at-home so hardware and internet providers should be providing updated security strategies. Bill Dinan on April 16, 2020 With the recent stories about Zoom and WebEx calls being compromised by hackers and workers’ heavier reliance on online tools to perform work remotely, privacy and … Continue reading SMBs increased exposure from remote work requires a different data security approach →

Gamification has promise and pitfalls

Gamification

The principles of gamification have potential, but understanding motivation and managing reward complications must be done with care. Steve Petersen on April 8, 2020 Fellow contributor, Greg Heist, argued gamification is worth considering. I agree that it is, but there are pitfalls. My background with gamification goes back to when I took Kevin Warbach’s Coursera … Continue reading Gamification has promise and pitfalls →

Marketing data overload? Answer 2 questions that will instantly help

Marketing Data

Success means having the answer to why the data matters and next steps are needed to turn it into action. Kip Knight on April 7, 2020 Marketers are continuously dealing with a never-ending tsunami of data from multiple sources and wondering what to do with it all. It’s easy to come down with a bad … Continue reading Marketing data overload? Answer 2 questions that will instantly help →

The best way to serve your audience? Use empathy

Customer Attraction

Empathy serves us all well in life, but it’s also something every single marketer should do with their target audiences. Amanda Milligan on April 6, 2020 You hear about this word a lot: empathy. It’s not quite sympathy, AKA feeling bad for someone. It’s about putting yourself in the person’s shoes — really trying to … Continue reading The best way to serve your audience? Use empathy →

Rethinking SaaS product access for SMBs during the COVID-19 crisis

SaaS

With local businesses re-inventing themselves and looking for solutions to support that, SaaS providers must adapt. Bill Dinan on March 25, 2020 The way of life and business was already changing with the introduction of 5G and will continue to change in the coming weeks and months during the COVID-19 crisis. One thing is certain … Continue reading Rethinking SaaS product access for SMBs during the COVID-19 crisis →