by Steve Woodruff
About twelve and a half years ago, my very first marketing blog post was about a terrible lost opportunity – one that I now believe is the greatest sin of marketing ever committed. We’re talking crime of the century level here. Here is what I wrote, all those years ago, and I feel just […]
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by Steve Woodruff
Companies and organizations often have Mission and Vision statements. They sound lofty. But we generally find that they don’t shape day-to-day behaviors. Why? Something’s missing. Vision and Mission statements are not designed for practicality, simplicity, alignment, and engagement. They don’t hold the organization together and give clear direction and messaging. Internally, people are not on […]
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by Steve Woodruff
What do these four recently-launched books have in common? They are your key to marketing success in 2019. If you’re a business leader or marketer, pay close attention (you’ll thank me later). Over the past months, five authors (Jay Baer/Daniel Lemin, Seth Godin, Mark Schaefer, and myself) have released books that have a very common […]
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by Steve Woodruff
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by Steve Woodruff
Think, for a moment, of your customer as a patient in the doctor’s waiting room. “OK, everyone, Monday is splint day!! Whatever your symptoms, we’re handing out splints to fix it. Have a great day!” “Hurrah, it’s Alka Seltzer Tuesday! Everyone gets Alka Seltzer for whatever ails you! Just pay the receptionist and we’ll all be on […]
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by Steve Woodruff
Everyone is not your customer. Would you agree? I hope so. There are people we are best able to serve…and then there’s everybody else. A LOT of everybody else. So we have to take aim. We need to pro-actively define our target market, our target customers. Hopefully, you’ve come to a clear definition of your domain of expertise – […]
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by Steve Woodruff
Business grows best in fertile soil. And nothing makes your marketplace more fertile than having advocates working the soil for you and with you. Recently, I had a very successful consulting session with a small company directly because of a warm referral. I knew nothing about this company before meeting one of the key people […]
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by Steve Woodruff
I am a big advocate for defining direction and strategy in business. We need to be pro-active to set the business compass, and program the GPS. But…sometimes it has to go in reverse. The business (customers and the marketplace and circumstances) may just override all your intentions and define your direction and strategy for you. Or, at least, refine […]
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by Steve Woodruff
You and I are in a war for attention. The scarcest (& most valuable) human commodity of all. What is your biggest competition for that customer, for that job, for marketplace recognition? Sun Tzu wrote in the famous Art of War: “Know your enemy.” I’m here to tell you – that enemy is the NOISE. You’re a business professional […]
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by Steve Woodruff
Ever feel like people aren’t really “getting” what you do? Frustrating (and very common, btw). And then there’s that experience when you’ve met someone in a networking meeting and you walk away thinking, “what the heck does he do?” File under forgotten. We’ve hired words that don’t work. Bad investment. If there’s anything I’ve learned […]
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