Blog

It’s OK to Be One-Dimensional, Just Don’t Be Boring

Posted by Dave Mace at 9:02 pm

When in doubt, create a new category for your small business

Posted by Dave Mace at 6:00 am

There’s a little bit of something for everyone out there. Don’t like the taste of Coke? Try Pepsi. Don’t like Pepsi? Try Dr. Pepper. Maybe you’re one of those people who doesn’t need a brand, just the functional flavor, refreshment and kick delivered by a caffeinated soda. So you prefer Big K Cola. Or maybe you define your identity by being the quintessential anti-brand person. So you drink Sam’s Club Cola.

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Leading the Cause

Posted by Daniel Drouhard at 6:00 am

Sometimes, high-quality and low-price can truly co-exist.

In fact, this concept is becoming more and more widespread as concepts such as Kohl’s and Target have shown us. Here’s an example:

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Just around the corner

Posted by Dave Mace at 12:00 pm

From the looks of things outside, you might be thinking, “We’re a long way from spring.” In fact, I’m sitting in front of a roaring fire in the fireplace as I type this blog entry. [UPDATE: Okay, now it looks like Spring is on its way, but just go with me here.]

But spring is just around the corner if you believe many of the advertisements playing on prime time television. Vivid spring colors highlight clothing and food commercials designed to entice us into believing that buying these products will soften the cold, hard sting of another winter day.

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Don’t let Wichita small business strategy become the “S” word!

Posted by Dave Mace at 11:38 pm

Strategy is a word that is often used.
It is also a practice that is often ignored.

There is much confusion among marketers and managers about what constitutes a strategy. Here are a few terms that might help make it clearer.

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Social media for small business about more than number of followers

Posted by Dave Mace at 12:27 pm

When marketing really came of age in the 1990s, business people started to focus more on quantity rather than quantity of customers. We started categorizing customers according to their value to us and tried to spend marketing dollars on those we expected to be most loyal and profitable over the long haul.

Today’s marketing landscape is increasingly dotted with social media strategies and columnists telling us to get on facebook and start “tweeting” on twitter.

While there is no doubt that these networks deserve our attention, we wanted to take a little time to identify some pitfalls of trying to find a silver bullet in social media.

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Small business marketing doesn’t have to mean small thinking or BIG budget

Posted by Dave Mace at 12:19 pm

There is a common misconception that has persisted for the last 60 years. It is the belief that great marketing service and low prices can’t coexist in the same marketing agency. It is supported by the following unfortunate truths:

• Your business is too small to get big-agency-quality service from a big agency.
• Design shops and so-called “small business” marketers think that they can think strategically, but many of them don’t.
• Small businesses typically don’t have the budget to afford ongoing account planning and coordination.

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