5 Strategic Questions to Ask Before Committing to a Website Redesign
We frequently partner with clients who have been tasked with redesigning their company’s website. Tempting as it may be to dive right in and start designing web pages, we ask our clients to pause and answer these five questions before launching into any redesign
Your Marketing Team Is Working Too Hard
In the corporate environment, we see over and over again that instead of striving to use laser-focused marketing strategies to cause real business outcomes, team/department cultures are built around production quantity and busy-ness.
Value-Driven Marketing
For a decade, people have been shouting the virtues of 'data-driven marketing' from the rooftops. And marketers have felt a nagging feeling of ineptitude, because they assumed they had to invest in the latest enterprise release of Salesforce, or hire the Archimedes of marketing analysts. I know because I was one of them.
5 things developers should know about digital strategy
The line between developers and marketers is getting fuzzier every day. More and more, marketers are required to dive into development conversations and processes, and hold their own (or at least smile and nod) when discussing things like CDN, server load, Javascript, Angular, HTML5 and other jargony topics.
Show your work. Marketing automation expertise from my 3rd grade math teacher
Start with a process that works, and then automate it. That’s the very simple 1, 2 punch that leads to successful marketing automation, reporting and dashboarding.
SEO is a side effect
In a modern digital marketing strategy, SEO is not a tactic — it’s a side effect. You can’t “add some SEO” to your site to achieve success in organic search, but you can make fundamental content or architecture changes to your website, and see improved search engine performance.
What to Avoid When Writing Your Digital Marketing Strategy
A digital marketing strategy is, at its core, a marketing strategy. But one that focuses primarily on utilizing digital tools and innovation to achieve your business goals.
Why you should never outsource strategy
Let me just start by acknowledging the irony in a strategy consulting firm writing an article about why you shouldn't outsource your strategy. But hang with me for a bit, and hopefully it'll actually make sense!
Tips for Small Business Digital Marketing
We need to make every dollar count, and can’t afford programs that don’t provide obvious value.Here are 4 proven tips that will get your small business’s marketing program back on track.
10 of the most common digital marketing problems that businesses face
In helping companies with digital marketing and strategy over the years, I've noticed some recurring themes. And while every client's situation is unique, the vast majority of work that I've done can ultimately be grouped into a fairly finite list of topics.
Content Strategy for Mergers and Acquisitions (5 Step Framework)
If you have ever been a part of one, you know that handling content strategy for mergers and acquisitions might result in a bit of a chaotic and messy web presence. Most companies lack neat and tidy content on their own site, so the effort to combine two unorganized sites (or ‘not optimized’ -- to sugar coat it) often leaves marketing leaders holding the keys to a stressful, chaotic, and inefficient web migration project.
Ditch Marketing Objectives and Replace Them With Expectations
There are valid reasons to talk about campaign/department goals and objectives. But what I’m recommending today is that we all start talking more about “Expectations” and less about goals and objectives. Here’s why…
6 Benefits of Taking a Content-First Approach to Redesigning the Structure of Your Website
Redesigning your website can be an exciting and intimidating endeavor. In our experience, organizations tend to jump headfirst into conversations about design and aesthetic, bypassing the important role content plays in the user experience.
Marketing Managers: Do You Have a Skills Matrix For Your Team
A skills matrix is exactly what it sounds like: A spreadsheet that outlines all of the skills needed for the team, and how each team member stacks up in each area. (Hang with me, I promise it’s not as boring as it sounds).
Why You Keep Failing At Salesforce
If there is one piece of ‘must have’ software in the marketing industry, it’s Salesforce — at least that’s what can be assumed based on the fact that companies are dumping 10s and 100s of thousands of dollars into licensing the tool every year. But what we’ve found over and over again is that despite the huge price tag, very few companies are actually confident in their use of the tool.
Choosing a Grand Rapids Digital Marketing Firm
Choosing a marketing firm can be tough -- especially in a market like Grand Rapids, where you don't find many "big name" agencies. We're not the home to Razorfish, Ogilvy, JWT, Vaynermedia or any of the other agencies that have reached the national stage for their work. Rather, what you find are smaller, lesser-known, but potentially just as effective agencies of about 1-50 total employees.
Your Team Charter Is Your Most Powerful Management Tool
A team charter is a cornerstone document that outlines key aspects about your digital marketing team -- why you exist, what you're tasked to do, how you will operate, what roles exist on the team, and other defining characteristics.
The Role of a Strategy Consultant
Good consultants don't simply prescribe cookie-cutter solutions for their clients. They invest in research and problem-solving frameworks to uncover the root problem, and then (yes, based on their experience working with other clients) devise the exact custom recommendation for you.
Digital Consulting -- Where does it fit in your marketing team?
Some organizations have no need for external help; some organizations need directional guidance, but no tactical support; some organizations need an external consultant to come in and fully run the show.
Analytics vs Metrics vs KPIs: Data terminology defined
Knowing the differences between these terms (as well as how they are all related to each other) is critical to understanding how to approach data and best use insights to improve your business.