Thoughts on Marketing

AI n’t Misbehavin’

Is it too late to get started with AI? No, not even close. So here’s some hints on how to begin.

Plus, highlights of my interview with the CEO of dlivrd.io.

And, since it’s almost St Patrick’s Day, a couple of ideas for a celebratory drink

Why Should Anyone Care?

The right message, to the right people, at the right time. To me, that’s the core of marketing.

And it centers around nailing your Positioning.

My thoughts on deciding the Who/Why of your company or product.

Mentoring vs Managing….

What’s the difference between Managing and Mentoring?

Beyond the textbook definitions, I’d argue that you can manage anyone, but that mentoring is reserved for someone with potential.

Plus, some thoughts on the Superbowl ads.

Old Years Resolutions

We start the year off with good intentions.

By the end of January, though, most of those have fallen by the wayside and we’re back on the hamster wheel, trying to just keep up.

That’s why I like to set my intentions on February 1st.

“OK Steve. You’re so smart. What are your ‘February Resolutions’?”

Sales Kick-Offs: Avoiding the Yawn

How do you make your Sales Kick Off less boring? With a kick-ass SKO theme.

Whether it’s a movie title , or based on your location, we talk about how you can find the right theme to inspire and motivate your team.

Is Sales Navigator worth the Investment?

You need to have a philosophy on how to use it, and embed that in your processes. And you need to train your team not just on the mechanics, but on the strategy too.

Be intentional, and build a launch plan when you introduce it to the sales team.

Also this week – “Is this really ABM”?

Have you missed the boat on ChatGPT?

It’s an interesting tool, and with OpenAI’s latest announcements on building task-specific bots, it’s going to continue to change how we work.

But learning how to prompt ChatGPT directly is not how AI is going to transform daily life.

Also this week – “Adding some muscle to A/B testing.”

Impersonal Personalization

When you think about email personalization, look beyond the name.
What people really want is information that is useful to them.

So segmenting your database and customizing the content will get you far more juice. And it provides a better experience to the reader.

Plus, this week – “Should every business have a website?”

Are Your Case Studies Believable?

One of the speakers at Propelify was sharing his vision for the future of AI. He had a pretty interesting viewpoint on how AI will evolve for graphic designers and artists (too long to explain here). Then he showed the product he’d developed… which was when he lost me…

Also this week – tips for writing a killer case study.

Pumpkin Spice Attribution

I’m sure Starbucks have a large data team to track how their pumpkin ads and PR placements are driving in-store sales

But it’s not that easy for B2B marketers. Especially when you have a multi-tier distribution network, and a complex sales model.

So what do you do, as a growing business with limited resources?