The Zen of Digital Marketing: Starting with an Empty Cup.

The Zen of Digital Marketing: Starting with an Empty Cup.

Shoshin is a concept from Zen Buddhism, meaning beginner’s mind. It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions. The word shoshin is a combination of sho (Japanese: 初), meaning “beginner” or “initial,” and shin (Japanese: 心), meaning “mind.” When meeting a new client for the first time, I purposely do a minimal amount of preliminary research to avoid bringing any preconceptions to the table.

I refer to it as starting with an Empty Cup…

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The BIG MISTAKE Made by EVERY New Business

The BIG MISTAKE Made by EVERY New Business

According to the Census Bureau, an average of 4.4 million businesses are started in the U.S. yearly. Everything from financial advisors to falafel stands, from law firms to ladder manufacturers, many of them started by entrepreneurs with high levels of education, experience, and expertise. Yet, somehow, they all make the same mistake.

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Year of the “Wabbit”

Year of the “Wabbit”

 According to the Chinese calendar, January 22 marks the beginning of the year of the Rabbit, a year of peace, prosperity, longevity, and hope. The Rabbit is the luckiest of the 12 animals of the zodiac and symbolizes energy, elegance, and beauty. It is also quiet, clever, fertile, and prosperous in Korean folk tales. In addition, the Rabbit is resourceful, has many ideas, and is adept at adapting to the environment, moving quickly and steadily toward completing its goals. This is the perfect time to plan and set your marketing objectives for the coming year.

There is no better example of “rabbit-ness” than that Looney Toons icon, Bugs Bunny. 

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Coaxing the Audience Out of Their House and Into Yours

Coaxing the Audience Out of Their House and Into Yours

The key is to remind audiences why they love the arts first, tapping into their lifelong passions and helping them to realize what they are missing. With so many people still hesitant to venture far from home, traditional marketing efforts may not be enough. Digital Marketing, on the other hand, is a very effective and economical way to reach them where they live.

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LinkedIn Company Pages

LinkedIn Company Pages

LinkedIn Compay Pages  Get an Edge on your competition. Extend your brand, expand your network, establish your credibility, and grow your business. The graphic at the top of this post is the banner from my company page.  Did you know there are 840 million Members...

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The Zero Moment of Truth

The Zero Moment of Truth

Google coined the term “The Zero Moment of Truth,” or ZMOT, to signify the period before the purchase where the Consumer conducts searches, consults review sites, and checks out social media posts in order to gather information about the product or service they want to buy.

With the economy opening up, and Consumers getting ready to buy again, we are heading toward one big ZMOT, and working it just might be the best way to take advantage of all that pent-up demand.

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Home Sweet Home Office

Home Sweet Home Office

Now that the Corona Virus has grounded the country and sent everyone to their rooms, many people find themselves working from home for the first time.

As with anything, there are Pros and Cons. On the Pro side, if you live in a normal-sized dwelling, there is no commuting. You save the time and money that would have been spent on just getting to work. As for Con’s, you’ll need to exercise an increased degree of self-discipline, and you may experience a sense of isolation.

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Once Upon A Brand…

Once Upon A Brand…

We live in the age of big data. Marketers have access to vast amounts of information about consumer wants needs, attitudes, and behaviors. The temptation, of course, is to tailor your marketing messaging to match the data. If the data says your customers favor the color green, tell them you have greener green than your competitors.

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The Shopping Season Begins

The Shopping Season Begins

The Holiday season starts with a week of travel, turkey, shopping, more travel, more shopping, and a chance to give back. It starts with a Travel Day on Nov. 27th, the second busiest travel day of the year. People head home to Mom’s or some home cooking, and in the case of college students, laundry, before the big day…

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Tools for Social Listening

Tools for Social Listening

When it comes to social media, we think in terms of posting, tweeting, pinning, commenting, liking, following, and sharing—but the most critical activity is listening. What does all that activity say about your audience? How do they feel about you, your businesses, your competition, and everything else for that matter? The more you know about them, the better able you’ll be to formulate a more engaging, more effective marketing strategy. But how does one collect, categorize, and analyze that ever-growing, vast amount of user-generated information?

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Small Business A.I. is Here!

Small Business A.I. is Here!

Artificial Intelligence is often associated with tech giants like Google and Amazon since it is expensive and requires vast amounts of data. But now, businesses are looking at AI as a way to gain an edge in the marketplace. As AI is continuously migrating from research labs into the world of business, companies are using its power to analyze countless data points to detect patterns in behavior and improve customer interactions, and of course, generate more business.   

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Email Marketing + Social Media

Email Marketing + Social Media

Email marketing continues to be the most effective form of digital marketing. (You’re reading this, aren’t you?) Social Media allows anyone to set up a mini broadcasting network with a global reach. Together they form the foundation of a winning online presence for your business.

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Face Saving Face Lift?

Face Saving Face Lift?

Proving to be the exception to the adage, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity,” Facebook has been in the news for some not-so-very-good reasons that involved privacy and misuses of the platform. Give credit to Zuckerberg, and Co., at Facebook’s recent developers’ conference, he announced a major reworking of the platform featuring an increased emphasis on privacy, a refreshed logo, a cleaner, faster page design. The question is, what does this all mean marketers?

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2019: A Marketing Odyssey

2019: A Marketing Odyssey

The future is not only calling, it’s talking back. While researching marketing trends for the coming year, I realized that calling them “trends” was like calling the Internet a “fad.” History may well refer to them as Cultural Milestones, developments that are literally coming of age, creating new opportunities and challenges that will change the way we think of, and conduct, business well into the future…and beyond!

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IoT Under the Tree

IoT Under the Tree

While you were shopping for that perfect gift this Holiday Season, you probably noticed a rapidly growing list of products built around connectivity. Collectively known as The Internet of Things, IoT for short, they aspire to enhance your life by allowing you to interact with everyday objects. If you have seen the “Be My Guest” number from “Beauty and the Beast” you get the idea.

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