Category Archives: Attitude

This fantastic cartoon by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne nicely demonstrates the irony of social marketing. We all assume that our work is worth sharing, and few of us believe that our own reality might be broken. Not the guys in blue above, not me and not you.

“Ohhhhh, I understand!” the front desk greeter at my gym said to the young lady with a complimentary 3-day guest pass. “You’re not a member. You’re a prospect!” Ouch.

This is not content marketing. This is advertising. Content is about them. Advertising is about you. That is all. (Check out more of marketoonist Tom Fishburne’s work at tomfishburne.com.)

Measuring the ROI of content marketing can be tricky. While companies white-knuckle the roller coaster ride from outbound to inbound marketing, many rightly ask for data to back up the hype. “Where are the best practices?” they ask. “Where is the research…the numbers that prove all this actually works?” Meanwhile, new media pundits struggle toContinue reading “How Relentless Pursuit of Content Marketing ROI Guarantees Mediocre Content”

I wish I could say that my love for content marketing originated from some positive, inspiring experience. I can’t. The truth is, it was born out of fear. Fear of calling on strangers. Fear of rejection, of coming off as too pushy, of doing things I was uncomfortable with. Fear of losing face. Marketing allowed meContinue reading “Is Your Content a Bridge or a Wall?”

Ray Kroc built the McDonald’s empire from a single prototype in San Bernardino into a business behemoth that serves around 64 million customers every single day. While I’m not a fan of the food, I am a fan of the man behind it. Here’s one reason why… There’s a plaque inside a sealed glass case at PetcoContinue reading “Why Great Content Without Persistence is Worthless”

“Excrement! That’s what I think of Mr. J. Evans Pritchard! We’re not laying pipe! We’re talking about poetry. How can you describe poetry like American Bandstand? “I like Byron, I give him a 42 but I can’t dance to it!” This was English professor John Keating’s (Dead Poets Society) response to J. Evans Pritchard, accordingContinue reading “Engaging Content is More Poetry than Personas”

A marketing plan, like any other strategy in life, delivers 99% of the rewards only after all the real work is put in. Unfortunately, the often overwhelming emotional need to bring in clients now, to make a sale now, to make it all happen now, keeps too many people searching for instant relief. The easyContinue reading “Death by Dabbling”