Coupons and exclusive discounts have long been a way to win customers. Everyone likes a deal, especially when it feels like it’s only available to a small portion of the audience. When executed the right way, discounts can incentivize customers to try out a new business or look at a known business’s latest offerings. However, when...

Many physical retailers continue resisting ecommerce. These businesses are hesitant to try online marketing, fearing they’ll dilute their existing business model or confuse customers but ignoring mounting evidence that brick-and-mortar shops without an online business are seriously risking failure. The internet continues to grow as a means of effective advertising and marketing, and retailers that want to survive are...

It’s the time of year when everyone who does content work for a startup or tech company here in the Bay area wants to talk about how to generate story ideas. They know I do this work for a living and they want tips as they prepare their 2018 content strategies. It’s safe to say that if you’re...

The holiday season is pretty much here already, and the internet is still probably the outlet of choice for much of your marketing. But, don’t count out traditional marketing just yet. Just as in-person interactions can personalize your relationship with customers and colleagues, print collateral can make a different type of impression on customers. For freelancers, the...

Today’s companies are under a lot of pressure to create memorable, sticky brands — especially amidst growing competition from online retailers. Starting a business is one thing, but building a story around it is something entirely different. Unfortunately, not all companies hit a home run when it comes to branding. In fact, even well-known retailers...

As you may very well know, social media isn’t always easy to handle when it comes to marketing your business. You’ve read article after article on how to succeed and maintain relevancy in the social media world, but it can be hard to keep up with the ever-changing platforms. What follows are seven social media...

Marketing officers at businesses in many different industries are beginning to embrace automation. A total of 14 percent of all marketing teams plan to implement marketing automation this year [2016], and 63 percent of all current users plan to increase what they spend on their marketing automation. Some people assume automation makes you look less...

You may have watched some those super-expensive Superbowl ads go viral over the years and lamented your own small (or nonexistent) marketing budget, knowing that kind of exposure is out of reach. Well, it may not be after all. After this year’s Superbowl, the Brewers’ Association, an industry group representing the majority of craft brewers...

Customer service is one of those things that you just can’t ignore if you’re aiming for success and longevity for your startup. Customer service in general is important to your company, because it is often the only contact a customer has with your business. Since that first contact is so critical, you want to make...

If repeat business is your goal, good customer service is essential. According to a recent survey, one bad customer service call will send most customers away permanently. Since repeat customers bring in more money than new customers on average, it’s important that businesses find ways to nurture their existing buyers and this includes the customer...