According to Jason Calacanis "It's starting to seem like Google wins at everything...." This morning I was catching up on my reading/podcast listening (yep, that's how I continue to keep myself up-to-date) and an interview with Jason really struck a chord.  Instead of worrying that Putin and his escapades in and around Ukraine might become the spark for World War 3, I started wondering how Larry[...]

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As a marketer, you’re better served by employing company outsiders to review your brands and preferably people without an in-depth knowledge of your markets.  Outsiders are more likely to be objective and come up with revealing insights and inner truths. If this seems counter-intuitive, consider this: When you’ve lived in a city for a long time, you stop noticing things.  Familiarity dulls [...]

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The advent of the digital age has given emphasis and greater relevance to some media over others. This change is simply evolution in its natural form, something that all businesses need to embrace if they are to remain relevant. For example, while print is declining in importance, it is highly unlikely that it will ever die.  It will however evolve to end up in its rightful place just as some of[...]

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Mastermind Solutions, a Toronto based management consulting organization that focuses on business growth through strategy, marketing, finance and organizational design and Corporate Renaissance Group (CRGroup), a leading provider of business software and performance management solutions, today announced a strategic alliance to bring a full suite of complementary services to the mid-market business[...]

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Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) is not just coming. It is here, effective July 1, 2014 and we all need to take note. Why? Because it has the potential to disrupt your everyday activities and change what you need to do when communicating with customers, clients and prospects. Understand the Anti-spam Legislation The first thing you should do is read the CASL legislation. Secondly, ask [...]

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Unlocking Success: The Art of Strategic Marketing Planning Part 1 A dairy company decided to run an exciting promotion that they hoped would increase sales dramatically. Inside some of their small milk cartons they placed a device that made a MOO sound when the carton was opened. If the consumer had that carton, they would be a winner. The promotion was going along just fine until one of the [...]

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Seizing Opportunities: Crafting Engaging and Professional Voicemail Messages One of the best marketing tools that you don't have to pay to use is voicemail. These days many people are very busy and often can't take a phone call. They may even be screening their calls so that they only take calls they are expecting or looking forward to receiving. Don't be discouraged by that. [...]

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The Path to Informed Decision-Making: Insights into Your Market and Customer Behaviour How well do you really know your market or your potential customer? Do you really know what they want to buy? How much they are willing to spend? When do they shop? How do they shop? All these kinds of questions are really important because the answers should dictate your offering to them.[...]

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Strategic Giveaways: Crafting Effective 'Free' Offers for Lasting Engagement Give away something for free. Free is the strongest word in marketing provided that it is used wisely. Giving away something of value is always welcomed by a prospective buyer. They have the opportunity to experience what you are selling without having to make a firm commitment. Once that have been [...]

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Strategic Competitive Intelligence gives you the edge over your competition Your competitors can be your best source of information. Use them to your advantage. Whenever you undertake any kind of marketing, one of the first things you should do is evaluate what your competitors are doing. The idea is not to simply copy them, but to actually learn from them and try to identify [...]

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