How to Get Ahead of Holiday Content in October
I have an amazing team, and our senior strategist is one of the most organized people. More than five years ago, she told me she had been coaching her clients to create a content bank. Now, this is a core approach we use with all clients; we advise every client to build this repository: a […]
Leverage Your Email List: They Are Your Best Local Ad Audience
AI changed the inbox. Here’s how to make your email list work harder.
How to Build a Holiday Hub Page for Your Retail Website
Two years ago this month, I recorded the very first tip that launched the Weekly Retail Tip series. The advice was to build one page on your website that holds all your holiday messaging and offers, and to send people to this page, which I call your “Holiday Hub”. This time, I’m starting earlier and updating […]
Why the Lowest Price Isn’t Winning You the Sale
Customers are spending more deliberately. Here’s what earns their confidence now.
Is Your Value Easy for a Consumer to See?
The customer journey is filled with multiple touchpoints and messages, spanning from initial contact to consideration and eventually making a purchase. Modern customers are more price-conscious, equipped with advanced AI tools for research, and able to compare products and stores instantly. A typical customer inquiry might be, “Find me the best local place to buy […]
What It Takes to Be Creative in an AI-First World
Creativity isn’t a gift, it’s a skill. Here’s how to hone it in an AI-first world.
Sell with Your Customer’s Words, Not Yours
Handbag or Pocketbook? I grew up in Rhode Island, and nobody I knew carried a handbag. We carried pocketbooks. That was simply the word for it. In the early years of Google, when I was teaching search engine optimization to clients and students, that word became one of my favorite examples. If you sell handbags […]
How to Use AI as a Quality Control Partner for Your Marketing
Your QC checklist can train AI to review your marketing. Here’s how to set it up.
Marketing Cannibalization: When Your Channels Compete for the Same Sale
Recently, I stopped into Macy’s to purchase something I wanted. I had already decided to buy the item, and it turned out that only Macy’s had what I was looking for. During the checkout process, the person said, “I’ve applied a 15% promotion we’re running to your purchase.” I was pleased because I saved money, […]
Focused Marketing Wins: Why Fewer Channels Drive Better Results
Anyone who has built a campfire understands that splitting one armload of wood into five small piles doesn’t create five small fires. Instead, it results in five piles of smoke. Fire requires a minimum amount of fuel to keep burning; below this threshold, it doesn’t burn weakly—but doesn’t burn at all. Most independent retailers are […]