David Meerman Scott's Blog, page 21

Don’t Annoy Customers With Stupid Surveys!

What’s the deal with so many companies sending surveys after you interact with them? In the past few days, I’ve been hit up for “my opinion” from Audi, Fidelity, Hilton, American Airlines, and UPS.

IKEA’s Cristiano anti- Coca-Cola Water Bottle Newsjacking

At a press conference ahead of Portugal's UEFA Euro 2020 game with Hungary a week ago, football (soccer) star Cristiano Ronaldo removed Coke bottles from in front of him, telling people to drink agua instead.

The Importance of Eye Contact for Effective Virtual Selling

In the past 18 months, virtual selling has exploded as in-person sales became difficult because of the pandemic. Tools like Zoom and Teams are great, however most salespeople aren’t using them correctly, limiting the effectiveness of their sales messages. Specifically, salespeople must talk directly to the camera rather than staring at the person on the screen they are talking to virtually.

Business to Business? Or People to People?

If you are working in a so-called business-to-business marketing and sales environment, it’s essential that you always remember that you are not marketing or selling to IBM or a hospital or a restaurant chain. You are always marketing and selling to people.

Successful Marketing Means Becoming a Publisher

The new publishing model on the web is not about hype and spin and messages. It is about delivering content when and where it is needed and, in the process, branding you or your organization as a leader. Sometimes I call this Brand Journalism.

Advertising (Rented Marketing) vs Content (Owned Marketing)

There are many ways to reach an audience. Most people focus on paying money to reach somebody else's audience via advertising on such platforms as TV and radio, search engines, trade show exhibit floors, and so on. Another way is to build your own audience by creating content on your site or via social networks.

Time to Eliminate Toxic Military Metaphors in Communications

The language of war is used in business and the media so frequently that people don’t even question the appropriateness. Let's work together to eliminate these old tropes from the way we communicate.

A Wine that Invites Customers to Become Fans

My friend Colin Warwick emailed recently to share his excitement about a wine: “This wine bottle has a peel off token that invites you to become a fan. Peel it off. Stick it in your wallet. Buy it next time you revisit the store.”

Why you should NOT trademark your great idea

Lawyers will always tell you to formally trademark, patent, or copyright your idea. After all, you want to protect your intellectual property, right? Well, there is another way. If you want your ideas to spread far and wide, it’s best to let people freely share your work.

The Incredible Power of a Simple Gift

In our fast-paced digital world, we are constantly bombarded with offers, opportunities, and opinions. The cluttered nature of the digital age means that we have a mere fleeting moment to leave an impression.