“…the Web tends to turn businesses into commodities — no matter what that business is selling. Before the Web, businesses could carve out profitable little regional niches based on their skill sets. They didn’t have to worry about competition from the next state and definitely didn’t have to worry about competition from overseas. Location insulated them and allowed them to grow.”

“If you really want customers to keep coming back, then toss out those glossy brochures from vendors looking to sell you the latest in CRM software. Customer loyalty does not stem from clever stratagems to collect every conceivable piece of data from customers and then cross-sell them something they don’t want, says Fred Reichheld, Boston-based Bain & Co. director emeritus and Bain fellow who has studied the topic.”

“Marketers should be focused on giving people a reason to listen to their messages. Once people are listening they should be presented with an infrastructure that allows people to amplify the message through digital word of mouth, what I call ‘word of mouse.’”

“At the retreat I went to the weekend before last, we were each asked to offer a word or small phrase that held special meaning for us. I’ll save my word for a later post, but I was particularly intrigued by Clay Shirky’s — ’small-world.’ Specifically, Clay expressed interest in the ’small-world phenomenon,’ which probably has it’s most popular expression in the notion of ’six degrees of separation’ and ‘Kevin Bacon is the center of the universe.’”

“In a recent column about the top seven priorities for business technologists, I urged ZDNet’s audience to stop buying desktop computers and to start buying notebooks. Several readers concurred. Others asked ‘why?’ Here’s why…”

“Downward mobility: I finally understood the meaning when I advertised for a personal assistant on an online San Francisco bulletin board and received an application from the CEO of a new media startup who said he was experiencing ‘cashflow issues.’”

“People love to talk, and when they say great things about your business, it translates into increased sales and a strong growth curve. Buzz is all about what’s hot, new and interesting. It’s more persuasive than traditional advertising, because buzz is based on trust — we’re more likely to believe what’s told to us by friends or co-workers.”

“…make no mistake. It’s the emotional benefits delivered through your personal brand that make the difference between being seen simply as an able business-person and being seen as a true leader…”

“You may do all the right things in planning your marketing strategy — segment the market, develop a position, establish a balanced marketing mix — with the reasonable expectation that you’ll succeed. But have you built trust into your marketing plan?”

“Everyone knows a downturn is the absolute wrong time to cut back on marketing — everyone except your budget committee, that is. Time to get creative.”

“Branding is accomplished only when you have a relevant message that is repeated with enough frequency to become securely stored in chemical memory.”

“People love to talk, and when they say great things about your business, it translates into increased sales and a strong growth curve. Buzz is all about what’s hot, new and interesting. It’s more persuasive than traditional advertising, because buzz is based on trust — we’re more likely to believe what’s told to us by friends or co-workers.”

“Google Catalog Search applies Google’s sophisticated search technology to thousands of scanned mail-order catalogs, from industrial adhesives to designer clothing and gourmet food. Whether you publish business or consumer catalogs, Google Catalog Search extends the reach of your marketing efforts to millions of new customers.”

“Today more and more companies are realizing that building customer loyalty (and profitability) takes more than a flashy website. With competition a mere click away, businesses are finally understanding that Quality of Experience (QoE) is critical to success. Customers, and we use the term to mean customers, suppliers, partners, employees, indeed all business stakeholders, demand an integrated, transparent, and accountable approach spanning the entire digital value-chain.”

“Email newsletters are powerful tools for marketing communications. Typically very easy for users to subscribe to, they are cheap and easy to produce, can reach a large targeted audience, and remind potential customers of your business without requiring them to visit your site. Best of all, they work on a subscription basis. In other words, people ask you to send them promotional information on a regular basis! However, they can be a double-edged sword: get them wrong and they score a black mark against you every time they land in a user’s inbox.”