Category: Uncategorized
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How to use a loyalty program to create customer-investors in our businesses
Loyalty programs are frequently misunderstood. Used properly, they allow both the customers and the business owner to realize benefits from investing in a long-term relationship. Get customer profiles into a data repository. Airtable.com is free and as easy as a spreadsheet PLUS much less vulnerable to user error. Or get a real CRM… Find a…
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Exploring our options on Pinterest
I've been trying to put together images from creatives in Houston on Pinterest, but it's very difficult because the identification on the images is so poor. I don't mind that people mix up the images from all over, but I'm frustrated in trying to figure where an image originated. Nevertheless, I think Pinterest will be…
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Knowing our customers vs. verifying their identity
We can know our customers on many different levels, for many different purposes. For a cafe owner or server, the most important way to 'know a customer' may be to recognize the face of a regular, whether or not a name or address is ever acquired. For a bank, identity and background have to be…
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The rebranding problem for Texas, Houston, and all the rest
I appreciate Chris Tomlinson's recent article about rebranding Texas, and I don't disagree with his point, but… As a marketing professional, I always raise a skeptical eyebrow when someone says something has to be 'rebranded.' Changing the message doesn't change perceptions. Changing behavior changes perceptions. If we want Texas to be seen as a dynamic,…
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ALL the Productivity tips
What's most helpful is the pile of tips, where you can check for something you're not currently doing. Harvard Business Review: What Makes Some People More Productive Than Others, 2019-Mar-28 by Robert C. Pozen and Kevin Downey More specifically, we found that professionals with the highest productivity scores tended to do well on the same clusters…
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Learning is practicing
I keep meaning to go through the entire "Learning How to Learn" course, but in the meantime, here are some reminders… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG6pajrRAaE Nautilus: How I Rewired My Brain to Become Fluent in Math, 2014-Oct-2 by Barbara Oakley Understanding doesn’t build fluency; instead, fluency builds understanding. In fact, I believe that true understanding of a complex…
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Persuasive information makes the journey from data to story
I keep clipping these articles to try and get it through my head… Good News: Herd Immunity, 2018-Mar-13 by Mike Monteiro So, while you should absolutely include the study of data in your approach, recognize that when you get to the point where you’re trying to persuade someone about good work, you need a story.…
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Building our companies around people vs. data
As we build our companies from the ground up, different processes and IT systems are installed to handle different tasks. It's becoming increasingly clear that customers will not tolerate these silos. If our customer marketing system is not integrated with our customer service system, we will drive customers away. They now expect us to recognize…
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How to build loyalty by showing customers and employees to one another
According to Ryan Buell, operational transparency is "the deliberate design of windows into and out of the organization’s operations to help customers and employees alike understand and appreciate the value being created." Every startup should be considering how to bake transparency into their business. If you facing the challenges, do read Buell's article. He covers…
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Can ‘gated offers’ protect consumers’ data?
A company called SheerID is promoting this 'respectful' method of collecting personal information. This system certainly protects companies from abuse of their offers, but it remains to be seen if it can protect consumers. Nice promise, we'll see. Diginomica: Gated offers–a different approach to personalization that gives consumers control, 2019-Mar-4 by Barb Mosher Zinck A…
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