Back To Basics Marketing

Our neighbours are having the outside of their house painted. It’s an old Victorian property, built in the 1800s with period features and delicate ironwork. I’ve watched the decorators come and go over the past couple of weeks. Seen them taking care to cover the original tiles on the porch, that could so easily be…

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How Change Happens

The success of whatever we make, serve, sell or advocate for is dependent on creating and sustaining change. The same rules apply whether we’re trying to change perception or behaviour, get people to buy our software or stop using plastic straws. 7 Steps To Making Change Happen 1. Acknowledgement The problem, unmet need or dilemma…

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Not Just Anyone

Most often, the goal of our marketing is to be found. That goal dictates our marketing strategy. If you’re trying to be found, you’ll seek out opportunities to interrupt everyone, anywhere. But there is an alternative. What would it take for you to be the brand people intentionally chose? How could you become the one…

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The World Inside Your Customer’s Heart

There are few better lessons in the art of storytelling than those learned by watching a great real estate agent auction a good property, on a chilly Melbourne morning. Last Saturday, I looked on as an agent sold a million dollar home by reminding potential buyers how they would feel every weekend as they strolled…

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You Don’t Need Everyone

Keeping a customer is more valuable to your business than courting one. Fred Reichheld, from Bain and Co, points out that return customers buy more products and refer more friends. Yet the majority of our marketing is devoted attracting more customers. When startup Dollar Shave Club launched in 2011, the brand had some stiff competition in…

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Easy Isn’t Always Best In The Long Run

The billboard outside the old cemetery read like a real estate advertisement. ‘Last remaining graves for sale.’ It seemed to scream inappropriately at the traffic roaring past. In the past, these local burial plots would have been acquired by neighbouring families who were getting their affairs in order. Now even essential products and services have…

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The First Rule Of Customer Creation

Humans learn to develop empathy in the first year of life. We not only learn to recognise emotional reactions in others but also to understand what’s causing those reactions. One toddler will try to comfort another who is crying—not just with any toy, but with that child’s favourite toy. We know how to stand in…

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Attention Is A Byproduct Of Affinity.

The truest words ever spoken about storytelling were those of one of the greatest storytellers of our generation. J.K. Rowling once said—’No story lives unless someone wants to listen.’ As people who are anxious to change the world, what we try to do is make people listen. But there’s another equally important truth about storytelling…

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From Average To Exceptional

The menu at Fumi’s restaurant is identical to every other sushi restaurant in town. The ingredients come from the same fish market, and the prices are similar. On the face of it, there’s nothing to set the restaurants apart and no reason for a diner to favour one over another. The difference is only apparent…

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Who Exactly Is It For?

Alec has been on the road since 4 am. He’s picked up three fares all morning. The arrival of Uber has hit him and other Melbourne taxi drivers hard. According to Alec, the taxi industry has seen a 40% decline. He says he earned as much twenty years ago as he does today. He complains…

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