The other day, a client voiced some concern about his blog: “Sometimes it seems like I’m giving away all my best stuff,” he said. My response? Good. Give it away! Of course, the right balance depends on the unique nature of your business, but when you’re designing your content-marketing strategy and deciding what type of … Continue reading Give It Away: Good Content Marketing Means Sharing Information Freely

We're live reviewing standout ads from the 2017 Super Bowl. Keep checking back & we'll update this page as the game rolls on... Ford's Stuck Ad: Effective & Enjoyable What a way to start the game. This ad is a can't-help-but-smile-at-it example of how to beautifully and effectively leverage the power of story and humor. … Continue reading Super Bowl Ads, a Play by Play

Over a year ago, 2 of the world's best people invited a bunch of other great people out to a gorgeous slice of cliff-top land along the southern coast of England, where sparks (literally) flew. A few weeks before that gorgeous day, Lauren, the bride, not only asked me to read at the wedding, but also … Continue reading On Lauren & Jay & Celebrating Love

The other day, I was watching a certain political TV drama that I've become uncharacteristically attached to, when I heard some pompous character comment on how he could never do the type of work that would involve sitting at a computer and selecting fonts all day. Watch out, prime time. Libby's getting on a soap … Continue reading Let’s Not Belittle the Communicators

So... I don't usually do this. But I might be doing just a bit more of it over the next month or 2, because (have I mentioned?), I have book coming out, and my co-author and I have been working on some great guest posts in the lead-up to publication. Since I happen to think that this … Continue reading Motivation, Compensation, and the More-Is-More Philosophy

Recently, I had the pleasure of joining some clients for a sort-of impromptu tagline brainstorming session. And it got me thinking about all such conversations I’ve been part of over the years—and all the things these conversations seem to have in common. Often an early step in positioning or messaging, tagline definition can be an … Continue reading Your Best Tagline: 3 Pitfalls to Avoid

I have loved language all my life—from the day I first sounded out the word “vicinity” off the cover of my parent’s phone book and composed a small yet riveting masterpiece of stapled notecards (aptly titled The Best Book) about the fascinating people who inhabited said vicinity. The problem was, once I found my passion … Continue reading What Tax Returns & Marketing Content Have in Common (Seriously)