Posts by Judi Friedman
Marketing Is Marketing, No Matter the Audience
On most marketing-related topics, I admit, I hold some very strong but unorthodox opinions. Not everyone agrees with my views but, trust me, I’ve come to them purely out of experience. I’ve written on this very blog about how social media influencers aren’t real influencers, how millennials aren’t your friends, and why those thousands of…
Read MoreMillennials Don’t Want to Hang Out with You
Allow me to make something crystal clear. My definition of “word-of-mouth marketing” refers to one-on-one conversations—and nothing else. Individual people, in real life, having conversations, together. Beyond face-to-face conversations, I may occasionally be thinking of text conversations or the various online interactions that require two people speaking to each other. I never mean social media,…
Read MoreAn Open Letter to Social Media Marketers Everywhere
Dear Friends— I’ve been thinking about you lately. I’m worried you’re not seeing what I’m seeing, or at least not taking it seriously enough, so I decided to write you this letter. Often, personalized outreach is more effective at communicating important information. At least that’s what studies say. So, I thought I’d give it a…
Read MoreDirect Mail Matters
Are you trying to think outside the social media or digital advertising box lately? I have news for you. Year after year, direct mail works better. It should really be no surprise in today’s hyper-digitized market that receiving a piece of actual paper mail—a handwritten letter, a flyer, a postcard—is now as uncommon, meaningful, and…
Read MoreThe People You Should Be Listening to Are Not Online
I’ve said it before, but I’ll reiterate: “Influencers” are people living among us who love to share ideas with others. Period. That’s it. They don’t have to be famous. They don’t even have to own a computer. Whether they’re online doesn’t matter much at all. According to Keller and Berry’s book The Influentials, 10% of…
Read MoreThis Generation Is Reshaping Our World (It’s Not the One You Think)
For decades, conventional wisdom has cast Generation X—those born between the early 1960s and mid-1980s—as too disreputable, too insignificant or too uncategorizable for advertisers to bother with. Some research suggests that they are a small, iconoclastic group of skeptical budgeters who are rarely swayed by those bright, shiny campaigns that we imagine capture the hearts…
Read MoreShareable Story Makes Marketing Magic Real
Do you believe in marketing magic? I do. I believe in the magic of a brand’s Shareable Story because I have seen great stories work time and time again. A great story has the power to change minds. It can overcome apathy and move people to action. It has longevity, often being shared across multiple…
Read MoreYour Brand Story Should be a Library Selection
We all use libraries—even if you haven’t read a novel in years. I’m not talking about the neighborhood lending libraries popping up in front of houses or the thriving community libraries we remember from childhood. These libraries are abstract, limitless, and just as important. I’m talking about the story library each of us carries in…
Read MoreInfluencers and The Holy Grail of Micromarketing
Micromarketing: Marketing’s Holy Grail. Why? Because there isn’t a marketer who wouldn’t give their next bonus to figure out the magic formula to get their customers talking about their products. Not just about the product, but actually tailoring the conversation to the specific interests or needs of the person they’re talking to. Yes, that means…
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