Recently I was talking with my pal, Robert Scoble, about startups, content, leaving 2014 and going into 2015, so it got me to thinking, what can startups do now to help them create wins for 2015? This list of 5 Wins for Startups to Achieve Growth in 2015 will get you moving in a direction [...]
I consider myself a student of life. I always want to be in learning-mode so that I can improve and can continuously add value to those I help: clients, potential clients, and colleagues, to name a few. As Carol Dweck notes, in her amazing book, Mindset, that’s the growth mindset—changing, growing, and stretching oneself through [...]
A positioning statement in its basic form answers who you are, what you do and why people should care about you. A well-worded positioning statement is the theme to all of your content, what ties your content together and is the “logline” of your brand story. And, of course, it must include your value proposition. [...]
Simplicity is not simple. That statement comes off as being trite. But, it's true. One definition states simplicity is "clarity of expression". Apple Head of Design, Jonathan Ive, speaks of simplicity as not lack of clutter but rather bringing order and clarity to something. Looking deeper, simplicity for Buddhists focuses on only the essentials and [...]
I read this amazing article about Sustainable Brands today. Whether you are a for-profit or nonprofit entity, you must build, nurture and extend your brand. Still answering these 3 questions in 30 seconds matters today more than ever - Who are you? What do you do? Why should I care? Most emphasis should be placed [...]
Let's face it. You are a brand. What you communicate is your brand essence (your values, what you are all about). You can spin it to something else, but it always comes back to your brand essence. Brand is not about product. Its about values. Your values come across through your products. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjxacrSCYRE&w=420&h=315] Apple lives [...]
Digiday had a great post about how brands define engagement. Is the definition they provide in theory or practical? And, what if you don't have a top brand? Does the definition change? So, what say you?
Ouya, a gaming console that runs on Android, scored a major win with their Kickstarter campaign. So how can you be effective on Kickstarter and achieve success? 1. To copy Stephen Covey, "begin with the end in mind" or in this case, begin with the audience, or the potential customer, in mind. Who is your audience? [...]
Welcome to the new home of M4 Communications and our blog. The blog will include discussions about Marketing, Branding, PR, Product Marketing, Technology, Communications and Entertainment and how we use all of them to navigate through our world. We hope you will take this journey with us and we can learn from each other. We [...]