Effective marketing copy influences people. Not because of the beautiful language and not because of the perfect grammar. Effective marketing copy influences people because the marketing message is on point. Michel Fortin created his own set of rules to develop on point marketing messages that set the stage for effective marketing copy. Here is a […]
Who is Accountable for Practice Development at Your Firm?
A key topic for discussion in all the strategic plans that I facilitate is practice development. While professional service firms are generally clear as to client file accountability, practice development accountability sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. Yet according to The Legal Marketing Blog’s summary of a recent research study, assigning the role of ‘client […]
Preparing to Meet with an Investor or a Bank to Generate Financing
The CBC’s new venture capital reality-show Dragon’s Den presents us with the ultimate meeting with an investor. Lessons abound for any start-up business or professional practice seeking to generate financing. Contestants are forewarned to be well prepared to meet with their ‘dragon’ a.k.a. their investor. Sean Wise, the show’s online host, provides them with […]
The Benefits a Strategic Plan Can Deliver – A Political Example
The CBC documentary Tar Sands: The Selling of Alberta is a gripping story of the controversy surrounding the current oil boom in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Although unintentional, it is also illustrative of the options and the benefits a strategic plan can deliver to an organization facing decisions about managing growth. While Canadians are generally aware […]
Every Successful Marketing Campaign Has One
Since I started my Toronto marketing firm several clients have asked me to help them revisit a marketing project that had previously gone awry. I found a pattern. Every one of these marketing projects was missing one single thing: a genuine and compelling difference that is not only unique but is valued for its uniqueness. This […]
Business Planning Tips – 10 Common Errors And How to Fix Them
I have had the opportunity to coach lawyers, doctors, architects and other professionals on the business planning process. This exercise has been instructive as to the common errors that professionals make when they write their business plans. Here are the 10 most common business planning errors I have encountered along with suggestions as to how […]
Seminars – A Proven Marketing Tool
Simply put, seminars work. They help lawyers, engineers, architects, accountants and alternative health care providers generate new clients, loyalty and referrals. The reason that seminars have proven to be so effective as a marketing tool is that they offer people an opportunity to have an actual experience with your professional brand. In fact, this concept […]
Website Awards – A Practical Website Development Reference
The self-professed Oscars of the Internet, the Webby Awards, recently announced the 2007 website winners. Just how does this beholder judge beauty? The Webby Awards evaluates websites based on six characteristics that are both fundamental and unique to website design. In doing so, they have transformed the judging process from whim to science: […]
Branding Survey Explores the Influence of Brands
A recently released branding survey is a genuinely fun exploration of the influence of brands. The questions posed are enormously revealing about the feelings people have for the brands that they consume. A benefit that, through my Toronto marketing firm, I have found to transfer particularly well to the very personal nature of professional service […]
Can You Measure Return on Investment (ROI) for Branding?
Branding has recently become a subject of enormous interest to professionals. By way of recent example are the new streams of marketing and branding courses I have been engaged to teach to architects, chiropodists and naturopathic doctors. Which brings us to a natural question that professionals considering a branding initiative may be grappling with: Can […]
