Growth Marketing Pitfall - an Obsolete Website

By David Mills
on November 18, 2016

I used to use 8-Track cassettes as a training prop - illustrating how obsolete technology impacts our businesses and organizations (here's the -->wiki on 8-track in case you've never seen one). I'd almost always get a laugh just by holding one of these bulky music storage devices up to the crowd. If the inventors and marketers of the 8-track, and so many other technologies, knew how short lived their strategy might be, maybe they would have made different decisions.  Building an obsolete website is a real pitfall in growth marketing, especially given the pace of technology change.

Using Inbound Marketing for Private Education: Three Keys for Content

By David Mills
on November 15, 2016

Buyers today, including private school families, do at least 50% of their purchase consideration by looking online, before talking to anyone at your school.  What they discover on your website can help them through the decision process and establish a relationship of value and appreciation even before they schedule a visit or attend an open house.  Inbound marketing for private education is a potent strategy that positions your school for success in the new world in which consumers own the process.

Risk or Opportunity? 3 Risks of Ignoring Millennials

By David Mills
on September 23, 2016

Story Collaborative recently completed a series of focus groups comprised of millennials (ages 18-35) with the help of one of Honestly Magazine and Workforce & Community Education at Germanna Community College. The insights these millennials provided into their habits, preferences and challenges offer important clues to businesses that want to sustain and grow their brand. This is one article in a series of insights into business growth among millennials.

Millennials Want Stories Not Just Ads

By David Mills
on August 17, 2016

Story Collaborative recently completed a series of focus groups on millennial with the assistance of Honestly Magazine and the team at Workforce & Community Education from Germanna Community College. Focus group participants provided insights into their habits, preferences and life challenges which we combined with other research to shed light on strategies for effective business communication. This is the first of several articles.

4 Ways to Make Your Brand Story Count (Start with Employees)

By David Mills
on August 03, 2016

If you listen to what Jeff Bezos of Amazon says about our brands, you’ll probably agree: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

Your Brand Story

The story part of the brand is important too because the impressions that people have and share about our companies aren’t just fleeting observations-- they are stories that get told over and over again, woven into the broader life narratives that people remember and take with them into all of their relationships.

Working Well with Your Designer

By David Mills
on May 12, 2016

We live in a visually demanding world -- we need graphics for almost everything in marketing. That means involvement with designers is a part of daily life. It's especially true if you're committed to keeping on-brand web content, emails, and social posts. I've learned a few things about working with designers in the last 10 years. (At least they don't laugh at me quite as often.) In this short video, Amy Alexander, our brand guru (not self proclaimed), shares some of the common questions that she gets working with business and organizational leaders.

SEO Packages Need Content to Thrive

By David Mills
on May 06, 2016

The web marketing world is full of SEO (search engine optimization) offers. They often tell stories of wild new amounts of business using back room magic. One that was shared recently promised 111% more traffic in just 14 days! Usually more web traffic is better, but SEO packages that deal only with structure and links miss the reality of customer behavior---especially if they resort to risky or unethical tactics. Without addressing what the web searcher finds when they arrive on a site, SEO can miss the main point of building valuable web traffic that creates real customers. Both the search engines and potential buyers are looking for valuable content.

A Powerful Sales Pipeline is Driven by Brand Stories

By David Mills
on March 28, 2016

We need marketing that truly connects in order to deliver qualified customers. An effective sales funnel that doesn’t feel like sales at all comes from the warmth of an engaging story. In turn, those story-based activities deliver customers who are engaged with the experience - engaged with you. With so many media choices, allowing customers to experience your brand story from the beginning—while still ensuring the greatest number of qualified leads from our marketing investment—can be a challenge.

People Keep Breaking My Sales Funnel

By David Mills
on February 20, 2016

Our assumptions about how to manage sales and marketing, along with our sales funnel, have to change to fit new buyer behaviors that have been shaped by technology.

Another Take on SMART Marketing

By David Mills
on February 16, 2016

The SMART acronym has been applied to objectives in a variety of fields. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely goals have made project management, performance evaluation, and even marketing more effective. When you are setting goals for your marketing, "SMART" is the way to go.