We can argue the status of the economic recovery; We can read the statistics in the media speaking of a turnaround but no one that I am talking to feels an increasing level of optimism or security around their financial forecasts.

As the Board Member of multiple companies and CEO of a food company with nearly 100 locations nationwide, the access to capital requires an innovative approach.  As we have talked to Banks about Lines of Credit, SBA funding, and general access to financing, all conversations follow the same path.  They are enthusiastic to do business with us.  Soon however, they then recognize that these businesses may not be perfect in every way.

Gluten Free Dilemma

Every company needs healthy marketing strategies. Recently I've been working with a company selling gluten free pizzas into the retail grocery market space. One of the things we felt we needed to do was to change everyone's impression of a "Gluten Free" experience. Most had the impression that something Gluten Free meant that you were about to chew on cardboard or that there was an unpleasant taste about to occur. But, our pizzas taste great!

Gluten Free Strategy

We decided to use packaging as a way to turn everyone's impression around,

During my 20+ years as a marketing communications consultant, within a wide variety of companies and industries, one my biggest surprises has been the lack of in-depth knowledge that many businesses have about their customers.  As difficult as this is to believe, I’ve encountered numerous organizations whose CEOs and/or senior marketing executives enthusiastically approve sizable communications budgets, but do so without understanding what their target consumers truly need or want.  When asked about how well they know their customers, a common response is something along the lines of,

We frequently hear the statement "what was successful last year isn’t working anymore, so what can we do to find the magic again?" There really is no easy answer, but there is a process that will enable you to find success with your marketing initiatives.

1. Analyze the market: The better you know your industry, your customers, your competitors and yourself, the better you will make good decisions that give you leverage in your marketplace.

Some of the basics include knowing your S.W.O.T.

Can your company be found in Google?  

Recently I was working with one of our customers on a front end Revenue Review TM assessment.  As we were digging into the section regarding their Online Marketing Program.  I asked her...  If I were looking to find your company on the internet, what search terms would I enter?  After having some dialogue, I asked her to go to her computer and let's try typing in some of the search terms.  Search after search showed her that her company website is nothing more than an online brochure.  

by David Mitchell, Interactive Consulting