http://www.charltonmarketing.com/blog Charlton Marketing Blog Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:10:06 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en   Whether you’re doing guerrilla marketing or advertising on the radio or television, the more accurately you target your ideal customer, the better your success will be. There are two habits most business people tend to fall into. 1.         Grab all the sales you can get. This is completely understandable and only natural ... http://www.charltonmarketing.com/blog/advertising/do-you-really-know-who-your-customers-are.php When creating a marketing plan, the very first thing that should be done is to write a situation analysis. It’s easy for business owners to gloss over this step because they are so deeply involved in their business it doesn’t occur to them that there is anything to learn by ... http://www.charltonmarketing.com/blog/advertising/how-to-write-a-situation-analysis-the-first-step-of-a-marketing-plan.php  If you own a retail business that relies upon customers coming to your store, one of the most fundamental things you need to know is where your customers are coming from. Many business collect zip codes, but that’s not detailed enough. You need to identify the neighborhoods and business districts they are coming ... http://www.charltonmarketing.com/blog/advertising/how-to-learn-where-your-customers-are-coming-from.php   Crowdsourcing is a term that refers to the act of presenting a problem to the public at large, and then letting anyone and everyone submit solutions. Some crowdsourcing for problems that require specific expertise may be limited to a qualified group. But, the same principle applies. The term was first ... http://www.charltonmarketing.com/blog/uncategorized/what-is-crowdsourcing.php In the advertising agency business, one of the most difficult things to do is acquire new clients without lying. This is because when two or more agencies are presenting to the same client, it is often the one that makes the biggest promises that wins the business. Most ad agencies stay ... http://www.charltonmarketing.com/blog/business-owners/ad-agency-lies-who-listens-and-why.php Social Media is the newest darling of marketing. But, for all the buzz it's generating, there is very little hard data on how or why companies use it, or how successful it is. However, that is beginning to change. The Aberdeen Group recently concluded a study that shows seven specific reasons why companies choose ... http://www.charltonmarketing.com/blog/marketing/social-media-top-7-reasons-companies-do-it.php International advertising isn't something we get to do very often. So, when we were given the job of placing an ad in an Israeli newspaper by Figaro's Italian Pizza, we were anxious to do it. We had never done business in Israel before and we love doing something new. And really, ... http://www.charltonmarketing.com/blog/advertising/international-ad-placement-what-can-go-wrong.php What is your company's brand promise? If you cannot answer that question quickly and confidently, then you have some unfinished work to do. Don't feel bad. Most business people fail this test. A brand is a complicated, multi-faceted concept that is still misunderstood and over simplified  by many. The brand promise ... http://www.charltonmarketing.com/blog/branding/your-brand-promise-where-to-begin.php If you've been holding off marketing your business in order to save money through the recession, you'd better change your strategy now, or face losing market share. It's not a secret anymore. Any savvy business person knows that maintaining an aggressive marketing strategy through a recession strengthens sales and increases ... http://www.charltonmarketing.com/blog/recession/now-is-the-time-to-gain-market-share-or-lose-market-share.php Truth is the most powerful marketing tool in your bag. I don't mean truth in advertising, as in not making false claims and being ethical in your communication practices. That's an obvious given to anyone with an ounce of common sense. I'm talking about being transparently honest with your audience with ... http://www.charltonmarketing.com/blog/advertising/truth-is-the-most-powerful-advertising-tool.php