Business

How to differentiate your brand when you’re number 2

If your kids dream of being a master builder when they grow up, they don’t have to move to Denmark. They can do it in Montreal. I met yesterday with members of the team responsible for the design, the production and the branding of Mega Bloks.

I went to the media tour at Mega Bloks for two reasons. I was curious to see how they make their building blocks. But the main reason why I attended this event was to know more about their branding and product development process. What I noticed through the tour was people who enjoy what they are doing.

An overlooked benefit of doing content marketing

Two weeks ago I participated in a #Hootchat about content marketing. The Twitter chat began by asking participants to define content marketing. The majority rallied around the idea of educating, informing, helping, and engaging a targeted audience with your brand’s story and relevant content.

What surprised me was that nobody defined content marketing in terms of better understanding your audience and their aspirations. By ignoring the research aspect, they are missing out on the biggest opportunity offered by content marketing and social platforms.

How to pitch a journalist or blogger to get press

Several business owners asked lately how to get press. I’m glad that they asked me because I want entrepreneurs to avoid costly mistakes that I see businesses and their PR agencies do over and over. To be fair to PR agencies, some agencies know better but they have failed to convince their clients that the old way doesn’t work anymore. I hope that my article will reiterate that spamming our inbox with press releases is not the way to get press coverage.

What I’m sharing here is how to pitch established bloggers, freelance writers and journalists. But I need to warn you: it takes time, patience and work. This is why most businesses don’t do it.  You’ll yield a definite advantage if you do it the right way.

Ecommerce: Talk to your sales team before producing a product page

Let me tell you a story about missing opportunities. The story highlights something that most retail shops failed to do when it comes to their ecommerce sites.

Last week, I stopped by Espace Ricardo, the retail store of the Canadian celebrity chef to buy some cooking gears. I immediately spotted a new collection of bento lunch box sets. I know a lot about Bento boxes. The ones by Ricardo caught my attention because they are made for the way we eat and live.

Celebrating the little shops

There is a breed of entrepreneurs that is often dismissed by the media. Since I started blogging, I saw and continue to see lots of innovative ideas from small businesses. Their innovation may be in the way they package their offering or imagine a service. Most often, you noticed these gems by how they promote their business and gather loyal fans for their little brand.