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It can be challenging to stand out in the marketplace today. Having a superior product or service is no longer enough in the modern age of commerce in and of itself. Instead, successful brands rely on a strong sense of authenticity to resonate with audiences and attract customers. In a world where 84% of Millennials say they don't trust traditional advertising avenues, brands need more authentic ways of connecting and reaching their audiences, especially younger generations. Brand authenticity is critical for connecting with target customers and building brand advocates. Here is what you need to know about authenticity in marketing and tips for building authenticity in your branding. Brand Marketing Overview According to branding expert Simon Sinek, a brand is made up of three fundamental parts: • What a business does, • How they do it, and • Why they do it. While most organizations can quickly answer what they do, such as the product or service the...

The world of sales and marketing is constantly changing, so staying on top of the latest trends is important. This article will look at five sales and marketing trends for 2023 that you need to be aware of. With the proper knowledge, you can position your business to take advantage of these emerging trends and gain a competitive edge in the market. So keep reading to learn about the five key trends for 2023 that could change the way you do business. 1. The rise of augmented reality Augmented reality (AR) is quickly becoming one of the essential tools in the sales and marketing toolkit. AR technology allows users to interact with digital content in the real world, allowing for a more immersive and personalized experience. As consumer behaviors continue to evolve, the ability to provide a unique and interactive experience will become increasingly important. AR will allow businesses to engage their customers on a deeper level than ever before while also giving them a chance to c...

Are you confident that your business can weather a coming recession? Small business owners saw their revenue grow by a staggering 87% in 2022, but profits have dipped by 4%. The reason? Inflation forced businesses to raise spending to cover their operating costs and rise above the competition. CONSTELLATION BRANDS, INC. The good news is that your marketing plan can help you gain traction in an uncertain economy. Here's how to manage your marketing budget during an economic downturn. Set specific marketing goals Start by revisiting your overall business strategy. What goals are you trying to achieve through your marketing campaigns? These goals can help you decide what sort of marketing methods you wish to focus on and can also be used to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. Many business leaders emphasize the need to set "SMART" goals. These goals are: • Specific • Measurable • Attainable • Realistic • Timely For example, a good goal ...

A hot topic during the pandemic, there is now a large body of resources and literature on resilience. However, most discussions on resilience focus on individuals. While building individual resilience is essential, resilient individuals don’t necessarily guarantee a resilient team or organization. How can we do it better? What is Resilience? The word is derived from the Latin resiliere, resilience means to “bounce back.” According to the APA, resilience is “the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.” Among the many tools used to measure resilience is the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale, a 10- to 25-item scale that measures, among other things, the ability to adapt to change, cope with stress, stay focused, not get discouraged, and manage unpleasant feelings, such as anger, pain, and sadness. On the ground, howeve...

Starting and growing a business can be daunting, especially if you have no industry experience. In this guide, we'll introduce you to the essential steps you need to take to build a successful business. From identifying your target market to creating a solid marketing strategy, we've got everything covered. There are many factors to consider when starting a business, from developing a product or service to building a team and marketing your company. CONSTELLATION BRANDS, INC. Building a successful business is no easy feat. It takes hard work, dedication and a bit of luck. However, there are certain things that you can do to increase your chances of success. First and foremost, you need to have a strong business plan. This should include a clear vision for your company and realistic financial projections. Additionally, it's important to surround yourself with a good team of employees, partners and advisors. They will be the ones who help you turn your vision into re...

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur Europe, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Earlier this summer when the cost-of-living crisis and rising energy bills were causing justified panic, the UK government launched an initiative that caused some raising of eyebrows. The campaign called on businesses to divert marketing spending into instead cutting prices for consumers. The carrot? Those that do so will be able to show off the campaign name and related badge on their websites… and marketing collateral. For some of the largest firms, this messaging may have carried some clout. Could McDonald's survive a few months without TV advertising to help ensure that staff wages can be increased, or the rising prices of meat and other products aren't passed on to customers? More than likely, yes. But the same advice adopted by a smaller, growing firm could have disastrous consequences. Lead funnels need top...

After a 30-year career as a business leader working for Intel and Google, I know the importance of acting as an entrepreneur within the walls of Fortune 100 technology companies. Known as intrapreneurs, these leaders invent from within the walls of an established business. Today, as the CEO of a rapidly growing medical technology startup, I am squarely in the space of entrepreneur. My experience has taught me that an entrepreneur’s probability of success hinges on three factors: The first is an idea that is disruptive, visionary, and delivers efficiency. The second element is a solid business plan that can be put to the test in the context of a business strategy. The third is gaining the capital to make your idea and business plan a success. In detail, here are the three elements that an entrepreneur needs to succeed. The idea: Visionary, disruptive, and efficient Visionary: The first component to a successful startup is the idea. As the founder, one needs to create a vision of ...

Sara Richter is the CMO at omnichannel customer engagement leader Emarsys — part of SAP. The customer experience (CX) isn’t just a marketing add-on. In fact, many would say CX is the fundamental marketing objective. In a time when retention is the new acquisition, frankly, great customer experience has never been more important. That said, CX is far more than just a marketing tool. Business leaders who incorporate customer experience into every part of their organization will reap the benefits of more loyal customers and increased profits. In fact, it’s been shown that businesses adopting a “CX mindset” drive revenue 4% to 8% higher than their competitors. In related studies, 64% of “experience-led” businesses were found to trump their competitors on profits. This tangible business impact has not gone unnoticed by board members, who are now looking for new ways to seed CX from the very top of their organizations down. This is a shift that I personally know a lot about. The ...

A digital commerce expert and the co-founder at Kinex Media Inc, a creative digital agency in Toronto. Websites are undoubtedly the new storefronts. Today, people rely largely on digital platforms to do online shopping, and this trend has given a great boost to the e-commerce industry. Merchants and business owners strive to create a great online presence for their e-commerce business when it comes to attracting more and more buyers online. More often, they try to accomplish this by choosing an optimal web design for their web platform. A good e-commerce website design can be an effective strategy to skyrocket business sales. It can have a great impact on customers "walking" in and out of your online store. It is worth noting here that a good website is not just about aesthetics, but about its usability and accessibility too. From the smallest venture to the biggest enterprise, building an online website that is catchy and that offers a rich user experience can generat...

Jim Berryhill, DecisionLink Chairman of the Board & Co-Founder, is on a mission to transform customer value into a strategic asset. Doing business today is more complicated than ever. The days of closing a deal with a phone call or a handshake are long gone—and things are certainly not going to get any simpler from here on out. A whole range of factors, including the increase in digitization, globalization and ubiquitous use of technology, is only serving to heighten market competition—not to mention complexity. In the current business landscape, sales teams are under huge pressure to make their interactions with prospects and customers more meaningful, impactful and effective. In today’s always-on world, technology plays a vital role. Automating tasks and collecting valuable data across your entire sales cycle is no longer simply nice to have: It’s now a must. But many organizations that have already invested in sales technology are not seeing their desired returns. That’...

Don is the award-winning business coach and CEO of Accountability Now, now helping clients increase revenue on average 35% in 90 days. Having a high-performing sales team is one of the most important first steps for startups and other businesses. Countless companies struggle to get this right. Ryan Smith, the founder of Qualtrics, mentioned the importance of getting the hiring and right team in place when trying to scale. This is especially true in sales. After working with sales teams in nine different countries, 23 different industries and over 10,000 phone calls, I’ve devised this list of the top eight must-haves for your sales team. Trust me. These apply whether you are in-home services, SaaS sales, business service sales, insurance or even a coach or consultant yourself. 1. You must have a script. Selling success requires emotion. Your team will not sell well unless the unit can generate consistent emotion from prospects. How do you create constant emotion? Simple: Use...