Messaging

When simplification goes wrong: Why unifying your platform and point solutions makes it harder for customers to buy.

So let’s say, hypothetically of course, that it’s late 2023, your revenue is down and there’s mounting pressure on you to increase sales. Just,…

Killed by the buzz: Why we’re losing words to the buzz effect (and what to do about it)

Here’s a question for you: What do buzzwords and That One Guy You Hate™ have in common? You guessed it. They both sneak into every conversation and…

Let’s Steal From Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa once said: “If I focus on the masses, I will never act. If I focus on the one, I will.” Now look.Normally the Venn diagram of sainthood…

Continue: The most chicken-hearted word in marketing

Marketers often latch on to words that soften their language. Actually, humans in general do this: think of the last time you said ‘Maybe I’m wrong but…

Why we’re so inspired by the MNDA mission statement

We’ve read a lot of Mission Statements. Most suck. This one is pretty great.

How to signal authority

Trust is bound up with authority. Here are some ofthe weird ways humans signal authority to other humans.

Meaning, metrics and mojo: the 3 keys to B2B marketing today

If we had to boil down the big challenges for any B2B marketer—to 3 words all starting with M—this would be that.

How to write an anonymous business case study that doesn’t suck

Why the pursuit of public references shouldn’t bury your best stories.

WFH #9: The Adjective of the Pandemic

What does it say about B2B marketers that we cluster around the same phrases to express this big, hairy thing?

WFH #4: Three principles for marketing in insane times

Marketing in a crisis like covid-19 is a very hard thing to get right.

Here are some principles that feel important for a time like this.

What are you actually saying?

Why does so much B2B content sound totally unlike human speech?

Beyond tone of voice: what’s your stance?

Tone of voice is hugely important in B2B. But there’s something just as important and far less understood: stance. What your brand actually does that’s…