There was nothing remarkable about the small industrial building as we drove into the company parking lot. It was a brisk November day back in 2007. The leaves had already been raked and the walkways were well groomed. What prompted the memory of that day is Thanksgiving. I’m always prone to reflection this time of […]
Niche Marketing is About Problem-Solving
We’re all conditioned today to believe that “content is king on the web” and there is a lot of truth to that expression. There is also truth to the fact that there is a lot of content on the web that sucks! Good content is critical and people want to read about how to solve […]
Listen to Your Customers and Solve Their Problems
When I received the October issue of “Fabricating & Metalworking” which featured FABTECH 2015 I was thrilled to see our client, Esco Tool featured in the section entitled “Tube & Pipe Fabrication.” There are many reasons for Esco Tool’s success. Chief among them was the philosophy of Al Brennan who purchased the company in 1975. […]
Stafford 3-D Shaft Collar System Featured in Power Magazine
A product release about Stafford Manufacturing introducing SPARC (Stafford Prototype and Repair Collar), a rapid prototype and repair collar system incorporating 3-D printing, prompted the editor of “Power Magazine” to request more information. This product release was part of a consistent publicity program we’ve been producing for Stafford since 1977 when they were a small […]
Is Fake Web Traffic Costing You a Fortune?
The cover story on Bloomberg Businessweek was entitled, “Fake web traffic will cost companies more than $6 billion this year. An exclusive investigation into the bots that ate your ad budget.” Then you flip to the article itself and see another headline, “Marketers thought the web would allow perfectly targeted ads. Hasn’t worked out that […]
International Marketing and New Business Development
Jeff Immelt, CEO of GE said, “I run an American company. But in order for GE to be successful in the coming years, I’ve gotta sell my products in every corner of the world.” That doesn’t just apply to huge conglomerates, it applies to small, privately held companies too. Small companies are frequently intimidated by […]
Leverage Your Marketing Budget
I’ve been in business long enough to remember the introduction of the fax machine, the word processor, personal computer, mobile phone, Al Gore’s internet, the tablet, smart phone, and all of the related software and apps. There has been no time period which has impacted B2B marketing more than the last 10 years. One phenomenon […]
First Rule for B2B Marketers
It has long been said, “In the real estate business the three most important factors when selling a property are location, location, and location.” In marketing, the three most important factors are: repetition, repetition, and repetition. Therefore, the first rule B2B marketers should never forget is that repetition creates sales opportunities. Why? Because repetition puts […]
Stafford Manufacturing Featured in Design World
Technical summary of SHAFT COLLARS & LOCKING DEVICES– It is important to have innovative products and equally important to have an innovative and creative product publicity firm. That can make the difference between getting your products included in an article and having them featured and distinguished on the first page of the article. Venmark has […]
He was no Ordinary Joe
We worked together every month for over 20 years until he sold his company in 1998. He owned Lee Engineering Company, Inc. in Pawtucket, RI and I helped him build the Presto Lifts and Stackers brand from under a million in sales to nearly $20 million. His name was Joe Herbert and he was not […]
Bonefishing and Product Publicity
I’ve enjoyed bonefishing for many years in the Florida Keys, Turks and Caicos, and Belize. For a fisherman it is the ultimate. Bonefish, also known as the grey ghost, are challenging to catch and are ferocious fighters. You actually hunt and stalk them while they cruise the flats feeding. Seeing them is a challenge, as […]
Esco Tool Hits Another Grand Slam
It’s baseball season, why not use an appropriate metaphor? Four publicity announcements on one page of a leading publication and their website is a grand slam home run! We have been consistently illustrating through product publicity how Esco’s tools solve problems in the field since 1977. You can see how well this reader-centric approach works. […]
Why Product Publicity Photos Fail
Ironically, the last step in creating effective product release photos is actually taking the picture. This is because the photograph should reinforce the main feature, benefit, or application of your product or service. What is it that your prospective customer will learn or gain from your product publicity? What’s in it for them? If it […]
Stafford Staff-Lok Hinged Shaft Collar #3 in the World
The “World Industrial Reporter” which reports on the latest trends in global markets, logistics, trade shows, and supplier sourcing has posted results for the Top 10 Industrial Products of 2014 as viewed by their readers in order of popularity. The third pick for products reviewed over the entire year was the Staff-Lok Hinged Shaft Collar, […]
An Exchange of Unaltered Meaning
While enjoying the sun, sand, and warm breezes on the beach at Key West recently, I saw an interesting exchange between a resort guest and an employee that reminded me of a seminar I attended way back in 1979 which dealt with interpersonal communication. A woman was standing about twenty feet away from me awaiting […]
What is Product Publicity Worth?
There has probably been more written about determining the value of publicity than any other element of the marketing mix. In a paper considering various publicity metrics, James L. Horton, wrote, “There are several ways to measure publicity value, but they largely ignore the process of persuasion and credibility of a journalist’s independent assessment. Publicity […]
Biggest Reason B2B Content Fails
According to an article in “Sales & Marketing Management” magazine, “a Forrester Research review of 30 business-to-business websites in six industries revealed that the majority fail to engage users with content. Interesting enough, the review revealed that the biggest problem with these websites is the majority of content talks about the company, what its products […]
Leverage Your Trade Show Investment
A client was returning from a trade show and while on the airplane, opened his briefcase and read some of the show product reviews in his leading trade media when he noticed the product news release we prepared for him. It had premium placement and jumped right off the page! He said it made him […]
What are the 3 Most Important Factors in B2B Marketing?
In the real estate business it has long been said, “the three most important factors when selling a property are location, location, and location.” In B2B marketing, the three most important factors are: repetition, repetition, and repetition. Why? Because repetition puts your products in front of prospective customers when their need arises and repetition reinforces […]
Growth of Small Business & Free Enterprise
Growth of Small Business is Our Core value. Most of our clients, especially those small businesses we’ve been partnering with for nearly four decades have leveraged our work. To understand why we encourage them do that, here’s the reason I started Venmark in November, 1976. The following graphic resulted from a six week exercise with […]