One of the biggest challenges of marketing is to find what differentiates you from your competitors and shout it from the rooftops. So many businesses think they are telling consumers why they are different but in reality, they are doing the exact opposite. Let’s discuss some common marketing pitfalls that most companies fall into when they try to make themselves stand out from the crowd. Pitfall #1: “The Best” Personal story: I am the ninth youngest of eleven kids. While we were a lower-middle class family we had a lot of love and safety. We always had enough. Nevertheless, if I were to have taken, let’s say, an extra cookie for dessert (without permission), my mom would tell me, “There are 10 other kids in this family. You’re not special.” Today, telling your child that they aren’t special would be considered parental blasphemy but honestly, it was true and completely

The blessing and the curse of AI – How to harness the power for good. The allure of AI is undeniable. Tools like ChatGPT promise to revolutionize content creation, freeing marketers from the drudgery of writing blog posts, social media updates, and even crafting email campaigns. But the reality is, blindly embracing AI-generated content can be a dangerous game, potentially sabotaging your marketing efforts and driving away potential clients. The Perils of Generic AI Content One of the biggest pitfalls of relying heavily on AI is the production of generic, unoriginal content. AI models are trained on massive datasets, leading them to often regurgitate common phrases, clichés, and generic information. This results in content that lacks originality, depth, and the unique voice that sets your brand apart. Search engines like Google are becoming increasingly sophisticated at detecting AI-generated content. They prioritize original, high-quality content that provides genuine value to readers.

If you ask 100 marketing professionals what a “brand” is, you’ll most likely get 100 different definitions. In large part this is because the marketing field is not an exact science. However, the bedrock truth of marketing and branding is that “it’s all about people.” It doesn’t matter if you use the latest AI tools or direct snail mail, marketing and branding is all about people. Before we explain what a brand is, it will be most helpful to describe what it is not. Branding is not a logo: Falling into this trap is so easy. If you look at logos like the Nike swoosh or the green Starbucks woman it’s understandable to make the assumption that all your company needs is a great logo. Rather, a logo is simply a vessel. People fill this vessel with the ideas and feelings they have about that company. Often the vessel of