Writing · Understand · Create
Strategy and message
Where a marketing plan should start: what the business needs, who the customer is, and one clear thing to say everywhere.
- Understand. Start with what is actually happening.
- Create. Give people a reason to care.
- Sep 2026Spaghetti Marketing, Six Years LaterIn 2020 I wrote about throwing marketing at the wall to see what sticks. Most local businesses are still doing it. Here is where it actually breaks, and where to start fixing it.Read →
- May 2025AI Can Write the Ad. It Can’t Decide What to Say.AI writing and image tools are built into nearly every app now. They’re useful for drafts and variations. The strategy, the offer, the proof and the fact-check still belong to you.Read →
- Nov 2023Your Best Customers Already Wrote Your AdsThe words that sell your business are already sitting in your reviews, your emails and your phone calls. How to find them, and where to use them in your ads, your website and your scripts.Read →
- Feb 2023What ChatGPT Means for a Local Business (So Far)ChatGPT showed up at the end of November and it is all anyone wants to talk about. After a couple of months of trying it, here is where it helps a small business, where it falls short, and what it can’t replace.Read →
- Aug 2022Plan the Slow Season During the Busy OneMichiana runs on seasons. If you wait until the phone goes quiet to plan for it, you are already behind. Use the busy months to build your list, collect reviews and set up the slow-season offer.Read →
- Feb 2022Prices Went Up. Now What Do You Say?Costs are rising for almost every local business, and many have to raise prices. How to tell customers plainly, keep their trust and say the same thing everywhere you show up.Read →
- May 2021The Help Wanted Sign Is Marketing TooHiring is hard for a lot of local employers this spring. The same things that bring in customers can bring in applicants: a clear message, an easy next step and the right channels.Read →
- Jan 2021How to Get More Customers: What You Need to Know NowIntegrated marketing as the path to more customers.FM blog ↗
- Jan 2021How to Make Your Business Stand Out From the RestMost competitors run many channels. Few connect them.FM blog ↗
- Dec 2020Ask What's Next to Get More Out of Your MarketingSpaghetti marketing, and why the fix starts with a question.FM blog ↗
- Feb 2020Start the Year With Four Questions, Not a BudgetMost marketing plans start with a number and a list of channels. Start with four questions instead, and the budget gets easier to set and a lot easier to defend.Read →