Product innovation: finding better ideas

Evolution versus revolution

The trouble is, innovation is now a management buzzword. That makes us think innovation is somehow “new” and therefore potentially revolutionary.

In reality it’s more like evolution. It’s going on all the time. In business, you can spend a lot of time looking for an innovative breakthrough while your competitors are constantly evolving.

Innovation is a lot closer to outmoded terms like “product development”. Not quite as exciting, I admit, but that’s a similar process that achieves the same outcome: it makes things better and more marketable.

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E Marketing & Money: what do you expect for free?

Warning: about making money on the internet; if not interested, read no further

The only thing free about the internet is the method of delivery. Everything else costs – be it your internet connection, or the free downloads you put up to encourage engagement, or the time you put into making it happen. None of that is free.

That’s a good thing. It means that commercial principles still apply. It means that anyone who understands how to run a business can probably make the internet work for them.

Like any marketing campaign, nobody knows if it worked until the results are in. That’s why monitoring return on investment (ROI) is so important. It lets you know whether your investment is creating value or destroying it.

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With or without you: why branding matters

The convenience of certainty works for all businesses

It’s a big word, branding. People often think it only applies to big business. I recently read a blog claiming that branding is a luxury for small business. It’s a common misconception.

Branding is about certainty and convenience. We buy branded goods because we know what we will get. That’s what a brand does. It takes the uncertainty out of the decision to purchase. 

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