How learning chess reinforced my love of strategy and strategic marketing

Earlier this year, my son decided he was going to teach me how to play chess, and despite my initial disinterest, he not only managed to successfully persuade and teach me, but I even almost won a game against him...once!

As green as I am on the chess board, I have a deep appreciation for the time players spend learning various tactics, as well as the skilled practice of thinking through and playing out different scenarios. Thinking strategically in marketing and business is a lot like a chess game, which is why chess is so often used to visually convey strategy.

Let’s explore the parallels between chess and business and marketing.

How to test the credibility of the experts you highlight

Though most of the time random quotes and mentions of an author or creator won't have an impact on your brand or reputation, doing a little extra work to vet the people you highlight in your content is a good way to reinforce what you stand for.

It’s almost inevitable that consumers will draw parallels between you, your business, and the content you’re sharing. Whether those associations are positive or negative is largely up to you.

Don’t risk losing the trust of your audience because of something that could be avoided with some upfront time and energy on your end.

Branding, Content, MarketingJasmine IrvenJanuary 26, 2023diversity, inclusivity, inclusion, research, credibility, branding, content, content marketingComment

Prioritizing diversity of sourcing in your content

With recent news and emphasis in the media on diversity (and the sad lack thereof), systematic and systemic discrimination, and the need for companies to prioritize inclusivity in their business, you’ve likely been rethinking how your company is currently running, and what changes you need to make.

An area that’s often unfortunately overlooked, as business owners make their way through revisions to their hiring practices and procedures, putting guidelines in place to ensure the marketing media and copywriting they use are more inclusive and representative, and surveying current and past employees for feedback, is prioritizing the diversity of sourcing in your content.

Small business pricing and profits: The importance of aligning your prices to your values

Pricing can be tough when you’re a small business or solopreneur. As business owners, we’re intimately connected to our clients and our pricing. Because of this interesting dynamic, I find small business owners make more emotional decisions, modifying (or not modifying) their pricing based on what they feel their clients can afford.

It isn’t enough to simply pick a number that sounds good out of thin air for your program or service. It isn’t enough to just check a few items off your “marketing to-do list.”

Your pricing needs to reflect your values. And when you take the time to gain clarity on your values and goals for each of the offers you have, you’ll feel much more empowered to share about your business, promote your services, and find your clients.

Brand, brand, branding: What does it all mean?

Do you know what branding is? What about a brand? Or a Brand?

While these terms are commonly interchanged, they’re all unique elements of your company, and all deserve your time and attention in different ways.

Let’s break them down.

Marketing, BrandingJasmine IrvenNovember 10, 2022brand, branding, brands, brand voice, Marketing, marketing strategyComment

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