Proverbs – and let’s face it, clichés – that focus on time and timing are prolific in investment-driven businesses like real estate and capital markets. And for good reason – after all, a good investment at the wrong time is no longer a good investment. Similarly, a good message can fall on flat ears, if the timing isn’t right – no matter how correct or wise it is. Deciding when you communicate facts, figures and messages to the world should be as central a part of your communications strategy as the actual content of your messages.

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Have you ever tried to catch your shadow? You twist and turn, but the shadow keeps pace with you. I know a few people who can do that, too.

It takes time, but skilled internal marketers understand how to shadow their business leaders. You anticipate needs, accommodate schedules, minimize disasters, coax ideas and frame business strategies.

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After passing a monumental healthcare reform bill earlier this year, the Obama Administration has received a lot of news coverage about implementation of the legislation. Even if you’ve read all the coverage and kept on top of the debate, you probably still wonder – implementing what? And the problematic truth is that even your doctor may be unsure.

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Most entrepreneurs learn the 5 Ps of Marketing early in the game: Product, Price, Place, Promotion and People. We are told that these are the five marketing levers that satisfy customers and build market share.
What competitors can’t copy is a company’s Perspective. Perspective (or issues ownership) becomes important in a commoditized industry where it may be difficult to differentiate your company from competitors. Perspective is the sixth marketing P.

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On Monday, I attended the Social Fresh conference in St. Louis. I had the benefit of hearing from some of the masters of social media – Jason Falls, Jay Baer, Amber Naslund, Chris Penn, Mark Roberge and Sarah Evans to name a few. The phrase “I’m not worthy” comes to mind!!

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If you’ve heard anything about target-date funds recently, it probably wasn’t too complimentary. After the 2008/2009 market downturn, target-date funds received a lot of press about their failure to protect investors, specifically those nearing retirement. For those who don’t know these funds, they are the “set it and forget it” version of a mutual fund. You choose your retirement date and the fund is managed with that end date in mind – asset allocation becomes less aggressive as the investor nears retirement.

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In the B2B world, if small businesses are a target, you must integrate social media strategies into your marketing/communications/PR programs. The fact is that small businesses are chomping at the bit for information. Most small business owners don’t have an established management team, mentor, or group of individuals they can bounce ideas off, commiserate with or do a quick gut-check with.

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The rising popularity of mobile phone applications, the abundance of Smartphones and greater familiarity with text messaging are all factors driving the impressive growth in mobile banking services. Having experienced phenomenal growth outside the US, it seems as with many mobile technology offerings the US is now rapidly catching on. According to research from the Towers Group in 2007 there were 400,000 mobile banking users in the US, rising to around 3.1 million in 2008.

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I am around 12 years old, sitting in my father’s apartment. It is late at night, but like Scherezade, he is keeping me awake with stories. They are not stories of princesses or witches. They are stories about his business. In spite of that, they are magic to me.

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Last month, a data breach at the headquarters of Educational Credit Management Corp., a guarantor of federal student loans, compromised 3.3 million borrowers’ personal information (see Wall Street Journal article here). That was probably a $600 million incident. But did you hear about it?

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