Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success. The Unstereotype Alliance studied 300+ global brands and found that those who create inclusive advertisements brought in 5% higher short-term sales and 16% higher long-term sales, as well as a 62% higher likelihood of a brand being a customer’s first choice. The study results tell me that […]

I know I’m in the minority, but the second September hits, I want to break out the Christmas tree, play “Jingle Bells,” and cover everything in baubles and tinsel. But one of the more accepted signs that the festive season is officially upon us is when holiday marketing campaigns start jingling, ringing and ho-ho-ho-ing into our homes, streets, and devices. After all, is it even Christmastime if I’m not hearing sleigh bells every five minutes? It’s never too early to start making a list and planning this year’s holiday marketing campaign (unless you’re reading this in December, in which case, […]

Running content strategy for B2B SaaS companies taught me that a digital marketing strategy for startups can’t just copy enterprise playbooks. Content calendars, lead-scoring models, and expensive ABM campaigns? They fell apart when applied to early-stage businesses with tight budgets and small teams. After working with several startups, I’ve seen exactly which scrappy marketing tactics drive leads and revenue — without draining time or budget. If you’re scaling a startup, these are the strategies that actually work. Table of Contents 10 Non-Negotiables of a Digital Marketing Strategy for Startups Startup Marketing Ideas 5 Startup Marketing Tactics to Explore 1. Use […]

When we hear the word “organic,” we usually think natural, pure, and unaltered. A delicious juice, perhaps. Well, the same goes for organic marketing — minus the juice part. Organic marketing is all about naturally attracting your audience to your brand or business. It’s about grabbing their attention and winning them over without “paying” for it. But how do you do that — especially in a saturated market like 2025? To be honest, while I recognize times are tough, I’m still an old-school “inbound marketing” purist at heart. The success you get from organic outlets just hits differently, and everyone […]

As Wiz’s Head of Marketing Tom Orbach says, “Mini tools are 10x more powerful than free trials.” For the last 20 years, tech marketers have been giving away e-books and PDFs. I think Orbach would agree that this era is coming to an end. Thanks to AI, no-code, and outsourcing, the smartest tech marketers are now giving away mini software tools … entirely for free. This is something I like to call ‘free tool marketing.’ Here’s how it works. What is free tool marketing? In MBA speak, free tools are referred to as ‘loss leaders.’ A loss leader is a […]

Do you ever struggle to visualize your ideas or consolidate your thoughts in one place? I certainly have. As a marketer, generating numerous ideas for campaigns, collateral, and messaging is essential — yet managing them can be challenging without proper documentation. Without a clear, organized visual for others to follow, communicating said ideas becomes even more difficult. That’s why creating a mind map is my go-to solution to address these challenges. In this article, I’ll explain what a mind map is, how you can use it to articulate ideas more effectively, and provide you with a free template to use […]

In the first few years of business, small companies come up against many different problems. And – you’ve probably guessed it – some are harder than others to overcome. According to Shopify, the average annual business rate of business failure from 2019 to 2023 (for companies started only half a decade ago) is a scarily small 12.1%. This means that between 2018 and now, starting a small business hasn’t been the easiest task; if anything, it tells us that maintaining a business is a hell of a lot harder than starting one. With this potential fate looming over small business […]

Want to know what‘s really working in AI marketing right now? I’ve been tracking the real impact of AI across different B2C companies, and the results have blown me away. Competera’s real-time pricing helps retailers recover an average of 6% in gross profit. Jasper AI, on the other hand, cut content creation time by 40% and boosted response rates by 3% across 10 campaigns for a Turkish bank in just three months. This is just a tiny glimpse of what’s actually out there. Ready to transform your B2C marketing? Keep reading for actionable tips, real-world success stories, and a curated […]

Long before ChatGPT, I worked with clients who used AI and machine learning to speed up data analysis at scale. Their enthusiasm about AI’s ability to improve everything from business operations to AI marketing funnels piqued my interest. So when ChatGPT took over the news cycle, after my initial skepticism, I haven’t looked back. While it’s always important to take AI with a grain of salt, it provides companies of all sizes opportunities to personalize marketing, deepen customer intimacy, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing programs. More importantly, it lowers the barrier to entry for sophisticated marketing efforts, […]