I would like to challenge “change.” We hear so much about change in business today. Companies continually put a positive spin on “change” in their organizations, but it often seems like those changes are reactionary, like they are a step behind. Read Full Article
Social Media is the most talked about marketing topic of the last several years. When Time Magazine ran a cover story called “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live” (June 5, 2009) that was a sure sign that what was once a niche topic had become a major story. This is understandable based on the remarkably rapid growth of social media- Facebook alone added 50 million in users in just three months. No medium has ever grown nearly this fast, and along with this growth, perhaps because of it; the daily habits of millions of customers are changing.
While in the past they may have watched TV in the evening and paid attention to the commercials, today they may have the TV on as background while they are texting friends and browsing the Internet. Despite the avalanche of available information on the rise of social media, there is still not a consensus on how to use it with consistent effectiveness for marketing.
The reality is that the rise of social media is creating a wrenching and disruptive challenge for marketers. Suddenly marketers find that past methods of reaching and influencing consumers are not working. And yet, for marketers who understand how to harness the power of social media marketing, suddenly there is an opportunity to connect and communicate with customers more widely and rapidly than ever before. (Download White Paper to Read More)
This past year I’ve received a lot of questions about social media and how it can be used to accomplish an organization’s goals. The main question always comes back to: “Is social media right for my business?” To provide a solution to this question, I developed a series of questions. As you answer them, your goals should be to see where social media fits into your marketing mix and to understand the importance of a social media strategy and communications plan for your business. Read Full Article
Recently, I was sitting in the food court at the King of Prussia Mall. I’ve become quite accustomed to this; it’s what I do while my wife and daughter do what they do: shop. I had my laptop open and Starbucks beverage at the ready. I was working through emails, doing some reading, and, okay, I admit, I was also people watching.
C’mon, we all do it.
Here’s a question for you:
Is people watching a transferrable business skill?
It might be. I’d call it “leader watching.”
In the old days, advertising budgets were apparently bottomless. Companies poured money into funny, entertaining campaigns that won lots of awards for the agencies that produced them. Media buys were planned out months in advance, and adhered to for the duration of the campaign – no matter what. And clients were told that, somehow, someway, the campaign was having a positive impact on their business: “Well, we can’t really tell you HOW this is helping your business, but look, you’re still doing well, right? So it MUST be working.” Read Full Article
So you’ve decided to get serious about using social media to promote your business. You want to use all of its power as a networking tool, you want to present yourself as an expert in your field, and you’d like to raise your firm’s profile within your community. Great. The first step is to define what sort of online identity you want to project and then be disciplined about projecting that.
Let’s assume that you, like many people, already have a Facebook account and you have a profile on LinkedIn. The identity you project in each of these is probably very different. On LinkedIn, you are the buttoned-up professional who is well-positioned for the next client project. Your Facebook identity on the other hand … well, let’s just say that you may have appeared in some photos where you let your hair down a bit. Are these two versions of your identity the right ones to help you promote your business? Well, yes and no. Read Full Article
Every time I read an article, white paper or blog about brand strategy development, the term “Differentiation” is featured as one of the key elements. Yes, differentiation is a key element in building an effective brand strategy, but it doesn’t stop there. Simply saying the same thing in a different way does not create the required space between your brand and your competitor’s brand. Read Full Article
The message of today is simplicity. We can thank the recession, along with the relentless demands of living in a connected world.
In this post-recession environment, we’ve all become more selective about what we buy. Even the way we think about consumption has changed.
According to Dr. Kim Yarrow, in a recent issue of Psychology Today, “Insights acquired during the recession will crystallize a notion that Americans have been nursing for years … Many Americans are frankly relieved to have a little less expected of them and will live by a new mantra, ‘good enough is good enough.’” Read Full Article
A question that comes up over and over again when talking with clients about social networking media is, “How do we mitigate risk?”
The truth is, people are already out there talking about your brand, whether negative or positive. You can be observers or participants when it comes to the crowded social media marketplace, but by joining the conversation, you can set the record straight and reward your most dedicated brand loyalists.
The most valuable resources to share firsthand the value of your brand are your employees. However, the connection between digital marketing and social media participation by employees is not an obvious one for many companies. Employees can be your most informed and dedicated promoters. However, many of them do not use their relationships on social networking sites like blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and dozens of others to effectively promote the success of their company. Read Full Article
Relationships are the Key to a Successful Social Media Strategy
I recently spent two full days at a client’s site, listening to first-hand accounts about the value the client has in offering its service to prospective customers. Listening to employee after employee, asking the same battery of questions again and again drove home one salient point for me: relationships are at the core of every successful business, and they are the foundation upon which successful marketing is built.
Think about the companies you buy from on a consistent basis. A local drycleaner, a local restaurant, a barber or hair stylist. Small businesses rely heavily on the value of quality relationships. For them, technology comes second. First is the personal relationship they build with their repeat clientele, and that relationship is deepened – the trust is expanded – based on high quality, good value, and respect between the business and their customers.
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