Everyone wants their brand to be talked about positively in social media. One way to accomplish this is by having content that engages your targeted community and inspires readers to comment on it and share it. Content can come in different forms such as blog posts, white papers, videos and innovative online promotions and sweepstakes. Read Full Article
We live in a world of hype. Every day we’re bombarded by thousands of messages – commercials, billboards, search ads, print, on-hold, pre-roll and banners, point-of-purchase, spam and more. Buy me! Look at me! Hear me! Visit me! Everywhere you turn, someone is shouting.
The hype mongers have blunted our ability to feel. I skip TV spots, toss newspaper supplements and avoid commercial radio. I can’t even tell you what ads get served when I’m on the web.
But I do perk up when someone speaks from the heart. That sense of vulnerability – someone sharing something personal – is so appealing that I let my defenses down and pay attention. It’s not shouting that works for me. And it’s not a list of features or benefits. It’s authenticity. Read Full Article
Social media is here to stay.
Despite the seeming permanence of this new type of media, too many brands are using outdated approaches to communicate in this new space. They are viewing sites like Facebook and Twitter as places simply to advertise and are missing the engagement element – the true social piece – of this fresh new corner of the Web. Ventures that use social media to engage users in a two-way conversation or interaction will be poised to rise above the competition among consumers plugged into the world of social media. Read Full Article
For many marketing departments, the primary focus is on building a brand that engages the target audience to create awareness and generate interest. Budgets, research and strategies are all aimed at building a brand that speaks directly to the external people it’s intended to reach. But we can’t stop there. Read Full Article
A few days ago, LinkedIn announced a partnership with Twitter that would allow you, with the check of a box or the addition of a hashtag (#in or #li), to sync your Twitter account with your LinkedIn’s status updates. You will also have the ability to add your Twitter account to your LinkedIn profile. OK, so what’s the big idea? Read Full Article
As marketers, customer retention should always be a priority in our brand, marketing and communications programs. Now more than ever, we need to be strong advocates for treating customers like gold.
That’s an easy concept for all of us to endorse. But how do you embed it in the fabric of your organization?
It begins with the voice of the customer. Read Full Article
Great designs don’t just appear out of thin air. You can’t wave a magic wand, stir in some Photoshop hocus pocus and voilà – a killer brochure or ad campaign appears. Yet sometimes that’s what designers are expected to do. Create something extraordinary out of nothing.
In this unsteady economy, there’s a need to work more efficiently, cut back costs and shorten turnaround time. Often, some very important steps in the design process are ignored, and we jump right to design production – skipping the thinking, the rationale, the big idea. Unfortunately, that can be a costly decision. You could end up with a design that looks great visually but doesn’t connect with your target audience. A piece that misses the mark with messaging and doesn’t evoke action. And your investment goes right down the drain. Read Full Article
Let’s pretend your company makes light bulbs. Everybody needs light bulbs, right? So, that would mean that your company’s target is everybody? Well, maybe not.
The temptation to market to a broad audience, rather than a narrow one, is understandable. More potential buyers = more potential sales. In this economy, we’ll take sales where we can get them. However, when it comes to allocating resources to market products and services, focus is key.
Let’s look a little more closely at your company and products. You are more eco-friendly than any other light bulb company, and your bulbs last longer than the competition. Those are some pretty powerful differentiators. Read Full Article
The great philosopher Aristotle taught us that all good stories need a beginning, middle and end; a hero and villain; rising action, climax and resolution. Pretty straightforward stuff that’s worked for storytellers from Sophocles to Shakespeare to Spielberg.
But communication has changed since the ancient Greeks. And changed again since Jaws and Jurassic Park. People consume information – and stories – differently.
Once your audience has seized control with a mouse or an iPhone screen, they won’t sit still for a pre-packaged story. They may watch a bit on TV, or spend a few moments on your website, or check out what their Facebook friends have to say about it. Message consumption is fragmented, nonlinear, and beyond our control. Read Full Article
Digital Marketing in 2010- Customers Want to Watch, Not Read
Among the many features of the new iPhone 3GS is the ability to shoot video and then easily upload that video to YouTube. You can do this on other smartphones too. This is going to accelerate your customers’ expectation that much of what is worth seeing on the web is in video form. Consider the following as you plan your digital marketing activities for 2010 Read Full Article »