Archive for December, 2012

Marketing Resolutions for the New Year

Thursday, December 27th, 2012

As the New Year approaches it’s time to begin thinking about New Year’s resolutions, which might also be referred to as “strategic planning” — although those words tend to strike fear into the hearts of even the most focused of business professionals. I don’t know why, but I’m coming to accept it as a given. One of my resolutions for the New Year is to come up with a way of making planning less intimidating. “Good luck” say my business colleagues. But, I digress…

As you look forward to 2013, what are the fundamental issues that most impact your organization? What are the opportunities you hope to take advantage of? What are the challenges you hope to overcome?  Here are a few tips to get you started: (more…)

To Discount or Not to Discount – the Potential Perils of Perks to Drive Social Media Engagement

Thursday, December 20th, 2012

I was interviewed recently for a blog on the use of perks to drive social media engagement. It’s an interesting topic and judging from the proliferation of such contests and competitions online an important one. Aside from questions related to the efficacy of such competitions, businesses should also be aware of–and knowledgeable about–the impact of these perks on their desired brand image and the laws related to contests, sweepstakes and lotteries.

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Looking for PR/media coverage? Some do’s and don’ts.

Tuesday, December 18th, 2012

Like many writers/PR people, I have been fortunate to have experience in both worlds. As a freelance writer for a number of years I often turn to PR professionals and publicists for assistance in finding sources. And I learn a lot from them about what works and what doesn’t in terms of providing journalists (me, in this case) with useful information. I use the things I learn with my “freelancer writer hat” on when I’m attempting to generate PR/media coverage for my business or my clients.

I’ve learned a lot from the bad examples I see from over-zealous, inexperienced and annoying PR people or “experts.” (more…)

Tips for Working Productively From Home or Telecommuting

Thursday, December 13th, 2012

I’ve been working productively from home for a number of years, first as a freelance writer (part-time) on nights and weekends and, for the past four years, as a full time marketing communication consultant. My interest in remote work, or telecommuting, stems back many years to when I worked with an organization that was going through a merger. It was highly likely that the corporate headquarters would be in a new location and I was not interested, or able, at that time to relocate. So I was curious.

Based on my own experience as a freelance writer for a number of years I knew firsthand that, yes, it was possible to establish client relationships and deliver value to those clients from a distance. But, would that same model be embraced incorporate settings? Could I, for instance, find a role as a director of corporate (more…)

Are You Talking to Yourself on Social Media?

Tuesday, December 11th, 2012

As I work with clients, or evaluate social media sites as part of the research I do on the topic, I frequently find that many sites–even those owned and managed by some top organizations–are more engaged in conversations with themselves than with interested followers or fans. They’re not sharing information that is of interest or value to their audience–they’re talking about themselves! That’s a strategy destined to fail. Why? (more…)

Why Employee Engagement Should Be Part of Your Marketing Mix

Thursday, December 6th, 2012

Despite the fact that study after study continues to support the critical role that employees play as ambassadors (or detractors) for the organizations they work for, not all organizations are focused, as they should be, on their staff first. If you’re interested in boosting your marketing, you need to first start inside–with your employees. Seem a bit counter-intuitive? Maybe. But consider that, particularly for (more…)

Small Businesses and Local Advertising

Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

Should small businesses use local advertising? While this is one of those questions that can quickly be responded to with “it depends…,” if the market is a local one I do tend to believe that local advertising makes sense. And I’m not alone. Consider the increase in local online advertising among many marketers. Local online advertising was predicted to surge by 18 percent in 2012 to $18.5 billion

, according to paidContent.

The bigger the world gets, the more opportunities to leverage a small circle of influence I think. Just as when generating followers, friends and fans through social media (more…)