Archive for October, 2015

Should Rank-and-File Employees Be Speaking on Behalf of Brands?

Thursday, October 29th, 2015

The question of whether front-line, everyday employees should be speaking on behalf of a company and its brand has been in the minds of business owners and executives for years. On the one hand, harnessing the full weight of a company’s workforce can put a lot of bodies into the marketing effort. At the same time, companies often fear the potential negative, counter-productive impact of “rogue” or un-coached employees. Think of the employee complaining about her job on her Facebook page, or the insider who gives friends and neighbors the “real story” about his company at a backyard BBQ. (more…)

Best “Hack” for Planning/Running Public Relations Campaigns

Tuesday, October 27th, 2015

The idea of hacking used to be associated almost exclusively with the computer industry. A hacker was someone who found clever or clandestine ways around computer safeguards. But more and more, hacking has acquired a broader application, associated with developing and exploiting unconventional means to accomplish a task in a variety of industries and settings. Public relations (PR) campaigns are no different. (more…)

The Impact of Technology on Storytelling

Thursday, October 22nd, 2015

Marketers often like to talk about brand storytelling and, for many, a marketing strategy isn’t complete unless the brand is telling a compelling story. Brand storytelling represents the complete narrative you create for your audience—beyond your individual commercials, print media or website banner ads. As The Story of Telling notes on their website, “It’s about building something that people care about and want to buy into. It’s about framing your scarcity and dictating your value.” (more…)

Misconceptions about Social Media Data

Tuesday, October 20th, 2015

The modern marketing strategy just isn’t complete if it doesn’t include a social media element. As we’ve discussed in a previous blog post, tools like Google Analytics are great for tracking your social media activity and its impacts on your business. While we encourage social media marketers to read that blog and the background information linked within, it’s also important to discuss some of the misconceptions many businesses have about all the social media data they are collecting. Some might focus on information that isn’t particularly helpful, while others might be disregarding or missing entirely key metrics. (more…)

Using Google Analytics to Track Social Media Strategies 

Thursday, October 15th, 2015

It’s hard for marketers to escape the call to take full advantage of social media in their marketing efforts. The conventional wisdom is that it’s foolish to not utilize free or low-cost platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube, which hold the potential to reach huge and targeted audiences; and, while some sites require payment for premium offerings, most are free for the basic service. (For an overview of ten popular tools, see (more…)

How Small Businesses Can Get More Out of Their LinkedIn Accounts

Tuesday, October 13th, 2015

For a small business without a big marketing budget, it can be tough to find economical marketing outlets. Paid advertisements on television and radio can get expensive fast, as can hiring a quality web designer and paying for regular content. Fortunately, there are a number of low-cost/no-cost tools that small businesses can leverage to achieve marketing success. (more…)

The Highs and Lows of Being a Content Marketing Manager

Thursday, October 8th, 2015

by Linda Pophal

When I tell people what I do for a living, they often ask me how I like life as a social media manager and consultant. Because many of our website visitors and blog readers are engaged in the industry or considering becoming social media managers, I thought it might be of interest to them if I shared some of those personal reflections. (more…)

When It Comes to Brand Management, Small Businesses Have an Edge

Tuesday, October 6th, 2015

One of the biggest challenges (or perceived challenges) for small or new businesses is competing with the big, established industry players. Whether it’s gaining leverage with vendors, attracting top talent, navigating a complex legal and regulatory climate, or achieving economies of scale, small and new businesses often feel outmatched by the big guys. However, when it comes to branding, the tables are often turned. (more…)

Critiquing Marketing Pieces in Context 

Thursday, October 1st, 2015

Have you ever been in a situation where you were asked to give your opinion about a marketing piece of some kind: an advertisement, brochure, website, etc.? This is a relatively common question when interviewing for a marketing position or when pitching your services to a potential business client, so chances are you have. What has your response been?  (more…)