Archive for September, 2016
Friday, September 30th, 2016
In business even the biggest companies don’t always get it right. Things move quickly in the business world and we’re all operating in a very fluid, and volatile, environment. While it’s easy, in hindsight, to be critical of the blunders that even the most powerful organizations in the world fall prey to, it’s important to keep in mind how pressure often gets in the way of making a thoroughly thought-out decision.
Sometimes, of course, the pace of change prevents the level of research and analysis that some might feel most comfortable with. Business leaders need to have sound instincts for making snap decisions that could have enormous implications for the business, its shareholders, its employees and its customers.
Here are three ways to help find the right balance between intuition and thoughtful decision to boost the odds that you’re more often right, than wrong. (more…)
Tags: acting on instinct, better business decisions, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, following your gut, intuition, making decisions, Strategy
Posted in Business Development, Career Advice, Marketing and Branding | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 28th, 2016
For many organizations, corporate events form a key part of the overall marketing strategy. Since the advent of email, it’s no longer necessary to spend money on fancy paper invitations and the associated postage. However, that doesn’t mean that style and etiquette are thrown out the window with a slightly less formal medium. Whether your target audience is potential employees, business partners or customers, crafting an effective email invitation is an art. Here are some best practices to help you create compelling copy for email invitations: (more…)
Tags: Customer Communication, digital marketing best practices, direct mail, direct mail marketing, Direct Marketing, email invitations, email marketing, email marketing best practices
Posted in Content Marketing, Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 27th, 2016
In a previous blog post, we talked about the importance of employer branding and why consistency and coordination between the marketing arm and the human resources arm are crucial. In this post, we’re going to look at a practical, step-by-step approach to building that brand by applying some fundamental branding tips to the employer branding context.
Generally, in working with organizations on these types of projects, there are five steps: (more…)
Tags: brand alignment, Brand Management, Employee Communication, employer brand, employer branding, marketing to employees
Posted in Internal Communication, Marketing and Branding | No Comments »
Thursday, September 22nd, 2016
When we talk about branding, we focus a lot on a company’s corporate image: the impression the market has about its products or how its audience views its services. These are certainly important areas of focus for branding. One area that often gets overlooked, though, is the employer brand: how do current and potential employees view your organization?
Why does it matter? For a couple of reasons: (more…)
Tags: Brand Management, Employee Communication, employee engagement, employer brand, employer branding, hiring for brand alignment
Posted in Internal Communication, Marketing and Branding | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 20th, 2016
At Strategic Communications, we are firm believers in the value of social media and online publicity for a business. It’s a huge part of what we do and what we advise our clients to do. But, while the impact of social media on a business is overwhelmingly positive, there are occasionally situations that have the potential to be extremely damaging to a company’s reputation and livelihood. We’re talking, of course, about the dreaded social media crisis. (more…)
Tags: Community Relations, crisis management, managing crises online, media relations, public relations, Social Media, social media and crisis management
Posted in Media Relations/PR, PR and Media Relations | No Comments »
Thursday, September 15th, 2016
We talk a lot about the value of online marketing and analytics for growing your business. These are crucial tools; however, it’s also important to keep in mind that business is also very personal. While outreach through the internet is certainly a must, knowing how to effectively network on a more personal level is critical. This is especially true for larger customers, business-to-business relationships and engaging with key influencers. The same is true for executives in larger organizations. As reported in Fast Company, “A recent study of 6,000 executives at 3,000 companies in the U.S. and Europe found that executives with 50% more professional contacts above the average, had a salary 3.5% or $15,000 higher than their less gregarious/friendly/sociable colleagues.”
So how can you network online, and off, in a way that’s designed to build value—and relationships? (more…)
Tags: building business, building client relationships, Business development, business networking, effective networking, networking
Posted in Business Development, Career Advice, Client Relations, Marketing and Branding | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 13th, 2016
Staying informed is key for any business or profession, and marketing is no different. As marketing consultants, we use a variety of sources of information to stay on top of current trends. Magazines (online and in print) offer both a reader-friendly format and insights on trending topics within the industry. Below are some sources we’ve found particularly worthwhile. (more…)
Tags: Chief Content Officer, CMI, EContent Magazine, Fast Company, Harvard Business Review (HBR), Innovation, Joe Pulizzi, Journalism, marketing expertise, marketing publications, Quirk's
Posted in Business Development, Marketing and Branding, Publishing | No Comments »
Friday, September 9th, 2016
Ten to fifteen years ago, the advice to be given to a small business owner regarding an online presence may well have been, “you should have a website.” Today, it’s rare to find a business of any size without a website; however, that only means it’s harder to stand out among the crowd. Having a website is no longer in and of itself a sign of an established, sophisticated business. That website has to be designed to ensure brand consistency as well as prospect and customer engagement.
Here are some strategies to outshine your competitors in the digital environment. (more…)
Tags: Contently, digital marketing, marketing content, online marketing, web sites, website best practices, websites
Posted in Internet Marketing, Marketing Communication, Web Sites | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 7th, 2016
How quickly things change! Just a few short years ago, it seemed as if the bottom had fallen out for marketing talent-including writers, graphic designers, videographers, and more. In a declining economy, marketing budgets are often the first to feel the pain. But companies have actively looked for less expensive and more cost-effective ways to get the word out about their products and services. Additionally, Google has tinkered with its algorithms to provide SEO rewards to those who can supply rich, varied, and original content on a regular basis. And so, demand for talent has outstripped supply. (more…)
Tags: content marketers, content marketing, finding content marketers, hiring marketing talent, marketing talent, shortage of marketing talent
Posted in Content Marketing, Internet Marketing, Marketing and Branding, Marketing Communication | No Comments »
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