Archive for November, 2016

Is There Such a Thing as Negative Publicity? We Think So.

Tuesday, November 29th, 2016

We’ve all heard the old adage “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” The rationale for this is that even if the portrayal of your brand or organization is negative, you’re sticontent marketing, content management, newsjacking, social media, digital marketing, SEO, online marketingll getting your name out there. But let’s be realistic. Nobody wants negative publicity. Even if it does mean getting your name out there, it really can be quite bad.

There’s no magic bullet to make bad publicity simply go away once it happens. Still, there is a simple formula to deal with negative publicity. (more…)

Making Friends With Finance

Thursday, November 10th, 2016

MentorIt’s not uncommon for the finance and marketing functions to be at loggerheads in the office. Whether it’s about the wisdom of embarking on an expensive new marketing effort or finance professionals refusing to share the praise for positive financials with their peers in marketing, conflicts can abound. While Lincoln Martin amusingly compares the two functions to the Starks (marketing) and Lannisters (finance), a la HBO’s Game of Thrones, it generally isn’t the case that finance people don’t like or trust marketing people. It’s often an issue of poor communication. Marketers are in a good position to leverage their communications skillset to help bridge that gap. (more…)

Two Must-Haves for a Strong Employer Brand

Tuesday, November 8th, 2016

Big conference roomWhen we talk about branding, we focus a lot on an organization’s corporate image, the impression the market has about its service, the quality of its leaders and key or, if a service organization, the personal touch its employees provide. These are certainly important areas of focus for branding; however, in a service-driven marketplace, employers are becoming more and more aware of the importance of human capital. From senior leaders to front line employees, organizations need to attract the best and brightest to remain competitive for the long run. There are plenty of strategies and tips for effective employer branding, but here we focus on two: (more…)

5 Steps to a Strong Employer Brand

Thursday, November 3rd, 2016

executing your strategic plan, strategic planning, strategic communicationWe’ve written previously about the importance of employer branding and why consistency and coordination between the marketing arm and the HR arm are crucial to ensure alignment. 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 in the context of employer branding.

Generally, in working with organizations on these types of projects, the steps are: (more…)

Contributed Content and Thought Leadership: Two Ingredients for Great Media Coverage

Tuesday, November 1st, 2016

Creative business corporate work concept: tablet computer PC, modern black glossy touchscreen smartphone with news internet web site, stack of newspapers, cup or mug of fresh coffee and metal ballpoint pen on wooden office table

Marketers are often on the lookout for opportunities for free publicity, and why not? Marketing can be expensive, and it’s hard to beat free when it comes to getting bang for your buck. While some businesses have found success in outlandish publicity stunts, we certainly don’t recommend such a dramatic approach, especially for those working in more conservative industries—e.g. healthcare, financial services, etc., where so much of the organization’s focus relies on promoting an image of safety and responsibility. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still opportunities for free or inexpensive publicity, even in super conservative organizations. Here are a few tips we and our clients have had steady success with: (more…)