Archive for January, 2017

Are You Having a Tough Time Fighting for Marketing Talent?

Tuesday, January 24th, 2017

 

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.

The competition for marketing talent is heating up. (more…)

Why It Pays to Be “You,” Rather Than “Me,” Focused

Thursday, January 19th, 2017

12389678 - acronym of aam for all about me written in chalk on a blackboard

By now, most business owners and business professionals have accepted the value that social media can have in helping to raise awareness, create preference and drive traffic to websites and to brick-and-mortar establishments. But, unfortunately, not all are communicating effectively through these channels.

We often see two common missteps, which we try to advise clients against doing: (more…)

Best Practices in Making Social (Media) Connections

Tuesday, January 17th, 2017

We often think of social media as the revolutionary communication tool for reaching a wide range of consumers in the modern marketing environment — and for good reason. It’s a phenomenal tool for inexpensively and intimately communicating with enormous audiences and potential markets. But some commentators point out that the focus on the business-to-consumer benefits of social media might be overshadowing important opportunities for business-to-business relationship building. (more…)

You’re Fired! It Works for Customers Too.

Thursday, January 12th, 2017

I love customers mug

Sometimes clichés can become so pervasive that we fail to think critically about their meaning or the full implications of the statement. A classic example in business, generally, and customer service, specifically, is “the customer is always right.” To state the obvious, the rationale is that no matter how difficult, rude and unreasonable a customer may be, that customer is paying the bills — and you should do whatever it takes to make that customer happy. (more…)

Beyond Bribery: Building Customer Relationships Through Engagement

Monday, January 9th, 2017

38309393 - group of different families together of all races

It’s hard to overstate the importance of brand loyalty. Marketers know how difficult it can be to win new customers. Once you have brought a new consumer into the fold, it’s important to take steps to ensure that they will not only keep coming back, but that they will also refer others to you. (more…)

Strategic Communications’ Marketing Predictions for 2017

Friday, January 6th, 2017

A year ago, we made some predictions for the marketing trends we expected to see in 2016, and we feel we did well enough to give it another shot for 2017. Here are some of the trends we expect to see this year. (more…)

A Look Back at Our Marketing Predictions for 2016: How Did We Do?

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2017

world-futuristic

Last January, we made some predictions about marketing trends for the year. We thought we’d take some time to revisit those predictions and see how we fared. We took a look back to see how accurate our marketing forecast was. We actually did quite well!

So what were our specific predictions and how do they mesh with the year in marketing? (more…)

Lessons Learned When Newsjacking Goes Awry…

Sunday, January 1st, 2017

Soci al media is a key marketing tool that no business should overlook. To stay relevant to your audience, this medium requires being fluid and agile while staying up to date on the latest trends, buzz and news. Unfortunately, much of the news and buzz of 2016 has been around some of the great celebrities we’ve lost, including athletes, astronauts, politicians, actors and musicians. Commenting on these tragedies is, obviously, a sensitive matter, making it especially important to exercise caution before casting messages into cyberspace. Unfortunately, too often, even big businesses who we’d assume know better, commit egregious social faux pas. (more…)