Archive for the ‘Marketing and Branding’ Category
Friday, August 10th, 2018
There are numerous examples of company names tied directly to an individual. That person is often the founder but could also be a key personality. Even our current president achieved a great amount of fame by attaching his name to everything from hotels and golf courses to steaks and an online university. Naming a company after an individual can add some personality to the brand and make potential customers feel a more personal connection to that brand. We know who the frontperson is; we know what they look like; and we know a bit about their personality and character.
But that isn’t always a good thing. (more…)
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Tags: brand building, Brand Management, branding, company image, corporate image, crisis communications, media relations, naming guidelines, naming your business, pr
Posted in Brand Management, Marketing and Branding, PR and Media Relations | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 8th, 2018
In a highly publicized conference call, first reported by Forbes, Papa John’s founder John Schnatter used the “N-word” during a discussion between Papa John’s executives and marketing agency Laundry Service. What followed was weeks of turmoil where Schnatter first stepped down as chairman of the Papa John’s board of directors, then said his decision to step down was a mistake, and then filed a lawsuit against the company he founded for what he describes as the “heavy-handed” way he was treated. The company’s stock has (more…)
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Tags: brand, Brand Management, competition, competitive opportunities, crisis management, Domino's, media relations, Papa John's. Pizza Hut, pr, publicity
Posted in Brand Management, Marketing and Branding, Media Relations/PR, PR and Media Relations | No Comments »
Monday, August 6th, 2018
by Justin Grensing, Esq., MBA
A few weeks ago, I was driving between work and home in NE Minneapolis along Marshall Street, a highly trafficked street running north to south through the heart of the Northeast neighborhood. While stopped at a stoplight, I saw four young people in their early 20s curiously inspecting four small, black scooters on the side of the street. The group looked fairly “trendy,” and I have to admit I was curious what they were looking at. (more…)
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Tags: Bird, guerrilla marketing, ride sharing, scooter
Posted in Marketing and Branding | No Comments »
Monday, July 16th, 2018
Whether you’re writing a brochure, copy for a newspaper ad, a script for a radio announcement or a page or blog for your website, there are some tried and true techniques that can help you make sure that your copy gets the results you’re looking for.
Think about writing copy as making a sales pitch to a customer. Your goal is to persuade that customer to do something – most likely to purchase your product or service. Here’s how: (more…)
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Tags: advertising copy, blog, blogging, copy writing, copywriting, freelance writing, writing blog copy, writing copy
Posted in Blogging, Content Marketing, Marketing Communication | No Comments »
Friday, July 6th, 2018
by Justin Grensing, Esq., MBA
One of the more tedious activities that falls under the broad umbrella of marketing is responding to requests for proposals, or RFPs. RFPs are typically issued by large organizations — like large corporations or government entities — that are looking for a vendor for a large expenditure or project. It’s basically a way of telling the public or a specific group of pre-screened vendors, “Hey, I want to buy something! Send me a pitch!” The sheer number of interested vendors they often receive responses from and the need to objectively compare them means they are also telling these vendors, “But…send me a pitch in this precise format.”
The process can be time-consuming and convoluted, but a winning bid can be extremely lucrative. Fortunately, there are some basic tips and strategies that can make the process more efficient. (more…)
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Tags: Marketing, professional services marketing, request for proposal, responding to proposals, RFPs, submitting requests for proposal
Posted in Business Development, Competition, Marketing and Branding | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2018
So you want to be an expert? Seems like just about everybody does these days and social media makes it relatively easy, and very inexpensive, to take steps to gain expert status, or thought leadership. We work with a wide range of clients, primarily in business-to-business (B2B) related industries, many who are business consultants wishing to establish themselves as thought leaders in various industries. Here are “3 Steps for Gaining Traction as a Thought Leader”: (more…)
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Tags: becoming an influencer, content marketing, influencer, media relations, pr, public relations, thought leader, thought leadership
Posted in Business Development, Career Advice, Content Marketing, Marketing and Branding | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 26th, 2018
by Justin Grensing, Esq., MBA
Few things can be as effective at generating sales as positive customer reviews. Similarly, and conversely, few things can be as damaging to sales as negative customer reviews. In terms of online retail, a recent survey found that positive reviews influence the purchase decisions of 90 percent of respondents, while negative reviews influence around 86 percent. But that’s in the B2C (business-to-consumer) world. In B2C, there are a relatively large number of customer interactions compared to B2B (business-to-business). This means that while B2B has fewer potential customer reviews to base a purchase decision on, each one is that much more impactful. (more…)
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Tags: B2B, B2B marketing, B2B relationships, building customer relations, creating customer advocates, customer advocates, customer relationships, establishing brand preference, forging customer relationships, word of mouth, word of mouth marketing
Posted in Business Development, Client Relations, Customer Communication, Customer Service, Influencer Marketing, Marketing and Branding, Marketing Communication, Sales, Small Business Strategy | No Comments »
Thursday, June 21st, 2018
by Justin Grensing, Esq., MBA
We often hear narratives about how online retail is replacing traditional brick-and-mortar businesses. Online is more convenient and has much lower overhead. At the same time, others point out that brick-and-mortar still makes up a strong majority of overall retail sales. Customers prefer the tactile experience, the ability to talk to sales representatives and being able to take their purchases home when they walk out of the store instead of waiting for packages to arrive by mail.
The truth is that both sides of this debate are right. (more…)
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Tags: Amazon, brick and mortar, online shopping, retail experience, retail store closings, showrooming, the death of retail, webrooming
Posted in Business Development, Internet Marketing, Marketing and Branding, Small Business Strategy | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 19th, 2018
by Justin Grensing, Esq., MBA
We keep hearing about how the growth in online retail represents the ultimate demise of the brick-and-mortar retail store. We hear how online retail giants like Amazon are killing Main Streets across the country, and we hear anecdotes of local brick-and-mortar businesses closing their doors, blaming the rise in online retail. But does that common sentiment assign blame where it belongs? (more…)
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Tags: brick and mortar, consumer experience, experiential marketing, online shopping, retail experience, retail store closings, showrooming, the death of retail, webrooming
Posted in Business Development, Innovation, Internet Marketing, Marketing and Branding, Small Business Strategy | No Comments »
Friday, June 15th, 2018
by Justin Grensing, Esq., MBA
When we hear news stories about a local brick-and-mortar business closing its doors after being in operation for generations, the presumed culprit is often the growth of online retail, which grew by 16 percent between 2016 and 2017. People just don’t want to go to a store to make purchases anymore, the logic goes. Online shopping offers far more choices than can be offered in a physical location — which can’t store infinite inventory — and it’s so much more convenient to shop online instead of going to a store.
But don’t make the mistake of writing off in-store shopping. You may be surprised to learn that consumers still predominantly favor the in-store experience! (more…)
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Tags: Amazon, brick and mortar, e-tail, retail experience, shopping online, showrooming, the death of retail, webrooming
Posted in Internet Marketing, Marketing and Branding, Sales, Small Business Strategy | No Comments »
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