It seems you can’t swing a dead cat these days without hitting a “Brand” expert. No cats were harmed in the writing of this blog. Seriously – type “branding” into your search engine and see what pops up! More than 10 pages of branding blogs and websites. While there ARE companies who know branding and how it works, there are also companies who just use a lot of big words and involved formulas to make them sound like they know what they’re talking about. So, how do you weed out the experts from the snake-oil salesmen? Let TRUE Branding be
More Marketing News →Social Media. It’s everywhere – our computers, our phones, our video game consoles. We hear the phrase in television shows and commercials. You see the logos in shop windows encouraging you to “Like us on Facebook!” or “Follow us on Twitter!” Most of us DO, too. Just trying to keep a finger on the pulse of the world around us, afraid of missing out on something. How do YOU use your social media outlets? Is it for business and marketing? Do you strictly use Facebook and Twitter to connect with potential clients/customers? Is it a platform for your political/religious views
More Marketing News →I’m often asked by clients and peers, “How do I (we) increase my site traffic? How do I (we) get more people to read the blog?” Well, it’s a matter of targeted marketing, brand consistency and good writing. All of which even the BEST writers, marketers and bloggers struggle with on EVERY post. But once a successful post formula is found, it’s like crack. You want, no, NEED to do it over and over again until your eyeballs rollback in your head and you fall to the ground in crippling ecstasy… Okay, maybe not that far, but it’s close. 🙂
More Marketing News →Trying to control social media is like trying to drink the ocean one cup at a time. For successful marketing and communications, companies need to TARGET their social media efforts to their local level to better engage with their audience. Using Twitter Hashtags, Facebook Groups and Events as well as some common sense, the following video explains how to create a more focused social media marketing approach. Focus Your Social Media Marketing Hat tip to our friends at The Des Moines Social Media Club, including Tom Brazelton (@TomBrazelton on twitter_ and the whole @SMCDSM crew as well as a BIG
More Marketing News →On Wednesday of last week, I gave Mediacom a call on the Social Media Phone. HOW? By doing this, I posted on Twitter: “Hey Mediacom, my web connection is on the fritz, can you guys please give me a call?” Why did I post it to Twitter instead of just picking up my “real” phone? Well, a couple reasons: I HATE being on hold. And anyone that’s EVER called Mediacom knows that’s their favorite game. And I know from past engagements that Mediacom is listening and answers the “Social Media Phone” Is Social Media becoming a new channel for customer
More Marketing News →Entrefest was such a HUGE success this year that we just HAD to show the world how much fun we had. The EntreFest program covered workshops and seminars for small to medium sized businesses (SMB) and entrepreneurs covering everything from social media, marketing and search engine optimization to financial structuring for small business, sales and networking. It was a VERY full few days, but we ALL took something valuable away from it.
More Marketing News →With some encouragement (pleading) from our clients, we’ve gone ahead and put together some tips and tricks for organic search engine optimization using the WordPress plug-in called All in One SEO Pack. This is a general overview and just the beginning to the organic SEO process. Future videos will go into further detail on writing for SEO content and working with local search for optimization. We will have more “How-To” video tips, trick and techniques for organic SEO, marketing, brand management and more in the future. If you’d like to see something specific, please feel free to comment below OR
More Marketing News →Interactive marketing has shifted, it’s no longer restricted to two domains… Duh, right? I say that with a slight smirk… Simply because I still find the need to say it… GAH! Many marketers are still under the impression that interactive market-share battles are only fought within Google search results and on the corporate website. In reality, marketing spread its reach to other areas (where brand conversations actually occur) years ago: social networks, bookmarking and rating sites and blogs, just to name the obvious. And all of this happened right under the noses of Maxie Marketer and Polly PR while they
More Marketing News →They were once a prospect…. then a lead… then a presentation opportunity… Then… well, you know the routine. But now that you’ve landed this whale (for lack of a better term), what happens? You’ve finally contracted with this client. Does the attention to this particular fish scale back (no pun intended). Is it all about the conquest? Is the honeymoon over? Well, I’m here to tell you, it better not stop there. Continued customer engagement is key to your business’ sustainability – the key to your success – and honestly should be the easiest part of your job. Or would
More Marketing News →This is a simple concept. Social media isn’t about me. If I have something to say that benefits others, I share it. Sure, I tweet about getting a parking ticket. I toot my horn when I get a good project. Heck, I even posted about my dog dying. It’s cathartic, supportive and reliable… That’s inevitable. But social media isn’t about ME. Social media is about community. Social media brings an ever-changing world together in one voice. Sometimes it creates a lasting impression. Sometimes it leaves a bad taste. Like it or not, social media, at its core, is for the
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