Millennials have changed the face of the world in so many ways: culture, technology and business to name just a few. As this group grows to represent an ever-larger share of the consumer market, one characteristic of this cohort, in particular, can be extremely vexing for marketing professionals: they—even more than previous generations—dislike and distrust marketing and advertising. So what can you do about that? Continue reading “How to Market to People Who Hate Marketing”
Category: Marketing
Sponsorships Can be a Slippery Slope
Sports fans and students of media and advertising are no doubt aware of the perceived sexist comments recently made by Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton toward a female sports reporter. When asked by Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue about the route-running of Panthers receiver Devin Funchess during an October 4 press conference, Newtown stunned the gathered reporters. Continue reading “Sponsorships Can be a Slippery Slope”
5 Critical Elements of Successfully Managing Your Online Presence
When businesses think of branding and marketing, they often think in terms of the company as a whole. This is certainly important; however, personal branding can also be a big boon to your company. For sole proprietors and professional organizations (doctors, lawyers, accountants, consultants, etc.), showing off the personal expertise of the owners or management team is a great way to promote the company as a whole. Even larger organizations can benefit from showing the personal side of key executives—or touting their credentials to help boost business. Continue reading “5 Critical Elements of Successfully Managing Your Online Presence”
Best Practices for Social Media Marketing
It’s hard to succeed at anything if you’re not focused. Whether you’re golfing, driving, taking an exam or giving a presentation, losing focus on your objective can be disastrous. The same is true of your social media activity. Granted social media marketing is a longer-term activity than golfing or giving a presentation, but the importance of focus is no less important. In particular, we’ve selected three key elements marketers should keep their focus on when engaging in social media. Continue reading “Best Practices for Social Media Marketing”
The New Extended Life of Super Bowl Commercials
In the world of advertising, perhaps no event is as highly touted as the Super Bowl — or at least its commercials. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), nearly 190 million were expected to tune into the Super Bowl this year, making the four-hour event a prime venue for advertisers. And unlike most events where many viewers use modern technology to fast-forward through annoying advertisements, Super Bowl advertisers have an eager audience. In fact, the NRF reports that 17.7 percent — about 43 million people — say the commercials are the primary reason they watch the game. All that access comes at a price, of course. Continue reading “The New Extended Life of Super Bowl Commercials”
Are You Having a Tough Time Fighting for Marketing Talent?
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. Continue reading “Are You Having a Tough Time Fighting for Marketing Talent?”
Why It Pays to Be “You,” Rather Than “Me,” Focused
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: Continue reading “Why It Pays to Be “You,” Rather Than “Me,” Focused”
Making the Most of Trade Shows: By NOT Exhibiting!
Trade shows can be a great way to network with others in your industry and make some new connections with potential customers, suppliers and business partners — not to mention the ability to set up a booth and show the attendees what you’ve got. And analysts predict the trade show industry is set to see even more growth over the next few years.
For seasoned trade show attendees, making the most of your time at these events is a bit of an art. Business-to-business marketing firm Handshake has put out multiple articles on making the most of trade shows, including “22 Guerrilla Marketing Ideas for Trade Shows” and “7 Best Practices for Your Trade Show Marketing Strategy.”
But here we’re suggesting a different twist on the traditional strategies. Continue reading “Making the Most of Trade Shows: By NOT Exhibiting!”
Blogs: A Natural Starting Point for Content Marketing
At Strategic Communications, blogging is a big part of what we do, both for ourselves and for our clients. A robust, well-managed blog is a key element of any content creation strategy. As we’ve discussed in the past, quality content is a must when driving traffic to your site. Blogs are a great vehicle for this.
Obviously, part of implementing an effective blogging strategy require developing quality content for the blog. Assuming you’ve got quality content, your blog posts can serve as a great starting point for repurposing content across a variety of channels. Here are some of the things that we do to leverage the value of our, and our clients’ blog content: Continue reading “Blogs: A Natural Starting Point for Content Marketing”
Direct Mail Part I: The Big Benefits of Traditional Direct Mail Marketing
In the age of social media, search engine optimization and email, it might sound crazy to suggest anyone think of including direct mail in their marketing strategy, but that’s just what we’re about to suggest. And, yes, by mail we mean paper mail delivered by a United States postal worker. Continue reading “Direct Mail Part I: The Big Benefits of Traditional Direct Mail Marketing”