I am so excited about a new pro-bono client opportunity that just came my way! Philanthropy has always been very dear to my heart.
I came across a great article that highlights six reasons why non-profit marketing messages may not be connecting with their audience. A lot of these tips can easily be applied to the for-profit sector as well.
The Inward vs. Outward approach really stood out to me. This approach basically states that many organizations tend to focus their marketing messages on themselves; when it reality it should be used to connect with their target audience which include the donors, volunteers, participants involved, employees etc. of that organization.
Read more about this here.
Although it is still fairly new, plenty of companies have delved and completely excelled in the new social media channel of Pinterest. The online visual board has been predicted to grow measurably in the next few years. As such, brands all over the world are looking for ways to authentically connect with it’s current and potential consumers on the site.
As with any other social media channel, a well-thought out strategy is needed to excel. To assist you with this, I came across an article that details 5 ways a few brands have used Pinterest to authentically connect with fans.
Feel free to check it out here.
What tips and strategies have you implemented that have been successful on Pinterest?
I recently came across an article that outlined the three myths of what customers want. I found it to be very interesting. In my opinion, it was truthful in a sense, but it definitely cannot apply to every brand out there.
A lot of brands, especially lifestyle brands, thrive on establishing and communicating with their community. As such, they do not call them customers. If anything, they are brand ambassadors (I love that term, in case you haven’t noticed yet).
Check out the article below. It is apart of a three part series, so I encourage you to check out the other articles as well!
What do you think? Is there any truth to the three myths the author cited?
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Most marketers think that the best way to hold onto customers is through “engagement” — interacting as much as possible with them and building relationships. It turns out that that’s rarely true. In a study involving more than 7000 consumers, we found that companies often have dangerously wrong ideas about how best to engage with customers. Consider these three myths.
Myth #1: Most consumers want to have relationships with your brand.
Actually, they don’t. Only 23% of the consumers in our study said they have a relationship with a brand. In the typical consumer’s view of the world, relationships are reserved for friends, family and colleagues. That’s why, when you ask the 77% of consumers who don’t have relationships with brands to explain why, you get comments like “It’s just a brand, not a member of my family.” (What consumers really want when they interact with brands online is to get discounts).
How should you market differently? Read more here.
Ever wonder how corporations like Proctor & Gamble and Disney managed to enter into the social scene and thrive? Well, they learned to embrace the art of content marketing.
A big part of my job involves content marketing. Perhaps, I should add that to my resume, I know it will receive major brownie points on my current employment search. I’ve always been a writer, and a creative soul…so in a sense, the task came…dare I say it…naturally.
However, I am aware that everyone is not a writer. Nor is everyone a creative person…and that’s where I come in!
By the end of this post, you will have a better idea of what content marketing is, as well as what it is NOT.
So, what is content marketing?
Wikipedia defines it as the creation and sharing of content – social media, blogs, white papers, case studies etc. – in order to attract, acquire and engage clearly defined and understood current and potential consumer bases with the objective of driving profitable customer action.
Simply stated, content marketing is mastering the art of connecting and communicating with current and potential consumers without selling to them. Instead of pitching your products or services, strive instead to deliver information that makes your buyer more intelligent. The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if businesses deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward them with their business and loyalty.
Of course, content marketing requires a great deal of research, strategy and planning on the companies’ end. One thing that has helped me in the process was the creation of a content calendar. Not only have they helped me to keep our brand voice consistent, but it also helps me to get our messages across in a timely, entertaining yet knowledgable fashion.
The goal should be to get your audience to like you. If they like you, they are more likely to share your content (hello, brand ambassadors!) as well as become buyers of your product or service.
To effectively engage in content marketing, be sure that you are:
1. Creating relevant, quality content
2. Using the right language
3. Connecting with your target audience (as they say, everything is not for everybody)
4. Engaging in the right content platforms (blogs, facebook, twitter etc.)
Consumers are shying away from traditional advertising & marketing. However, you can still engage with your buyers by mastering the art of content marketing.
Below is an infographic that attests to the continued growth of content marketing.
What strategies do you incorporate into your content marketing strategy?
Rebranding is something that every company has or will have to go through at some point.
Holiday Inn is one of my favorite brands that recently went through a rebranding process. The hotel underwent a billion dollar rebranding process with the help of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). The re-launch included a new logo, remodeled bedrooms and a revamped welcome experience starting in the lobby area.
Now, Holiday Inn is a well-known hotel brand, but statistics reported that they hadn’t underwent a change since 1982! That is a long time, especially with so many competitors on the horizon, this process was necessary.
If you are thinking about rebranding your business, I recommend rebranding the whole business, not just a facelift…ie. a new logo. Think about revamping the whole customer experience.
Below are 5 crucial steps to an effective rebranding process:
1. Research. Everything, everything must begin with research. Take time to find out what went wrong by conducting focus groups, surveys or simply conversing your your regular clientele. If sales are declining, take the time to find out why. Could it be the product’s performance, formula or general reputation? A consumer poll through a marketing and research team might be in order as a way to figure out what could be wrong with your brand.
2. Keep the importance of your brand identity in mind. Don’t lose sight of what your company mission and goals are. Holiday Inn was known as an affordable option for hotel stay. Even though they went through a rebranding process, they’ve always been able to celebrate the fact that they are trusted, well-known brand that was loved by money-conscious travelers.
3. Get all teams involved in the process. Don’t rely solely on the marketing team as they may not know what is going on the finance or operations department. Involving all teams will ensure that internal processes and procedures are appropriate given the new brand messaging, or determine that they need to be altered in some way. Additionally, this will garner a sense of excitement in the employees who are tasked with representing the brand.
4. Deliver on the new promises. Don’t let the excitement die down after a new logo or a interior design. Show customers that the process was thorough and consistenly ask for feedback to ensure that they are happy.
5. Introduce something new. Social & digital media, for example, has continued to flourish. Find out what competitors are doing online and determine if it’s worth the investment. Also, think about the new environmentally-friendly initiatives that have gained popularity lately.
5. Pace yourself. Rebranding cannot be successfully accomplished overnight.
6. Revisit your rebranding strategy every few months or years to ensure that it is consistent and truly working for the greater good.
Has your company underwent a rebranding strategy? What strategies did you implement? If not, name one of your favorite brands that went through a rebranding strategy?
Rosetta Thurman is definitely one of the women I have been blessed to connect with on Twitter. She is passionate, knowledgeable and entertaining! Such a good balance. 
I read one of her tweets about developing a personal mission statement and it definitely hit home. So I plan to dedicate some time to this over the weekend. Below is a quick excerpt as well as a link to her article:
There are three important steps toward developing a personal mission statement: 1) identifying your values, 2) envisioning your values in action and 3) writing your personal mission statement. For most people, it is truly an eye-opening process to write out your values for your life and then compare them to how you actually balance your priorities. But what, exactly, is a personal mission statement, anyway?
Personal development website Dumb Little Man offers this great definition:
Your personal mission statement should be a concise representation of what’s most important to you, what you desire to focus on, what you want to achieve, and, ultimately, who you want to become. In its purest form, it’s an approach to your life, one that allows you to identify a focus of energy, creativity, and vision in living a life in support of your inner-most beliefs and values. Also remember that your mission will change over time as you and your life change.
The Power of a Thank You is often ignored, but often holds great power. Leaders understand this. Check out this article about the essential traits of great leaders!
http://www.inc.com/damian-bazadona/great-leaders-essential-traits.html
Who do you consider a leader?
Well, that depends on your niche. If you are a blogger, it can be a great way to drive traffic to your website. If you are an artist, it can be a great way to showcase your work. I’m sure that Facebook, Twitter and Google+ has already spoken volumes for your brand but this new social epidemic is growing so rapidly, that it might be beneficial to stop and explore.
Now I’ve been aware of Pinterest for months, yet never contemplated joining the site until recently. I just didn’t get what the ROI would be regarding my, or my company’s, engagement. Like seriously, a pinboard-styled social photo sharing website?! However, the more I researched, the more intrigued I became. Here’s a little more about it’s purpose (via Pinterest):
Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.
Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.
Simply stated, Pinterest inspires action. You name it, people are pinning it. One quirky thing about the site is that you have to be invited to join the site. I guess it’s for the cool kids only! Don’t let that stop you though. There’s a lot of buying power on Pinterest, especially if you have a female-friendly product or service. Women currently represent 90% of the activity!
I found a great illustration that further outlines the potential branding & marketing opportunity behind this new social tool. Thanks, Mashable!
Are you on Pinterest? If so, what compelled you to join?
“There are two types of people in this world: those who blaze trails and those who trail behind the blazers…”
-Unknown
That is the million dollar question. However, before we can answer that, we have to answer the obvious question: what is branding and how can it effectively help your product and/or service?
The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.”
Therefore it is safe to say that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, but it is about positioning your company to prospects as the “go-to” source for providing a solution to their problem.
A strong, trusted and identifiable brand can not only help you sell your product and/or service, but it can also open the doors for future community and business partnerships. People want to work with (and buy from!) established brands that have positioned themselves as leaders in such a saturated world.
With that said, I think it’s impossible to answer the question: what makes a good brand. Rather, a strong brand can help to deliver a message clearly. That message could range from new product developments in the marketplace to the benefits of a purchasing cell phone plan from Verizon over AT&T.
A strong brand can also motivate the buyer. This is where the importance of knowing your target market comes into play. If you know the attributes, behaviors and circumstances that motivate your buyer, then you can apply these into your branding strategy.
Furthermore, a strong brand builds customer loyalty. Effective businesses view their brands as tools that allow their messaging to cut through the noise of an overcrowded marketplace. They also position themselves as trusted brands based on the fact that their product and/or service has delivered on its’ promises in the past.
“The lack of a solid foundation for a brand will ultimately undermine its future success. This foundation goes beyond the logo and brand fascia and provides the underpinnings of legitimacy and ability to deliver real value.”
If you are new to the branding world and working on creating a branding strategy, ask yourself this one question: What is my brand value and how can I use it to keep consumers coming back? That answer can vary depending on the scope of your business.
Joshlyn Ross 