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There's a problem with a lot of marketing. It's anchored in the core concept of a brand, and it ripples out through most communication - internal and external - to lap at the sides of the consumer consciousness. Many [brands] don't know who they really are, and what their true value proposition is Many [brands] want everyone to like them, as the de facto measure of success Okay, so that's actually two problems.  My argument stands. The problems, as I see them, are inherent to us humans....

Guest Post Online and offline marketing can and should be connected in order to increase the overall benefit gained by a company. The best integrated strategy will generate inbound marketing traffic that results in new leads, greater brand recognition, or higher sales.  This integration of marketing efforts is on the rise. Here are five tips for fusing your online and offline marketing efforts. Standardize Your Cross-Platform Message Don’t let separate departments create different images...

I just got off the phone with an old friend (bear with me, this really is a post about marketing programs). This person knows me from way back. We have a history.  We share common experiences and events, and pick up on one another's behavior cues.  We've always drawn conclusions and inferences from what's not said as much as what is shared between us. That's the way of friends, right? But there's this kernel of a problem, and it grew from my subconscious mind to pulse in the forefront of my brain...

Need some help stepping off the merry-go-round of chaos so you can be more productive? Here's a list of apps and programs I find helpful when trying to juggle the pieces of my busy days. Do you have experience with any of these? What would you add to the list as a must-have to stop the dizzying madness? Toggl A useful time-tracking application, Toggle has both a browser version and a mobile app. An account can be used to track time accrued for internal projects, for example if personnel time...

Some digital marketing is genius. Clever. Memorable (and arguably worthwhile, even without a hard line to ROI).  But some marketing is downright creepy. Or off-putting. Maybe both. Creepy is fun to rant about, so let's do that. There's some 'stupid' thrown in so you can catch some sleep tonight. 10 Ways Your Digital Marketing Creeps Me Out Minutes after registering to access information on your site, my phone rings. It's your sales rep calling, just to see how I'm doing. And he sends me an email...

The best content may well prove meaningless if delivered in the wrong context. In the past, marketers had to settle for saturation of the market, hoping the right people will find their messages at the right times. However, with advances in smart phones and mobile internet usage, it’s now possible for marketers to focus on getting the context right before sharing their content. With data-rich mobile internet browsing, context determines content. Here are four ways context is changing online...

There's this notion that in a fight, the bigger dog (with the longer, gleaming canine teeth) is the one you should put money on. There's some logic to that. After all, weight can be a precursor to strength and the longer the tooth (so to speak), the larger the cutting surface. Plus, the snarling German Shepherd, with his deep, throaty growl  just kind of looks more intimidating than the four pound, yipping doorstopper dog. But there's a saying to keep in mind even as the big dog stereotype makes...

According to CNN, the new social media game changer in 2012 is Pinterest. This virtual pin board focuses on images that users can post to their pin boards that are sorted according to categories. These pin boards are easy to share with friends, include links to the image’s original website, and are effectively driving traffic to websites. Shareaholic, a company that provides tools for content sharing, disclosed that “According to our findings based on aggregated data from more than 200,000...

Great at what you do? Does word of your fantastic service, speed, or skill spread organically like wildfire?  Having a reputation that sells itself is a word-of-mouth objective most business owners dream of. It's the stuff integrated marketing communications and operationalized branding (along with a lot of hard work, engagement, and ingenuity) is born from. But that buzz and interest doesn't amount to a bushel of beans if the brand itself isn't memorable (a tagline can help).  If  people in need...

Guest post by Lior Levin In November, Google launched a competitive product to Facebook’s Fan Pages, called Google+ Brand Pages. Companies can set up Brand Pages to connect with customers and affiliates in the same way that they can with Fan Pages. Brand Pages and Fan Pages, at least in appearance, are incredibly similar. They both feature a primary image, a row of images, a collection of fans/followers, and a stream of updates that can be commented on or shared by those who visit their page. Which...