Posts Tagged ‘Marketing’

12 Ways to Incorporate Social Media into Events

May
2013
15

posted by John Foley, Jr. | on Business, Events, Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Marketing and Communication, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube | No comments

CUPMAC 2012 Attendees with John Foley, Jr.'s Book

If you are attending or exhibiting at an upcoming event, be sure to prepare an online marketing strategy and plan for it.  Whether it is a trade show or conference, events are a great opportunity to build brand awareness and promote your company online.   There are many online channels you can use for event promotion, but we would advise you to begin with social media.  Social media is a key resource for promotion and engagement, and by executing the following steps, you will set your business up for marketing success.

Let’s first take a look at the promotional aspect…

Before the Event:

Create and/or engage in a hashtag. Create buzz by giving the event a special online presence with this way of categorizing tweets.

Does the event have its own social media presence? If so, make your presence known there as well. Post on the Facebook event page, tweet using the event’s account and set up a hashtag.

Make your schedule of events social-friendly. Allow users to “check-in” to venues. Make sure all blog posts related to the event can be easily shared on social networks and via e-mail. The schedule should either be on a dedicated mobile page or on a page that was designed in responsive.

Spread the word elsewhere online. Make sure your colleagues and peers blog about the event and be sure to have an email campaign focused on it, or maybe even a webinar. Press releases are great too.

Keep it conversational. Be sure to ask open-ended questions regarding the event that generate a response. Use social media as an opportunity to gauge interest in the event, take surveys regarding what should be featured, and use it as a forum to field questions. This also gives a chance for companies to retweet users’ responses in order to build a “word-of-mouth” hype.

Keep a countdown running. Don’t overwhelm your followers with information and messages only about the event, but be sure to have it mentioned and remind the users of it daily.

When the big day comes:

Take pictures of everything. Just when you think you’ve taken too many photos- take some more! People want to feel like they’re at the event, almost to the point where they feel like they didn’t miss out at all just by following you on social networks. Document everything as it will provide great blog content for your official site later on. Ask attendees to do the same and post on Twitter using the hashtag.

Take videos of all possible content. If anything, it’s great for your brand’s YouTube channel, but can also liven up a post-event blog entry. Also helps you sell future events.

Make your location known. If you’re attending a large scale event, make sure your followers know exactly where to find you. Tweet what room you’re in, what booth you’re at, and always use the hashtags so people know what you’re referring to. Even landmarks are helpful!

If people aren’t seeing you, MAKE them notice you. Engage with others at the event via social media so they feel compelled to come and find you.  Search the event’s hashtag and interact with those participating so you already have some background with people when you meet in person.

Did you just meet someone you want to remember? Make them remember you. Engaging with and commenting to people via social media is the new “collecting of business cards”. No need to try to remember who you hit it off with at the conference, as long as you stay engaged with them through social networks like Twitter and LinkedIn.

Tell everybody what happened. Write detailed and lively summary blogs for your company, and leave no detail out.

Once it’s all said and done, your company will have not only been an active participant on the conference room floor, but online as well. Promoting events via social media benefits you, your company, and the event.  There’s no better way to consistently engage and converse with others while spreading your brand’s name across multiple channels.

Be sure to incorporate as many of these steps as you can at your next event.  If you need a plan, or even people to help you, contact us for help. Good luck and enjoy!

The 7 Minute Guide To Content Marketing Success

Apr
2013
29

posted by Lou Cimaglia | on Content Marketing | No comments

We all want to be experts in the latest and greatest trends and philosophies in the marketing world. Time is, however, not on our sides to achieve this dream.

Certainly, there is no substitute for hard work and practical application, but we all need a little push. This guide – a quick, seven-minute read – is designed to provide you with all of the building blocks you need to begin your trek towards content marketing success.

1. Understand The Definition, Benefits

As with anything in business, taking on a new endeavor requires an investment of resources. One will give up on content marketing if the goal is not clearly illustrated.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing, “is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”

Four Stats To Motivate You

  • 90% of consumers find custom content useful
  • 80% of business decision makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement
  • 70% say content marketing creates a more personal attachment to the sponsoring company
  • 60% say custom content creates a positive perception
  • Source

In short, content marketing is a value to your audience, and fosters positive and personal connections to your brand which, in turn, can lead to increased sales and brand loyalty.

 

Click on the compass to download our Content Marketing White Paper - the 10 guiding principles you need to navigate content marketing.

2. Define Your Goals, Capabilities

Creating custom content, as you will discover, is time-consuming and challenging. And this is coming from someone who is paid to sit down and create content. If you run a bakery, automotive shop, non-profit or some other enterprise, creating content is not in your job description.

Assign benchmarks for yourself to hit. And create these benchmarks within the framework of a content calendar. If you do not allot yourself time and due dates for content, you will neglect, and eventually, abandon it.

A calendar should take into consideration your capabilities and aspirations. It should contain:

  • What days of the week or month you plan on posting
  • What type of content you plan on creating
  • How you plan on distributing this content

For a small shop, start small. Plan on posting twice a month. Nothing overwhelming, simply a starting point. Master the fundamentals before worrying about search engine optimization, mobile rendering, or anything like that.

Content is king, address that first.

3. Familiarize Yourself With Different Styles Of Content

The next Great American Novel is not your end goal.

Do not be handcuffed by the notion of text as the only form of content. Some industries in particular, such as dining or travel, are best suited to keep text to a minimum.

Writing is a difficult and increasingly rare skill to find. Your staff may not possess someone well-versed in crafting text and editing copy. And that is okay.

There are a slew of methods that companies large and small use to perform content marketing. Here are three resources for you to check out.

Take pictures. Shoot video. Interview your customers. Whatever you do, make sure it is being consumed and enjoyed by your audience.

4. Forming Habits

For all the research and prep work you do, it is all rendered moot if you do not sit down and do it. Whatever inspires you to create – tap into it and use it to your advantage. Pick a date and make that the day you post. Consistency is key.

Here are three posts that will help you build your content marketing strategy:

Recall that content marketing is meant to drive customer behavior. Having a consistently updated site is essential for this to occur. Your brand should be a promise that is constantly delivered. Be reliable.

5. Leads And Measurement

Like all marketing, you must be cognizant of measurements and metrics that your efforts produce.

Your website should have capabilities to capture interested readers and allow them a venue to share their contact information for you to follow up with. This brings the conversation full circle. They consume the content that you work so hard to create, and in turn, they will be more interested in doing business with you.

The more successful a particular piece of content is, the more leads you will garner. Use measurement tools to see which content is most preferred by your audience. Always be honing in on what works and what doesn’t. As you continue to boil down your processes, don’t be afraid to replicate what works.

As you master the fundamentals of content marketing, you can then dive into sharing this content on social media, optimizing your SEO strategy, creating mobile content, and more advanced marketing techniques.

Start slow, aim high, and don’t stop.

 

Download our free Inbound Marketing White Paper to learn more about generating and capturing qualified leads.

 

3 Things Brands Can Learn From Kmart

Apr
2013
26

posted by Kelly O'Halloran | on Marketing and Communication | 1 comment

Kelly

Kmart’s new ad might just make you want to ship your pants laughing.

If you haven’t watched it yet, you should. The video centers around the phrase “ship my pants.” When spoken out loud, “ship my pants” sounds a whole lot like something else—go ahead, say it!—and the repetition of the line throughout the video is unexpectedly hilarious.

The video, posted online on April 10th, already has garnered over 15 million views, 20,000 shares on Facebook, and nearly 40,000 comments.

The ad promotes Kmart’s Shop Your Way program, which allows customers to ship items they can’t find in store to their homes for free. The commercial starts off with a man being told about this new service, and his stunned reaction: “Ship my pants? Right here?”

An elderly shopper chimes in, “I just shipped my pants, and it’s very convenient.” Other customers mention that they have shipped their drawers, a nightgown, and even a bed.

It may be juvenile but, for me, the “potty-mouth” punch line just doesn’t get old. I literally have watched the 30 second video 5 times today.

But what can this video teach brands about marketing?

Sure, I love the ad because it makes me laugh like I’m 5-years-old again, but I also think it’s great from a marketing perspective. Let me break down a few of my takeaways:

Lesson 1: Give Them Something To Talk About

I’m going to throw it out there: Kmart is not cool.

I haven’t stepped foot in one in over a decade, so I don’t actually know anything about Kmart; I just assume it’s on the outs because I never hear people talk about it. This has been bad news for Kmart.

After watching this video though, I’m starting to wonder: What is Kmart like? I kind of want to go check it out this weekend and find out…

With retail giants like Walmart and Target taking over, Kmart seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. But I truly believe this ad could help put Kmart back on the map, because I know I’m not the only one loving it. So far this week, four of my friends have posted it on Facebook.

Sure, it was a risk on Kmart’s part—humor is difficult to achieve in advertising—but millions of people are laughing and sharing the video. And, more importantly, people are talking about Kmart again.

Lesson learned: Even the most irrelevant of brands can put themselves back on the radar with a hip campaign that gets people talking. Chances are a significant portion of these people will convert to customers.

Lesson 2: Haters Gonna Hate

Like I mentioned above, this ad was a risk for Kmart. Not just because humor isn’t easy in advertising, but also because…not everyone loves bathroom humor. In fact, One Millions Moms hates it.

Luckily for Kmart, One Million Moms is the name of the organization and not the actual number of moms in it. The group (which actually is only made up of a few thousand) wrote on their website last week that the ad is “disgusting” and “ridiculous” and “should be pulled off the air immediately.”

Can’t please everyone, right?

If you create a commercial with a risqué joke, some people will love it, some will be neutral, and others—like One Millions Moms—might be upset over it. But when you’re an increasingly unpopular brand, you’ve got to take a risk and do something different to get noticed.

Lesson learned: In the end, haters are going to hate. I think it’s better for Kmart to attract the attention of millions even if they have to risk that they may anger a few thousand.  As they say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity…

(Side note: In some cases, I think some publicity really is bad publicity. Like this example. Or this.)

Lesson 3: Social Goes A Long Way

Not only did Kmart create the “Ship My Pants” video, but they also began Tweeting #ShipMyPants and the hashtag flew around Twitter. Conversations ensued:

I love that Kmart created a hashtag campaign around this too. Again, it’s getting people talking about their store…and it’s funny!

Kmart also impressed me with their social media etiquette. Upon seeing this video, I tweeted at Kmart this morning:

Almost immediately they replied:

You’d be surprised by how many brands are on Twitter and don’t reply when people mention them. Kmart did, and Kmart did it quickly. I know I’m probably biased because I work with social media, but I really do look at Kmart in a whole new way now because of this.

Lesson learned: Use Kmart as an example of social media marketing done right. Creating a clever hashtag around a marketing campaign can lead to positive conversations about your brand—and engaging with and thanking people online can boost your brand’s image.

What do you think? Do you think this campaign goes over the line? Or do you find the commercial just as funny as I do?

What I Learned From The Duck Song

Apr
2013
24

posted by Sam Lake | on Business | No comments

Duck Song

While my family was visiting a few weeks ago, my four year old niece and I were surfing YouTube trying to find some videos to watch. During her fast and furious link clicking she stumbled upon “The Duck Song” (watch it below before reading any further).

You might be wondering why I had you watch that silly little video about a duck asking for grapes. Watch it again, this time pretend the lemonade stand owner is a printer and the duck is a customer. The duck is asking for something very specific that the man doesn’t have. Instead of asking questions to find out why the duck wants grapes the man tries to get the duck to buy lemonade. His approach fails each time and the duck walks away.

How many times have you said to a customer, “no, but…”. If you have ever said this you are the lemonade stand owner. This should never be your first response when a customer is asking for something you don’t have. Always ask questions to learn more about the problem, and then decide if your services can provide them a solution.

Back to the video. Towards the end the man comes up with the perfect solution – he will go buy the duck some grapes. So they walk to the store and he buys the duck some grapes, to which the duck replies, “no thanks,” and then asks for some lemonade. At first it might just seem like this duck is being a jokester, but I will argue that the problem was the man running the stand. He never asked any questions to find out why the duck said he wanted grapes, instead he wasted his time trying to sell him lemonade and then wasted money on purchasing something that didn’t make his customer happy.

Often times customers think they know what they want, but it is up to the experts to ask questions to ensure what they are asking for and what they want are the same thing.

Don’t be the lemonade stand owner and purchase equipment or software because you think that is what the customer wants. Talk to your customers and find out what their problems are and then offer services that will provide them with solutions.

Because unlike this duck your customers aren’t likely to ask you for a service more than once.

Questions You Should Be Asking Your Customers -

  • How often do you…
  • What kind of …
  • Does your current …
  • What’s the most important thing to you about…
  • What are your strategies (or plans) right now?
  • What is one of the top three priorities you have right now in your company?
  • Can you tell me more about this situation?
  • How’s your business doing?
  • What, specifically, do you want to accomplish?
  • What are the top issues facing your business?
  • What is your biggest concern?
  • What are your key business initiatives?
  • What are your long short and long term goals?

Interested in transforming your business? John Foley, Jr. has written an entire book about it. Click here to get your copy. > >

Reaching Your Customers With QR Codes

Apr
2013
22

posted by Donna Vieira | on Mobile | No comments

grow socially, donna vieira, mobile marketing, qr code generator, qreate and track, qr code

What is a QR Code? Good question.

Quick Response Codes (aka QR Codes) allow you to send the viewer directly to a targeted site to learn more about you, receive an offer, view a video or download your contact information.  QR codes have been very popular in Japan for years, but recently they have begun gaining in popularity in the US.

Let’s back up for a second and talk a bit about barcode’s in general. In theory, all barcodes are quick response. The traditional 39 barcodes are on just about every package in the country.  When scanned, they elicit a response – typically the cost of the product into the POS (point of sale) system.

Click Here To Download Our Free White Paper To Increase The Impact of your printed material and increase leads and qualified responses. > >

The technology has been around for a long time and while simple, its purpose has always worked well as POS systems have evolved. All it takes is an inexpensive scanner and software to read the information and the design is universal. So what is the difference between a 39 barcode and a QR code? Well, just about everything.

QR codes are built to be scanned by mobile devices, so their content is exclusively for mobile devices. The benefit of this is that you are literally putting your words or experience into their hands via their smart phone.

If your website is mobile compatible  (either via an http://m.site or a mobile compatible site without Java, etc), then you can have your QR code link directly to it via a tracking link or a landing page so you know where the traffic is coming from. You can also build sites that are specifically designed for mobile.

But, that is just the tip of the iceberg; QR codes on business cards are now becoming increasingly popular and there are a few things that these can link to.  The simplest of them are either a specific landing page on your website or your contact information which would prefill into their address book. But what about a video?

With digital printing technologies, you can print small quantities for specific events and tailor the QR code to that event.

For example, why not record a video telling them how nice it was to meet them at the Acme Expo and a little about yourself? This provides them with an experience that leaves a memorable impression (and reminds them why they liked you so much in the first place!)  Additionally, QR codes can be used on direct mail pieces and advertisements to provide the recipient with promotions that can only be redeemed by showing their mobile phone at your business.

Now of course, there is a downside to QR codes as well but it’s not a big one. In order to read a QR code, you must have a smart phone with a camera and either download an application to your phone (we recommend Laser Beam LTE). Due to the fact that QR codes have not t been widely adopted in the US as of yet, many people opt to put a small graphic explaining what to do with the code.

Because QR codes are not packaging barcodes like 39 barcodes, there is no requirement for people to do something with them – they are simply value-adds.  They are being used in some warehouses for inventory purposes as they allow more information to be stored, but those companies already have scanners to read them.

At the end of the day, what’s important is to consider your core audience or target market to determine if QR codes can make a difference in your business. Most businesses can find a way to use them that will radically change their interaction with customers. In the midst of this economy, it is important to engage your customers and be interactive not reactive.

The uses for QR codes are practically endless; it’s just about your imagination.

We have everything you need to know about mobile marketing in one free, easy download. Download our White Paper! > >

A Burrito Battle For Twitter Supremacy

Apr
2013
03

posted by Lou Cimaglia | on Twitter | No comments

There is nothing quite as satisfying as taking a freshly constructed burrito, heaped with the finest ingredients, and promptly shoving it into your face.

Chipotle, Qdoba and boloco are three of the biggest burrito chains in the country. What you may not know is that these three brands do more than just build tortilla-wrapped monsters – they tweet. Like pros.

Because we fancy ourselves burrito and Twitter connoisseurs, we’ve decided to break down the Big 3 and see who really reigns supreme.

boloco

@boloco

Twitter Followers: 10,561

Strategy:

The smallest of the chains, Boloco has an incredibly conversational style of tweeting. The company is entrenched in the Boston college scene, mentioning Tufts, Suffolk, Harvard, Northeastern and more in the past few days.

They average 3-5 tweets a day, ranging from ingredient information to behind the scenes Instagram pictures.

And they’re generous. Scroll through the boloco feed and you’ll see the amount of free burritos they are giving away.

Tweets To See:

boloco

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Chipotle

@ChipotleTweets

Twitter Followers: 173, 928

Strategy:

Chipotle’s Twitter page is like a customer service desk – and no question goes unanswered. Dozens of questions are answered in real time, with a Chipotle staffer signing off after each tweet.

The company tweets once a week as themselves, not in reply to a customer question. They receive terrific engagement on virtually every post – certainly in large part to the massive following they have accrued.

Tweets To See:

———————————————————————————————-

 

Qdoba

@QdobaMexGrill

Twitter Followers: 18,322

Strategy:

Qdoba is also very responsive to its audience – and maintains a very upbeat tone throughout the timeline.

Qdoba is somewhere in between its counterparts in terms of humor and personality. The tone is very conversational, and the followers clearly love them some Qdoba.

Tweets To See:

———————————————————————————————-

So, the question remains, who reigns supreme? Who has the best burrito? Who tweets like a champ? Who has the best fans?

Sound off in the comments!

Webinars On The Horizon For Grow Socially

Mar
2013
22

posted by Lou Cimaglia | on Events | No comments

Social Networking: If You Build It, Will They Come?

Angelika Lipkin and John Foley, Jr.

Tuesday, March 26

2:00 pm EST

On Tuesday, March 26, at 2:00 pm EST, Grow Socially CEO John Foley, Jr. will be co-presenting a webinar with Higher Logic Manager of Strategic Partnerships, Angelika Lipkin.

They will be conducting an interactive discussion on strategies to help brands succeed with social networks.

The webinar, entitled “Social Networking: If You Build It, Will They Come?” aims to offer insight on social media, and the most effective practices for using it to build awareness and value.

“I’m so excited to be partnering with Higher Logic for this webinar,” said Foley. “They have been helping associations grow and have really been pioneers. This webinar is just another great item they can supply their members with.”

Among the topics covered will be:

  • Building engaged communities on social networks
  • Discovering and leveraging relevant analytics
  • Sharing user-friendly content
  • Social media in the sales process

Register Here > > >

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Rebuilding Your Print Business Without Killing Your Profits

Dr. Joe Webb and Wayne Lynn

April 3, 2013

2:00 pm EST

Dr. Webb and former CEO Lynn will discuss essential aspects of a revitalized printing business. Participants will be offered ideas that can be immediately applied to their business transformation efforts.

Joe Webb

“Managing daily operations and charting a new future at the same time can be difficult,” said Dr. Webb. “Wayne Lynn and I will offer practical hands-on advice to owners who will benefit from realism and insight in approaching these tasks.”

Mr. Lynn believes there are basic questions the CEO must answer, saying, “They need to know what will change in the way they view their businesses; determine if a transformation is really required; explore their personal role and the commitment to a transformation; and judge how to secure the resources needed.”

 

Register Here > > >

Is My Business Reputation In Trouble?

Mar
2013
20

posted by Peter Walters | on Marketing and Communication | No comments

Flower

Guest Post: Peter Walters is a blogger who writes about a variety of topics, including reputation for business. He can be reached at peterbwalters@gmail.com

Your online reputation is like a delicate flower.

If you neglect it, it will wither and die quickly. This applies to you, too, if you fail to keep your business reputation in mind. Managing the reputation for your business starts and ends with the courtesy that you and your employees pay your customers, both on and offline.

The rise of the Internet, social media and rating websites like Yelp, Angie’s List, and of course Google, have made online reputation essential. Before hiring contractors, visiting a new doctor or even going to a new restaurant, people are always searching for reviews and ratings. Just one big slip up with a customer can have serious implications for the future reputation for your business.

Here are some common questions that founders ask everyday about their online business reputations:

How can I as a small business owner avoid these problems with reputation?

The cliche “the customer is always right,” may or may not be true. However, you should treat it as though it were. A bad interaction with a customer could have serious consequences for your business.

Here are a few tips to help:

  • Take customer support very seriously.

Without your customers you have nothing but a warehouse full of products no one will buy, or a service no one trusts. Your customers are the only reason you’re still in business today. Be professional, kind and courteous with all of them– even if they are rude.

  • Do not respond to a frustrated customer publically.

The last thing you want to start is a “yelling” match with a customer. Nothing says unprofessional like a desperate CEO writing long comments to someone on a blog, or Yelp review. Keep it private. E-mail the customer privately, make things better at all costs, and then politely ask them to remove or update their comment.

How do I know if people are saying negative things about my business or myself online?

Conversations are happening 24/7 on the web. Here are some simple (and free) ways for staying on top of the issues that are relevant to you and your business.

  • Setup Google Alerts for your business name.

Keep your eyes peeled for articles, blog posts and comments about your company, or other keywords surrounding it. Every time someone mentions your business Google will send you an email alert. Feel free to set up alerts about your competitors also! *Keep in mind that Google Alerts does not work well to search social media platforms.

  • Real time Conversation search.

TweetDeck is a great way to keep tabs on various keywords on Twitter. It’s great because it lets you search for any keyword you’d like, and save those searches for future use. There’s always conversations happening around brands and products on social media. Be sure to get involved here. Always keep things positive, and solve customer problems promptly as much as possible. The best part about TweetDeck? You can track as many keywords as you’d like simultaneously!

How can I combat negative comments about my business online?

There are lots of things you could do here. Ignore them, delete them, respond in kind, or simply apologize. Unfortunately, all of these options are limited. The best thing you can do?

  • Apologize and solve the problem.

You’re trying to say “we hear your complaint, it’s totally understandable, and here’s what we’re doing to solve/correct the issue”. How you deal with just one frustrated customer could end in one of two ways: they either write scathing reviews all over the web about you and your company, or you convert them into a very happy, satisfied customer who may even share the good story with their friends!

In the end, there is no easy way to manage your business reputation.

Be vigilant and keep your eyes open. Social media, review sites and blogs are all likely places for comments– both good and bad, to show up.

Respond and fix all issues as soon as possible and you’ll be just fine.

Learn more about Grow Socially with this free White Paper > > >

About the Author: Peter Walters is a blogger who writes about a variety of topics, including reputation for business. He can be reached at peterbwalters@gmail.com

 

The Pyramid Of Marketing Success

Mar
2013
12

posted by Lou Cimaglia | on Business, Marketing and Communication | No comments

One of the greatest tools ever created for anyone in business is the Pyramid Of Success, perfected by John Wooden, the legendary UCLA men’s basketball coach.

Coach Wooden, who won 10 national championships, including seven in a row, is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches, teachers and mentors of our time.

His pyramid was the crux of his philosophy, and highly adaptable. And it got me to thinking. What if the pyramid was created strictly for marketing? After careful deliberation and thoughtful placement, the Pyramid Of Marketing Success was born.

We will begin at the foundation.

Diligence

There were a wide array of words that could have fit here: hard work, industriousness, consistent, etc.

However, “diligence” implies more than simply working hard. Diligence extends beyond the office. Diligence applies to the tasks at hand during business hours, and the quality they should be executed with.

Additionally, one should be diligent regarding industry updates and new trends. A successful marketer cannot exist in a vacuum. One must be constantly learning, working hard to grow and refine skills.

Enthusiasm

One step above diligence is enthusiasm. Enthusiasm comes second because not everyone is eager to go to work, but still work hard. But their final product will always lack in some, potentially impossible to quantify manner.

Enthusiasm is a necessity for truly successful marketing. If the marketer does not believe in the product being promoted, why should the consumer? Consider your own occupational past. Certainly you have had jobs that you didn’t enjoy, but still showed up, punched the clock and worked at it.

While some believe work and personal life should be separate, there are benefits to sharing passions in both spaces. Working on what you love will only enhance the final product.

Humility

Humility lies squarely in the middle of the pyramid. This is because, as a marketer, failure is inevitable. There will be email campaigns with poor response rates. There will be product launches that fall flat. Tweets will go unnoticed.

Occupational hazards of the marketer.

However, there is no shame in going back to the drawing board, admitting defeat, and beginning the uphill climb of understanding the consumer just a little better. Customers are always changing as a result of emerging technologies and shifting priorities. The marketer can never be abreast of all of them.

Being humble will soften the sting of and lead to future creativity. Being diligent and enthusiastic can become tiresome if one is not willing to relinquish infallibility.

Talent

Look around you. Marketing and advertising are everywhere. From the labels of your favorite soda to the sponsored posts on your Facebook news feed, there is someone trying to get your attention.

Managers and C-level executives have a responsibility to hire the most skilled employees they can. John Wooden once said, “I’d rather have a lot of talent and little experience than a lot of experience and little talent.”

Have faith in your organizational structure to achieve desired outcomes as a result of talented people doing what they do best. There is an insurmountable wall of marketing out there, hire the best and brightest to break through that clutter – championing your brand as a result.

Courage

There is no substitute for originality. There is no formula for successful marketing. But a page of static, black and white text has never gone viral.

Be bold enough to take calculated risks as a marketer. Make a decision, execute it with conviction, and follow through. Dare to differentiate.

Success

Notice there is no point at the top of the pyramid. A point would signify an end, an apex, a finish. In marketing, there is no finish line.

Success is a never ending pursuit of progress, not perfection. As you continually refine your processes, be fastidious in your note taking.

Whatever your venture, work to the best of your ability. You cannot control the market, your competitors, or your clientele. You can control your product, your office, and your culture.

Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable. – John Wooden

Let your work speak for itself.

4 Tips On The Importance Of White Space

Mar
2013
07

posted by Kerri Stinson | on Web Design | No comments

Kerri

The proper message is only as good as the design it is incorporated in.

When communicating a message, the content is the necessary – but a good design is crucial.

For instance, no matter how strong the message is, people may dismiss it entirely because it was delivered using a poor design.

When it comes to designing any piece of collateral, whether it is online or in print, a designer’s best friend truly is white space.

Check out these four reasons why white space should be incorporated into any designed element.

1. Clutter Equals Confusion

It is frowned upon to jam pack keywords into your website, and it is equally egregious to include as many elements on a web page.

One of the many drawbacks to including too many elements onto a page is that it causes visual confusion. As a result, viewers won’t know where to focus their attention and they are more likely to leave the site and never return.

By incorporating white space, it will diminish the confusion by adding simplicity to the overall design -making it easier to focus on the important elements.

2. Legibility

If the area around your message is convoluted, it will make the reception of the message much more difficult.

As a result, it is important to utilize white space to create breathing room around any given element to draw emphasis to the most important parts of the page.

Also, white space creates an automatic frame around the components, producing a natural outline that will draw eyes to those particular areas.

3. Increase Interaction

The natural framework created by white space impacts how page elements, such as calls to action, are laid out.

Also, this framework can be used to highlight the overall message, which should clearly outline how people should proceed through the site.

For instance, when executed properly, this framework should produce a flow from one element to the next, causing people to follow a natural progression to the most important elements on the page.

4. It’s Not Just White

Even with all of these compelling reasons to incorporate white space into a design, many people are still hesitant to do so.

One of the reasons that people stay clear of white space is because they view white as being boring. However, another term for white space is “negative space,” which means that the design includes open space around the element.

With that being said, this negative space does not limit you to just white. It is acceptable to use color to create negative areas so long that it is done in moderation and does not detract from the overall message and the other elements in the design.

Remember, when designing any piece of marketing collateral, less is more!

For more design tips, check out:

5 Tips For A Killer Homepage

The Future Of Web Design Is Responsive

 

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