I love a good tradeshow. Perhaps that is because I am by nature a people-person, but I also believe that there is something for everyone at such an event. That’s because conferences, when leveraged correctly, can serve as a powerful content marketing vehicle for garnering leads—something that every business leader, regardless of personality type, enjoys. I spent some time yesterday at The Small Business Expo 2014 in New York City where I was reminded of some simple, yet often forgotten, tips and tricks for maximizing leads and making the most out of every tradeshow experience: Continue reading “Unconventional Tradeshow Tips and Tricks for Increasing Leads”
All Content Marketers Need To See ‘The Lego Movie’
I’m not sure they actually exist, but it’s entirely possible there are individuals out there who don’t like Legos. Still, Legos are awesome, and most people I would imagine agree.
If you’ve not seen The Lego Movie, you’re missing out. In fact, it’s my humble opinion that the film should be required viewing for all content marketers.
Don’t worry, I won’t spoil the movie for you. Suffice it to say that it’s fantastic, it involves lots of Lego-related animation—from fight scenes to Batman to explosions—and it’s appropriate for viewers of all ages.
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10 Best Practices for Launching a Product
Your company needs to make waves this year. Perhaps campaigns took a tumble or initiatives fell off the radar. As a way of getting back on track, your boss comes into your office and explains that the company is planning to roll out a huge new product. This is make-or-break for your company, and guess who he’s entrusting with the product launch? You.
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The ‘24’ Reboot: What Can Your Brand Learn?
Jack Bauer is no stranger to risky moves. Heck he took down President of the United States Charles Logan in Season 5 of “24”; he has managed to come back from the dead—literally—several times; and he has withstood torture as if it was a part of his job description.
This May, the producers of “24” made a risky move of their own when they tried to resurrect the cult phenomenon—a TV show that ended four years ago after 10 years and eight seasons. On May 5, “24: Live Another Day” premiered, a 12-week mini-series that picks up with Jack Bauer’s life four years after the series finale.
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Three Signs you’re in a Writing Slump
We’ve all been there—staring helplessly at the computer screen, resting your fingers limply on the keyboard and willing words to start magically appearing on the screen. It is writer’s block at its best and it is the evil of all evil for marketers. That’s because our job depends on our ability to put pen to paper, redefine originality and string together a series of nouns, verbs and adjectives in such a way that harmony is struck.
So what do you do when your brain starts to enter the “nothing box?” And, even worse, how do you avoid falling into a writer’s slump without noticing it? Let’s take a look at three tell tale signs that you might be slacking when it comes to your copy creation:
The ‘Spoiler Effect’ and How It Can Transform Your Content
I love “Game of Thrones,” “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead.” At a glance these series seem to have absolutely nothing in common, but they do have one common denominator: they have the “spoiler effect.”
I’ve been seeing the “S” word everywhere lately, especially with the fourth season of “Game of Thrones” now at full speed. Every website you visit, radio station you tune into and tweet you see contains some sort of clause warning: “Spoilers ahead! Do not continue if you have not watched yet!” The fear that someone will stumble upon a juicy online review or overhear a spoiler-filled conversation has become a very real one. We’ve all probably seen irate fans share rants on social media about how people need to respect the fact that others haven’t caught up yet. This still happens even for “Breaking Bad”—whose series finale aired last September.
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Maxwell House Proves the Importance of Never Resting on One’s Laurels
Coffee lovers around the world are certainly familiar with Maxwell House, and though it’s not my personal favorite coffee—I’m looking at you, Peet’s—I’ve certainly gotten through many-a morning sipping it. Though a household name, Maxwell House decided to cut its advertising budget to $7.8 million last year, a substantial decrease from the $38.4 million the Kraft Foods-owned company spent in 2010.
But the company apparently learned a lesson quickly: In marketing, you can never rest on your laurels and must always strive to push the envelope and continue to be aggressive. Having seemingly learned its lesson, Maxwell House recently announced that it plans to spend between $20 million and $25 million on its marketing efforts this year. What’s more, the company has high hopes for its investment as it plans to “grow [the advertising budget] through growing sales, reinvesting it back in the business,” according to Chris McClement, senior director for Maxwell House.
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Three Reasons Your Marketing Employees Need to be Smarter than You
Some of the most influential entrepreneurs and business tycoons out there—think Steve Jobs, Thomas John Watson, Sr., and David Oglivy—have revealed the secret to their success: Staff your company with employees who are smarter than you. Be comfortable being the “dumbest” person in the conference room. Don’t be afraid of that powerhouse employee who encourages you to challenge the status quo and redefine existing business practices.
“Never hire someone who knows less than you do about what he’s hired to do,” contends Malcolm Forbes, former publisher of Forbes.
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What’s Sweet for You is Sweeter for Sprinkles: The Marketing Strategy Behind the Company’s Cupcake ATMs
For anyone who has ever been in “The City that Never Sleeps,” you can certainly relate. You are coming back from an event late at night—be it a Broadway show, a night out at the bar, a high school reunion… you name it—when your stomach starts grumbling. You begin to mentally scroll through a list of possible diners, delis and food carts that may still be open at this ungodly hour. But the truth is you don’t want to consume your calories in Big Mac form. Rather, you want something delectably sweet.
Big Apple desert aficionados everywhere are delighting in the fact that Sprinkles Cupcakes, the innovators of the world’s first cupcake bakery, has brought its 24-hour Cupcake ATMs to the Upper East Side. The company already boasts ATMs in Beverly Hills, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and Las Vegas—all of which have attracted attention from A-list celebrities like Jay Leno and Wolf Blitzer as well as countless media outlets. New Yorkers couldn’t wait to get their hands on these yummy treats.
Give Your Content Marketing Strategy its ‘One Shining Moment’
Tonight’s the night—the NCAA championship game where either a No. 7 or 8 seed will walk away with the national title. This past Saturday night we watched a riveting game between UConn and Florida and witnessed Kentucky win yet another thriller, this time besting Wisconsin by a point. Now it all comes to a head tonight when UConn and Kentucky will go head to head for the title.
After the winner is declared, however, another March Madness tradition will take place: “One Shining Moment.” The song is annually played as the winning team’s players cut down the nets to a Montage of highlights and best plays from the tournament (watch last year’s “One Shining Moment” video below). There are some interesting gems that can be extracted from this video. Ready to take some post-March Madness inspiration and apply it to your company’s content marketing strategy?
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