My monthly car wash ritual is the same every time. I plan for the entire process to take 20 minutes tops, in and out. After the interior vacuuming is said and done and the wet wipe is quickly applied to the interior, the half way mark is purchasing the “new car” scented tree. The final part is easy; just pull up to the grumpy underpaid worker holding an insane amount of dollar bills, pay and tip him and I’m out. Seems simple right?
Not today. A new overly energetic college kid jumped in front of my car and skipped his way to my window to immediately inform me of the four choices they now offer. The ultimate wash (guaranteed for seven days!); the wheel blaster wash; the clear coat application wash; and the rust protector wash (or the basic water and soap wash).
Why Content Marketing Makes Sense
If you had the choice to interrupt your customers or to provide them with enriching content which just so happened to capture their attention, which would you choose?
Such is the difference between traditional marketing—billboards, radio spots, television commercials and newspaper ads—and content marketing. Whereas the former aims to grab a hold of the viewer’s attention for a brief moment, the latter seeks to provide the same viewer with multiple forms of valuable content in order to help build and grow a long-term relationship. Traditional marketing is expensive and provides not much more than a distraction. Content marketing offers valuable information and entertainment which lasts longer and can be shared on social networks with ease.
In light of this, it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that businesses are increasingly looking toward upping their content marketing efforts. According to Jonathan Lister, who oversees the North American advertising sales and operations for LinkedIn, 18.9 percent of marketers focused primarily on content marketing in 2012. In 2013, that number has jumped to 34.8 percent. Continue reading “Why Content Marketing Makes Sense”
How to Avoid Becoming the MOST Annoying Person on Twitter
Think of the most annoying person you know. Give them access to the Internet and a Twitter handle and undoubtedly their ability to bother you will multiple by 100. Whether it’s your mom posting embarrassing baby pictures of you and your sister on #tbt (or Throw Back Thursday) (sorry mom) or your former college roommate jabbering on and on about politics—we all have that one person we wished never joined Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google+… the list goes on.
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Kitchen Nightmares Restaurant’s Colossal Meltdown – How NOT to Do Social
Everything you shouldn’t do when executing your social media strategy can be exemplified in one not-so-pretty package: Amy’s Baking Company.
In case you missed it, Amy’s Baking Company made quite the impression on viewers when the restaurant appeared on Gordon Ramsay’s reality TV show Kitchen Nightmares. The husband- wife duo, Samy and Amy tell Ramsay—no more than five minutes after arriving—that “There are a lot of online bullies and haters and bloggers. We stand up to them and I think we are the only ones that ever have as restaurant owners. They come and try to attack us and say horrible things that are not true because they are used to eating processed wood chips.” A baffled Ramsey later learns there is much more to the story. This was the first restaurant he has given up on before the “rehabilitation” phase which includes suggestions on how to improve the restaurant’s food, wait staff and bottom line.
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The Imminent Ubiquity of Content Marketing: What Happens Next?
Content Marketing Institute Founder Joe Pulizzi explores a really interesting question in one of his more recent blog posts: Once all brands have started embracing content marketing, what happens next?
Ah, the great old question of what comes next.
We certainly all asked it a few decades ago when the world was first introduced to the mobile phone. And while bulky and hefty, we quickly watched as it paved the way for the dominance of smartphones, apps and the BYOD revolution. Fast forward to today and the competition for your consumer-ready hands is fierce.
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Ahh, Coke’s New Marketing Campaign Makes Me Thirsty
This is the age of the mobile device. The days of print advertisements wane in the rearview as we now drive down the highways of the future.
In order to stay fresh and relevant, firms need to rethink their marketing strategies if they want to connect with and convert a target market that is always evolving.
And the fine folks at Coca Cola seem to have done just that.
I don’t even drink Coke—I’m more of a water-and-coffee-drinking guy—but there I was on a Friday afternoon, staring at a virtual paper cup bearing the soft drink company’s logo. The cup was shifting back and forth across my computer screen, and I was charged with pulling back a virtual sling shot and trying to aim a virtual ice cube into the cup in order keep its virtual contents at the perfect temperature of 37 degrees. Continue reading “Ahh, Coke’s New Marketing Campaign Makes Me Thirsty”
Are You Just Waking Up to Content Marketing?
In Washington Irving’s classic tale Rip Van Winkle, a young man leaves his home along the Hudson River for a sojourn into the Catskill Mountains where he encounters a group of strange, bearded men. As the story goes, Rip proceeds to drink their liquor, and soon falls into a deep slumber.
When Rip finally wakes up, the world around him seems like a very different place. He is startled to learn that he too has grown a long beard. The stock of his gun has rotted away, and his dog has run off. This is because Rip did not sleep for just one night—he was out cold for 20 years. Confusion mounts as Rip walks into town and discovers how everything around him has changed. Continue reading “Are You Just Waking Up to Content Marketing?”
What Did You Just Say?
We’re all looking to differentiate ourselves; it’s essentially a top goal of content marketing.
We’ve all been given the same advice from marketing managers: “stand apart,” “have a cutting edge,” “make a difference”…but how 
exactly are we living up to these expectations? What is it that enables us to stand apart when compared to the mound of competitors striving to do just the same?
A piece of this puzzle is found in the way we speak.
Don’t Be the Pushy Salesman
You’ve experienced it a hundred times before – you walk into a store and are immediately bombarded by a slew of salespeople asking questions about what you’re looking for and directing you to their current promotion. Like most people, I want to immediately walk out.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you’ve probably experienced helpful sales staff. They let you take a minute to look around and settle in before approaching you and answer your questions not because they’re looking for a sale, but because they genuinely want to educate you about a product. I don’t know about you, but those are the brands I recommend to others and return to again and again.
Afraid of Striking out at the Content Marketing Game? Don’t Be
When we think about fear, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s iconic statement from his first inaugural address undoubtedly comes to mind: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
It’s an incredibly simple but powerful statement. After all, why fear something that is out of our control? Why play the “what if” game instead of simply living life? We spend so much time worrying about something that can happen as opposed to just dealing with adversity when it comes our way.
Continue reading “Afraid of Striking out at the Content Marketing Game? Don’t Be”