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Major Brand Thinking Out of the Box on Social Media

Today’s brands are savvy. They’re utilizing social media to handle customer service requests and to connect intimately with customers where they hang out most. But some brands are taking it to the next level, pushing the envelope on what social media can truly accomplish.

marcjacobsFashion icon Marc Jacobs recently finished up his second casting call for a new ad campaign through social media, and the results were impressive. Aspiring models were encouraged to post photos of themselves through Instagram and Twitter, using hashtag #castmemarc to become the new face of Marc by Marc Jacobs. Over 70,000 hopefuls entered during the one week casting period, eager to be part of an ad campaign for one of today’s hottest fashion brands. Eligible participants were narrowed down to the final 50, then 30, and finally nine lucky winners. Marc Jacobs got fresh new faces for their campaign, and nine aspiring models got a chance to build their careers: a win-win. Continue reading “Major Brand Thinking Out of the Box on Social Media”

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Food For Thought: Why Every Restaurant Should Put Content On The Menu This Weekend

Listen up, restaurant owners: It’s Friday afternoon, which means right now, many of your potential customers are working up an appetite, trying to decide where to head tonight to unwind and grab a bite to eat. Friday is one of the busiest nights of the week for your business, so you’ll want to capitalize on the opportunity and make sure there is a line running out the door in your establishment and not a row of empty seats.

shutterstock_239356252If you want to accomplish this goal of a packed house, don’t wait for customers to come knocking on your door tonight. Restaurant-goers are already browsing their mobile devices, trying to decide whether they want to indulge in Korean, Italian, Mexican, Japanese or American cuisine. If your business does not have a robust digital presence, you could risk losing customers to competitors this evening. Continue reading “Food For Thought: Why Every Restaurant Should Put Content On The Menu This Weekend”

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Chipotle: The Latest Victim of a Social Media Hack

In case you missed it, over the weekend Chipotle Mexican Grill’s official Twitter account (@ChipotleTweets) was overtaken by hackers and used to spread a multitude of racist and hateful tweets across the Web. The hack occurred late Saturday evening, and extended until the early hours of Sunday morning.

shutterstock_229864495The media team at Chipotle was ultimately able to regain control over its account, and responded to the incident in a timely and professional manner.

“We apologize for the very offensive messages sent out from our account earlier tonight,” tweeted Media Manager Joe Stupp. “We were unfortunately hijacked temporarily.”

Suffice to say, it was a rough way to start the week for Chipotle, as the company is now in the process of performing damage control in an effort to restore its squeaky-clean brand image and let customers know that it was not responsible for the attack. Continue reading “Chipotle: The Latest Victim of a Social Media Hack”

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Social Media Contests: Good or Bad Idea?

photo 2A few months ago, I entered a contest on Twitter to win a free spa getaway at the lovely Mayflower Grace in Washington, Connecticut. Excited and shocked to learn I was the winner, (I rarely win things) I immediately shared my excitement on social media.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted by friendly staff, and escorted to our beautiful room with a breath-taking garden view. Everything was exquisite, from the delicious food to the out-of-this world spa. At dinner that night, we were asked by our waiter what we did to deserve to win such a great prize. “I think I entered my email address and retweeted something,” I responded. The waiter looked less than impressed, expecting my answer to be a bit more long-winded and involved. His response got me thinking – what is the true value of a contest on social media? Continue reading “Social Media Contests: Good or Bad Idea?”

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Four Critical Pieces of a Flawless Product Launch

Taking a new product to market is both an exhilarating and nerve-wracking experience. If the launch generates a buzz, the future is limitless. If it falls flat, months or even years of hard work go down the drain.

To be sure, the stakes for a launch are high, which is why businesses need a detailed strategy to execute during a product’s infancy. Here are five essential components of a flawless product launch that can help you take the market by storm:

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Continue reading “Four Critical Pieces of a Flawless Product Launch”

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Employee Spotlight: Five Minutes with Director of Content Marketing, Carrie Majewski

shutterstock_142997941When TMC decided to launch Content Boost, it knew it needed an experienced go-getter who wasn’t afraid of a challenge. So naturally the company turned to former journalist, marketer and TMC Web Editor Carrie Majewski, who’s worked with a variety of high-profile clients on branding strategy and copy creation from Sprint to Panasonic to AT&T.

As Content Boost’s Director of Content Marketing, Carrie is the muscle behind CB, helping manage brand and editorial strategy, foster client relationships and launch strategic partnerships. But Carrie isn’t your typical director. Continue reading “Employee Spotlight: Five Minutes with Director of Content Marketing, Carrie Majewski”

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Why Giving Back Pays Off: Target’s New Marketing Campaign to Benefit Students

Let’s just say it’s been a tough year for Target.

The retail juggernaut has been no stranger to bad press following its massive credit card breach. But there’s nothing like a good comeback. The company is launching a feel-good marketing campaign to kick off the school year and, of course, increase awareness for its Up & Up brand. Continue reading “Why Giving Back Pays Off: Target’s New Marketing Campaign to Benefit Students”

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Dawn of the Planet of Content Marketing

This weekend, moviegoers across the U.S. will flock to theaters to witness one of the biggest box office events of the summer, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.” There is a lot to be excited about in this movie, like Andy Serkis (“Star Wars: Episode VII,” “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”) joining the ranks of previous “Apes” stars like Charlton Heston and Troy McClure. And, of course, there will be enough gun-wielding apes cruising around on horses to keep you glued to your seat for hours.

shutterstock_150489464But here at Content Boost, we’re excited about this movie for the valuable content marketing lessons we can extract from it:

Brand survival: It’s a tough world for humans in “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” as they struggle to survive 10 years after the ALZ-113 virus caused the collapse of civilization. And as a marketer, you could be feeling that same struggle online as you try to compete with other companies for the attention of consumers. Building a robust blog and regularly posting content to social media will help spread brand awareness and create readership that translates directly into sales. Continue reading “Dawn of the Planet of Content Marketing”

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Five Desk Feng-Shui Tips to Bring Out the Real Marketer in You

I particularly love the Monday morning Twitter stream. From the excessive #DeathToMondays tweets to the downtrodden posts lamenting the arrival of another week , Monday’s Twitter feed can be filled with some of the most slapstick, engaging posts of the work week. This morning, I was pleasantly greeted by a great picture by TollFreeForwarding (did I mention I love pictures on Twitter?). Check it out:

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And it got me thinking how the littlest changes we make on a Monday—like completing a first draft in 15 minutes and accepting that it may not be your best—can be a real game-changer in the business world. So when Monday hits next week, why not take a few minutes to Feng-Shui your desk to bring out the A-marketer in you?

Continue reading “Five Desk Feng-Shui Tips to Bring Out the Real Marketer in You”