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Don’t be Afraid of the Digital Marketing Monster

I’ve never known a child who did not have at least one kind of irrational fear, perhaps one of the biggest being nighttime monsters in the closet.  This very common fear has cracked open the bedroom door for many children, but as adults, we know these once terrifying tales are just age-old myths.  So…why do we have similar content marketing fears?

monster

Perhaps the biggest reason seems to be from marketers’ collective fear – or general uncertainty – of taking their campaigns to the digital realm. A quick scan on the Web reveals that many individuals are searching for countless articles ranging from “fears that keep digital marketers up at night” to “why marketers should fear digital marketing.” It cannot be disputed that we are indeed amidst a great marketing revolution. In fact, 22 percent of online adults in the U.S. are connecting everywhere, and frequently, according to Research Director and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, Melissa Parrish. This is a huge need that marketers should be aiming to meet, yet some are not.

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Debunking Content Marketing Falsehoods – Part One

Some of my favorite articles are those that expose commonly circulated fallacies and pull back the curtain to reveal the truth. For example…

The lie: Artificial sweeteners are safe sugar replacements. The truth: Studies have actually found that those who use artificial sweeteners are more likely to gain weight then those who consumer caloric sweeteners.

The lie: You should stretch before you exercise to avoid injury. The truth: Conversely, researchers have found that stretching before exercising can actually slow your body down, resulting in a five percent reduction of efficiency.

When ubiquitous “truths” are circulated and then subsequently debunked,  you are oftentimes left flabbergasted and befuddled—but then you realize that a world of possibilities opens up. After all, maybe you can start traipsing around in the cold with a wet head and not get sick. Perhaps your dog is not really as old as you think he is, as dogs do not age at seven years per one human year. And, maybe, just maybe,you can in fact have that ice cream sundae minutes before jumping into the pool.

content marketing strategyPerhaps no space has more misconceptions flying, however, than the content marketing one.  Marketers claim to know all the statistics and best practices for crafting a competitive content marketing strategy—numbers that often belie the potential of this new-age marketing technique and preconceived notions that often hamper success. Below, we unveil some of the biggest content marketing falsehoods. Continue reading “Debunking Content Marketing Falsehoods – Part One”

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Avoiding the Riptide of Brand Strategy

The sun is shining, the weather is warming and before you know it, we’ll be in flip flops and bathing suits. But it’s not all fun in the sun for some businesses when it comes to brand strategy. Some seem to be instead swamped in a sea of questions, from ‘How do we maintain brand integrity?’ to ‘How do we sharpen our corporate identity?’ For businesses looking to avoid this, Twitter is an excellent way to boost brand.

According to a recent infographic by Mediabistro, in 2012, Twitter was declared the world’s fastest-growing social platform, adding 40 percent more active users between Q2 and Q4 of last year. Twitter is teeming with ways to inspire, create and expand your business to strengthen brand loyalty.

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April Showers Bring Fresh Social Media Strategies

Every minute, 100,000 new tweets are published and six million Facebook pages are viewed, and these numbers only represent what happens on the Internet every 60 seconds. Can you imagine what this will look like in the future? Allow us to put this into perspective for you.

Today’s number of networked devices is equivalent to our global population, and by 2015, this number of networked devices will be twice that of the global population.

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Feeling Hungry? The Importance of Visual Stimulation

Driving to work last Friday, I noticed I received an e-mail on my cell. So I waited until I got to a stop light and checked it (yes, safety is important!). It was an e-mail from our office manager telling us that breakfast was coming soon. Yup, we get breakfast on Friday’s. I completely had forgotten it was Friday!

My Jeep suddenly drove a bit faster to work than normal. All sorts of physiological things started happening. My pupils dilated, my tummy growled, and the grip on my steering wheel tightened. My mind played tricks on me as I started to smell the combination of the sizzling bacon, blanketed by a yummy egg and topped off with melted cheese. I could taste the cool rainbow of fresh fruit salad, and felt all warm inside as I envisioned the smiles and brief morning cheer of my coworkers in the common area.

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Are Your Customers Just Not That Into You?

Let’s be honest for a second; it’s really hard to stomach the fact that your hard-earned customers may stray from you one day. While the reason can sometimes be completely unclear, the truth is screaming out to you in a whinny voice: your once loyal customers are now cheating on you with a company who is younger, more attractive and has a better physique (ahem, we mean a superior brand strategy). This other option looks better and piques their interest more. I know it’s hard pill to swallow, but some tough love might be just what you need to shape up and win them back.

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