brand strategy

01/06/2014

Three Ways You Never Thought to Use Social Media for ROI—Until Now

According to an aggregated video composed by Erik Qualman, author of “Socialnomics,” the return on investment (ROI) of social media is that your business will still exist in five years.

That’s a big claim to make, and many brands are still plagued by the question of whether social media drives real ROI. However, on the other side of companies’ inhibitions lies research and testimonies that keep proving the value of social media to be true. For instance, Coffee Groundz, a midtown neighborhood coffee shop, reported a 20-30 percent increase in company sales and market share via Twitter.

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01/01/2014

Is Your Company Making a Splash?

By now my husband fully understands my interest level in content marketing. So much so that when something content marketing-related appears on television or is covered in a magazine, he will DVR the show or rip out the article (yup, I’m one lucky girl).

So late last week, you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when a special segment titled “Content Marketing: The New PR?” found its way into my DVR lineup right alongside “Friends” reruns and the latest episode of “The Biggest Loser.”

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12/27/2013

Three Holiday Content Marketing Campaigns That Gave a Rosy Glow This Year

It is official: the holidays are over. I’m still coming to terms with the fact that I ate way too much of my sister’s homemade chocolate cheesecake and that I’m actually back at work today. But this is a good thing (well, at least the latter is). The reason being that although I was away for the majority of the week spending time with family, I was also feeding my workaholic side by checking e-mails on the daily—and spotting some great examples of holiday content marketing in the process.

As a consumer, content marketing makes me feel great. Whether it’s a daily newsletter, a blog, a special video or a simple e-mail, personal messages really do make me feel like brands know me by name and actually appreciate the money I spend with them.

Every single company should have had a holiday content marketing plan this season. Here are some great examples that I received from some of my favorite brands this week. For all of you out there with content marketing New Year’s resolutions, these are some invaluable tips for getting it right on the first try.

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12/24/2013

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas And All Through the Marketing Department…

I can’t help but have a big smile on my face today. That is because no matter how old I get—or how many years it’s been since I actually asked Santa for a gift—this time of year is truly magical. From the whimsical window displays lining Fifth Avenue to the holiday-adorned cups at Starbucks to the flooding of Christmas carols on the radio, the weeks immediately following Thanksgiving right until New Year’s Day unquestionably bring out the inner five-year-old in all of us.

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12/18/2013

What Ron Burgundy Can Teach Us about Becoming a Thought Leader

In the lead up to the release of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, actor Will Ferrell (appearing in-character as fictional news anchor Ron Burgundy) has gone on a marketing bonanza. In addition to showing up in nationwide commercials for Dodge trucks, Ferrell has appeared on a local news broadcasts out of North Dakota, a curling event in Canada and was even in-studio for a radio show in my hometown of Milford, CT.

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12/12/2013

Going the Extra Mile: What We Can Learn from WestJet’s Secret Santa Treat

There is no disputing the fact that companies across all industries and verticals step it up during the holidays—from holding food drives to volunteering to spearheading charitable campaigns.

One of my favorite campaigns took place two years ago when eBay, in partnership with Toys for Tots, set up two magical window displays in New York City’s Herald Square and San Francisco’s Post Street featuring storybook toys such as teddy bears, trains, and horses. By using the eBay mobile app and zapping the QR code, visitors were able to bring the toys to life and consumers could purchase a virtual toy, which translated to a donation between $2 and $10 for Toys for Tots.

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12/09/2013

Three Easy Ways to Instantly Engage More Customers Using Your Facebook Page

Say what you will, but Facebook still reigns as one of the world’s top social networks. According to the latest study by GlobalWebIndex.com, Facebook boasts a nearly 50 percent utilization rate by active Internet users worldwide. Facebook usage is also highest in North America with a 59 percent utilization rate among active users. Meanwhile, Google+ only achieves 15 percent and Twitter 25 percent.

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12/03/2013

Making Your Content Marketing Strategy Believable and Relatable

Confession… I can’t really recall the last time I watched television live. In truth, I have become entirely too dependent on my DVR. I take comfort in the fact that I can truck away at the office without fear that the rush hour commute will preclude me from seeing the first few minutes of “Survivor.” I appreciate the fact that a dinner out with my husband Friday night doesn’t keep me from catching up on the latest episode of “Say Yes to the Dress” (Hey, I’m a newlywed; I can still watch this.).

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