Posted on

‘Leaning In’ With Your Marketing Pursuits

contentmarketingI’ll admit… I am often late to crazes. It’s not that I don’t notice that something is taking off—be it Fitbits, smartphones or social media—it’s just that I suppose I like to come around to an idea on my own time, and not just because someone tells me I should be tapping into the latest fad.

I remember when I first heard of Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In” two years ago. It sounded like something I would love. After all, as a woman in management, I understood that Sheryl was addressing managers like me and encouraging me to use my leadership position to help other women achieve their own ambitions. But again, I am slow to crazes.

Continue reading “‘Leaning In’ With Your Marketing Pursuits”

Posted on

How Do I Find My Audience on Social Media?

photo 1 (8)Last week, we finished up our Content Marketing Crash Course, designed to bring marketing awareness to the local community, at our Content Boost office (recaps available here and here!). It was a great day filled with interesting dialogue.

One question that seemed to come up a lot was, “How do I find my audience on social media?” It’s an interesting question and one that doesn’t have a particularly short answer. Continue reading “How Do I Find My Audience on Social Media?”

Posted on

I’m Ready for Content Marketing … Where Do I Start?

pic812It’s amazing the difference a year can make. I vividly remember attending a number of 2014 trade shows and having conversations with attendees about content marketing. They would go something like this:

Attendee: What do you do?

Me: I head up TMC’s content marketing division, Content Boost.

Attendee: What is content marketing?

Me: A marketing tactic that involves leveraging content—think blogs, white papers, email marketing messages—to organically sell your products and services.

Attendee: Oh … that’s just advertising, right?

#FAIL.

Continue reading “I’m Ready for Content Marketing … Where Do I Start?”

Posted on

Content Marketing Seminar Returns in April, Will We See You There?

IMG_20141204_134926211It was right after I had led a series of content marketing seminars during TMC’s ITEXPO last August when a participant came up to me and said, “Do you offer content marketing training in your Connecticut office? I would love to come.” At that exact moment I realized how valuable it would be to host a Content Boost content marketing educational workshop.

Right when we returned from the show, our executive team discussed this inquiry and determined that this attendee could not be alone in wanting extra content marketing education. With that in mind, we set the date for our first-ever Content Marketing Crash Course, a one-day complimentary seminar that provides marketers with the opportunity to learn the latest about content marketing and pick our teams’ brains. Last year’s December event exceeded all expectations with standing-room only attendance, riveting one-on-one discussions and incredible attendee engagement. (My favorite part had to be walking around the room during the “breaks” and just listening in to the engaging, organic conversations taking place.)

Continue reading “Content Marketing Seminar Returns in April, Will We See You There?”

Posted on

Good News from Facebook – Your Likes Are About to Decline

Notice a recent drop in the number of likes you have on your Facebook page? There’s a good reason for that. Facebook recently announced its plan to make business Page likes more meaningful. “We’re updating the way Page likes are counted by removing memorialized and voluntarily deactivated accounts from Pages’ like counts,” the social network stated in a blog post. Continue reading “Good News from Facebook – Your Likes Are About to Decline”

Posted on

5 Social Media Mistakes to Ditch in 2015

Let’s face it: we’ve all made some mistakes on social media. But somehow it still surprises me when the basics are thrown by the wayside. This year, make an early New Year’s resolution to finally ditch the following social media mistakes once and for all. social media UNSIZED

Spelling & grammatical errors: You proof read your emails before you send them out, your press release before it gets distributed, and your banner ads before they get posted. Get into the habit of doing the same with your social media posts. Yes, it’s more of a casual atmosphere than some other forms of business communication, but you’ll make yourself look like a fool if you don’t know the difference between “your” and “you’re”. Remember the old saying, “measure twice, cut once?” Apply the same principal to your social posts and re-read it twice, post once.

Inappropriate posts: In my very honest opinion, we live in an excessively sensitive world. You may view your joke as harmless, but your neighbor may see it as the most offensive thing they’ve heard. If a post seems like it could be on the verge of inappropriate or offensive, skip it altogether. Keep your brand’s personality and humor alive, but keep it tasteful. Continue reading “5 Social Media Mistakes to Ditch in 2015”

Posted on

Wendy’s Contracts ’90s Boy Band to Market Its Pretzel Bun

shutterstock_193439297Wendy’s, the popular fast food chain and creator of the beloved Frosty, is back at it again. The company recently launched a social media marketing campaign featuring Boyz II Men to promote its pretzel bun sandwiches. To some, this campaign may seem familiar, as Wendy’s launched a similar campaign last year in which pop singer and former 98 Degrees front man Nick Lachey sang tweets from fans about the chain’s pretzel bacon burger. Continue reading “Wendy’s Contracts ’90s Boy Band to Market Its Pretzel Bun”

Posted on

B2C Companies: Respect Your Customers’ Social Space!

Stop and think about the more personal reasons you log onto Facebook. Maybe you want to see what your aunt is up to in California. Or perhaps you want to check in with a group of friends that you haven’t seen in a long time. You log in because you want to connect with those around you that you care about.

1196px-Not_facebook_not_like_thumbs_downAs a marketer entrenched in social media campaigns, it can be easy to forget that Facebook is still a social networking site. So any social media marketing you do should always be carefully orchestrated.  Consider the results from Gallup’s “2014 State of the American Consumer” report, which shows that 94 percent of consumers log onto social media to connect with friends and family. Just 29 percent log on to follow trends or find product reviews and information. Continue reading “B2C Companies: Respect Your Customers’ Social Space!”

Posted on

What Marketers Can Learn From Phish

AlpineAnyone that knows me knows that I am a die-hard Phish fan. For those of you who don’t know the band, you’re probably wondering what genre of music the band plays. Rap? Rock? Alternative? The thing is you can’t really place Phish in a particular genre.  With an arsenal of songs ranging from rock all the way to bluegrass—they even have barbershop quartet-style songs—Phish is a musical jack-of-all-trades.  Continue reading “What Marketers Can Learn From Phish”

Posted on

The Biggest Social Media Disasters and How to Avoid Them

social mediaCompanies continue to invest time and money in social media as it allows them to engage with consumers and spread brand awareness.  In fact, 93 percent of marketers use social media for business. Despite its popularity, however, some businesses have failed to get it right. Below, we explore the biggest social media disasters to date and ways in which you can avoid a PR disaster: Continue reading “The Biggest Social Media Disasters and How to Avoid Them”