So, here's what we're thinking...

Have you ever looked at your business' website and wondered, "What is the point of this thing?" If so, you've probably got some work to do. A website should not be something that is built, published, and never touched again. If you think about it, your website serves several functions, such as attracting new leads, processing sales, and advertising your brand. One of the greatest ways a business can hurt themselves is by treating their website like an online brochure, instead of their strongest marketing asset. With that in mind, don’t you want a website that doesn’t just work, but works for you?

Much like your website, your business’s Facebook profile should be evolving and growing over time. This means consistent posting, interacting, updating profile information and links, and taking advantage of Facebook’s new features as they’re released. The Facebook algorithm is the driving force behind this. You want to connect with your audience and the best way to do that is to build out your profile and be present on the platform.

Embark on a  productivity journey with SMART Goals – a concept commonly attributed to Peter Drucker's Management by Objectives. As you may have guessed, SMART is an acronym. Over the years, it has taken on many different meanings. Traditionally, a SMART Goal is Specific, Measurable,  Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

Is it time to revisit your brand? There are a lot of reasons why companies endeavor to do this, including new leadership, evolving product and service offerings, changing consumer expectations, the competitive landscape, unclear positioning, and lack of internal/external focus and clarity. Because branding often encompasses more than just your visual identity, a great way to begin the process is with a brand discovery and alignment project.       

If you’ve been considering a rebrand for your company, the first question to ask yourself is, “Why?” For these efforts to be successful and worthwhile, you must have a good reason to begin and a strategy that guides you throughout the entire process. There’s no need to change simply for the sake of changing.    

Recently, I Googled, “What is a brand.” I do this periodically to see the opinions on branding that are floating around the Internet at any given time. This answer popped up: “A brand is an intangible marketing or business concept that helps people identify a company, product, or individual. People often confuse brands with things like logos, slogans, or other recognizable marks, which are marketing tools that help promote goods and services.” We can thank the smart folks at Investopedia for that pithy definition.  

These days, most markets are absolutely saturated with options. This makes it difficult for brands to stand out from their competitors, and for consumers to make the right decision about which products and services are best suited for their needs. One action you can take to solidify your company’s place in the minds of your target audience is to create a brand positioning statement that describes exactly what it is that makes you different. 

You might have heard marketing professionals talk about brand persona and how important it is to successful marketing – about aligning your persona with your mission and leveraging your brand differentiation. While you may be familiar with brand personas if you’re steeped in the inbound marketing process, those who aren’t may not be. Let’s take a minute to break this jargon down so we’re all on the same page.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about product branding, and how brand loyalties once formed can evolve, or worse, disappear over time. While my professional expertise is in the area of “branding,” this topic is not merely academic for me. I truly love brands and buy the brands I love.

You may have heard some marketers say that organic social media is dead. As is often the case, the truth is a lot more nuanced and complex than a simple statement like that. This is good news for those of us who have spent years pouring time and creative energy into social media accounts for our companies. Spoiler alert: it was not a waste! But first, let’s backtrack with some simple definitions of both organic social media and – what we all came here to talk about – paid social media.