Does your PR Agency Know How to Connect?
May 15, 2013 - Posted by Stephanie Graves
“We need more people talking about us!” As a CMO, or PR director, how many times has someone at the top come to you and said those exact words? Did you immediately start to feel the heat? When an organization decides it needs PR representation or that their current PR strategy needs an overhaul, it usually starts with a desire to create more buzz. And many times, this desire is motivated by a positive article in the local news about a competitor, or a look at another company’s thousands of seemingly engaged Twitter followers eagerly and happily interacting with their brand online. THE GOAL Simply creating buzz should not be the end goal for ramping up PR efforts. In the past, the end goal of public relations for brands may have been limited to raising brand awareness, but as the digital age has caused a major shift in how we… read more
What you need to know now about the future of digital marketing
May 7, 2013 - Posted by Stephanie Graves
A recent industry forecast by global management consulting firm McKinsey and Company aptly points out that “Digital marketing is about to reach more challenging territory”. The basis for this assertion is not surprising. Consumers are in power. Our current digital age places them squarely in the driver’s seat when it comes to how they receive marketing messages. Taking that a step further, we are barreling toward a place where consumers are not only determining “how” messages are received, but “what” messages they’ll receive. We’re talking about on-demand marketing that in the words of McKinsey and Company’s London director, Peter Dahlström, “cuts through the noise with pinpoint delivery.” As digital technology advances, and smarter, more sophisticated devices are at the finger tips of the average consumer, McKinsey and Company predicts four areas of demand that marketers will need to satisfy: Now: Consumers will want to interact anywhere at any time. Can… read more
2013 Brings Complicated Changes To Paid Search Marketing
November 1, 2012 - Posted by Rilee Chastain
Predicting what is in store for paid search marketing in 2013. Now that we are halfway through the month of October, it is time to start finalizing end of the year marketing campaigns and looking ahead to what is in store for digital marketing in 2013. For those of us who work closely with Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns and paid search marketing, it is no secret what a hectic, fast-paced industry this is. You are constantly having to tweak and experiment with what ads work best for your target clientele, while also staying in the right budget and campaign for your company. However, given the growth of mobile and tablet-use for web searches within the last year, 2013 is going to be especially hectic for marketers learning to adapt to the many changes. It is predicted that mobile search clicks could account for as many as 20-25% of all search clicks… read more
The Benefits of Outsourcing Your Business Marketing Efforts
September 19, 2012 - Posted by Rilee Chastain
What are the advantages of using outside marketing for your business? When it comes to the growth and success of your company, there is perhaps no department that is more influential or integral than marketing. While sales, purchasing or production departments each play a large role in the overall grand scheme of company growth, each of them could not survive or flourish without the constant adjustments and refinements that are being made through marketing. Think about it―when it comes down to your company’s reputation, sales goals or overall image, marketing is what truly drives every department’s goals together as one cohesive loop. However, despite how important marketing is in the long-term, there is still a huge lack of understanding about just how it all works together and how important it is to the success of your business. In fact, because of the limited knowledge and resources that often surround each… read more
Should You Consider Outsourcing Your Business’ Marketing Campaign?
July 3, 2012 - Posted by Amanda Norris
Maybe your company has realized the importance of a strong marketing campaign to help bring in new customers, doesn’t have a marketing department of its own. Or maybe your marketing “department” is really a team of one, and your company is ready for a campaign that requires a bit more manpower. Either way, you have decisions to make. On one hand, you could try to work with what you have. On the other, you could hire employees to get the job done. Or there’s a third choice: outsource your marketing. Outsourcing your marketing can be a great option for many companies who understand the importance of a powerful marketing campaign, but for whatever reason don’t have the resources to do it themselves. Here are some of the benefits that companies can realize from outsourcing their marketing campaigns. Focus Your Energy Where it Needs to Be For companies without a marketing… read more
Why you must start with a WELL-ENGAGING, WELL-CONVERTING WEBSITE – Part 1 of 2
April 26, 2011 - Posted by Stephanie Cross
So many times, we have clients who want to jump into social media, which is great because social media marketing definitely works. BUT…there are a few components you have to have in place before diving in head first. The very FIRST PRIORITY and MOST IMPORTANT TOOL in your toolbox when marketing online is your website. Just “having” a website is not good enough. You must have a well-engaging, well-converting website. You have to remember that when it all boils down to it, one of the main reasons we market on various online networks is to DRIVE TRAFFIC TO OUR WEBSITE. So it is imperative that when people get there, that the site engages them to convert in some form or fashion. We don’t want all of our efforts in driving people to our website to result in them just hitting the back button. What good does that do? Let’s first… read more