Cats, Dogs, Brands and Social Media

Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media
It was absolutely hilarious, if you ask me. It was just a few weeks ago, on a Tuesday night (October 4). Two men vying for the second highest office in the land, Mike Pence and Tim Kaine, were debating each other before an audience of millions and frankly, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I was looking at a Facebook Live video being broadcast on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s Facebook page that was showing the television broadcast of the event. However, in front of the screen was a large pen full of cute, little kittens divided by two separate carpets, one red and the other blue, with a box of kitty litter in the middle labelled, “Undecided.” I was literally laughing out loud. If you’re looking…
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Paying to Play on Social Media

Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media
Rumors to the contrary, it’ll cost you if you want to run a successful social media program. It’ll cost you both time and money, not to mention all the skills and experience you’ll need to help ensure a positive outcome. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no more gravy train when it comes to social media success. There is simply too much competition among businesses and brands for eyeballs and wallets for any of these channels to be able to afford to give you a free ride. Organic reach has declined precipitously. Algorithms rule. You’ve got to pay if you want to play – and win – on social media. Seriously, have you looked at the statistics lately? Unless you’re paying to promote them, you’re…
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10 Ways to Beef Up Your Social Media Program

Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media
Where’s the beef on social media? In 1984, an 81-year-old woman by the name of Clara Peller starred in an incredibly popular advertising campaign for Wendy’s, in which she demanded to know “Where’s the beef?” at a make-believe fast-food restaurant. The question went viral, becoming a commonly used catchphrase whenever anyone was looking for more of pretty much anything. Well, the same question Clara Peller had about hamburgers back in the day is the question I have now for brands, businesses, marketers, anyone and everyone who uses social media for professional reasons. Where’s the beef? Not to be a curmudgeon, but I have to say that far too many of you are mailing it in when it comes to publishing and sharing content on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social…
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10 Ways a Personal Brand on Social Media Helps the Corporate Brand Behind It

Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media
No one can say that there aren’t many benefits of having a strong personal brand on social media. After all, your LinkedIn profile is where practically everyone goes to check you out if they’re considering doing business with you in any way, shape or form. If you have a few presentations uploaded to SlideShare, a few dozen posts published on a blog and a few hundred followers on Twitter, even better. Using social media to showcase your background, skills, talent and expertise is a no-brainer. But the benefits of personal branding on social media aren’t limited to the owner of that brand only. Everyone around those who are prevalent and popular online, the “corporate all-stars” of the business world, as Edelman’s Steve Rubel so astutely labelled them in 2009, enjoys…
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Social Media: A Revolutionary Change That is Impossible to Ignore

Business, Marketing, Social Media
I’m not going to lie. While I have been writing copy for what seems like forever, not until social media came along did I feel my words were actually making a connection with my audience. Direct mail, even email, may be addressed to your customers, donors, members and prospects by name. But short of face-to-face conversations, there is nothing quite so powerful and promising for a marketer than having the opportunity to interact in real time with someone who is genuinely interested in what you have to offer. Social media makes it possible for brands – and their proxies like me – to connect with members of their target audience directly and instantaneously, building strong, mutually beneficial relationships that have the potential to last indefinitely. Of course, to traditionalists, luddites,…
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10 B2B Brands That Are Killing It on Social Media

Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media
Social media. It’s not just for B2C brands anymore. More than just dipping their toes in the social media waters, many of those in the B2B space are now diving in head first, making a big splash not just on LinkedIn, but on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and pretty much every other related channel. Like everyone else, of course, they’re publishing the requisite stream of news and information. But more and more of them are beginning to resemble their counterparts on the B2C side, going above and beyond to express their opinions, let their hair down and reveal the personalities behind the brands. But don’t take my word for it. See for yourself. Here are 10 examples of B2B brands that are killing it on social media. 1. IBM on Twitter…
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10 Ways to Build a Social Media Audience

Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media
In direct marketing, it's long been said that a bad offer to a good list will perform better than a good offer to a bad list. The point being that without a decent audience, you may as well forget about it. You may have a great product or service, but unless you have a long list of people who are at least prospective customers, even the best marketing efforts in the world probably won't be able to sell it. That's how it is in social media, too. You can spend a ton of time and money in creating content that absolutely rocks, but if you aren't reaching enough people, your efforts will be in vain and you won't have a chance of going viral. You'll be like the proverbial tree…
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Using Signage to Drive Social Media Traffic

Advertising, Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media
In this day and age, most businesses and brands realize the importance of having a presence on social media. However, far too many still don’t know how to attract an audience to these channels. They either mistakenly subscribe to the notion that if they build it, they will come, or they simply have no idea how to drive such traffic. The good news is there are countless ways to generate more likes, followers, fans and friends. You can cross-promote your Twitter account on Facebook and vice versa. You can put your social media credentials on your customers’ receipts. You can promote your social channels on your own website, on your business cards, in your email signature, in a company newsletter and even in paid advertising campaigns. But perhaps the easiest…
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How I Was Surprised and Delighted by Pretzel Crisps on Twitter

Advertising, Branding, Business, Marketing, Social Media, Sudbury
Anyone in marketing knows what it means to surprise and delight your customers and prospects. It means to reach out to members of your target audience in an unexpected manner, providing them with a positive brand experience out of the blue that leaves them with a favorable impression of your products and services. It’s a proven, age-old strategy that every brand and business should leverage once in a while, one that I was on the receiving end of recently, compliments of Pretzel Crisps. That's right, several weeks ago – November 11, to be exact – I received an unsolicited tweet from Pretzel Crisps complimenting me on my Twitter bio and offering to send me a free gift pack. I didn’t know what I had done to deserve such a treat,…
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