In Brand Development, One Size Does Not Fit All. A guest blog post by Ted Nelson of Mechanica.
It has been said that marketing is one of the few corporate disciplines that regularly confronts unsolicited opinions from every other department. This can make working on the marketing frontlines, actively bobbing and weaving through regular cycles of technology and consumer disruption, either an incredibly exciting endeavor or a very dangerous one. To help marketers enjoy more of the excitement and less of the danger, Mechanica recently partnered with Fast Company to create the Branding Forward Project. The heart of this initiative is an in-depth survey of nearly 700 marketers, directed at better understanding the issues, tools, and approaches being confronted and leveraged on today’s marketing frontlines—the idea being to make it easier to learn from those in the trenches, from tools and techniques to methodologies and processes. Results of the Survey (Photo courtesy of Bigstock.com: Handsome Black Child in Business Suit)
5 Ways to Activate Your Brand Advocates. 12 Ways to Give Your Brand Advocates a Megaphone. Robin Neifield | February 8, 2012 | 2 Comments inShare40 In order to get your customers talking, you have to give them something to talk about.
Call them advocates, evangelists, ambassadors, or something else, these vocal consumers are perhaps the most compelling reason that brands invest in social media. Finding that small percentage of the population that loves your product, service, or brand; is inclined to talk about it within their various social channels; and has some influence online is no mean trick.
When you do find them, you want to cultivate them and equip them fully to do what they do best - talk you up! Give them product. What techniques do you use to identify or activate your brand ambassadors? Robin is the CEO and cofounder of NetPlus Marketing Inc., a top 50 interactive agency established in 1996 to focus exclusively on online marketing and advertising best practices. 5 Tips for Making Your Brand More Social. What message does your brand convey to socially engaged customers?
As we enter the golden age of social media, companies can no longer afford the luxury of tightly scripted, top-down messaging (e.g., “We’re the best! Take our word for it.”). Nor can a company simply opt out and remain silent (as epitomized in Northwestern Mutual’s “The Quiet Company” ad campaign of years past). As social media channels have increased, so has the need to communicate effortlessly and simultaneously. Just as presidential candidates now face the constant scrutiny of a 24-hour news cycle, companies are being called on to respond in real time across multiple media platforms.
To market effectively, companies need a consistent, compelling brand voice—one that doesn’t pause, mumble or clam up. . #1: Determine your brand personality The majority of small businesses grow organically, adding clients and services over time. Need a good exercise? #2: Identify your true audience Join industry-specific subgroups and forums.
Infographic Reveals How Content Goes Viral. These days everyone from marketers to designers, bloggers and video producers dream of “going viral.”
Everyone wants to be the next Charlie Bit My Finger or Old Spice guy. But striking it viral can be difficult. There’s no exact recipe or formula and going viral requires luck (and frequently money as well), but ProBlogger has done a little research and asserts that, even if you can’t guarantee virality, understanding the key components of what makes content go viral can help you ensure that your great content gets “the attention it deserves.” The ProBlogger research has been compiled into an awesome infographic called Understanding Viral Content Marketing. The infographic covers everything from Metcalfe’s Law of viral marketing to the types and anatomy of viral content, the reasons we share, design, execution and more. There is tons of great food for thought in the infographic, but I think the biggest takeaway is the idea that “Viral content relies on two things.