Trends and predictions were the big topics at the Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit held in Baltimore a couple of weeks ago –– marketing experts sharing what they’ve seen in the ever-changing landscape of branding and marketing, both online and off, inbound and push. What was especially interesting to me was that for every new approach, there was a traditional approach that still proved effective. For every new tool or technology, brand strategy and marketing planning trumped tactics every time.
One of the keys to a successful landing page is making it easy for site visitors to share and pass on to others, which means making sharing options a focus on your page. That’s why it’s so important to omit your site’s navigation, footers and other common elements from the page. To reduce distraction to other pages and control focus on just what is being offered in the landing page and promoting it to others.
A landing page is a special, stripped-down page in your website that’s dedicated to capturing information about your site visitor. In order to entice your visitor to give you that information, landing pages usually contain special offers — like a free e-book, or other information product, or a special offer related to a product or service.
I recently read something that truly shocked me. And I am not easily shocked. Four words nearly guaranteed to get your email opened are “You Are Not Alone.” It’s known to bring an average open rate of 90%, often stretching to even 100%, and for a wide range of audience groups and subject areas.
Just under a year ago in November 2011 LinkedIn updated the capabilities of their company pages, enabling company pages to have followers and enabling company admins to share status updates with their followers. This enabled companies, and especially small companies, to become more engaged with their LinkedIn networks.
Company ABC is a tech consulting firm in the secure government contracting space that promotes a fundraising event for a highly respected, well run charity for rehabilitating soldiers injured abroad. The veteran owners and many of their clients care passionately about the cause, and the thousands of dollars they contribute directly impact those in need of immediate assistance. Their contribution fills a vast funding deficit and gives the charity a much needed financial boost. And, it serves as an expression of Company ABC’s brand. They pride themselves on their integrity, reputation and transparency, and their commitment to their clients, country and community is evident in their brand from the way they provide services to the way they demonstrate giving back.
I often come across articles titled something like, “10 things you didn’t know about Facebook.” Each time I get excited that I am about to learn new intricacies related to the Facebook platform, but that rarely happens! So, after scanning a recent article about 10 things I did know about Facebook, I decided to put together my own list of tips and tools that I have not seen written about, things that you may not know about, but could be very useful for your Facebook business page. If there are others to add to the list, please add it in the comment section.
Sounds like cartoon commentary, doesn’t it? Picture a guy at a desk with a marketing sign above him, feet up talking on the phone. But branding and marketing is not fluffy, “designy” stuff. Branding and marketing is what makes the difference between a full pipeline of leads and an empty one.
Brand Identity: Decorium Logo and Print Mailers
Our logo design and print mailer designs for Decorium
I’ve been reading some great books on entrepreneurship, business consulting, and the new rules of PR, marketing and social media in this incredibly connected world we’re in. Business is different. The climate has shifted. One really can start a business on a shoe string, or invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to help it grow. Both are viable. Some of the smaller companies are even doing it better than their larger, more established counterparts within the same space.
We recently met with a potential client and had an interesting conversation about how marketing and branding work and differ from one another. He was a very smart guy who had a good handle on what he was trying to do with his website and overall brand, but as is nearly always the case, he was too close to it to be able to articulate it clearly, and uniquely, and needed a little help with how to make it look and sound the best it could.
No, I am not talking about wearing a freshly pressed suit and a tie, although sometimes that is entirely appropriate. I am referring to looking professional across your social media channels.
