Insights

Questions to address in your website.
insight180 team

Questions to address in your website.

There are certain common questions that those who buy advisory services tend to ask themselves. Many are questions they will be too hesitant to ask directly. If you are not addressing these questions in your website, you might want to consider doing so. If you have an editable site built in a CMS like WordPress or Drupal, the fix is easy. Add content that addresses these concerns. One of the first things we do, when evaluating the effectiveness of a potential client’s website, is to ask these questions to determine a list of new content that might need to be developed.

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The business shift.
Wendy Baird

The business shift.

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.

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Who is Ron Johnson and what is he doing to JCPenney?
Bethany Howell

Who is Ron Johnson and what is he doing to JCPenney?

At the beginning of this year, 110-year-old retailer, JCPenney began making changes to its brand in an effort to restore it’s integrity and transform the way shoppers feel about the experience of retail stores. Their aim is to get rid of the frustration and make shopping “simpler” and it is all part of a brand overhaul planned by Apple exec turned new JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson. Johnson plans to completely revamp JCPenney’s image by 2015 and his plan is to do that by taking big risks. Johnson draws his inspiration from his former boss, the late Steve Jobs. His new marketing strategy will all be about product, place, price, and promotion – the 4 P’s of marketing. But he will also add in presentation and personality to increase curiosity and interest in JCPenney.

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Branding is like an on/off switch for business.
insight180 team

Branding is like an on/off switch for business.

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.

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Best Practices for LinkedIn
Bethany Howell

Best Practices for LinkedIn

Be professional
Always Look Professional:  the little things that make a big difference in LinkedIn

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.

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A brand strategy is just a plan.
insight180 team

A brand strategy is just a plan.

As communicators, we like to think we don’t use jargon to describe what we do. We often counsel clients to avoid using industry jargon, referring to these terms unaffectionately as “weasel words” — words designed to make something sound like more than it really is. But the truth is, although we try not to, we, too, use jargon terms for some things. And I think the term “brand strategy” is one of those. So, let’s simplify things and define what a brand strategy is in practical terms.

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The challenges advisory firms face.
Wendy Baird

The challenges advisory firms face.

I recently conducted a workshop on how important your brand is within the social media arena, particularly when your business focuses on selling a concept, service or other intangible. This particular workshop happened to be for churches, but they are not unlike many of the businesses we advise, who sell consulting, advice, conceptual services or ideas. Let’s face it, churches are probably among the most conceptual of all, promoting not only events and services, but an ideology.

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