Posts tagged as:

branding

Death to Bot Talk: Tips On Voice In Writing For The Web

by · January 26, 2012

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Suzanne Norman, director of brand at Emma, an email marketing and communications company.

The bot problem

Let’s face it: most companies write marketing copy for the web and email that reads like it was written by a robot.

And nobody likes bots. (See: spambots, twitbots, fembots, that 80s movie with Emilio Estevez where all the semi-trucks come to life.)

photo by davedehetre

I spot this kind of writing all the time in email marketing campaigns — that’s the realm I work in — but it’s just as rampant in every other digital medium.

6 comments

10 Better Ideas Than Looking at a Top 10 List for Advice

by · January 10, 2012

Top 10 lists are like new year’s resolutions. They seem great at first, but they quickly make you feel bored, hopeless, and like you’ve wasted your time.

And that’s usually because they are filled with things you know you should do but can’t commit to doing. They’re too aspirational. Too shoot-for-the-moon-y.

Which is why I’ve kept this one bare-bones, tactical, and hopefully useful for you beyond the 4 days it typically takes us to crash and burn through our empty new year promises.

4 comments

Reinvent the Space You Play In

by · December 23, 2011

The best brands have you in their marketing net before you really know it. They draw you in, although sometimes we may not be completely clear as to how or why, but we are there because we want to be. It occurred to me this last weekend while doing some holiday shopping for my bride that we were deep into a particular brand’s netting.

1 comment

Education Is The New Marketing

by · October 19, 2011

The internet has democratized education and businesses should take notice.  You are in business because you have some area of expertise.  Sharing your expertise is a way to help you build your brand and provide value. By using a combination of digital and offline tools, business can take advantage of the opportunity to add teaching to the marketing mix.

I’ve been reading The Education of Millionaires, a book by Michael Ellsberg that proposes that the best investment in education is one that offers lifelong, relevant knowledge that will make you financially successful.  He urges people to find mentors and experts to teach the skills they need, rather than investing six figures in a traditional college education that is unlikely to contribute to their ability to earn a living.

52 comments

Your Brand’s Biggest Challenge

by · September 6, 2011

The biggest challenge your brand faces in its social media marketing success has nothing to do with Facebook. It doesn’t even have anything to do with technology. In fact, the biggest challenge your brand faces in business, not just marketing, is your ability to understand one simple tenant: It’s not an end sum game.

You have customers. You also have prospective customers, on- and off-line. Your competition does, too. And they will tomorrow. So will you.

12 comments

Has Now-ism Killed Marketing?

by · August 19, 2011

As consumers we’re drawn to products and services that are:

  • Quick
  • Easy
  • Inexpensive

Walk down the aisle of any electronics or grocery store. You’re greeted with a sea of bright boxes, eye-catching imagery, and alluring claims. Starbursts, even.

Does any of that actually work? Does the most intuitively designed, highly functional, best-made product make the sale? Does the celebrity endorsement tip the scale? As marketers, we’d like to think so (otherwise, what’ve we got to work with?). But is it remotely realistic to think this way?

What really motivates people to buy?

4 comments

Your Website Is Killing Me

by · June 16, 2011

“Omit needless content.” –The Elements of Content Strategy, Erin Kissane.

Three words. Huge implications for online business communication. Insight from a smart woman with pink hair.

Erin is the author of a “brief book for people who make websites” published just a few months ago.  She’s the former editor of A List Apart magazine and knows a thing about information architecture, user experience, content strategy, editing, usability, and a whole bunch of other geeky web stuff that as interwebs users, we take for granted until we find ourselves staring a site that sucks.

15 comments

Infographic Says You Should Pay Attention to Your Facebook Profile Photo

by · June 3, 2011

Have you ever sat down and thought about your profile photo on Facebook? Apparently a whole slew of us have. This infographic takes a look at how often consumers update their profile photos on Facebook and it is clear…they do it A LOT! And women are doing it more than men. Is it because we are more vain? Possibly.

What does this mean for businesses running Fan Pages targeted to consumers? I think there are two important points to walk away with.

23 comments

Brand Haiku: Falls Breaks The Rules

by · November 15, 2010

Today, I’m participating in a little meme called “Brand Haiku.” It was Aaron Strout‘s idea, so blame him. I promised the others participating (see link below to the next one you’re supposed to read) they would regret asking me. We were supposed to write one about a brand that had impressed us (or something … I didn’t really pay attention to the instructions), but all I heard was, “write Haiku,” and this came out. Enjoy!

Aaron Strout made me
write haikus about business
Powered must be bored

Haikus have a style
much harder than writing in
one hundred forty

9 comments