What compels digital marketers to do what they do? What hidden forces propel this group down paths seldom understood by mere mortals? Millward Brown has dared to probe these questions. And they’ve come up with some fascinating answers. The research organization conducted a survey of 300 U.S. digital marketers. Represented were companies of every size and industry. What the findings …

Branding pros of every stripe are dancing to the beat of digital marketing. How powerful is the rhythm? You can get an idea from the results of the 2015 Digital Trends Report issued by Adobe and Econsultancy. The report surveyed over 6,000 business executives worldwide to answer the eternal question –what is the impact of digital on their marketing activities? …

Virtually every brand boasts an online presence. But being there isn’t the same as being known. In fact, most brands are woefully underexposed. The likely reason? — digital deficiency. Digital deficiency stems from a failure to implement certain online components. These have been carefully designed and proven to increase brand visibility. Incredibly, however, far too many businesses brush them aside. …

Have you checked your digital toolbox lately? If not, you may be shy a few items – items that can go a long way to building your brand. While the list of available tools could reach the moon, marketers should at least have a few go to ones in their possession. Here are several well worth considering: Maptive What could …

Most brand marketers agree that personalization facilitates strong customer connections and lays the groundwork for conversions down the road. But personalization covers a spectrum of levels, from ‘Hey there, Mr. or Ms. So and So’ to ‘I know your innermost desires’. Each level offers immense possibilities for striking gold, depending on the particular goal and available marketing budget. To get …

How does a brand marketer know what kind of content will resonate with customers? Guesswork? Instinct? Drawing straws?  Use those, and watch your bottom line shrivel. Along with your prospects for advancement. If you’re serious about connecting with Mr. and Ms. Consumer, you’ll need to know what strikes their fancy … what gets them jumping off the sofa and straight …

For a long, long time, brands have been conveniently compartmentalized. In one corner was sales, another marketing, and yet another customer care. This fragmented structure worked splendidly for many years, as each division pursued its separate goals unimpeded. And good things often happened. But the fragmented us-against-them approach no longer packs much of a punch. Integration is the New Power …

You’ve tried it all – video, social media, print, broadcast, and more. But no matter which road you take, you’re still fighting to get your brand message heard above the cacophony of marketing noise. No doubt, you’ve pinned the blame on the proliferation of brands and channels crowded into the marketing scene. OK, it’s a blizzard out there. Nevertheless, you …

Glance anywhere across the marketing landscape, and you’ll see more than change – you’ll see a feast of new opportunities. Here are three that hold particular promise for brand marketers everywhere in the known universe. The Trust Factor. You can’t get away with it … you just can’t. Bear this in mind next time you plan to cut corners or …

Who creates a trend … marketers or consumers? Opinions vary widely on this matter. Some marketers believe they’re the sole authors of a brand’s unstoppable popularity. Others, credit the good folks plunking down their cash for a product or service. Historically, it seems, the latter is the case. People generally adopt what they deem catchy or appealing; toss away the …

Several major marketing trends are playing a key role in the 2014 holiday season. Do you know how many of them your brand is plugged into? The following trend list culled from an Experian Marketing Services survey will reveal how well you’re doing. When it comes to running marketing campaigns on the social sites, Facebook will grab the lion’s share …

If Sony Pictures had conducted market research for ‘The Interview’, they’d have been ready for the onslaught of objections-turned-threats that forced them to yank the movie from theaters. And they’d have saved themselves a truckload of headaches, embarrassment, and, oh yes … major money. While neglecting market research typically doesn’t produce such adverse reactions, it does leave your brand vulnerable …

Half-human, half-technology. It is the ultimate power in the marketing universe. It’s the bionic brand! The bionic brand syncs two realities of contemporary marketing: People are diving into the rapidly-expanding selection of technologies for product purchases and info. People want interactions with people. Stats revealed in the December Forbes underscore the importance of this human factor: People regard how well …

There’s no stopping those advertising dollars once they start flowing. And flow they must. As 2014 draws to a close, the mighty greenback is flowing in more different directions than ever. Credit the ever-increasing number of marketing channels for spreading the money so far and wide. Here are three of the channels getting major action thanks to current spend trends. Digital …

If you’re fond of over-promoting your brand, it’s time to reconsider. Nobody likes a showoff. And one of those nobodies is a somebody named Facebook. To counteract the relentless over-promoter, the social media behemoth recently greeted the world with a controversial announcement: They are going to conceal ‘overly-promotional posts’ contributed by brands. Many marketers have pegged this strategy as an …

Once upon a time, content was king. Then it got nudged onto the edge of the throne (but not all the way off) by a slew of unusual and shady practices believed to enhance SEO value. Now, thanks to the implementation of Google’s updated algorithms, the monarch is again firmly planted on the throne. And his highness is ruling with …

It’s true. Your brand can fly. But you’ll have to help it along with a fantastic, riveting story that captures the hearts and minds of consumers. Indeed, telling the right tale can turn a good product into a SuperBrand. With its awesome potential, brand storytelling is on the minds of many marketers. If you’re planning to join the storytelling club, …

It’s one thing to bring customers to your doorstep. It’s quite another to tie the knot with them. Not surprisingly, customer retention is more than a process of offering products that score high on the wow meter. Along with springing onto the scene with a dazzling product, brand marketers must forge strong relationships with those who plunk down the big …

The popularity of online videos has soared in recent years. But the arena is not limited to amateurs hoping to leave their footprint in cyberspace. Brand marketers have been getting into the video act in a very big way. Not surprisingly, their productions are making the biggest splash on the world’s ultimate stage – social media. That’s where the fans …

Before the onslaught … before the proliferation of social sites … conversations were limited to direct interactions between people. Often the chatter took place in live situations, with telephonic communications capturing the remainder. For brand marketers, that typically meant concocting a pitch to get decision makers thinking and eventually talking about a particular product or service. Once the initial buzz …

Consumers generally won’t spend their hard-earned money on a brand unless the product says loud and clear, “you can trust me.” For consumers, gaining trust boils down to three essentials: Protection of Privacy – Crucial in the digital age of information Value – A fair price for a quality product is the magic formula Quick Deliveries – Nobody wants to …

  Wide-screen was once the way to go. From mega-colossal movie experiences to flat screen TVs with wall-size dimensions, bigger was definitely considered better. But, this ideology may no longer be relevant for brand marketers keen on video promotions. According to Ooyala, the well-known provider of video technology products and services, there has been a 400% jump in mobile video …

If you’re a small business (fewer than 100 employees), congratulations on your greater sociability. Research firm BIA/Kelsey has recently revealed that 74.5% of small and medium-size businesses use social media to promote their business. This figure has edged up from last year’s total of 71.7%. When it comes to the spending pie, the small biz sector slices off 21.4% of …

Just when brand marketers think they have the internet figured out, here comes a blizzard of new trends. So adjustment is made. Adaptation takes place. But the second marketers get settled in and comfortable with the new realities, the next batch of trends howls in. It’s a never ending cycle. Like the physical world, the internet is an ever-evolving entity. …

It sits atop televisions in select households. And it reveals a great deal about those watching the tube. The name of the magic box is Audience Select. Offered by Time Warner Cable (TWC) Media, the breakthrough device provides advertisers with a mind-boggling wealth of consumer data. The purpose? To enable participating advertisers to connect more solidly with customers and prospects. …

Nowadays, the marketing universe essentially consists of two worlds – the digital and the traditional. Popular thinking once held that consumers, especially younger ones, were flocking to the digital sphere and abandoning long-standing physical destinations such as stores. Tablets, smartphones, web, social media … they all pointed to one unarguable fact – bits and bytes were the new rulers of …

TV, collateral, digital content … they all have tremendous power to connect with customers. However, even the mightiest of these channels can’t hold a candle to what is undoubtedly the greatest consumer convincer in the known universe – word of mouth. Why does word of mouth rule the marketing sphere? Because recommendations passing the lips of friends, family, and highly-regarded …

Before the copy. Before the design. Before the media buys… Brand marketers must pull this tool out of their supply box. The tool is research. And without it, you’re moving in the dark, playing guessing games with your marketing budget. Not the cleanest path to a solid ROI. Here at Young Company, research is a mission-critical step. Before we set …

Websites have many functions. And if you’re a B2B marketer, one of those functions is lead- generation. After all, you can’t sell ‘em unless you bring ‘em. Would you like to capture more leads? Of course you would. And websites offer brand marketers a plethora of lead-capturing opportunities. Naturally, the more you seize, the greater your chances of luring new …

How can marketers know if they’re making sound decisions or going astray? Research can provide a wealth of clues. But, of course, there are a million ways to dig for the prized research data. Unfortunately, none of them will lead to a sound decision unless the results are both valid and reliable. Here are the basics for ensuring accuracy in …

Content isn’t just king…it’s an all-powerful ruler on the march to new lands. The monarch’s expanding kingdom is the realm of searches once ruled by now-outmoded SEO techniques. Not that SEO has been pushed off the map. Far from it. Proper SEO practices still play a role in getting your brand’s web destinations spotted by search engines. But the starring …

People talk to their pets, their flowers, their phones, and occasionally their kids. So why aren’t company captains chatting it up more with their staff? The Bounty still might be sailing if its leader had better social skills. How important is conversing with your employees? A mere six hours a week is enough to trigger a significant jump in employee …

While engagement always has been near the top of the marketing priority list, grabbing hearts and minds is particularly important when reaching for Millennials. This group, designated as those between the ages of 18-32, is seeing a definite surge in buying power. For brand marketers hoping to build a bridge to this rapidly-expanding consumer population, it is essential to consider …

Most small to medium-sized businesses lack Microsoft-size marketing budgets. So how will these humbler players supply the content-hungry demands of consumers? Ignoring the content phenomenon while clinging to outmoded, budget-friendly methods won’t exactly win the day. People across the globe are devouring web pages, blogs, online videos, social media, e-press releases, and every other type of content tossed their way. …

With a press of a button, a sofa appears in your living room. So will a table, chair, lamp, nightstand, and a million-and-one other popular home furnishings. But don’t try sitting on that cushy sofa, or setting fine Chinaware on the table. None of this stuff is usable. In fact, it’s not even real. All of the home items are …

Location data is lighting up the marketing world in a big way. Facebook, Google, Yelp, Instagram, Groupon, Twitter, etc., now offer apps with location data features– with good reason.  Mobile location data is a proven powerhouse when it comes to both engagement and target marketing. However, location data is not just about reaching consumers in the vicinity of participating businesses …

Marketing your brand with social media is only one part of the success picture. You also need to know how you stack up after all your energy has been expended. Is all that grueling effort paying off? Don’t look to your legions of fans for the answer. True, popularity is always a good thing. But, do you know what they’re …

Everything evolves. Even Public Relations. PR practices of even a decade ago belong in the Stone Age. Things move that fast. Look at new age public relations, and you’ll see a completely different beast. A time traveler from the year 2000 probably wouldn’t recognize contemporary PR. “What happened to mailing press releases to newspapers and magazines?” the visitor would stammer. …

Online, offline, inline … from a marketing perspective, it’s all supremely important these days. That’s because brands capture the best results when advertisers implement a mixed bag of marketing approaches. TV, print, website, social media, radio. It’s all part of the contemporary success blend.  United, your marketing stands. Divided, it staggers and stalls. The blending of marketing platforms into a …

What’s the latest way to boost your brand marketing muscle? A futuristic e-commerce platform? A must-have social media app? Nope. You’re way off. The marketing miracle is none other than that which arrives from the fingertips of your local postal carrier … direct mail. It’s true. Snail mail still packs a mighty punch. In fact, the mighty snail frequently KOs …

Free ocean view homes along the California Gold Coast! First come, first served. According to the latest statistical research, the probability of this occurrence is approximately a gazillion-to-one. Most homeowners aren’t in the habit of giving away their high-value property. Then why, oh why, are so many brands essentially giving away access to their precious digital real estate? It happens …

Social Media Contests Done Right. Is your brand holding a contest via Twitter, Facebook, or any of the other million-and-one social media channels? Great! Social media contests are fast becoming a prime source of widespread brand promotion. However, as with any other ‘official’ contest intended for J.Q. Public, certain guidelines come into play. Said guidelines are intended to ensure the …

Is Your Email Marketing Campaign Getting the Green Light? Where is your email marketing campaign actually going? You’ve probably noticed that snail-mailboxes and email in-boxes differ in one very important respect – the former doesn’t typically come equipped with spam filters. Email can and often does get diverted into the dreaded junk folder, long before it can reach its intended …

Congratulations! Your brand marketing blog is now hovering in cyberspace, poised to rock the internet. From this resource will come a torrent of wisdom, news, views, tips of the trade, and every other conceivable form of digital content. But a question gnaws at you – which of the gazillion-and-one social media sites will you use to cross-promote your blog? To …

Anybody inhabiting planet earth knows about the soaring popularity of mobile devices.  Brand marketers certainly are clued in. And they’re doing something about it. In 2013, revenues from mobile local advertising swelled to $2.9 billion. Projections for this year are putting that number at $4.5 billion. Looking down the road, revenues are expected to triple in the next three years. …

Everything changes. It’s the law of life. And now that law is being applied magnificently to Twitter profiles. Thanks to these changes, both brand marketers and the general public will be able to make a bigger personal impression than ever before. A major component of the Twitter transformation plan is the addition of a new ‘Photo/Video’ link to the top …

Content marketing basically has two directions to go: to consumers or to businesses. Each customer type occupies a different zone in the commercial sphere. So don’t expect one hand-dandy, all-purpose content marketing strategy to do the trick. It won’t. B2B and B2C are as different as bread and water. No question about it. Brand marketers must be clued into what …

Only conversion rates are more important to brand marketers than this revealing metric. Can you guess what the mystery measurement is? If you said engagement rate, you’re right on the money. ExactTarget reports that this metric is the clear runner up in the popularity contest … trailing the leader by a slim 3%. There’s good reason for brand marketers to …

Big Data – everyone in the known universe has heard the term. In a nutshell, it means endless quantities of information far too large to manage using conventional methods. So you can rule counting out loud right from the get go. As more and more information tumbles into homes and offices, you can bet your last nickel that big data …

Reaching your online pages is one thing. Staying there is another. One thing is certain, however. Your digital content won’t trigger the mandatory ‘wow’ response unless it makes the right impression… The kind of impression that makes viewers stick around.   How long is long enough to establish a truly ‘sticky’ message? Various organizations are pushing forward, trying to divine …

It boasts 70 million users. And the numbers are rising daily.  No question about it. Pinterest is the destination for throngs of online visitors. Easy navigation and a clean interface have made it all but irresistible. But there’s more than a popularity contest at work here. Pinterest offers mind-boggling profit potential. Consider this: The site’s loyal ‘pin heads’ spend triple …

Customers and prospects are talking about you. Maybe a great deal. Much of the chatter is zooming through the online pipeline. And, like it or not, everything flowing through cyberspace may not be rosy. Some – maybe a lot – will be on the negative side. But whether the conversations are good, bad, or ugly, monitoring online buzz is key …

It’s generally not a good idea to draw straws or play guessing games when it comes to selecting SEO strategies. The stakes are just too high. So which one does a well-meaning brand marketer implement? Well, actually there are three SEO strategies that belong in every brand marketer’s playbook. According to projections, this trio promises to have the greatest impact …

Simply, shocking. According to a recent report generated by Econsultancy and Adobe, a mere 12% of companies utilize integrated marketing. Many more dabble, of course. But that’s not the same as doing a thorough job. Without a truly comprehensive integrating marketing plan, companies risk misunderstanding their most important asset – their customers. Why is Integrated Marketing a Must-Have? Integrated marketing …

And Today’s Marketing Forecast is …   Digital video marketing is reaching audiences with greater and greater accuracy. Nevertheless, there’s always room for the next breakthrough technique or innovative approach. For brand marketers intent on refining the process of digital video advertising, here’s a quick-scan of trends that can help steer your thinking in the most productive direction. Trends Looming …

Just when PR folks thought they had everything in hand … just when the machine was humming along smoothly with the tried and true methods of connecting with the public… Along comes a whole new approach to reaching your audience.  Well, actually the approach is not really all that new. In fact, people have been wowing audiences with it ever …

In the Spotlight – You’re A Brand Marketer! Wowed by a brand or a business? Proclaim your enthusiasm with a snappy review seen by the entire online world. Credit goes to sites like Yelp for making such widespread endorsements all the rage on the web. Judging from the soaring popularity of these services, businesses should expect the public to be …

How easy is it to make unwanted emails just go away? As easy as pressing the spam or unsubscribe button — actions that many of us routinely perform with the greatest of glee. Not only does this decisive rejection rid us of unwanted messages, it instills a feeling of control and power in many if not most participants. And that’s …

Performance marketing … is it something more than clicks? How do you keep score in the contemporary digital universe? Well, first of all, brand marketers have to think beyond the click and the cost-per-acquisition. Measuring the success of digital advertising has come to include many new variables that weren’t in the picture even a few years ago. Case in point …

Google’s update known as ‘hummingbird’ is going to have a major impact on content marketing. Don’t protest that you haven’t seen any changes yet. The update will be making a big splash in the web world. Reports indicate the hummingbird will affect around 90% of daily Google searches. Are you listening, content marketers? 90%. Not exactly a paltry sum. So …

Friends are more than the people you hang with. They’re also the shapers of your opinions … especially opinions related to buy decisions. At least, that’s the story told by statistics. According to research, approximately 80% of consumers seek recommendations from folks in their social circle – well before purchasing a product or service. With its friend-connecting power, social media …

As a brand marketer aiming for B2B success, you better know the right people. This doesn’t mean get in good with high-powered business execs, celebrities, and political figures. (Although it couldn’t hurt.) The folks you must know like the back of your hand are the individuals who buy your well-marketed products and services – your customers. Of course, to know …

Are you spending more advertising dollars on content marketing, but not going as far as you’d like to? Would you like to get more mileage out of your investment but don’t know how? If you answered ‘yes’ to either of these questions, you’re in luck. Indeed, businesses can take content marketing programs a very long way — right into the …

Not very long ago, Twitter depended on limited internal user data to tweet targeted brand messaging to consumers. But those limitations have all but vanished thanks to Twitter’s introduction of Tailored Audiences. In a nutshell, Tailored Audiences is the new programmatic marketing platform implemented by the social media powerhouse. Thanks to the system, Twitter now can zero in on consumers, …