Scott Samson says, “When it comes to video marketing, your goal is not to inform, entertain, or create awareness. Your goal is to make someone involved in a buying decision want to learn more. Your call to action should lead to more detailed content, a software download, a live demo — anything that helps educate the buyer. You’ll find it a lot easier to shape a user-friendly and engaging video if you keep these tips in mind. 1. Understand how the viewer arrived at your video To get to your video, the viewer clicked on a link to your website, video channel, Facebook page — somewhere... [...]

Scott Samson says, “The days of winning over your customers’ hearts and minds based solely on the quality of your product or service are over. In the digital age, prices and products are easily imitated. This leaves delivering a speedy, personalized and friendly customer experience as the best way to differentiate your business from its competitors. To help arm you with the information needed to thrive in this competitive environment, here are 10 stats that tell you everything you need to know about today’s consumer. Nearly Half of Consumers Move On After Poor Customer Service In NewVoiceMedia’s... [...]

Remy Bernstein says, “Producing strong content has become an absolute must in today’s marketing world, prompting companies to devote, on average, a quarter of their marketing efforts to content strategy. According to White Hot Marketing, marketers’ top three goals are: “customer relationship/loyalty, engagement and brand awareness.” Since consistently publishing high-quality content allows brands to build a strong connection with their target audience, it can help achieve all of these goals. While research and communication skills haven’t always topped the list of requirements for... [...]

Megan Totka says, “There’s an old saying that “the devil is in the details,” and this is especially true when you’re trying to build your business brand. Every detail counts. Each one either supports your brand or detracts from it. That’s why the first fundamental and overriding rule of branding is consistency. Here are six brand building blocks that need your special attention in 2017. 1. Design The first impression you make on prospects is usually visual — your website, your social media marketing, your business card, your mailing piece or your brochure. Therefore, perfecting... [...]

Stacy DeBroff says, “Running a successful webinar is like overhauling an old motorcycle. I’ve seen beautiful old bikes that sit on blocks for years, being tinkered with. Effort is not given in the quantity nor the quality needed to really make the bike run. So, it sits. It becomes a time and money-suck. The level of focus required to get the bike not just firing, but fully restored, is tremendous. Anyone can buy a junker and fall in love with the idea of restoring it, but few have the patience. The same is true of running a webinar. At the end of the day, a Google Hangout and a promotional... [...]

Stacy DeBroff says, “While both Influencer Marketing and Content Marketing strategies generate rich, compelling storytelling, copy, images and video, their approaches and results couldn’t be more different. In today’s rapidly morphing marketing landscape, brands often find paid-for content confusing particularly when it comes to differentiating between content marketing and influencer marketing. With brands and their agency partners increasingly confusing the two, they risk diluting the powerful attributes that come with each. With content marketing, brands pay to have very specific content... [...]

Vivek Khandelwal says, “Some 94 percent of companies consider personalization to be a driving force for business success, but a whopping 72 percent don’t know how to use personalization in their marketing campaigns. In this ever growing competition, personalization has become vital like never before. But to master it, you must go beyond just adding the customer’s name to everything you send. End users are evolving and taking the driver’s seat. The better the service, the better chances are that they will choose you. Personalization makes the end user feel special, which can make... [...]

Moosa Hemani says, “In 1964, media and communication theorist Marshall McLuhan coined the term “global village” to describe the “phenomenon of the world’s culture shrinking and expanding at the same time due to pervasive technological advances that allow for instantaneous sharing of culture.” But I doubt he could envision the extent to which the boundaries of the world would shrink and what it would mean in terms of managing and meeting consumers and their expectations. We live in a world of gadgets and gizmos, where we are immersed in our devices, apps and online experiences. To... [...]

Scott Sampson says, “As a marketer, it pays to have access to consumer data. The more you know about your target audience, the more personalized your marketing efforts can be. While physical billboard ads are strategically designed and placed to reach a local audience, it’s more challenging to pinpoint where and when a digital audience will consume your brand’s ads. The solution? Hyper localized digital marketing. Location-based data allows brands to create strong connections with individual consumers rather than blindly targeting large segments of the population. By analyzing extremely... [...]

Scott Sampson says, “Inside sales involve the sale of products and services by reps working remotely. It relies on contact by phone and online, rather than meeting face-to-face. At present, the inside sales market is growing 300 percent faster than traditional sales. While the size of this growth might raise an eyebrow, the headline trend probably shouldn’t be a surprise. Advances in technology have reshaped the face of sales. Mobile devices now enable reps to connect with prospects anytime, anywhere. Meanwhile, improvements in supporting tech can provide high-quality prospect data, enabling... [...]