Join groups , and stay active One tip I always share for small business owners is to join LinkedIn groups that are relevant to their target demographic. Not only is this a great way to “listen in” on what your audience is talking about, there may [also] be times for small business owners to interact…
LinkedIn isn’t just for professionals. Did you know you can use LinkedIn to grow your business, too? From making connections to generating leads, establishing partnerships and creating better brand awareness, LinkedIn makes an invaluable addition to your sales and digital marketing strategy. To help you navigate LinkedIn as a sales platform, here are a few…
Social media is sexy and direct mail is dead. If you take the advice of some, you’ll completely abandon all offline marketing efforts for digital campaigns that may look good but fail to deliver sales. The reality is, direct mail isn’t pushing up daisies just yet. In fact, depending on your industry, it’s alive and…
This past Tuesday, 770 area nonprofits in Middle Tennessee received a big hug from the city of Nashville and surrounding areas. The Big Payback, an initiative of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, hosted a 24-hour marathon for the sole purpose of raising much needed funds to support the good work done by various programs…
Very few things in life boost the credibility of your brand like the praise of others. By delivering on your brand promises, you earn the respect and trust of others before you need it, and when you need it to make the sale, it’s already there, so says Seth Godin. That’s the power of earned…
We make the list every year. In 2016, we’re #6 Most Stressful Jobs according to Forbes, right behind military personnel and emergency first responders. PR executives get a bad rap for being hacks or flacks but at the end of the day, they’re the ones taking the heat if your company is under fire by…
When creating a campaign to market your business or a particular aspect of your business, your content is at the mercy of your strategy. Building an effective content strategy that leverages the benefits of owned, paid, and earned media helps you tap into resources you already own while getting a boost from advertising and positive…
An interesting phenomenon has occurred in the digital age – consumers are now listening to the opinions of strangers to influence their purchasing decisions. With sites like Yelp, Angie’s List, and Goodsnitch, consumers are now able to rate their experience and provide detail on what they liked and did not like with this information being…
The customer may not always be right, but the customer is certainly at the center of a brand that is top of mind. And the way these brands pull that off is by delivering exceptional customer experiences that go beyond the 800 number and help enrich the lives of their customers. Sounds like a tall…
Ready or not, 2014 is packing its bags, making room for the hustle and bustle of a new year. With 2015 just three weeks away (seriously?), you’re probably scrambling to do what’s expected of you this season – send out holiday wishes. And chances are, you’re going to do what you’ve seen done before. Like…
The reality is, marketing only works when you keep at it. There’s no magic potion to drink. No secret algorithm to crack. And not enough keywords on the planet to stuff behind your name to turn you into an overnight sensation. The key to effective marketing is consistency. Not just doing it when you feel…
Now more than ever, customers are swimming in an endless pool of information. Just about every topic you can think of is searchable online and findable on Google. Yet when it comes to solving their specific problems, many customers feel left to drift at sea, clinging desperately to our websites, social platforms, or physical locations…