by admin | Jun 2, 2014 | Uncategorized
Communication in our culture has taken on not just the rhetoric of war but the psychology of battle. Props to Paltrow for saying so. As a reward for her attempt to depict the consequences of online commenters, Gwyneth Paltrow has become their latest victim. In a now-infamous impromptu speech, Paltrow told a tech conference… well, something about online hate and real-life war. “[I]t’s a very dehumanizing thing,” she lamented. “It’s almost like how, in war, you go through this bloody, dehumanizing thing, and then something is defined out of it.” Read more about what Gwyneth Paltrow had to say about communication being turned into a weaponized battlefield...
by admin | Jun 2, 2014 | Communication development/evaluation
Think of all the contacts your business has right now.They probably aren’t all sales ready leads. Most businesses have various different types of contacts that they reach out to for various reasons at various times. Who Are These Contacts Subscriber– Someone who has opted in for something like your blog or newsletter Lead– Someone with more interest than a subscriber who downloaded a piece of content from you and has given more information than just their email Marketing Qualified Lead- More interested and active than just a lead, they have probably downloaded 2 or more pieces of content, opened and clicked through a few emails, etc. Sales Qualified Lead– Someone who is educated and ready enough to talk to your sales team Opportunity– Someone your sales team has spoken to and identified as ready to buy Customer– Someone who pays for your services or products Evangelist– Someone who is a partner or promoter of your business Learn more about these contacts and how to develop a successful life cycle communication plan...
by admin | May 30, 2014 | Innovation
The future of insight-driven innovation has a theme – customized and individualized. As our systems, devices, and networks collect more data on an individual level and we learn to analyze it for personalization, we could become a society that embraces individuality and understands that no two situations are the same. Here are some ways that the future of insight-driven innovation can help us learn more, live longer, and improve the world around us. 1. Social media is becoming the database containing our life’s information With all the social media data that has been openly shared by the billions of users and stored in data warehouses, social networks really do have super powers – not just in the platform or the vast user-base, but in their ability to mine the collected data. Social networks have information about daily activities, life milestones, and the words and emotions spouted off in excitement and frustration. From this information, data scientists and others are mining aggressively to find out more about the human race – everything from how we see ourselves and how we see others, to trends in happiness and depression. A lot of these studies are focused on teens who are growing up with this technology, and more interestingly, the studies are showing how teens’ digital lives affect their offline lives. As we continue to collect and analyze this data, we can proactively modify our lifestyles to prolong a healthier, happier life. Read more about the other ways that insight-driven innovation will change in the future here....
by admin | May 30, 2014 | Brand strategy
One of the biggest challenges for SMEs in thinking about their content strategy is the sheer volume of available content channels. Between personal blogs, traditional media outlets and social media channels, it’s becoming increasingly hard for brands to create a signal that breaks through the marketing noise. Here are five tips for SMEs in developing a content strategy that stands out from the crowd: 1. Have a compelling roadmap 55% of marketers surveyed by HubSpot didn’t have a content strategy even though they were currently creating content. Would you set out for a new destination without a map? Didn’t think so. A content strategy that aligns with your business metrics and your core goals is imperative. Identify what you will do, how you plan to do it, and what needs to be true to define success: creating content just for the sake of doing so doesn’t help your business or your customers. Read about the other five tips for creating an effective content strategy...
by admin | May 29, 2014 | Brand strategy
So you run a brand and you’ve decided to dive into the world of social media. Before you hop in that rocket ship straight for Facebook and Twitterland, and start sharing things all willy nilly, consider the effects a calculated social media marketing strategy will have on your efforts. Like any business decision, it’s important to have a clear flight path that outlines the who, what, where, when, why and hows. Social media is no different! Ask yourself these questions before planning out your social media marketing strategy. Who is my audience? In order to even begin to put a strategy together, it’s essentially important to have a target audience in mind. Males, schoolteachers, or children are not specific enough of a focus. Generally, there are 3 major things you should identify when defining an audience: demographics, interests and needs. If you can point out the exact demographics of your target audience, understand their interests, motivations, but especially their needs, you will be able to reach their beloved news feeds. Find out the other 7 questions to ask when setting up your brand’s social media strategy...
