Blog

Aug 18
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Bringing Your Brand to Life with Video is So Easy

By | Brand, General Marketing | No Comments

If it’s so easy then why don’t more businesses do it?  Maybe they have stage fright or maybe they don’t know about the smart phone apps that make it a no brainer.  Check out this blog post by my team that covers the basics of video marketing and then give it a shot.

By way of example, I’m sharing my “selfie” video that I created in 5 minutes using pictures from my family vacation to Italy.  No, I’m not selfie obsessed, I did this as a fun way to document all the cool places we went and to annoy my teenage daughters by doing something they think that only cool kids should do.

Anyway, for your business you could easily use your phone to take some pics of your store, employees, new products, community service projects or completed jobs.  Then you use an app like PicFlow to select the pics, add a soundtrack and voila 2 minutes later you’ve got a video.  Imagine a kitchen remodeler showcasing many of his completed jobs each month in the same way I put together my selfie-montage.  It would definitely bring his business to life with a side benefit of helping him drive better SEO and social sharing by posting the videos on key sites like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and so on.  #RLNow

Aug 11
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New ReachLocal Blog

By | General Marketing | No Comments

I’m very proud of my team for building one of the best online marketing blogs in the industry. It’s not bragging if it’s true right?

Our new site covers every aspect of online marketing, from search engine advertising best practices, to social media tips, to lead nurturing – and more.  Go check it out here!

We used the latest best practices in content marketing to engage visitors, demonstrate our thought leadership, and showcase our brand as the leader in local.

Here are a few handy features:

  • Easily browse and sort over 500 pieces of content by category
  • Scan and share top stories – right from the home page
  • Subscribe to get posts by email so you never miss great content
  • Discover popular posts and subject-relevant content on each page
  • Download featured ebooks directly from ads on each page
Aug 05
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Q: What do Barry Schwartz and Louis CK have in common? A: the paradox of choice.

By | General Marketing | No Comments

Recently I’ve been thinking about simplifying my company’s product offerings into just a few bundles from an a la carte set of choices. Coincidentally I was reminded of this TED Talk by psychologist Barry Schwartz on the paradox of choice. Essentially he says that we marketers have provided  consumers with too many choices which in turn has actually reduced their satisfaction with what they buy. I tend to agree and note that now 9 years after Schwartz gave his talk many marketers are bundling together recommended suites to make the buying process easier/better.

Similarly Mr. Schwartz talks about how we’ve raised the bar on expectations so high now that people can’t enjoy what they buy even if it’s really good. While watching that portion of the talk [min 13-15] I couldn’t help but think of this great comedy routine by Louis CK about cell phones and air travel which makes Schwartz’s point perfectly. Note, turn down the audio since he uses some colorful language.

Nov 13
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Help Please! What’s a good mission statement for a marketing team?

By | B2B, General Marketing, Sales and Marketing Effectiveness | No Comments

Mission stmt

Well, it's that time of year again when we do annual plans.  This time around I'd like to clearly lay out the mission statement for my team so our role and contribution is super clear to all stakeholders [including my team].  

Toward that end, I'd like your thoughts and suggestions on my first draft. 

To create marketing programs, content and tools so engaging/educational/useful that “Premium SMBs” want to do business with us [leads], our Sales teams have an easier time turning prospects into clients, and we keep clients for a longer time. 

What do you think?  Is it clear? What is missing?

Aug 20
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What’s the Simplest Way to Differentiate Your Business?

By | General Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Marketing | No Comments

I couldn't resist sharing this Vine video my daughter made featuring our dog Carmel [funny what happens when we're not home during summer break].  

I know that video has nothing to do with business marketing, but 1. it's cute, and 2. it reminded me that you can convey a lot in just 6 seconds of video. So why don't more businesses use video to bring their stores/services/people to life and differentiate them from all the other boring competitors out there? Many I talk to think it's too hard, or takes too much time [scripting, lighting, editing, music, etc.] but that's just not the case.  Vine and Instagram make it so easy the Geico caveman could do it.  

Here's a handy guide to get you started and a list of 10 types of videos you can create in no time.