Brands as journalists. Sounds like a stretch. After all no one expects to get the inside scoop on any relevant story of the day from someone trying to sell you coffee, soap or a new SUV. But what about brands as purveyors of information? Knowledge? Insight? Useful tips? That seems a little more reasonable. And in an age when Google, Facebook, Twitter and Reddit etc. are breaking down barriers between who gets to provide information…
Implementing a Content Marketing may program may seem like a daunting task. Knowing what sort of information your key audiences are looking for, identifying sharing opportunities with them, and putting the right team in place to create and execute programs can be complex and time consuming. The following 10 tips will help get you focused and on your way to driving success through content marketing– (1) Follow Industry News Knowing what influencers in your industry…
Branding a business and building that brand is no longer a matter of some creating some clever ads and executing the right media buy. Building a brand that stands out means being ready to engage people digitally. Some may just be checking you out. Others may be ready to buy. You need to be able to engage the full spectrum of prospects in a consistent and compelling way. And that’s where Inbound Marketing comes in–…
Social media is more than just cat videos, food pics and fan rants. It has become a key place for sharing of information and ideas. A go-to source for guidance and advice. A place where business transactions can get started. Social media can be a powerful source of traffic, leads and sales for your business. The numbers do not line. Social media networks are major communication channels. So it would make sense to treat social…
The interwebs are full of entities looking to jump on viral trends. From planking, to the Harlem Shake, to the latest celebrity mishaps, we all enjoy jumping on and sharing the latest memes. And if we’re managing a brand presence in social media, it’s just as tempting to add our voice into the mix. But how to do so without just becoming one of the crowd? Here are some guidelines we use at Budding Culture…
New. The need for difference. Something fresh, fun, never before encountered, unexplored. ‘New’ is sometimes all it takes to grab our attention, stop us in our tracks or take a deeper look at a product. What is it about New that is so invigorating to us? Is it because we get bored easily? Despite all the tools, toys and entertainment outlets designed to keep us interested and engaged. Or perhaps we are wired on a…
Just when we were feeling good again about the changes to Facebook, the soon to be billionaires club dropped Timeline in our laps. And like it or not, your profile page and fan pages will never be the same. And you know what? It’s all good (well, mostly). Here are some highlights and observations from the team here at Budding Culture: COVER PHOTO the new eye-catching, 851 X 315 pixel descriptive visual of your brand….
I’ve always been fascinated with how some ads try to present their products as part of a bigger lifestyle choice. Sure I’ve spent a good part of my adult life helping craft those very messages on behalf of clients. But even when I’m nesting in my den, playing the part of the American everyman watching Sunday football, with my marketing work a distant note on my Monday to-do list, I still find myself mulling over…
Brands are often an unwelcome presence on social media platforms. They tend to interrupt conversations with blatant sales pitches. They then often ask for information we don’t deem them entitled to receive. Our email addresses. Answers to incessantly dry, pedantic surveys. Urgent commands to pimp their promotions to our friends. You get the idea. When it comes to social media, many brands and the companies that run them could use an etiquette primer. But where…
As Facebook and Twitter have ascended to the top of the marketing lexicon, it is utterly amazing to me that brands still don’t understand the (well documented) fundamentals of social media. So many marketers are treating social media as an extension of their direct response efforts, or just another media outlet for press releases. Not to say that social platforms do not play a role in the transaction or dissimulating company news to a broad…
We just spent a few days at the Natural Product Expo West trade show in Anaheim. I’ve always been a fan of this show. It’s a chance to meet tons of people who do what they love- create products that are good for you, good for the environment and are often unique. Many of these products go on to grow into major brands- Amy’s Kitchen or Kashi are two that come to mind. This trade…
We’ve heard much over the last few years about the wisdom, power, intelligence of crowds. The ability to harness collective creativity, brainpower, willpower and vision in order to accomplish great things. The growth of social media inspired much of this discourse. And even if you have been a skeptic till now, recent events in the Middle East should convince you that crowds empowered by social media platforms are indeed a force of world-changing influence. We’ve…
I’ve been thinking about how dated traditional marketing worldviews have become — particularly the notions of brand building. Twentieth century economic growth provided a hothouse for the dogma of brand building. The increasing presence of one-way broadcast mediums, coupled with the industrial revolution and later on the spread of consumption-led economies provided the perfect storm for brand-think. Whether in the guise of ad-agency, consultant or marketing manager, brand shamans shouted their b-invectives to willing minions…
We're Just Saying. . .
Copyright © 2013 Budding Culture