Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jan 11, 2012, 8:06 am
Guest post by Lior Levin In November, Google launched a competitive product to Facebook’s Fan Pages, called Google+ Brand Pages. Companies can set up Brand Pages to connect with customers and affiliates in the same way that they can with Fan Pages. Brand Pages and Fan Pages, at least in appearan...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Oct 13, 2011, 9:48 am
Good content is an essential element to any digital marketing strategy. Content “scent trails” can help generate awareness and give prospects a stronger sense of your organization and its offerings. It keeps them interested. I’ve written about organizing and managing a team blog for busines...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Oct 6, 2011, 9:37 am
Several good posts have been written about how much time brands should spend minding their social media store. Jeff Esposito related the time question to business objectives when he wrote a post evaluating these four areas as ready matches for social media: Customer support Brand awareness Sal...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Sep 29, 2011, 9:29 am
So you’re a community manager in charge of growing online engagement for your brand. Now what? Where’s the manual for this thing? What else should you be doing? The concept of community is an evolving one and may carry a variety of responsibilities at every company, depending on size and basic...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Sep 22, 2011, 9:35 am
Small and local businesses have gotten the telegram: social media can play an important role in marketing and sales planning. The channel has reach, allows for user-generated context, offers immediacy and is accessible. And because it’s an opt-in channel, small businesses reaching out to prospects...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Sep 15, 2011, 9:27 am
Have you heard the phrase “entrepreneurial spirit“? It’s all the rage in job listings these days. Entrepreneural spirit may mean a company is looking for anything from “someone with no email marketing background to grab the reigns” to “an idea person” to “someone who can handle a to...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Sep 8, 2011, 9:45 am
Social media can provide tremendous business intelligence (BI) to companies in several ways, including: Community intelligence surrounding the category, issue, or brand Brand identity monitoring, including competitive intelligence Community discovery identifying influencers, issues, and engagement ...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Sep 1, 2011, 9:34 am
A few months ago Twitter was abuzz with thoughts about the @RedCross snafu and the @Chrysler all-around bungle. More recently, it was Burson-Marsteller’s attempt to manipulate Facebook. Today it’s (insert Twitter crisis of the day here). Tomorrow it’ll be something else. And we humans cl...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Aug 29, 2011, 4:17 pm
There was no band camp for me this summer. But my days were chock-full of work, errands, and coordination worthy of an air traffic control award. Here I’m sharing some random observations learned as a business owner, a mother, household administrator, and chauffeur who survived the summer of 2011....
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Aug 25, 2011, 9:07 am
Somewhere recently I read a blogger mention that he turned off the lights each night to the light of his smart phone display, and the first things he did each morning was check his email and browse his RSS feeds. Before ever setting foot into the bathroom or stumbling to the coffee maker.  It was i...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Aug 18, 2011, 9:36 am
Recently I gave you some suggestions for how to start a blogging team for your business. If you’re interested in setting up a multi-author blog to support lead gen or thought leadership objectives, I suggest you check out that post first to catch up on some of the top line strategy and administra...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Aug 11, 2011, 2:31 pm
Blogging can be a great way to support certain marketing strategies. A blog manager that consistently finds fresh angles, fills information voids, or discusses hot topics could position her company’s blog to experience some real traction (go, you). If only time and ideas were infinite resources. ...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Aug 3, 2011, 9:20 am
Brand personality is individual character expanded to an enterprise-level frame. Sometimes when the skin is stretched over that frame, things get out of whack. We think about the framework in abstract, but not about (or less than we should) how human customers intersect with theory. Our favorite pe...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jul 25, 2011, 9:39 am
The term “engaged audience” is may be misleading, particularly by those focusing primarily on digital marketing. Taken at face value, the term implies that a subset of a brand’s total audience – those who buy or operate the products and the people otherwise connected to the general concerns ...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jul 12, 2011, 2:30 pm
Funny thing about communities. Sometimes they spring up in spots you haven’t been watering. Because they’re not clustered in nice fat groups claiming a proud central space in the garden, they’re not complimented by neighbors of other carefully-groomed organic matter. They’re insubstantial, ...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jun 27, 2011, 8:47 am
Do your employees – even those that don’t directly touch your customers – think about how they can shepherd them down a path to greater commitment, higher satisfaction, and higher lifetime value? I’m reading a book titled “Edge” by fiction author Jeffrey Deaver. The story line centers o...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jun 22, 2011, 9:15 am
It’s dangerous to make assumptions that hamper effective communication. Hyperconnectivity, rapid-fire signals, and a mentalities fraught by a sense of uber-urgency serve to amplify our executional shortcuts. As we look for more tools to make it easier to set the oven from our phone or take charge ...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jun 20, 2011, 9:32 am
I’m attracted to pithy, so-right-it-sings taglines. The kind that sum up the brand position in a way that makes me, the consumer, feel understood. The brand gets why I buy; the product was made for me. Take this tagline from Pepperidge Farm ( I was parked. I swear). It says “Good is in the deta...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jun 14, 2011, 9:43 am
A friend phoned me today on her ride home from work, buzzing with frustration. She sometimes struggles with the operational and people-management aspects of her job. Anything nibbling around the edges of conflict or fierce conversation makes her palms sweat. It seems the IT techno-scanners in my fr...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jun 6, 2011, 9:00 am
Back in the old days when “integrated marketing” execution was decidedly weighted with more print, outdoor, TV, and direct than web portals or online advertisements, the full service agency I worked for had its own information group bundled under the IT department. It was the mid-90′s, and we ...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - May 26, 2011, 1:22 pm
I know we’re talking about B2B and not B2C, but the cover of the latest BtoB Magazine bothers me. I think the editors are still thinking in terms of “outbound”  rather than “inbound.” Would a more appropriate headline be “Demand Generation Guide 2011” if in fact the issue contains con...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - May 16, 2011, 4:14 pm
Last week I was in Minneapolis rubbing hashtags (#Confab) with other word geeks who build and publish stuff online. About 500 of us glommed around the Hyatt for three days to talk about how to plan for content, how to sell it internally and to clients, how to test for good content, and how to work t...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - May 3, 2011, 11:29 am
Our society and every organization within it has rules. From Little League to scholastic codes of conduct to employee handbooks and merchant agreements. Whether the exacting and micro-detailed codicils drafted by lawyers, or the pinky-swear commitments that ensure your besties will refrain from buyi...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Apr 27, 2011, 4:04 pm
In life and business, there are some measuring sticks that matter. Are you giving love and praise unconditionally? Are you generously sharing the bounty of your talents so that others might learn and grow? Are you holding fast to the promises your brand makes to its customers? Are you committed to ...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Apr 25, 2011, 10:33 am
This is a guest post contributed by Princess Jones, owner of P.S. Jones Communications. The story of your brand is a love story. It starts with a spark and you flirt with the idea of making into something more permanent. As the  relationship develops, you learn more about what works for your bran...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Apr 21, 2011, 8:30 am
I’ve been fortunate to receive a few books to review, and I’d like to share some quick thoughts about two of them.  My gratitude goes to the authors and publishers who so kindly shared the books and asked nothing in return (only to be rewarded with a slow-as-molasses review). Being an avid read...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Apr 18, 2011, 8:30 am
Take a look at your marketing project list. It may be a traditional lined legal pad you carry around in a folio or color-coded Post-It notes surrounding your monitor like a dressed-up peacock. It makes little difference how you keep your list, because I bet we’re all the same in how we tackle the...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Apr 8, 2011, 3:11 pm
Trust. Now there’s a word we marketers drop like bright shiny pennies from a well-worn coin purse with a faulty closure. We say it’s important, a vital part of our sales and marketing strategies. Builds a strong brand. Gain the customer’s trust and we’ll hold onto them with a ferocity that ...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Apr 4, 2011, 3:57 pm
Are you one of the cool kids with a custom short URL? I’ve used a particular free short URL service for awhile. It serves all my needs, from enabling multiple links for a single web page (to track reach in different sources) to respectable analytics. I recently applied for their pro-level service ...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Mar 31, 2011, 8:00 am
Channel management (of the communication variety, not the sales/transaction sort) is becoming increasingly difficult for businesses. As consumers adopt new tools (and as tools mature and become more advanced), their expectations of brands grow. We want our MTV, and we want it via RSS, SMS, QR code, ...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Mar 27, 2011, 6:08 pm
Marketing departments can be funny creatures. The breadth of the discipline means creative people comingle with data geeks and wordsmiths adjoin coders. The touchy-feely branding whisperers stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the email marketing specialists. Is there little wonder that members of this g...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Mar 21, 2011, 8:00 am
Brand bibles, FAQs, and troubleshooting guides can provide general outlines of Do’s and Don’ts, policies and common steps to issue resolution. As helpful as these resources may be to a social media specialist (or customer service rep), they can’t replace personal experience and direct exposure...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Mar 15, 2011, 8:30 am
Have you ever considered whether No should be the new Yes?  Constructive heresy. It’s what’s working for innovative businesses. How many times (as an employee) did you: go along when a difficult boss shut down your well-researched idea to drive new traffic to the company web site? bite your t...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Mar 8, 2011, 7:00 am
Becoming a social business isn’t as easy as adopting a few tools and making a few status updates.  Designing an innovative company around disruptive technology means more than taking a shallow swipe at establishing a service line and chalkboarding a “sometime, down the road” SaaS. Work the r...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Mar 3, 2011, 2:16 am
You can send an email from a plane and cull the most meaningful links from your Twitter stream without any heavy lifting.  You may even check your RSS feed during the agonizingly long school choir concert (raises eyebrow).  Does what you read and experience in these micro-moments and other, less f...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Feb 28, 2011, 12:37 am
If you think dreams are for children and emotions have no place in business, then chances are you’re missing out on tremendous opportunity and walking the same familiar trail to market.  Recognizing an employee’s personal dreams and talents while channeling their passions and interests to suppo...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Feb 19, 2011, 12:24 pm
Listen up.   Grab your AmEx and head on over to Amazon.  You’re about to buy a book. That is, unless you win a free book (and I have one to offer some lucky duck). But you’ll probably want multiple copies, so you still need that shiny green card. Share the knowledge wealth. Once you dive in...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Feb 14, 2011, 6:30 am
Customer satisfaction is a crucial element to building enduring customer relationships.  A brand image may be a composite of many things, but satisfaction is the glue that binds them all together. Over on the Social Media Explorer blog I recently wrote about the role of social media in achieving c...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Feb 10, 2011, 9:05 am
When you’re trying to build your company’s brand, one clear focal point is the marketplace and another is the target consumer.  An often overlooked (or under considered) leg of the stool is your work force, and subsequently, everyone those people know. Internal branding. Do your plans for stea...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Feb 3, 2011, 8:00 am
Recently Tamsen McMahon published a really great infographic on the Sametz Blackstone blog.  It’s a decision tree that maps out paths for determining whether a tweet might get re-tweeted.  The graphic includes subjective filters (“Is it interesting?”) and practical factors (“Am I busy?”)...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jan 31, 2011, 7:30 am
Equal measures of confidence and self awareness can help those with drive achieve success.  The road isn’t smooth; the map is even creased.  Knowing what you’re capable of – willing to learn and work for – along with an honest grip on your strengths will help you resist those beguiling sho...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jan 27, 2011, 7:05 am
Need some thoughts on social media integration?  Yesterday Mark Smiciklas of Intersection Consulting published a post with an embeded video on Social Media Explorer.  The video addressed best practices for companies to follow as they look to integrate SocMed into their business.   A fellow contr...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jan 24, 2011, 7:00 am
Recently I covered 5 immutable laws of community-centric organizations.  Below are four more to consider. Make Your Community Character Count Make good choices.  Set the standard. Coaching community members to abide by codes of conduct may be a bit more challenging than censoring your own behav...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jan 18, 2011, 7:00 am
I want to blow off some steam addressing community building common sense.  Nurturing relationships with members, customers, or merely interested parties isn’t rocket science, yet it seems so hard for organizations large and small – even those within the “community” and “digital marketing�...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jan 11, 2011, 12:30 pm
In the Dec/Jan issue of Fast Company is a fascinating article titled Mayhem on Madison Avenue by journalist Danielle Sachs.  The article is both an evaluation of entrenched old-school ad agency thinking and processes, and a frank look at the adaptable nature of professionals desperate to channel th...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Jan 1, 2011, 6:32 pm
You may be familiar with the customer decision journey, if only how the idea relates to your own process of  hunting, gathering, weighing and measuring.  There have been some really interesting posts over the past 6-12 months discussing the evolution of the traditional sales funnel into a new fram...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Dec 24, 2010, 6:06 pm
Reflect a little on 2010, and read what industry experts and subject matter pros have to say about the year ahead. Another year has gone by, just as we knew it would.  During this time, we’ve each had personal trials along with triumphs.  And we’ve seen the same  forces exert on the world at...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Dec 17, 2010, 8:35 am
Co-branding is a partnership formed between two brands which have complementary audiences and profiles (or that’s the idea).  The jist is that each brand will reinforce the other’s favorable attributes and bolster their respective weaknesses.  The two superpowers will collide and rise to the t...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Dec 6, 2010, 8:09 am
We’re nearing the end of another year.  While I’m not making any predictions or conducting a year-in-review, I think it’s a safe assumption to say we both didn’t get as much done this year as we would have liked.  That’s a nod I see, yes?  We could have used more discipline. I mean, su...
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Heather R. posted an article on Insights and Ingenuity - Nov 29, 2010, 8:30 am
What’s in a name?  Apparently, a lot.  Which has more appeal, the name “Plucky Pom” or “Anti-Ox Juice”?  Yes, I’ll take my antioxidants, but I’m kinda intrigued by the idea of being plucky…hmmmm. And just how does a brand and its agency get there, to that Place Of Perfect Name? �...
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