marketing

,

Marketing for Consumers with a Short Attention Span

,
Marketing for Consumers with a Short Attention Span

Today’s consumers have an extremely short attention span. The title of this post is technically too long for modern consumers - to make a point, obviously.

According to medical research, over the last 20 years, the average attention span has dropped from 2 1/2 minutes to just 45 seconds. Our smartphones and technology are decreasing our attention span. Consumers are inundated by information and it’s changing their behavior across all industries. As marketers, once we learn about our customers, we adapt our practices to match their behavior and potentially influence it. Knowing that consumers only pay attention to ads for 45 seconds or less, we create shorter content clips that get the point across faster. This is true across all platforms, but particularly on social media.

Startup Marketing v. Large Company Marketing

Startup Marketing v. Large Company Marketing

I recently gave a presentation about Consumer Behavior to a group of Freshman business students at UT Dallas. Consumer Behavior is one of my favorite marketing topics. Customers are (or certainly should be) at the center of a marketing plan and typically even a larger business plan. Overall consumer trends and macroeconomic factors impact so much of how customers behave that some of the best marketing organizations I deal with now rely heavily on data to make informed decisions. This data can be sourced from different tools, but most of those tools cost money. I talked about some of the tools that bigger clients and my previous larger employers used, plus some of the tools that everyone uses, regardless of size.

Performance Marketing v. Brand Marketing: What is the Right Combination?

Performance Marketing v. Brand Marketing: What is the Right Combination?

Good marketing contains multiple components that consider both the long-term and short-term success of your business. Performance marketing is the short-term, easier to measure marketing tactics that include, pay per click ads, discount offers, etc. Brand marketing is the long-term, brand building efforts that can be more difficult to measure. Examples of brand marketing are TV, radio, and sponsoring the lanyards at an event. Healthy marketing includes both performance and brand marketing. Building brand awareness takes time, effort, and/or monetary investments in the brand. Depending on the type of business and the market you’re entering, it can be more difficult to build brand awareness and you may need to lean on performance marketing before your brand marketing efforts pay off.

Brand marketing is accretive, which means that it builds upon itself over time. Each brand marketing action helps to form the overall brand experience and the brand equity with the customer. Many household brands have built their name and reputation with long-term investments in brand marketing. It’s hard to separate the Coca-Cola product from the Coca-Cola brand at this point and a lesser brand might not have gotten away with a misstep like New Coke.

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Julienne DesJardins

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Julienne DesJardins

Tell me a little about you and your company.

I’m a digital marketing virtual assistant, specializing in social media management and email marketing. My ideal client is a passionate, small business owner who is ready to offload some of her recurring work, with the goal of turning her attention to business growth activities.

,

How Do I Help My Brand Stand out in a Noisy Market?

,
How Do I Help My Brand Stand out in a Noisy Market?

Do you ever feel like you are screaming into a wind tunnel? No matter what market your brand and business are in, consumers are inundated with so many messages every day that it can be difficult to stand out. Even if your market isn't highly competitive, your customers are still seeing tons of messages from the many brands who sell them other products and services. You want your brand to be remembered. You want your audience to hear or see your messages and think, "Yeah, that's me! That product could really help me."

,

Marketing Mix - The 4 Ps of Marketing

,
Marketing Mix - The 4 Ps of Marketing

At Silver Shade Group, we help our clients with all different kinds of marketing solutions. Sometimes we edit or create print collateral, sometimes we write digital content, and sometimes we create brand or product launch strategies. In every case, the work comes down to the same basic concepts and questions. Who is my customer? What do they want to buy? How can I get my products in front of them at the right time? How do I price my products and services so that those customers will make a purchase? If you can answer these questions, you're on the path to a successful product launch, brand refresh, website update, or strategy session.

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Dannie Fountain

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Dannie Fountain

Tell me a little about you and your company. 

Hello! I’m Dannie Fountain of LE Consulting! I’m a native Michigander who recently made the move to Chicago and I’m loving the hustle and bustle of being in a much more populated area. I have a passion for travel and have certifications in open water diving and flight (student pilot), so I often tell clients that I can look at their marketing challenges from literally every angle! I have a BA in Media & Marketing Management from Albion College and an MS in Human Resource Management from Indiana Wesleyan University and I combine skills from the two to do much of my client work today. 

,

What Social Media Should I Use to Promote My Business?

,
What Social Media Should I Use to Promote My Business?

Social Media planning is important for any entrepreneur or small business trying to build a following for their products and services. If you know how and where to spend your time and create a social media strategy around your business, you can leverage your social media presence to increase your brand awareness and grow your audience. If you operate without a strategy, you can waste valuable time and resources on a platform that does nothing for your business.

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Daniella Shapiro

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Daniella Shapiro

Tell me a little about you and your company

Daniella Shapiro is a Disruptive Entrepreneur, Marketing & Branding Strategist, Social Media & PR Specialist and Speaker. 

Daniella Shapiro is the Founder and CEO of DaniellaShapiro.com, a Premier Marketing, Branding, Social Media Management, PR and Event Planning company dedicated to building products, services & brands for the future. 

Daniella has a BA Marketing Communication degree from the University of Johannesburg and an honours degree in brand leadership from Vega College.

Prioritize Your Launch Projects with a Launch Plan

Prioritize Your Launch Projects with a Launch Plan

When you are launching a new business, or even a new product, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the details involved with a marketing launch. If you create and follow a launch plan, you will be able to record your internal goals, requirements, and accomplishments. You will also ensure that you reach your potential customers with the right media placement and in other locations where they are active. I use the same marketing launch plan for nearly every project, and create separate plans for other aspects of the business, such as production and logistics.

7 Great Business Podcasts to Check Out (That you might not have heard of)

7 Great Business Podcasts to Check Out (That you might not have heard of)

Podcasts are incredibly popular and it seems like everyone has one now. I'm constantly on the lookout for great new finds and these are some of my current favorites. I usually listen in the car, so bonus points awarded for any show that has great show notes for follow up. Feel free to comment with your suggestions. I would love to check them out, too!

,

How Do I Get Earned Media without Paying an Expensive PR firm?

,
How Do I Get Earned Media without Paying an Expensive PR firm?

PR firms can be incredibly expensive. For a small business or an entrepreneur, PR can be prohibitively expensive. Fortunately, you do not always have to pay for media coverage. It's called earned media for a reason.

If you have a small budget and little to no time to spend earning media, a company like Publicize (Publicize.co) can help you out by reaching a large audience for a lot less than a traditional PR firm. If you have zero budget, but are willing to invest some time, you can earn your own media coverage. 

Silver Shade Group

A quick intro to Silver Shade Group:

Most of my blogs will contain general information about marketing or answer common brand, product, and digital marketing questions, but for today, I offer a little about me and why I started (and am qualified to run) this company. I am a marketing and branding professional with 15 years of industry experience. This year, I decided to create a company to formalize the consulting work that I was already doing. In addition to marketing consulting, I own an arts & crafts subscription box company called Twined. I built that business from the ground up and learned many lessons along the way.