22 12, 2016
  • marketing in 2017

In with the New

December 22nd, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

As 2016 winds down, the team here at Willems Marketing & Events would like to wish you a wonderful holiday season and thank you for your continued readership. We enjoy bringing you our Thursday Thoughts and will continue to cover the latest news, concepts and trends making headlines in the marketing world in the New […]

15 12, 2016
  • right-time marketing

Success with Right-Time Marketing

December 15th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

Remember when the power went out at the Super Bowl in 2013 and Oreo shared its perfectly timed “you can still dunk in the dark” Tweet? Since then, brands have been trying exceptionally hard to replicate this classic example of real-time marketing. But what many are finding is that the bigger successes often come with […]

8 12, 2016
  • 2017 marketing trends

2017 Marketing Predictions

December 8th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

With just a few more weeks until the calendar flips to 2017, we thought now was a great time to check out some marketing predictions for the New Year. An article from Forbes shares a glimpse at 10 expected trends, starting with an added emphasis on enhancing the customer experience (who can go wrong with […]

1 12, 2016
  • marketing to new customers

Bringing Back First-Time Buyers

December 1st, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

Most businesses put in a lot of hard work to get new customers. Here’s the reality though: it costs a lot more to attract them than it does to retain them. That’s why it’s so important to focus on offering an exceptional experience once someone makes the jump to first-time buyer. Whether it’s in-store or […]

17 11, 2016
  • holiday shopping 2016

Holiday Shopping Predictions

November 17th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

With just a week until the holiday shopping season unofficially kicks off on Black Friday, marketers everywhere are wondering what to expect from consumers. We found a nice preview from The NPD Group. It estimates that consumers will up their spending by 3% this year and buy an average of $636-worth of holiday-related […]

10 11, 2016
  • Avoiding roadblocks: 5 common web issues

5 Website Roadblocks

November 10th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

When people land on our websites for the very first time, we want them to stay and explore. But that won’t happen if they encounter some frustrating roadblocks. Here are 5 common examples. 1) Pop-up windows and splash pages. These can be a big turn-off as they often require added steps just to reach the […]

3 11, 2016
  • Crafting an elevator pitch

Crafting An Elevator Pitch

November 3rd, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

Does your company have a ready-to-deliver elevator pitch? According to an article in Advertising Age, a survey done by The UPS Store shows that only 30% of business owners do. This prompted the shipping retailer to partner with Marcus Lemonis, host of the show “The Profit,” to film a web-based mini-series where entrepreneurs compete […]

27 10, 2016
  • Attracting new social followers

Growing Your Follower Base

October 27th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

Situation: Your business is active on a few social channels and you’d like to grow your base of followers. Where do you start? Solution: Post regularly, make connections and promote your pages! Your target audience has a better chance of finding and following your company pages if you post content they see as helpful and […]

20 10, 2016
  • planning giveaways

Giveaways: How-To Tips

October 20th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

Who doesn’t love a good giveaway? For the giver, it can drum up some added publicity for business and boost sales. For the recipient, it’s all about the free stuff! But before you splash a special giveaway or contest on your website and social pages, be sure to consider a few important details. First off, […]

13 10, 2016
  • Evolving search results

Today’s Search Experience

October 13th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

Google and other search engines (SEs) try really hard to mimic the thought patterns of humans. This is evident in how search results have evolved over the years. In Google’s case, there’s predictive search that attempts to fill in the blanks based on top queries as it provides instant results while we type. Another biggie […]