12 05, 2016
  • Location searches & SEO

SEO: The Location Factor

May 12th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

When we think of the fundamentals of SEO, keyword strategy comes to mind. Are we identifying the right phrases and placing them in the right spots? Keywords are definitely a big deal in terms of site ranks, but there’s another significant factor that often gets lost in the optimization process. Location. As visitors have become […]

5 05, 2016
  • Unique brand personality

Your Brand’s Unique Personality

May 5th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

As consumers, we tend to humanize brands. Our experiences and interactions with them help us identify the characteristics they embody. These can be everything from trendy, down-to-earth or sophisticated to funny, reliable or adventurous. Through the process, we discover a brand’s personality and how well we relate to it. The better we relate, the more […]

28 04, 2016
  • PR & news releases

PR: Thinking Like A Reporter

April 28th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

Consider how many story ideas must cross the desks of media professionals in a given week or the sheer volume of news releases that land in their Inboxes. They have the job of deciding what ultimately makes the cut, but we, as content creators, can make those decisions easier. When writing a news release, try […]

21 04, 2016
  • Online/mobile shopping trends

The Online/Mobile Shopper

April 21st, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

“The customer is in charge” is a good way to sum up today’s buying experience. As online shopping has expanded to include multi-device mobile purchasing, consumers now have more options and accessibility than ever before. The Global Total Retail Survey 2016 from PwC shares some interesting points. First up, while buyers literally have […]

14 04, 2016
  • Diving in to your web stats

Web Stats: A Deeper Dive

April 14th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

The way web analytics programs have evolved, we can now track just about any stat imaginable. Many people still focus on site traffic to check highs and lows, but there are several other areas that can be quite insightful. Here are two examples. 1) Traffic source. This gives a comparison of the percentage of traffic […]

7 04, 2016
  • The value of marketing partners

The Power of Partnerships

April 7th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

Brand partnerships have long been a strategy used by companies across the planet to expand reach and increase exposure. They’re often a low-cost way to get in front of an audience that wouldn’t otherwise have discovered your product or service. But how do you know which affiliations make the most sense? First off, the partnership […]

31 03, 2016
  • maximizing Facebook ads

New Tool: Make the Most of Your Facebook Ads

March 31st, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

Facebook is becoming an increasingly viable option for marketing products and services via ads with its affordability and ease of use. However, understanding if/when your ads will be displayed has been a bit of a mystery. Facebook released a blog post last week that gives advertisers some excellent information (including a video) about […]

24 03, 2016
  • Email writing to break through the clutter

Emails: Bypassing the Clutter

March 24th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

Has the abbreviation “TL; DR” been introduced to your vocabulary yet? It stands for “too long; didn’t read” and is a common reaction to many types of digital communications, especially email. So how can you make sure your messages get noticed by recipients who already have piles of paperwork and packed Inboxes to sort through? […]

17 03, 2016
  • Customizing the call to action

The Customized Call to Action

March 17th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

We’ve discussed why calls to action are so essential in nudging your readers/buyers to take the next logical step, but how do you write them to be effective? Is it simply a matter of plastering “read more” or “buy now” on posts and web pages? Nope. An article from CoSchedule gives an in-depth […]

10 03, 2016
  • Developing content to start a blog

Business Blogs: Serving Up Content

March 10th, 2016|THURSDAY THOUGHT|

We consult with a lot of business leaders on a regular basis and the topic of starting a blog regularly comes up. There’s a common theme to many of these conversations: “We’d love to have one, but the thought of having to come up with content is overwhelming.” The fact is, even a small company […]