Nextdoor – The Challenges of Hyper-Local Social Media
Nextdoor has spread quickly in the local government community, and its rise has created some benefits for cities and some new challenges.
What is a Style Guide? And Why Don’t You Have One?
A well-thought-out, comprehensive style guide can provide consistency in look and feel regardless of the author – a very important aspect of any marketing campaign.
Marsala is The New Black
Five ways your organization can embrace this year's official color, without redesigning your brand.
The Wonderful World of Color
Color selection is vitally important with respect to a brand and decisions regarding color use in marketing pieces should not be taken lightly. In order to make decisions about effective use of color, one must understand the color wheel.
Pointers for Pitching Stories to the Media
The key to successfully pitching the media is preparation. Before you pick up the phone, be prepared to answer two implicit questions from the reporter: How is what you are pitching interesting and relevant to my audience? If it is interesting and relevant, why should I publish this story now? The reporter will probably not [...]
Tips for Writing Good News Releases
Before you start writing a news release, imagine yourself in a reporter’s shoes. When they pick up a news release, reporters will immediately be thinking: How is this interesting and relevant to my audience? And if so, why should I write this story now? If the news release has a timing element, human story, and policy/action [...]
Google Announces New Factor in Search Rankings: SSL Encryption
Google is once again changing the algorithms that determine what results show at the top of its search rankings, but this time it is hoping to coax the Internet into a more secure future.
Four Ways to Make your Conference Booth a Winner!
Standing out from the crowd in a conference exhibit hall is not ease, but we wanted to share a few ideas that might help.
4 Steps to Marketing Yourself With a Story
Four simple steps to telling your story in a way that will capture the attention of potential clients and customers.
Finding Stories to Tell
To stay at the front of your customer or client's mind, you have to give them something to talk about.
5 Tips for Good Logo Designs
Your logo is the most recognizable part of your organization's identity. It must represent you all by itself, while at the same imparting your overall brand. It hints at company culture. It suggests organizational attitude. It quietly reminds everyone who sees it that you are standing by, ready for their call.
Brand and Identity: Understanding the Difference
The main difference between brand and identity is that identity can be easily changed, while brand cannot.
You Can Quote Me on That
Whether it’s authoring press releases, endorsing an organization you sponsor, or talking to the media, chances are, at some point, you will be asked to provide a quote. Forgoing the chance to be quoted is a missed opportunity to communicate what is important about your organization’s brand and mission. However, while many of us love [...]
5 Tips for Message Delivery
Here are five tips for effective messaging whether in the form of a 140 character tweet or a 500 word news-style article.
Are You Getting the Most Out of Your Association Memberships?
Do you find yourself paying for memberships only to look back at year’s end wondering what kind of return you got on that investment? Association memberships can be very valuable so long as your organization is taking advantage of all they have to offer. They can help with branding, build your network and provide a [...]
Selecting an Association
Professional Associations can be an important part of your business development strategy. Sponsoring them often requires a significant investment of finite marketing funds, so picking the right association(s) is important. Further, evaluating the total investment required to make your sponsorship pay off must be considered up front. Start by considering what you hope to achieve [...]
Goodbye iPad, Hello Surface
In November of 2013 I bought the Surface 2 and have not turned my iPad on since. Let me count the reasons...
Marketing is Mobile
Now, more than ever, marketing is mobile, and there a few simple things you can do to make sure your organization is too.
Marketing Assets
Marketing can make things look nice or provide a creative edge, but marketing operations can be so much more.
The Power of Marketing on LinkedIn
While it is not the largest, LinkedIn is one of the most powerful marketing platforms on the Internet today.
