Marketing Eye

Expert Marketing Blog - Page 70

Why Brand Evolution Needs A Home

For years, I have been fascinated by design in every possible form; shape, configuration, pattern, ornamentation and visual appearance. Of particular interest is architectural design.

Last week, I was fortunate enough to walk the streets of Amsterdam with one of the Netherlands most famed interior architects, Flip Verbeek. He use to be co-owner of a company called Flow that has designed some of the most amazing interiors in buildings throughout the Netherlands. As we walked the streets, looking at building after building that had been designed by Flow and the talented architects in the team, I was inspired. The passion that this man has for design and visuals that are sustainable and complement the environment in which it inhabits, is contagioius.

So contagious in fact, that on my flight home from Amsterdam, I looked up www.realestate.com.au, found a property and days later, bought it.

The property will be the new home for Marketing Eye in Melbourne. It is located in my favourite street in the city, Greville Street and fits inside my inner-city bubble that I love to live in. While I won't be here so much to enjoy it, it gives me great pride to be able to find a building with the character and potential that the one I have just bought has.
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American and Australian Companies Doing Business

This blog has been spurred by the many challenges in growing an international business leveraging  economies of scale and opportunities that are simply too good to pass by.

In the past week, I have been thinking alot about Linkedin. It has been the topic of many conversations and all for the right reasons. Daily I am asked about what social media mediums are best for b2b organizations and of course, there is no one answer because it depends entirely on a companies specific demographic, time constraints, strategy and of course, budget.

I wrote a blog on the value of Linkedin for small businesses and have spent quite a bit of time on this social media platform over past couple of days. It's interesting to see how people interact and reach out to each other. It is equally fascinating to see some people's comments that are purely self-serving or a bit over the top negative for no apparent reason.
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How a professional services firm can succeed through content marketing

Professional services firms are known as the "safest" b2b marketers, only second behind that of the medical industry.

Still stuck in the dark ages, many professional services firms still believe that 'good work speaks for itself' and "you need to find the clients pain" ensuring that they keep it "safe" when embarking on marketing of any kind, rather than looking deep into customer insights to drive leads and create more sustainable client relationships.

What professional services firms are forgetting is that while they may still be on track to achieving their sales goals, being complacent and not moving with the times, will make it almost impossible to stay competitve.
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Why Linkedin is better for business

Finding time to spend on social media networks is getting more difficult. There are so many to choose from, that at times, small businesses don't know where to start.

From time to time, re-evaluating which social media networks work best for your company and re-defining your strategy according to changes in features and functionality, can either leverage your business to new heights or create havoc with your sales cycle.

As a firm believer that "you cannot be everything to everyone", it makes perfect sense to spend time looking at the various analytics relating to social media, the demographics of each platform and how it applies to your target audience, brand authenticity and collaborations with clients and partners.

When it comes to b2b marketing, the decision on what social media networks to use and invest in becomes significantly easier.
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Want a marketing consultant in Atlanta? BEWARE. You may not get what you think.

Want a marketing consultant in Atlanta? BEWARE. You may not get what you think.

A marketing consultant is not necessarily a marketing consultant.

From one to another, they are completely different. Some have great skills in strategy, others in tactical development and execution of marketing plans. Some are great at communicating but not fully across social media or what role advertising plays in the digital age.

In the past year, I have travelled the world talking to marketers and each one has something different to offer. They all have honed their skills in one area or another.

I first started my involvement in the marketing industry 21 years ago at an advertising agency that was quite small. I remember watching the owner of the business operate and being completely fascinated by his skills and creativity. He had started his career as a window dresser for a big retailer and way back in the early nineties was making more than a million dollars profit out of 5-man agency. Incredible.
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How to keep your old books in one piece: a must read for entrepreneurs

How to keep your old books in one piece: a must read for entrepreneurs

After flying in from Atlanta, I was walking along the canals in Amsterdam enjoying the chilly breeze and freshness in the air when  I came across this piece of art. A park bench made out of old books.

It is a piece of art and each book has a story that it wishes to tell. Each book was put together by people who loved what is inside and wanted to share it with others. Each page is full of dialogue from authors all over the world, wanting to explore their inner most thoughts, passion, and view on something that they believe is meant not just for themselves but for others around them.

We each have a story to be told - don't we? As I sat in a coffee shop with my friend Huib today, we discussed some interesting life stories that people have shared with us in public forums. What we believed was a good story and some that we thought could be told in a different way, or perhaps should not be told at all.
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Why some people don't get relationships

If you are being ambushed by someone you have just met, and it has you thinking twice about doing business with them, then you are not alone.

It's like relationships in life. My friend was sharing a story today on how she met this guy for 10 minutes at a business function and within minutes he has invited to stay at his home at the snow and then followed up with text messages - none of which have been replied to. Really? Do people really think that someone would go and stay at their place with them after 10 minutes? My friend and I laughed and we immediately related it back to business.
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How to get your page ranking to drive sales : Atlanta

I work in a very busy marketing agency.

Like mechanics who never fix their cars, we as marketers, are the last to market ourselves. As the owner and founder of Marketing Eye, I am the only person who makes time to ensure that our brand is somewhat visible and I do this in the most time efficient way possible.
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Why a killer content marketing strategy will bring in the big bucks!

We have all stumbled upon a myriad of marketing and social media latest phases and without hesitation either jumped in and had a go, or stood back and watched what our competitors have achieved before investing valuable cash and resources to the latest, hottest marketing platform.

In Atlanta, particularly, there is so much to consider when it comes to marketing but the reality is simple: content marketing driving sales through a better understanding of clients and prospects. I say, in Atlanta because every region is different and the demographics from one city in America to another is inherently different. Marketers that take the same course of action that they would in NY, LA or Chicago will find that their content marketing strategy is not effective and will not draw the results that your management team is looking for.

There has been one consistent marketing platform that has been more central to a marketing strategy in the past couple of years, than any other marketing activity bar social media.

Content Marketing

If you have been hearing this buzz word for some time, and haven't done anything about it, then you are in a minority. Unlike the phases of social media platforms and apps popping up into our strategies then quickly falling to the way-side, content marketing underpins all online marketing strategies, whether we like it or not.
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Happiness: how to change your business outcomes

Happy people are more successful, just ask Shawn Achor, the author of The Happiness Advantage.

"People who cultivate a positive mind-set perform better in the face of a challenge and in every area of your business, you will show improvement if your brain is positive" said Achor at a recent speech to 800 global entrepreneurs.

In fact, sales people who were happy outsell their less positive colleagues by more than 37 per cent and positive people in organisations are not only happier, they perform better and live longer, healthier lives.
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Up close and personal with marketing industry veteran

Up close and personal with marketing industry veteran

As an ex-journalist, interviewing people of all backgrounds and walks of life is second nature to me. I've interviewed police officers, politicians and met the Prime Minister, but have never been asked to have a sit-down interview with my former news organisation's owner (who would be Rupert Murdoch himself - eep!).

Today, I'm on day two in the marketing industry and have been given the chance to pick the brain of Marketing Eye founder, Mellissah Smith – it’s a slightly daunting ask, especially when you consider that she was little older than I was when she first branched out and went solo in her first agency.

“I’ve been in marketing for 20-odd years and was 25 when I started my first agency – what inspired me to start was an account opportunity falling in my lap,” Mellissah said.
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What women entrepreneurs can learn from their male counterparts

What women entrepreneurs can learn from their male counterparts

Every day I meet with male and female entrepreneurs. In some ways, I would love to use these meetings in a study about human gender based entrepreneurial behaviour because it continues to fascinate me the inherent differences between men and women entrepreneurs.

As a woman entrepreneur, there has been many advantages:

1. If you are half decent looking, people of both sexes want to do business with you. After all, how many people really want an unattractive PR chick or marketer?
2. If you are young and female, better still. Everyone wants to help you. Men over 40 want to father you and help you be successful. Men your own age want to assist because they are proud that you are having a go.
3. When things are not going your way, it's easy to put on the female charm.
4. You can dress to impress or dress down when need be.
5. You can see the human side in every situation.
6. You know why people are making decisions like they do because you are interested in how people think and feel.
7. You have more compassion and empathy for those around you.
8. You don't necessarily have to be the richest. Instead, being the best will do.
9. It's very easy to blame irrational decisions or behaviour that was momentary on PMT.
10. There is no such thing as failure. Worse case, you can get married and have children.
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1 billion users on Facebook - only 1.3 billion to go.

1 Billion Users. Now that is a really big number. HUGE!

If you think about the fact that there are only 7 billion people reportedly on the planet, Facebook has a staggering 14% as friends.

In July 2010, they had half that. 500 million registered users to be precise. So, how in 26 months have they increased to double that size excluding China, because its banned there?
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Is there nothing sacred when it comes to advertising?

Is there nothing sacred when it comes to advertising?

A day in Milano walking the streets and shopping at some of the world's most famous stores, I came across an advertisement which took me by surprise.

In Europe, there are many historic landmarks. As an Australian, our short history means we don't have the depth of historic value as our European counterparts. Many Australians travel to see these landmarks and learn about their historic value.

In Milan, the most famous landmark is undoubtably the city's gothic cathedral called Duomo which was commissioned by Bishop Antonio da Saluzzo in 1385.

To the side as you can see with this picture is a very big billboard for Mercedes. I was shocked. Not because the billboard said anything particularly alarming, but because it commercializes a major landmark in a way that I feel tourism does not.

What do you think of this billboard for Mercedes? Is this position right?
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