The Social Sandbox: Is it postworthy?
Editor’s note: This the latest article in an occasional series covering the turbulent world of social media for businesses. We’re calling this series The Social Sandbox. This time we dig into the challenge of uncovering fresh topics. How do you judge the value of a B2B social media topic? The obvious answer is to review post performance. That’s why there are metrics for almost every aspect of social media. You can track impressions, likes, shares, click throughs, web traffic, response time, audience growth rates, share of voice, sentiment analyses and virality rates. Those measurements will provide valuable insights and guidance after your post has been published. You can leverage them to help inform your engagement
5 journalism best practices for your content marketing
Journalism and content marketing are not identical twins, but they’re in the same family photo. Both are intended to tell an illuminating story using relevant facts and expert analysis. When they do so, journalism and content marketing serve to enlighten their readers, which frequently leads them to more informed opinions and better decisions. Given those similarities, content marketers can take a page from the journalist’s notebook to improve the focus and effectiveness of their work. The following are five foundational best practices of journalism that will take your content development from inception through the finished article. Create an outline A well-constructed outline leads to a good article. The outline does not need
The storytelling obsession
The marketing profession has become obsessed with the idea of storytelling. Marketing channels have essentially become modes of storytelling. You’ll hear the desire for “good stories” used regularly in reference to content, videos, websites, social media, podcasts and even data. Marketing titles have also evolved to include storytelling. A recent Google search for “storytelling jobs” produced over 1,000 results. Here are some of the positions that came up: Chief Storytelling Officer Story Strategist Director of Digital Storytelling Head of Story and Narrative Visual Storyteller Storytelling Coach Content Storyteller Executive Storytelling Head Brand Storyteller But it doesn't stop there. Even entire agencies have been rebranded to focus on storytelling instead of marketing. From a
Marketing has a teaching moment
In marketing, you rarely heard the phrase “on the job training.” This was because experienced marketing professionals were supposed to know everything necessary to perform at a high level. No questions asked. Theoretically, a full career’s worth of knowledge was gained in college, internships, graduate school, or during the first few formative years on the job. In fact, the only time on the job training was openly discussed in marketing was when a new technology platform rolled out. Most other professions already embraced ongoing education in the workplace because they accepted that change was constant. Everyone from accountants to zoologists were trained to adapt as new thinking or programs came along. Then, marketing
Tools of the transition
Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of articles that reflect upon the 25th anniversary of Boomm B2B Marketing and the significant changes in our industry over that time. Gary Mattes is the CEO of Boomm and the proud son of an advertising creative director. There is a compelling fact that Gary likes to share about his father’s professional world because it gives everyone a unique perspective on today’s technology-driven industry. “My father used the same tools of the trade from the day he started in advertising until the day he retired,” Gary confides. “We have changed our tools countless times in the last year alone.” [caption id="attachment_7490" align="alignnone" width="206"] Mr.
Stepping outside the comfort zone
Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of articles that reflect upon the 25th anniversary of Boomm B2B Marketing. Each article examines a significant milestone in the agency’s history, why it transpired, and its lasting relevancy to today’s marketing landscape. Marketers love to ruminate on original thinking. They romanticize big ideas, out-of-the-box approaches, breakthrough concepts and game-changing strategies. Professionals who drive original thinking on a regular basis are given lofty titles such as thought leaders, strategic savants and creative geniuses. There are countless award shows that recognize brilliance in all its forms from every area of marketing and many industries. In short, original thinking is single most important force in
A 25-year history of crazy dreams
By Randy Mitchell Some crazy dreams become reality. Others become dumpster fires. Time is the ultimate arbiter. In this month’s blog, we consider three dreams from 25 years ago. These ideas all seemed crazy at the time. Let’s see how they have fared over the years. Crazy Movie Dream 1998 Two brothers named Joel and Ethan had a crazy dream. They made a refreshingly original movie that channeled the classic detective novels of Raymond Chandler, the slacker culture of Los Angeles, vivid fantasy sequences and a whole lot of bowling alley action. This “dream film” was finally released in 1998 and opened to mixed reviews. 2023 25 years later, The Coen Brothers are among the most respected
How to review creative (without being a jerk)
By Randy Mitchell The marketing manager was a notorious jerk. Every Friday morning, he would stalk into the center of the creative department and scan the room slowly. In his clenched fists was a crumpled stack of storyboards, web layouts, ad proofs and radio scripts—all submitted earlier in the week for his review. Then he would erupt; loudly spewing his molten creative criticism around the room. No one was spared and nothing was positive. Until he had an epiphany. On this particular Friday, the marketing manager was already beet red as he stared down the copywriter. Everyone averted their eyes as he launched in on his toxic rant. “YOU
A cure for the common chaos
By Randy Mitchell A wise client once confided that a little chaos was good for creatives. She believed it forced us to think in unexpected ways. That was an eye-opening revelation and I embraced her sage guidance. However, in today’s turbulent B2B marketplace with labor shortages and global supply chain challenges, the last thing marketing managers need is more chaos. That’s particularly true when it comes to planning a major initiative. If you have a significant project coming in 2023, a marketing RFP is the logical starting point. However, the marketing RFP process, particularly on the B2B side, is an inexact science. It’s a complex, time-consuming, high-profile assignment that is initiated out of necessity.
The ultimate New Year’s resolution
By Randy Mitchell Here's a New Year's resolution for every marketer out there: Change the world in 2023. Believe it or not, it's entirely possible. And your ideas have the power to make it happen. You simply need to share them on the right stage. That’s a promising sentiment, but where is the right stage? What account, media channel or agency has the reach and resources to unleash your breakthrough ideas on humanity? It would be natural to assume that your best shot would be to work on mega brands, like Coca-Cola, Nike or McDonald’s. They have massive budgets, devoted consumers and household brand recognition across the globe. Your ideas could really shake things up on