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. Until last year. In 2020 we were suddenly forced to change everything about our routines until there truly was no set routine anymore. As a result, B2B marketers everywhere were searching for a small semblance of order amidst the industry-wide chaos. Thankfully, it is a new year. It’s also a different world. Early indications have shown that B2B marketers are transforming their strategies to meet the new business environment, which demands a strong digital and virtual presence. B2B in
How to become LinkedIn to an alternate reality
By Randy Mitchell | Creative Director Creative people are different. We gladly accept that. Creatives tend to dress boldly, have quirky habits and embrace our inner uniqueness. But what truly makes us unusual are the unexpected ideas that erupt from the depths of our imaginations. A few years ago, one of those strange ideas seized me during my rambling commute home. I was scrolling around LinkedIn, checking out the latest posts and progress of my network. Then, the weirdness hit me. “What if there was an entire social network that consisted of people who shared my name?” Imagine the possibilities. Where would they live? What would they do for a living? It would be like
Marketing profanity filter: Are these words offensive?
by Randy Mitchell, Creative Director This morning a coworker surprised me with an unexpected remark. “I never hear you swear,” she declared. “Do you ever use profanity?” That started the thought train rolling. I definitely try to have my personal profanity filter on at all times. However, I am guilty of using marketing profanity on a daily basis. What is marketing profanity? That’s simply my name for words that have somehow become offensive. In most cases, these terms were perfectly acceptable five years ago, but now, they have crossed the line into the unspeakable category. I’d like to share a few surprising examples. We’ll even run these words through our state-of-the-art marketing profanity filter
The 5 Questions You Need to Ask to Assess Your SEO Performance
by Kathryn Brill, Social Media and Content Marketing Specialist Back when your website was first built, you optimized it to be found in search. You followed best practices around SEO performance. But it’s been a few years—and a few Google algorithms have come and gone. How is your website’s SEO performing now? This can be a difficult question to answer. Google is notoriously tight-lipped about what goes into its SEO algorithm, and is constantly making changes to provide better quality search experiences. And a site that was excellent the day it was built may have deteriorated over the years. So how can you check on your site’s SEO and make sure it
The “stat story:” How marketing statistics became the message
by Randy Mitchell, Creative Director “Why don’t we make the stats into the story?” That was how the whole movement started. Some strategic visionary decided that marketing statistics were compelling enough to be the focus of entire campaigns. At the time, this thinking must have seemed like heresy. B2B marketers firmly believed that the findings are there to support the story, not replace it. Successful B2B campaigns focused on weighty matters, such as prospect pain points, industry regulations, customer feedback and product differentiation. Using marketing statistics as the lead for communications was simply not a viable strategy. Until it worked. In fact, the approach kicked stats. Suddenly, response rocketed because target segments did not want
Boomm Wins Two Summit Creative Awards
Boomm B2B Marketing recently received two Summit Creative Awards for two brand campaigns. The Summit Creative Awards recognizes outstanding work by small and medium-sized agencies. There were over 4,500 entries from 25 countries in 2019. Boomm won a Gold Award for its work on a rebranding project for Magnetrol International, a global level and flow solutions provider. Magnetrol has over 85 years of innovation under its belt and a solid reputation. But the company wanted to refresh its brand messaging to focus customer attention on important values and stay top of mind for decision makers. Boomm crafted a new brand voice and vision, summed up in a simple tagline: Level Matters.
Voiceless B2B videos that say everything
by Randy Mitchell, Creative Director The people have spoken. Sort of. Actually, they remained silent and the statement they made shook the world of B2B videoproduction. Today, up to 85% of social media videos are played with no sound according to Hootsuite. Consider the ramifications of that finding. It means only 15% of viewers are getting the message if your B2B video relies on a voiceover to tell the story. If you’re speechless right now, you’re not alone. But this movement was definitely coming, particularly when you consider today’s business environments. Many people watch B2B videos at their desk or in open offices, where common courtesy demands silent viewing. The real concern now is what
Social Media ROI and What’s Really Valuable
by Kathryn Brill, Social Media and Content Marketing Specialist Is social media really valuable? How can you prove social media ROI? These questions are on the minds of many clients. Before they invest money in a social media program, companies want to know that it will deliver. But measuring social value can seem like a slippery business. It’s not as easily tied to sales or revenue as many other marketing programs. Connecting the dots on social engagement and business benefits is complicated. And not everyone agrees on what makes for strong social media performance. Most of us have an instinct that social media is part of a great marketing strategy. But how
Boomm Recognized for Social Media and Integrated Marketing Work
La Grange, IL., June 20, 2019 – Boomm B2B Marketing recently won two Hermes Creative Awards, recognizing excellence in marketing and communications from a large pool of international submissions. The agency’s social media and integrated marketing work received a Gold and Platinum Award, respectively. Both awards won by Boomm were for work with Magnetrol International, Inc., a global provider of level and flow instrumentation solutions. Social media strategy and management for Magnetrol received a Gold Award. Boomm crafted a week-by-week editorial calendar full of high-value content, ranging from promotional to educational, for three social networks. The informative, relevant posts increased community engagement with the Magnetrol pages and established a thoughtful social voice
How a B2B campaign crushed clichés and won the highest honor
by Randy Mitchell, Creative Director Clichés are the curse of B2B campaigns. If you don’t believe it, pick up an industry trade publication and flip through the glossy pages. Or visit a trade association website and check out the digital ads. Most of the approaches will seem blatantly obvious and sadly homogenous. Why does this happen? Because B2B topics are so difficult to explain and clichés offer an easy way out. That fact hit home just one short year ago for the Boomm creative team. We were surveying the landscape before diving into a massive rebranding for an industrial client. Most of the B2B campaigns we saw featured the same four elements: Serious looking