Did Social Media Determine Fate of US Healthcare Reform?

By all appearances that is exactly what happened. Scott Brown’s upset, come from behind, win in the Massachusetts Senate race now represents the 41st vote in the…

What Would Google Do? Trust vs. Control

In WWGD Jeff Jarvis address a number of principle (he refers to them as laws) that have enabled Google to become so dominant so fast. His first law is: “Give the people control and we will use it; don’t and you will lose us”

What Would Google Do?

One of the ways we make our clients’ lives easier is by reading and studying the latest marketing trends and then synthesizing them into actionable strategies and tactics. This way, we can help our clients keep up with …

New FTC Internet Marketing Guidelines–Pay Close Attention

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently approved new guidelines with respect to certain aspects of online marketing. These guidelines represent administrative interpretations concerning the application of Section 5 …

Is Social Media for Real?

A good number of our clients have been rolling out social media initiatives over the last year or are in the process of doing so. These initiatives include blogs, podcasts and social networking.

New Web & Social Media Marketing Guidlines created by the CBA

The Canadian Bar Association has issued new guidelines on Web & Social Media Marketing.  These were created in response to an influx of questions from lawyers looking to ensure their marketing initiatives were onside with existing regulations. Read Robert Todd’s article in the Law Times, where AR Communications’  Michael Rabinovici is quoted here, or go […]

5 do’s and don’ts of building a network of marketing communications colleagues

In an earlier post, we talked about the rich resources available in the marketing communications industry. You don’t have to figure out everything yourself – you can make use of the experiences of others, and pass along yours as well.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you’re networking:

One last thing before you post: Editing best practices

There is a new level of immediacy in so many of the written marketing communications vehicles we use today – including blogs, micro-blogs, and Web sites you can update with the click of a button. Your thoughts can be “out there” in an instant. And sometimes that’s not such a good thing.

Here are five levels of editing you can apply to any piece of writing that will maintain your credibility online:

How to get action on your calls to action

As entertaining as some marketing communications are, what it all comes down to is whether or not they compel the reader, viewer, or listener to take action.

People take action as a way of meeting their most basic emotional needs. People decide with their feelings and then rationalize their decisions with the facts. If you can match your offer with their needs, you’ll get better results. For example:

How much news should actually go into a newsletter?

Regular newsletters are a fantastic way to keep in front of your market. With every issue, you have the opportunity to solidify your credibility, likability, and trustworthiness, and reinforce your brand identity. And if you’re doing it right, that’s exactly what will happen. Of course it needs to look great – a clean, attractive design […]