Blog - Marketing Strategy

By the end of 2021 we had witnessed a decade of digital engagement innovation, crammed into just two years. A revolution of necessity. And for the most part, people seem to love it. So what changes to customer engagement will continue to play an important role in 2022? In this edition of Plain Talk, we will list our top five picks for effective consumer engagement tools you should consider this year.

At the end of 2021, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a rebranding of Facebook into Meta, its new parent company focused on a concept called the metaverse. The CEO’s speech was over an hour long and filled with concepts that may change not only how we experience social media but also how we interact with everyone in the future, at work and play. At first glance, the metaverse sounds a lot like that virtual reality game you tried, but is there more to it than these 3D games played in middle-class living rooms across the world? In today’s edition of Plain Talk, we’ll look at brands and the metaverse—and the possible impact on your marketing plan.

Unfortunately, many companies are focused on the immediate success of digital performance-based tactics while neglecting the brand identity that they worked so hard to build. This imbalance of focus means that many businesses risk damaging or even losing their brand identity. In today’s Plain Talk, we’ll discuss performance marketing vs. brand marketing. We’ll look at ways to strike the right balance between the short-term benefits of performance marketing and the long game—building a brand that will endure.

Several years ago, a marketing professional from a large company told me trade media simply wasn’t worthy of their marketing plan. Talking about their product in trade media before it was available to consumers didn’t make sense to them. They had a sales team to handle getting the word out. No offense to their team, but I’m sure they could use a little help. Trade media should be an ally and resource in your B2B communications mix. In today’s edition of Plain Talk, we’ll talk through the reasons that trade media relationships are a critical component of any marketing plan.

Recruiting applicants should be an easy process. You post a job listing, you send it out on all the major job platforms, maybe have your employees share it on social media, and you’re done. Right? Well, not exactly. As many business owners have experienced in 2021, hiring quality applicants is getting harder and harder. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll look at how to implement a great recruitment marketing strategy. Learn about the current landscape, what’s changed, and how you can fill the empty positions that are hurting your bottom line.

f you are like many companies, a return to normal means staffing up to pre-pandemic levels as we bounce back. However, in many business verticals, something’s different. People aren’t clamoring to take that job you have advertised on Indeed or LinkedIn. Recruiters are having challenges finding just the right candidate for you, and when they do find the right person, the candidate may have different expectations than what you are offering. If you are having trouble filling critical roles, from production and service jobs to executive roles, it might be time to ask if your company’s approach to recruiting is part of the problem. In today’s Plain Talk newsletter, we’ll talk about poor employer branding and recruitment marketing practices that are slowly starving businesses across the country and how to avoid them.

When we consult with our clients and evaluate their lead generation and other marketing practices, we often find that follow-through is their biggest challenge. Much like a great golfer takes a video of their swing and self-evaluates to improve their game, a company needs to frequently take an honest look at its marketing practices—the whole customer journey—and assess if the follow-through is lacking. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll give you a step-by-step guide to performing a customer journey analysis for your business.

The country is emerging from a generation-defining disaster in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of December 2020, the U.S. had 10 million fewer jobs than before the pandemic. According to Yelp, by September 2020, over 97,000 businesses had indicated they closed their doors permanently. Plus, the global media attention to the virus has led to a sharp increase in public fear about germ safety. While all that seems gloomy, U.S. consumer confidence remains solid, gross domestic product (GDP) is heading in the right direction, and America seems on the way to a sound recovery. While we don’t expect a rash of saltshaker thefts, we do think it’s likely that some behavioral changes sprouting from the past year may remain long after the pandemic is history. In today’s Plain Talk, we’ll dig into some of the long-term implications of consumer behavioral changes during the pandemic and how to adjust to meet them head-on.

If you are working at home with your children or your dog right now, you don’t need me to remind you that COVID-19 has changed the way we live and work. In the B2B industries, the changes have been tougher than just working from home. We’ve seen critical tradeshows, events, and travel mostly canceled. Reductions in budgets and staff have led to an increased reliance on account-based marketing (ABM). In fact, according to Demandbase, budgets dedicated to ABM increased by 40% in 2020. But it’s a new year, right? So, what do we see happening with ABM best practices in the first half of 2021, and what does that mean for you and your business? In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll run down the ABCs of ABM and how you can follow best practices for your business.

Love it or hate it, social media is more than just a way to connect with friends online. While many of us remember when Facebook first began and being part of a community that didn’t include Business Pages or Newsfeed Ads, the world of social media from 15 years ago is very different from what it is now, which is a world where businesses can no longer afford to not maximize their social presence. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll walk you through why social media is more important than ever and what you should do about it.