Inbound marketing is sometimes passed over in favor of traditional marketing because it seems too complex or too time consuming. But in most cases it’s more cost-effective, measurable, and successful… when done correctly.
It’s 2013 – do you know where your marketing is? The thought should scare you, a bit. Or at least scare you into action. Chances are, your prospects are online, and if they’re not, they will be soon. In the meantime, there are still people online talking about your brand, services, successes, and shortcomings. Why risk your reputation by ignoring this community or by alienating them with outdated marketing techniques?
The end of each year always serves as a time to reflect, and this year, I was pleased to see the growing B2B investment in content marketing and other online pull marketing techniques. It came to mind that there were a fair number of non-traditional case study examples highlighting this push, and that looking to these examples may encourage even more creative B2B planning in 2013.
It’s the start of the holiday season and time to celebrate one of the most thoughtful (if derived from historically misguided events) days of the year: Thanksgiving. And 2012 has given us a lot to be thankful for. In light of this, we wanted to share some of the many things we at RainCastle are most grateful for this year in the world of web design and marketing. But, ever the Scrooge, couldn’t resist the opportunity to highlight one particular 2012 frustration.
In the ever-expanding world of internet marketing, data is becoming increasingly available and valuable. Analytics are the benchmark of good reporting and proof of that ever-pesky ROI, and are even useful in highlighting more qualitative results, like brand loyalty and emotional connection.
Leading technology companies today face one undeniable marketing fact that many other industries can conveniently ignore for the time being: in order to highlight your technology as the best in the field, you must have a substantial online marketing presence.
In my last blogpost, I talked about this being the Era of Design. I made the statement, “great design is about inventing and sustaining a vision.” I think that statement actually begins to describe the role of a brand more than design. Great design is about elegantly solving a particular problem, be it creative, technical or business in nature.
I read a timely blogpost on the forbes.com website today, titled “Welcome to the Era of Design.” The premise of the post is that we are living in an era in which the value of design both economically and socially is becoming indisputable. Successful global businesses founded on design principles, such as Apple, and social juggernauts like Pinterest are at the top of our collective mind. Innovation, the creation of new businesses based on well designed business models, and selling sleek products and services, benefit from well designed supply chains. The concept of well-designed user experiences and easy-to-use navigation are understood by practically everyone.
Social media can be daunting for B2B companies: how do we use it? Who monitors it? and what’s the purpose? are common questions in getting started. But social media has proven itself time and time again as an awareness builder, a platform for client interaction, and an ROI-driven.
Our clients and partners are a bright bunch; highly educated and accomplished in their fields. So it has surprised me lately in a few conversations about internet marketing, social media, content marketing, etc., that they can be uncertain or uneducated about it. It’s interesting to see that in the world with everything at our fingertips, we can still live in our own bubbles.
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