We know from our work with distributed organizations in industries like banking and financial services, franchising and insurance, that corporate marketers often look for ways to make marketing easier for their frontline operations. Automated marketing campaigns and services – like managed social media, set-it-and-forget-it direct mail campaigns, and lead transfer programs – are great examples. These services make it easier for frontlines to execute locally customized, recurring marketing campaigns. But managing and administering these services can be a drain on corporate marketing resources.

Tags: digital marketing, marketing campaign, direct mail marketing, MRM, Continuity Campaigns, social media, marketing technology, Insurance Marketing, marketing resource management, local marketing, marketing operations, local marketing automation, financial services marketing, franchise marketing

Last week I was in Nashville with Vya’s Kandi O’Connor and Tracy McIntosh attending the ABA Bank Marketing Conference 2016 – a terrific event for bank marketers to zero in on the latest trends in digital marketing, branding and customer engagement.

Speaker Kimberly Capps, COO of Southern Bank, perfectly captured the overall spirit of the event when she shared this quote by Jeff Yabuki: “The only thing moving faster than technology is customer expectations.”

Tags: brand consistency, social media, financial services marketing

Research shows that we tend to remember:

Tags: Twitter, engagement, marketing, social media, interaction, customer retention, customer

The value of social media use in the workplace has become an important discussion among companies. No one will question the rapid growth of social media and its impact on a company, but many organizations struggle with allowing employees to engage in social media while also protecting against potential risks to corporate reputation.

Tags: risk, facebook, Twitter, marketing, communication, social media, content, companies, employee advocacy, workplace

In 1903 Dr. Horatio Jackson set off on a journey from San Francisco to New York becoming the first person to cross the United States in a “horseless carriage.” At the time there were only 150 miles of paved roads in the entire country. In addition, there were no gas stations and virtually no road maps as we know them today. This was America's first transcontinental road trip, and like many road trips that would follow it included breakdowns and wrong turns.

Tags: Twitter, LinkedIn, marketing, social media, business, online, horatio jackson, strategy, social platforms, organization

Has rational ignorance impacted your organization’s social media activity yet? Rational ignorance is the decision not to become more informed about something because the perceived cost of the additional intelligence — in terms of both effort and expense — is more than the expected return on the knowledge gained.

Tags: Twitter, marketing, social media, learning, training, organization

Stay better informed as a marketing professional with this monthly series highlighting the latest developments in all things marketing. Get caught up with the April Marketing News Snapshot.

Tags: facebook, Twitter, mobile, marketing, email marketing, social media, mashable, charity, instagram, trend, future, centscere, social startups, marketingprofs, news, digital, brands, emarketer, direct marketing news, snapshot, local marketing automation

Most serious businesses with a website have a blog. Why? It’s a direct communication channel to share relevant, timely information and a simple way to connect with your customers and prospects. When your company actively blogs, it sharpens your focus to help target your market. However, a blog is also an avenue for conversation and gives your company a voice.

Tags: engagement, SEO, social media, content, web, online presence, companies, business, sharing information, promotional, website

Stay better informed as a marketing professional with this monthly series highlighting the latest developments in all things marketing. Get caught up with the March Marketing News Snapshot.

Tags: facebook, Twitter, mobile, marketing, email marketing, social media, charity, instagram, trend, future, centscere, social startups, news, digital, brands, emarketer, direct marketing news, snapshot, local marketing automation

“I’ve been in this business for 30 years, and I’ve never seen it like this.”

I can recall hearing that statement three times over the course of my adult working life. The first time I heard it was very early in my career. My boss at the time had been a part of the Texas oil field service industry for more than 30 years, and the mid-80s oil crash was taking its toll. What once had boomed was now busting, stripper wells that had been profitable were being plugged, and new drilling activity came to a virtual standstill. Prospects in the oil business were looking pretty dim.

Tags: social media, employer, computer, business, leadership, change, employees, management, strategy, volunteer, growth, digital, evolve, applications, organization, world wide web