What is influencer marketing? (And why B2B companies should care)

January 6, 2017

Reputation Ink’s exclusive interview with Promise Phelon of TapInfluence

What is influencer marketing? (And why B2B companies should care)

Consumers today are smart.

Yes, regardless of what many YouTube “fail” videos may imply about the intelligence of the human race, people are in fact pretty savvy — and they’re not easily swayed by old-school marketing tactics. In fact, research shows consumers value customer reviews and peer recommendations over traditional advertising more than ever. Why? Because they value authenticity.

But can brands be authentic? Sure. There are plenty of good examples of this, but influencers can provide a human extension of your brand. They can connect your business to customers in a unique way.

Enter: influencer marketing.

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3 ways the Jacksonville Sheriff builds bridges with social media

May 5, 2016

3 Ways the Jacksonville Sheriff Builds Bridges With Social Media

We’ve all done it.

Dinner is simmering on the stove and, hey, I have a few minutes to kill. Let me just give social media a quick scan.

Then, before we know it we’ve watched three Tasty videos, an adorable (but worrisome) clip of dogs playing with a bear and received some life motivation from a pre-kindergartener. BAM.

Dinner burns and we find ourselves scraping burnt pasta from the bottom of our cast-iron pot, and eating Nutella out of the jar. Again.

Good content does that. It grabs ya and pulls ya in and makes ya want more.

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What Elf on the Shelf can teach us about content shelf life

December 14, 2015

What Elf on the Shelf can teach us about content shelf life

What’s in an elf?

I remember my first encounter with Elf on the Shelf: I was babysitting a pair of siblings who in no way got along. The destructive duo had this ugly felt elf who giochi gonfiabili changed positions every night, but they weren’t allowed to touch him, or else his magic would be ruined. If they acted up, the elf would tattle to Santa and they would be put on the naughty list. It was the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard — but they believed it.

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Social media stocking stuffer: tips for managing your company accounts

December 16, 2014

social media stocking stufferWhat’s my secret to being the coolest Santa? Pinterest. I click over to the giftee’s Pinterest page, scope out their pins and then I buy one of said pins. I’m jolly because it’s quick and easy; they’re merry and bright because they don’t have to fake a smile and shove their way through the Wal-Mart returns line.

While I’m in the spirit of giving, I’ll be straight up. I’m not going to all of your Pinterest pages to shower you with gifts. What will I give you? A social media stocking stuffer with helpful tips and tricks I’ve learned from managing business accounts.

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That’s a Wrap! Google’s autocomplete headache, PR firms freeze out climate change skeptics, John Oliver skewers native advertising, Nine West steps in it, B&B’s bad bridal policy

August 8, 2014

As wild weather bombards parts of the nation, it’s time for Reputation Ink’s round-up of the week’s wildest stories in PR, marketing and social media. Which companies and tactics weathered the storm? You be the judge:

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The best social media marketing and professional development tool you’re not using

August 7, 2014

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Even if you think you understand how to use social media for professional development, you probably aren’t taking advantage of Twitter chats. I know, you’re probably picturing an AOL chat room circa 1999, but Twitter chats really are the hidden gem of social media for professionals. From staying on top of new developments in your industry to landing a job interview, Twitter chats are a largely untapped networking resource.

What is a Twitter chat?

Generally speaking, a Twitter chat is a planned event with a pre-determined hashtag (such as #AIAchat for the American Institute of Architects) in every tweet so that you can follow the hashtag in order to view and participate in the chat. Most chats are recurring, many on a weekly or monthly basis at a set day and time. There is usually a moderator who leads the discussion, often specifying the questions/issues to be discussed.

The AIA has a monthly chat that provides a great example. Each month AIA chooses a specific topic to tackle and a moderator offers up several questions over the course of an hour to stimulate discussion on the topic.

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That’s a Wrap! Southwest’s overreaction to a tweet, getting paid for social media posts and “Mandatory Fun”

July 25, 2014

Friday is finally here! Is it just me, or was this a long week? Rep Ink is here to help you usher in the weekend with a look back at some of this week’s noteworthy stories you may have missed.

Southwest backpedals after punishing passenger for tweet

On Monday, Duff Watson, a Southwest Airlines A-List Member, tried to board a plane flying from Denver to Minneapolis early, which is a perk of being a A-Lister, but was told his two children couldn’t join him. Watson then tweeted a negative comment about the Southwest agent that included her first name, last initial and gate number.

When all three finally arrived at their seats, they were asked to deplane because the agent, Kimberly S., felt threatened by the tweet. Watson was forced to delete the tweet in order to get back on the plane and head to Minneapolis.

He did so, then tweeted again later about his experience. Although Southwest apologized and gave Watson and his children each $50 vouchers, the bad press is sure to cost them much more than that.

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That’s a Wrap! American Apparel’s Challenger tweet, retailers under fire for Nazi ‘home decor,’ Time magazine’s winning Facebook strategy, Frontier’s pizza pilot and Kickstarter’s kicka$$ potato salad

July 11, 2014

Congratulations! You made it to Friday. As Germany and Argentina prepare to face each other once again in the World Cup finals, it’s time for INKsights’ look back at the week’s winners and losers in the world of PR, content marketing and social media.

First, the losers: “Insensitive” was the word of the week, as major retailers got raked over the media coals for using images of historic tragedies in their sales and marketing efforts.

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Growth hacking: what established companies can learn from startups

June 19, 2014

Growth hacking, growing taller than dinosaur

As previously outlined, content marketing isn’t a fad. Times have changed for marketers and will continue to do so almost daily. Following the successes of startups like Pinterest and Twitter, today’s savvy (or just plain broke) marketers are turning to growth hacking instead of traditional marketing techniques.

Growth hacking is defined as using conventional and unconventional tactics to grow a user base startup-style. Some examples you may be familiar with include Twitter’s “Who to Follow” prompter and Dropbox’s rewarding more storage space to users who invited friends to use the platform.

But these tactics aren’t just for startups. They’re actually the new MO of marketing. And at the core, they’re all about knowing who your customers are, where they reside on the web and what motivates them.

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What is native advertising anyway?

May 20, 2014

Native advertising is hot. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr are all monetizing their platforms with “in-feed ads,” and media stalwarts like Time, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today are all offering native advertising solutions. According to eMarketer’s report, “Native Advertising: An Emerging Consensus for a New Kind of Ad,” marketers are projecting to triple their spend on native advertising over the next five years, from $1.6 billion in 2012 to $4.6 billion in 2017. 

But what exactly is native advertising? Despite its skyrocketing growth, Copyblogger’s 2014 State of Native Advertising Report recently found that about 50 percent of respondents were clueless about the term, and another 48 percent only had a shaky understanding of it.

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