14
Dec

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

December 14, 2015
by: in B2B , Content marketing No comments  

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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16
Dec

Social media stocking stuffer: tips for managing your company accounts

December 16, 2014
by: in B2B , Content marketing No comments  

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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08
Aug

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
by: in Content marketing , Public relations No comments  

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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07
Aug

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

August 7, 2014
by: in B2B , Marketing strategy No comments  

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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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25
Jul

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

July 25, 2014
by: in Marketing strategy No comments  

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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11
Jul

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
by: in Public relations No comments  

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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19
Jun

Growth hacking: what established companies can learn from startups

June 19, 2014
by: in B2B , Marketing strategy , Content marketing No comments  

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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20
May

What is native advertising anyway?

May 20, 2014
by: in B2B , Content marketing Comment (1)  

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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01
May

You invest in your content. Follow these tips to invest in your audience.

May 1, 2014
by: in B2B , Content marketing No comments  

content marketing, relationship building

With all of the time and energy you’re spending on creating and promoting great content, it’s easy to forget that your online presence isn’t meant to be a soapbox. It’s a two-way connection.

Street cred and social proof aren’t built on self-promotional blog posts and tweets alone. So how can you go beyond your product or service and build real connections with your audience?

Listen

Actively research what your prospects and customers are saying in other arenas, not just any comments on your blog. Twitter is a great place to start. Follow your followers, as well as your ideal customers (your competitors’ followers) to see what’s on their minds. How can you help them solve these issues, even when the problems aren’t directly related to your product?

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10
Apr

The time to embrace Twitter for professional development was yesterday

April 10, 2014
by: in B2B , Marketing strategy , Content marketing No comments  

Hand with Hashtag

When my book publisher told me I had to get on Twitter four years ago to “build my platform,” I thought he was crazy. I didn’t have time to sit around reading people’s tweets about what they had for lunch, and no one I knew was even on Twitter to follow me. How was tweeting about my book going to help me eventually sell books if no one was reading my tweets?

Flash forward four years, and I can honestly say Twitter changed my life. It was a key catalyst for me leaving my job as an attorney

to become a sports business reporter at ESPN for the last two years. Twitter has gotten me on national television and radio programs as an expert guest, garnered me speaking invitations for conferences all over the country, and it has indeed helped me sell books. I also happened to meet both my agent and my husband on Twitter, so when I say it has been life changing, I’m not exaggerating.

Convinced but not sure where to start?

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