I’m going to do something here I’ve never done before. I’m going to share an infographic!

Jon Aston will be so proud. He’ll tell all of his friends and then we’ll be a big hit (not really; he hates infographics).

And, truth be told, I’m not a fan of them, either. Particularly on Pinterest because they take up too much room and that irritates me when I’m scrolling through my stream on my phone.

But alas. That isn’t the point.

Geoff Livingston (rightly so) thought we should have an infographic to support the book, made up of the stats we used from our research. And, so, RAD Campaign set out to create something for us and, when we received it, I said, “Wow. That’s really cool!” Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Jill Pollack. 

Reality TV is Giving Us Mental Whiplash

I caught my college professor friend Susan watching one of “The Real Housewives” shows.

I wanted to call her on it but before I knew it, I was sucked in, my head aching from the quick cut editing and crazy camera movements.

Ah, the guilty pleasure of reality television shows… they can be a fun diversion and we know they don’t require our full attention.

Wait. Stop.

Don’t require our full attention? When did that become a good thing? Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Amina AlTai.

When businesses, new or old, take it upon themselves to hone their identity and tell the story of their brand through their logo, they are embarking on a huge endeavor; one that is rarely given enough consideration.

A brand logo is an opportunity to speak to consumers’ subconscious and make an emotional appeal about the values of the brand.

When start-ups come to me and show me a list of system fonts and cringe-worthy ideas put together by their CEO, (who is very creative, by the way!) I shudder.

A logo is so symbolic.  It is a representation of countless carefully crafted cues that have the enormous job of, in one word or pictogram, telling the world why you are different and why people should remember you.  If you opt for something generic, you will stand for just that. Continue Reading »

Last May, I was in New York for BlogWorld and I met Geoff Livingston, for the first time in person, to discuss writing a book together. It was a sunny day and we stopped for bruschetta and wine while we discussed this crazy idea.

The stars were all aligned. We already knew we think alike, putting business goals ahead of anything else through our marketing and communication programs. It’s seemingly easier to write half a book than an entire one. And, while we have some of the same friends, a big part of our networks are different, which would introduce us both to new people and new opportunities.

And so we went for it. We wrote an outline, we divided up the chapters, and we got to work. He wrote mostly at night, after his daughter went to bed. I wrote mostly weekends, without distractions from the business. And we hired an awesome editor (Jennifer Goode Stevens) who helped us put the book in the same voice (though I think some of you know us well enough to still figure out who wrote what).

Then, with the help of Anna Barcelos and Steve Hall, we began the editing process which, some days was much more painful than the actual writing of it. They caught things that were beyond basic editing, but made the book a much better read and incorporated an even higher-level strategy.

After all of that, our friends at Pearson began to make it look like an actual book, with chapters and an index and a table of contents and the best cover design I’ve seen in a long time.

And now it’s here. It’s actually here! Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Leah Nurik. 

Integrated marketing is the ‘buzz’ phrase of the moment in our industry.

Before it even became part of our lexicon, the integrated marketing professional—a person deeply encompassed in the many avenues necessary for effective lead generation and relationship building – emerged on the scene.

These professionals were the first to embrace email and email marketing. They were early adopters of Twitter and Facebook, and now, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube, yet maintain a keen understanding of the power of the well-timed phone call.

But in order to be successful as an integrated marketing professional, you need more than just agility and willingness to embrace new tools. You must also… Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Geoff Livingston.

Local and mobile are two really hot topics in marketing. They embody the spirit of the current customer media experience and where they are in any given moment.

Increasingly, companies are turning to cause marketing to show their cultural values and enhance their brands. Consider that 83 percent of Americans want their favorite brands to invest in causes.

This is why events (mobile), which are local and cause-oriented, can be a great boon to businesses. Add in social media and local digerati, and now you’re talking a marketing perfect storm.

At Razoo, we wanted to harness these various elements into one event, Twive and Receive, a national giving day on June 14 to promote our platform.

Yes, I can see the snark coming… Another Twitter coined word: Twive, combining Twitter and giving. What can we say? We wanted Twive to have the same fun spirit of early groundbreaking Twitter moments. Continue Reading »

We talked yesterday about whether or not blogging is dead and, in the comments, there was a good discussion about the big scary ROI.

Some of the Spin Sucks community thinks the reason companies are abandoning blogs as quickly as they start them is because they haven’t figured out how to generate leads (and rightfully so).

Having specific landing pages tied to different pieces of content is a really effective way to track your leads and provide the sales team with a nice little pipeline.

While they’re not the end all, be all, they sure do help you track the people coming to your website or blog from both organic and paid search.

With that in mind, following are 10 ways to improve your landing page conversions. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Barbara Maldonado.

I have spent my career creating events to connect brands with consumers.

I love events because they give people opportunities to experience the brand through their five senses with a healthy dose of emotion and excitement tied in.

These meeting moments have evolved further with social media. They allow us to take live offline experiences to online communities that facilitate enriched experiences and conversations.

The brand truly comes alive at this intersection of “In Real Life” (aka IRL) and online; with the voice of your brand ambassador, the thrill of a unique experience, and online engagement that inspires brand loyalty.

As I develop experiential and social campaigns for clients, I draw inspiration from the passion and excitement I have felt when my favorite brands intersect with my own lifestyle. Continue Reading »

It’s time for the monthly Spin Sucks Pro webinar (tomorrow!) and, this month, we’re excited to have Paul Roetzer, who just wrote The Marketing Agency Blueprint.

I like Paul. Like me, he founded and grew an agency (PR 20/20) and he has a lot of the same business philosophies as me. You know what that means? You’ll like him, too.

During the webinar, he discusses the 10 rules for transforming your agency, which I’m going to share with you in a minute.

But, first, he describes the three things that happened in the past four years that created a need for change.

1. Change velocity. You know, this whole technology thing. It’s sort of put the industries on their heads.
2. Selective consumption. While inbound marketing isn’t new, it’s become increasingly more popular as it’s effectiveness begins to shine.
3. Success factors. We began to see clients demand real measurement a couple of years ago. My personal opinion is this is the year agencies will be fired if they don’t figure it out.

In other words, you really have no choice but to change, evolve, and adapt. During the webinar, Paul discusses the 10 rules you will have to adapt as you begin to build and grow your modern marketing agency. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Adria Saracino. 

I am a marketer. I like to think I’m also a do-gooder. Combining the two always seemed natural. I mean, if you have a business and can affect change, why wouldn’t you do all you can to support a charitable cause?

That is why, as a marketing consultant, I always recommend fitting in a good cause when creating a content strategy.

I’m not talking about greenwashing, faking, or engaging in spammy or unethical behavior. I’m talking about using your business for good where it makes sense; taking ownership of your organization’s “corporate responsibility.”

It wasn’t until I put this into practice that I started realizing doing good is more than just helping your organization feel good. There are countless other business benefits – most of which are measurable and offer valuable ROI.

Drawing from my experience on content creation and promotion, following are four reasons your business should start weaving a good cause into your content strategy and how you can do it. Continue Reading »