Marketing Eye

Expert Marketing Blog - Page 68

It's time to settle down

It's time to settle down

I don't know about you, but I am exhausted. It's only April and already my migraine has set in and isn't about to subside - unless of course, I make some hard decisions.

Business expansion has been exhilarating, hard work, fulfilling, adventurous, rewarding and above all, something that I am proud to say that I have made the steps to do. There is still a long way to go and the road looks very long, windy with ups and downs going far into the distance. Hopefully, I will pick up some hitchhikers along the way to keep me company and that the car will be full of people all wanting to head in the same direction. No doubt, there will be people who will want to get out along the way and those who will feel car sick but then, miraculously, they will get over it and start enjoying the scenery and the ride.

Never for a moment have I been mistaken that this is not going to test me and every single person in my team. It singularly has been the bravest thing I have ever done and although I am a person who sticks to a plan, I never imagined for a minute that I would be living in Atlanta, in a hotel room, desperately wishing that I was home in my comfy bed with my Maltese Schnauzer, Pip, perched beside me. Nor would I imagine that I would leave her for long periods of time in the care of another.

Starbucks isn't my favourite coffee blend

It's funny, this morning I wished I had a jar of vegemite beside me and coffee that didn't come in a Starbucks cup. Vegemite reminds me of home and I have deliberately not brought it with me for the journey so that I open a new chapter without being so glued to the past that I can't get out of my normal routine. It's the lack of comforts that somehow gets me through.
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Brand journalism: the future of our industry

As the print media continues to shrink and decline, brand journalism is the buzzword on our industry's lips as content marketing evolves into engaging newsroom-style messaging.

The term "brand journalism" has existed for close to a decade, with Larry Light using the term in 2004. At the time, he was chief marketing officer at McDonald's and claimed that mass marketing no longer worked, introducing brand journalism as a method of recording "what happens to a brand in the world".
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The Hot Tip for Business Success

hot-tips-for-business-success

I love my job. It’s the difference between meeting oodles of fabulous individuals - and not. Day in and day out I meet great people, each with their own story.  Largely, they’re entrepreneurs.  Now, I love entrepreneurs. I love being around them, hearing what they have to say, conversing with them, learning from them. Their energy, their knowledge, their confidence, their stories, their drive. I haven't dropped a love drug prior to writing this despite it being the Tuesday after a 4-day long weekend - everything I'm saying is actually true.

I personally will never wear the shoes of an entrepreneur though because I can't have that cauldron-of-ideas bubbling without strategy and planning the detail. That's me. There are entrepreneurs and then there's me.
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Are cool kids doomed for failure?

Are cool kids doomed for failure?

bullying-cartoon
I don't know about you, but when I went to school, the coolest kids in the class who were destined for greatness somehow fell short of their schoolyard celebrity status and became, well, um, not as successful as their parents and friends first thought.

I remember all those cool  kids who seemed to have it all at the ripe age of 14, while I sat in the library reading a book because, quite frankly, I wasn't as cool, nor did I win any particular popularity contest to speak of.

Instead, I wrote my weekly debates and hoped that the cool kids' "coolness" would somehow rub off on me and overnight, I could hang onto their coattails too. But that was not to be - instead, I spent every free hour at school secretly hoping that one day I would be cool too.
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How to make your business go viral via mobile

When was the last time you watched an entire TV program without looking at your phone?

Can't remember? Don't worry, you're not alone. Deloitte’s multigenerational State of the Media Democracy survey polled more than 2000 consumers and found that more than 80 per cent of American consumers are multi-tasking while watching TV. This includes texting, streaming video, social networking and web browsing. And yes, live-tweeting a TV show or movie counts as well.

On top of that, 26 per cent of consumers own a laptop, smartphone and tablet, making them digital omnivores. Tablet ownership alone has jumped by 177 per cent in the past year.

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How Social Media Campaigning = ROI

Wina Slice of Thailand - Social Media Campaigning

The past few years has seen us as marketeers witness the tip of a technological iceberg. 

In a world where the word ‘Facebook’ is now as internationally recognised as the ‘Coca-Cola’ and ‘OK’ of yesteryear, we can conclude that social media and with it, social media campaigns, are the order of the day.  Businesses won’t maximise business without an effective social media presence - it is essential to play in today’s extremely competitive business environment and create long-lasting communications to build brand image and trust.

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What makes me #happy

What makes me #happy? The sun shining. My dog giving me a cuddle. Spending time with my family. Children. Winning. Getting sales. Building my company. Walking in the park. Reading a book. Being in love. 

The United Nations was onto something when they declared March 20, as the first International Day of Happiness. Aimed at encouraging countries to "better capture the importance of the pursuit of happiness and well-being in development with a view to guiding their public policies", #happyday has certainly struck a chord.

Our in-house social media expert tweeted feverishly in both Australia and US on consecutive days about #happyday with great results. People from around the globe retweeted, shared and commented. People simply want to be happy.

I asked a few people in our office what makes them happy. 
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Do you have a new best friend?

Sitting in the Los Angeles airport after being in Miami Beach for an entrepreneur’s conference, I pick up The Mail on Sunday only to discover a story written about women who meet each other through work.

It’s been five days of the best Miami has to offer coupled by discussing entrepreneurial topics, life and success (or in some cases, lack of) with some very versatile, uninhibited entrepreneurs who all seem content to share stories and experiences while enriching each other’s lives through old-fashion mateship.
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New FREE Analytics Tool For Pinterest Proves Popular With Marketers

New FREE Analytics Tool For Pinterest Proves Popular With Marketers

Pinterest is going ahead leaps and bounds in the business space. Not only has it achieved to provide one of the easiest platforms to understand and their instructions for setting up a business on Pinterest are so easy - even I can do it - but they also have cleverly launched a free analytics tool that will allow you to track engagement. 
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How to become an office superstar

Forget what you have always been told about how people get ahead in the workforce. No, you don't need to sleep with your boss or your clients for that matter. No, you don't have to be "Mr Nice Guy" 24/7, and you certainly don't need to play office politics. 

There are ways to improve your chances of landing that dream job - and it's not as hard as you think.

1.  Engagement: 

Being an engaged employee means that you know a thing or two about the business. You have definitely learnt the art of listening to those at the top of the pyramid and those who are just starting in the mail room. You read every memo from management and you participate at every level in the organization without complaining that "there are too many internal memos" or that "the social club puts on crap events". You listen, learn and comprehend the value of engaging people around you and having them remember who you are.

2.  Competitive:

Contrary to popular psyche testing on how to be the best employee in the office, a little bit of competition is healthy. If you are looking to spearhead your career and take that top job or a dream job in the Executive team, then you need to have a competitive spirit to be the best. That doesn't mean stomping on the person beside you to "win" nor does it mean that you need to spruik your successes from the rooftop. What it does mean is that you need to set benchmarks for yourself and your team, and ensure that you are reaching it and you have the drive and competitiveness inside that won't stop until you reach the goal you have put in front of you. Some people fear competition and some misuse it. The trick is to compete with yourself and the benchmarks that have been set before you.
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One of the most beautiful places on earth....home.

This year is my 40th. I say that with much hesitation for fear that you will view me differently. I have been practising the word over and over again for months now so that I get use to it and it doesn't come as too much of a shock when the day finally arrives.

40 isn't old anymore - not like what I thought when my very own parents arrived at the same age. My mother had five children by the time she was 31 years old and by the time she was 40, she felt like she had done it all. It was time for retirement.
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You can do that - GET OUT OF HERE!

Coffee shops seem to be my new thing. Today, I met with a person who I have connected with on Linkedin at Starbucks.

As we pleasantly greet each other, we walked up to the counter to order coffees. He had just read my blog, so he was half laughing when he ordered his coffee and quickly asked what it said about him.

It seems that this marketing blog is getting more mileage than I.

As he ordered, I noticed that he put his phone to a technology gadget and immediately I asked what he was doing. He was in fact paying for the coffees with his Starbucks app.

I am sure that I have heard about this before and since forgotten since I am not a huge fan of Starbucks coffee although I do love their concept and all of their marketing. I was completely amazed that one can just pay for their coffee with an app that you top up whenever you need to. How easy is that. Gosh, perhaps Marketing Eye needs an app like that. I am totally in awe of the marketing genius behind this app - easy, convenient and what I call a "no brainer".

As we sat down and started to chat, he asked all the questions, like the good sales person he is. Then he started to tell me about a tax effective option, which I wasn't quite in the market for, but nevertheless I listened.
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If you had a blank canvas, what picture would you paint?

It's already March. In fact, today is the 1/3/13. 

The  year has begun and is going too fast for my personal liking. Having reviewed the figures for the financial year from July 1, 2012, I am impressed that our sales are up 40% and even more pleased that I haven't been in the office for more than 4 months of that time which means only one thing - that the team at Marketing Eye rock! Seriously. Great work.

But on another note, the year is speeding along and I feel as though I need to stop and take a deep breath and make sure that everything is in order to continue down this path of high growth.

Does anyone else feel the same?
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How to nail a marketing internship

Interning at Marketing Eye is no easy task, but is often rewarding and highly valuable in the competitive job market - many of our superstar marketing and graphic design interns have ended up securing paid work for us.

While we've heard horror stories of other agencies taking advantage of their interns by making them fetch coffees or run personal errands, Marketing Eye invests time in our interns and arms them with requisite knowledge that will help them stand out of the crowd. 

Want to nail your own marketing internship, or feeling nervous about starting a new one? Check out our pointers below. 
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When business expansion isn't what it's cracked up to be

Phew! Exhausted. Seriously. Whoever said that expansion was a walk in the park needs their head read.

While the first week was the most exciting time of the year to date, the second week was riddled with sleep deprevation, home-sickness and a case of missing the basic home comforts that I have come to enjoy.

On top of that, I realized that although getting new clients was relatively easy (for today) it is twice as hard to get everything else organized around that from an administrative point of view when you don't have your entire administration team at your disposal.

And... the time difference means that instead of 12 hours a day at work it was now 16 hours a day with little time to spare and if I was really lucky, I would get Sunday off, but probably not, because there is so much to do.
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