My Marketing Insights Part 2

Below is the second installment of my marketing insights by topic.Brand Marketing/Marketing Strategy7 Steps to Building the Brands of the FuturePreviously, Idiscussedabout how to develop and market a product. In this post, I am going to discuss how you can build a brand for tomorrow. While attending thePivot Conferencein New York City, I learned that whether you are a start-up company or a large fortune 500, it imperative that you react and anticipate changes in your customers needs. For a brand to be successful today and in the future it has to be customer focused.In the past, brands would create content that consumers had to like.How Marketing is being Disrupted by TechThe goal of marketing is to help drive products sales. However, we cannot blindly follow the model of marketing & advertising of the 1960s. Today, consumers have more access to more information than ever before. As a result,Marketers and brandsHas Marketing Strategy Changed?Marketing in the digital age has shifted from content to context. Up until recently, many brands created the content that was used to market their products. Consumers were expected to like their products just because they looked cool or were hip. With the rise of social networking with sitessuch asDid Mobile Kill the TV Star?Everyone remembers the popular song Video Killed the Radio star, which was a song about how the technology of television made radio and the radio star obsolete. As mobile devices and social media have become more prevalent worldwide; access to video content via video search engines/sharing services such as YouTube, Hulu and Netflix have disrupted how content is accessed. Prior to this shift, television/cable networks have controlled how video content was shared and distributed.Today theWhy Brands Should Use Visual StorytellingThey say that a picture is worth a thousand words and a video is worth 10,000 words. Telling a story with words alone puts the burden of visualization on the prospect. As words mean different things to different people based on life experience and culture, it is possible for your message to be misinterpreted. For brands to trulyengage potential buyers7 Things Brands Should know before Launching a ProductDeveloping and marketing a product, requires a lot of planning. You need a vision for your product. Whether you are a start-up company or a product manager launching a new product, there is a lot of research that has to take place. Your budget will dictate the size of your marketing campaign. However, you are in control on how to allocate that budget. I touched on some of the questions that should be asked in a previouspost. I will focus on them in more detail. The research should focus on thefollowing:How to Apply Marketing Research to Product SalesBefore businesses can sell anything, they need to determine if there is a market for their products and services.Most businesses will not necessarily be creating new product categories. As a result, they will be entering into a market place thatalready exists.Selling & Marketing Brand X in a Name Brand WorldWhen you are selling and marketing a brand X product, there are many challenges that you face. These challenges range from questions on product reliability to a lack of brand recognition.One of the first thingsthat I would handleHow to Build your Brand on FacebookFacebook is the largest social networking site in the world.Facebookhas over a billion users worldwide. Almost everyone is on Facebook. From teenagers to baby boomers, people from all walks of life are using Facebook. In this post, I am going to discuss the basics of personal branding on Facebook.To sign up for an individual account you need to do thefollowing:How Brands can use Facebook Pages to Connect with CustomersIn my lastpost, I discussed about how to build your personal brand on Facebook. Today I am going to discuss how to brand your business using Facebook pages. Remember Facebook is the largest Social networking site which means that your customers and prospects are on the site. Your job as a business and a brand is to engage with fans, prospects and customers. The goal is to convert this engagement (marketing) to product sales. Facebook pages are a great wayto do this.10 Ways People & Brands can Market themselves using LinkedInUse of social media is essential in personal and corporate branding. The networks that brands should be on are LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Google+. Writing blogs and having websites are also essential for building a brand. Today I am going to discuss how to build your brand using LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a professional networking site that allows people to search for jobs and connect with people they know. You can also make new connections on the site. Right now, 400 million people around the world are using LinkedIn.The BasicsTrade show MarketingDirect, Digital & Trade Show Marketing Meet at 2015 NY Auto ShowTrade shows are a great opportunity for brands and whole industries to sell and market their products. I have experienced this first hand during my time in Outside Sales and Marketing. Since then, Social Media has exploded. Last week, I had the privilege of covering the New York Auto show as I do each year. This trade show is an example how the Auto industry interconnects digital, direct and Trade show marketing in one synergy. The New York International show is promoted through various social networks, advertising and direct marketing i.e promotions and discounts.However, the marketingdoes notWhat the New York Auto Show Can Teach Us About Trade Show MarketingTrade show marketing is important for companies to build brand awareness. The purpose for trade shows is to drive sales. As a Dental Sales Rep, I worked the Greater New York Dental meeting. This is a show where Dental Manufacturers and distributors show off current and new products they have to offer. Today, I am going to discuss how companies can drive sales at trade shows. I am also going to use the New York Auto show to offer examples of best practices for trade show marketing.When planning for a tradeshow it isHow Live Customer Testimonials help to Sell & Market Products at Trade ShowsBelow is an example of the Power of in person testimonials from the 2013 NY Auto Show.Last year, I wrote anarticleabout what the auto show could teach us about trade show marketing. This year I had the honor of covering the show as a member of the press once again. I really enjoyed attending the show. All of the manufacturers had great presentations and unveils of their cars. Each company presented their vehicles with a great presentation.However, Hyundai made one of the bestpresentations of the show.About the AuthorDan is passionate about using Marketing to help businesses drive sales. He has worked on various marketing assignments that include a Start Up, Political Campaign & a Digital Marketing Conference.Prior to Teaching, Dan served customers as an Outside Sales & Marketing Representative in the Dental industry. In this role, he taught and trained Dentists on the companys products and services using a consultative selling approach. He also supported the companys marketing efforts at industry trade shows & in the field through lead generation of Digital Technology along with large Dental Equipment.