Setting Goals for Business Success in 2019

I’m a big believer in the power of planning. It’s that time of year again when many of us look back at our progress over the past 12 months, reassess our path, and develop a plan for making the most of the year ahead.

An article in Inc. magazine by Aha! CEO Brian de Haaff talks about the use of planning to achieve success in business. Here’s what he says: “Successful people take a methodical approach to setting career goals. It starts with defining what ‘success’ means to them, then building a career roadmap to achieve that vision.”

It all starts with a plan that defines where you want to go. de Haaff suggests that you come up with a career sentence—the overarching vision for your professional life. “Your sentence could be specific, such as ‘Help build software that changes the way people interact with their doctors.’” Or it could be more wide-sweeping, like “Provide world-class customer service.” Once you’ve set your destination, you can focus on the goals that will get you there.

Here are de Haaff’s five steps to setting career goals:

1. Make it real. Making measurable career goals and setting success metrics will help ensure that your career roadmap is realistic. With those benchmarks in place, you can track your progress in a meaningful way.
 
2. Push yourself. Your career roadmap should be a challenge, not a cakewalk. If your goals don’t make you at least a little bit uncomfortable, then it’s time to set your sights higher. Push yourself in your overall vision and in the tasks that will carry you there.

3. Write it down. Research shows that people who write down their goals are significantly more likely to achieve them. One of the many benefits is that it forces you to think about what you want to achieve in a concrete way.  If you have a hard time finding the words to explain your goal in a sentence or two, you probably have not thought it through.

4. Share your plan. Another benefit of writing down your goals is that it makes it easier to share them. Once you’ve told your friends and colleagues about your goals, you will feel a sense of disappointment if you do not follow through. Accountability is a great motivator.

Credit: Getty Images

5. Visualize your success. A common practice of high achievers is visualizing success. Sports psychologists teach elite athletes to picture themselves connecting with the fastball, kicking the field goal, sinking the putt. You can do the same with your long-term career goals and the efforts that will get you there. Use positive visualization to motivate yourself to work harder.

Read the Inc. article by clicking the link below:
https://www.inc.com/brian-de-haaff/how-successful-people-set-career-goals.html

Take the first step in driving success in 2019 by creating your career sentence and then setting your goals. After that, it is all about commitment and follow-through.  Establishing a set schedule to monitor your progress, whether that’s daily, weekly or monthly, will help get you there.

If you’re looking for someone to share your goals with and hold you accountable, connect with me and I’ll do the same. bdegarmo@shamrockcompanies.net

Good luck!
Bob DeGarmo 

Website Lead Generation Tips You Need to Know

You wouldn’t meet with a prospective customer without being prepared to discuss the value you bring to the table; that would be an opportunity missed.

Similarly, you don’t want visitors to log on to your website without providing them with essential information and a means for continued dialogue. Website lead generation tools do just that: They engage the visitor and provide them with important information, while allowing you to gather valuable data about them, as you nurture the lead and prompt continued conversation surrounding your brand.  

According to Forrester Research, companies that nurture their leads see 50% more sales-ready leads than non-nurturers, and at 33% lower cost. So, it makes good business sense to prime your website for lead generation. Following are tips and tools to help you convert visitors:

1.  Use forms (more than one) – Make it easy for visitors to contact you using content forms that are brief and to-the-point (you can gather more details later).

Use multiple forms throughout your site based on page content and site placement; and follow up with A/B testing to see which form(s) are getting best results.

2.  Include basic CTAs throughout your site, including on the homepage – Consider your end goal and then work backwards with thoughtful calls to action: Offer a perceived “value” with each, such as a free demo, a whitepaper, a free trial, special promotion, etc. Next, route these recipients into specific nurturing funnels and conduct A/B testing and then modify, as needed.

Make your CTAs command attention by using “power words” such as: Get, Overcome, Boost, and Join.

3.  Offer live chat – Today, people are starting to expect this customer service benefit on websites that offer services/vendors. Be prepared to answer questions about products/services. And use the live chat as an opportunity to actively guide a visitor through your site to a specific end goal.

4.  Provide social proof – Prove that you can do what you say you can do by sharing videos of customer testimonials, social media reposts or online reviews. These social moments are great opportunities for making brand connections and allow you to further customer engagement on social media channels.

5.  Build trust by being authentic – Tell your story using photos—provide faces with names to help customers make connections; and speak to visitors, not at them using 1-to-1 videos. Provide evidence of your skills/quality/capacity by promoting awards, certifications, ratings, etc.

6.  Blog – Use your blog to generate website traffic and drive SEO (not necessarily to drive leads). Be useful in your posts and people will come back for more. A few tips:

•     Consider solutions-based posts
•     Develop groups of posts covering industry-relevant topic(s)
•     Incorporate keyword research into posts
•     Include videos and graphics to drive interest
•     Provide offers within the blog – free whitepaper, ebook, etc.
•     Add CTAs when relevant
•     Add links to specific pages in website – drive traffic back to site
•     Include social sharing links

As we prepare to revamp our Shamrock website, these are some of the guidelines we’ll be using to optimize our new site. Are there any that you’d add to the list? Share your feedback at emoriarty@shamrockcompanies.net.

Ellen Moriarty

Is Influencer Marketing Right For Your Brand?

In 2018, we’ve seen the continued rise of influencer marketing, with a nod toward more transparent partnerships between brands and their celebrities or ambassadors. And the latest data shows no signs of slowing, with more brands trusting influencers to help grow their audience and boost sales using social media channels—because it works:

• Marketers received $7.65 in earned media value for every $1 spent on influencer marketing – Influencer Marketing Hub
• Marketing induced consumer-to-consumer word-of-mouth generates twice the sales of paid advertising  – McKinsey
• Customers acquired via word-of-mouth have a 37% higher retention rate – McKinsey.
• 92% of consumers trust online word-of-mouth recommendations, while only 33% of them trust online banner ads – Nielsen

A recent MarketingProfs article about influencer marketing includes an insightful infographic (sourced by e-commerce platform X-Cart) that captures the power of Instagram (as the leading influencer platform) and explains how you can use influencer marketing to grow your brand reach:

Click here to view entire infographic

Do you plan to use influencer marketing in 2019? We’re interested in hearing for you.

Ellen Moriarty

Website Design Trends to Keep Your Site Fresh

Keep up or get left behind. This is the everyday marketing challenge in today’s fast-paced, digital world. When it comes to your website, staying on top of the latest trends in relation to both site appearance and functionality is what will help you make a strong brand statement: Strive to make it accessible, easy to navigate—and memorable.

Here are a few trending design elements to incorporate to best position your site to stand out:
  
Mobile-first design. It seems obvious but is worth reinforcing: Studies show that readers won't stay on your site if it takes longer than three seconds to load. Make sure your website is user friendly for mobile and tablet access. And consider that Google prioritizes these websites over non-mobile sites.

Flat design. Taking a fresh and straightforward approach to connecting with users, we’re seeing clean, crisp, minimalist graphics with broken grids, asymmetrical layouts and more open/white space. With less clutter, it allows the reader to focus on the message.

Micro moments are user-focused animations that create quick, one-touch access to information on mobile devices. Also called micro interactions, these animations are take-action prompts that allow users to interact with your brand. When done right, these subtle animations can direct the reader to the right content at the right time, driving them to important messaging or to complete a form or initiate a download.

Movement using interactive video. There is power in video—and today’s trend is pushing more high-quality video content on websites. Video conveys messages quickly and effectively and boasts a higher retention rate than reading static copy.

In addition to product or process videos, we’ll continue to see more video in the form of cinemagraphs, particle backgrounds, and animated thumbnail images.

Hero images. Bigger is (still) better: We’re continuing to see designers using over-sized leading images—these create a unique, compelling story and draw the reader in to learn more. Large typefaces with serif fonts are also having a moment.

Bold, saturated colors. Making a high-impact graphic statement, the trend is using vibrant colors and unique graphic treatments like double exposure, gradients, and drop shadows to create depth.

 
Personalized and customer-centric content. The key is to drift away from traditional static content to a more dynamically-rich content. The best practice is to create a dynamic website and a smart marketing automation plan that delivers top content.

Our team at Shamrock is embarking on a redesign of our website and we’ll be incorporating a lot of these elements in our new site. Stay tuned for the big reveal!

Ellen Moriarty

Happy Thanksgiving!

3 Key Strategies for Succeeding at Marketing on Mobile

With the explosion of the mobile market this decade, marketers need to be constantly on the lookout for ways to tailor their efforts to the mobile user. After all, Mary Meeker’s 2018 internet trends report shows that more than half of the 5.9 hours that people spend on the internet each day is through mobile devices.

At the same time, those individuals are growing increasingly accustomed to navigating their consumer decisions through their smartphones and tablets. For that reason, mobile marketing is a critical channel not only for directly driving sales ordered through mobile platforms, but for maintaining brand visibility and loyalty.

The problem is, knowing just how to optimize your mobile marketing campaigns is not always obvious. It’s important to understand the options you have and to implement them effectively. Done well, the following strategies will help you and your company make the most of mobile marketing.

1.) Gamifying your approach.
Although consumers may no longer be impressed with gimmicky gamification, being able to engage their attention through something legitimately fun and mentally stimulating can still be a powerful technique for keeping your brand in their minds. Given that mobile is well integrated with online social networks, gamification can enable friends and family members to act as brand advocates as they bring new people to the games.

Although innovation and creativity are crucial to good gamification, there are some basic principles that you should keep in mind. A system of rewards is important because people like to know they are making progress in the game or getting closer to some real-world discount. Badges and points systems are perhaps less appreciated now that they’ve been standard features of gamified ads and websites for some years now, but they can still be valuable if used skillfully.

2.) Playing well with Google and the robots.
All of your digital marketing efforts should be adapted for mobile use, including your website, email newsletters and other channels. This is especially imperative now that Google is indexing based on mobile sites rather than desktop sites, an approach called “mobile-first indexing.”

And if you're not considering AI in your marketing efforts, you should be. Demandbase reported that 80 percent of marketing executives believe that AI will “revolutionize” marketing in the next two years.

That is not surprising considering how well-suited AI systems are for chugging through user data and finding the patterns that can inform your marketing efforts. This includes identifying the best leads, as well as determining the time of day most favorable to pushing out updates and offers.

3.) Building the infrastructure you need.
In order to successfully use the tech required to make your mobile marketing dreams a reality, you need to invest in the right infrastructure. Part of having the right infrastructure means understanding the importance of speed. For example, Google found that when the load time for a page on mobile went from one second to five, the bounce rate went up by 90 percent.

Another essential infrastructure element is a secure network. According to Alissa Lovens, leader of Zayo Group’s global marketing strategy for its finance and professional services sector, “Private, dedicated connectivity to a public cloud provider reduces many of the performance and security concerns associated with public internet environments.” Lovens notes that this approach provides solid network reliability, keeps the costs of infrastructure down and ensures your bandwidth is able to handle your needs. She adds, “Applications must be up and running when customers want to access them, whether … through a mobile app or at their desktop or laptop computer.”

With these strategies in place, let the devices and the culture of sharing on mobile do the rest of the work. Mobile devices are the new horizon for marketers, and they need to be taken seriously as a key priority. Fortunately, technology continues to make this platform a faster, more secure and more enticing experience for users. By keeping in mind a few central issues, you can capitalize on this new opportunity. In the end, companies that create compelling mobile marketing campaigns will be the big winners in the years to come.

Marketing Success On Pinterest: Lessons from 5 Leading Brands

With more than 150 million active users, Pinterest has become the go-to resource for everything from recipes and makeup tutorials, to furniture refinishing and tattoo designs. Pinterest positions itself as the world’s catalog of ideas—but it’s also a prime channel for brand marketing: In a recent survey, 93% of pinners said they use Pinterest to plan for purchases—and 87% have purchased a product because of a pin.

What does it take to be a standout on Pinterest among the more than 75 billion pins? Following are five lessons from top brands that are killing it on the social media channel, building brand loyalty one pin at a time.

1. Offer variety. Don’t pigeon-hole your brand. With 4.5 million followers, upscale fashion retailer Nordstrom is one of Pinterest’s most recognizable brands. They’ve created a devoted following by casting a wide net—men’s fashion, prom, handbags, denim, baby. With 443,000+ pins on 78 boards, you’re sure to find something that speaks to you at Nordstrom.

2. Find a common thread. Specialty retailer L.L. Bean is a great example of how to make a brand connection by appealing to your audience and their interests. With 5 million followers, they’re doing it right: Boards like Outdoor Fun and Take Me Fishing draw pinners to the brand based on lifestyle, activities, pursuits, etc.

3. Provide value. Give them more, and they’ll keep coming back: Home improvement retailer Lowes goes above and beyond basic product info—they also provide step-by-step tutorials to show pinners how to use those products to complete DIY-projects.

4. Make it user-friendly. How many times have you searched for an item online but then struggled to find a retailer to make the purchase? Global marketplace Etsy simplifies the process, allowing you to search, pin and purchase products directly from your digital device.

5. Keep it subtle. Instead of leading with a product pitch, why not welcome your audience in like a good friend? Lauren Conrad does just that—her Pinterest page feels like that of any user, rather than that of a brand. With 1 million+ followers, she shares inspiration and introduces new ideas and products with fellow pinners without making a hard sell.

Which brands are most prominent on your Pinterest feed? I’d be interested in your feedback. emoriarty@shamrockcompanies.net

7 Tips for Productive Client Sales Meetings

According to a recent report by Industry Week, Americans attend more than 25 million meetings each day—and we waste approximately $37 billion on unproductive meetings annually. The reality is that client sales meetings are essential; and when approached with thorough planning and preparation, they can be incredibly productive.

I spent years as a straight-commission sales rep. Now, as an executive, I see the meeting challenge from both vantage points. This type of structure is what I appreciate when a salesperson calls on me:

1. Reconfirm the start and end time. This helps to keep the meeting on track and sends the message to your customer that you value his/her time.
2. Reiterate the reason for the meeting. Are you reviewing project status? Introducing a new product or solution? Be specific. And above all, be flexible: The client might have more pressing issues that have come up since you scheduled the meeting a week ago; be ready to pivot and redirect to best meet your customer’s needs.
3. Create an agenda. This helps to keep you on track and will direct you back if the discussion veers off topic.
   
4. Be prepared. Do your research! This is particularly important for first-time client meetings. Not only should you spend time learning as much as you can about the company, brand and industry, be sure to research competitors to see how they market their products/services.
5. Ask questions. To maximize meeting productivity, prepare questions in advance. And then set the tone for your meeting by letting your customer know that this isn’t a one-way sales pitch: “I’m sure you’re going to have questions for me—I know l have questions for you.”
6. Identify next steps. Make a list of actionable items throughout the meeting. Identify what needs to be done to move the sales process along—maybe there are benchmarks that you’ll need to hit to move the process forward. Remember: Not every meeting results in a sale. It could be that there is no future—and that’s ok, too. Either way, you want to know where you stand before you leave the meeting.
7. Follow up within 24 hours. Whether you’re sending an email that identifies action items, next steps and deadlines, or hand-writing a thank-you note, be prompt.

Sales is all about serving the customer: Let them talk about their needs and expectations—and really listen to what they have to say. The rest is all about following up with quality products/services and personal service. At the end of day, regardless of our industry or market, we all want to work with a sales rep who really gets us—and then gets it done.

Good luck,
Tim Connor

The Value of Your Time

As the adage goes, Time Is Money. So then, ask yourself: Am I spending it wisely?

I’ve found that, in some instances, it’s worth the effort to invest your time…

Sometimes I drive to Costco to buy steaks. While it’s further away from home than the supermarket, the quality and price is much better, so it is worth the extra time investment.

I call and sing to people on their birthday. It takes more time than a text or Facebook post, but I think the investment of extra time is worth building and maintaining these relationships.

Other times, it’s best to protect your time…

Let’s face it, as a professional, some work is worth more money than other types of work. If you’re an attorney and you find yourself making copies and filing to reduce costs, you might want to re-think how you’re spending your time.

As a salesperson, you need to spend as much time as possible strategically selling. That means face time, introducing new ideas, finding ways to save your client time and money, and conducting business reviews. It also means avoiding less financially impactful work.

Do the math!

How much money do you want to earn? Figure out the hourly value, and consider outsourcing all work that falls well below this hourly number. That is called PROTECTING your time.

Now, INVEST the time you’re saving and use it wisely. That means more billable hours for the attorney, and strategic selling for the sales professional.

Be mindful of how you choose to spend your time: It’s a valuable asset. 

Which everyday tasks are worth your time investment? Which can you delete or cut back? I’m interested in your feedback. bdegarmo@shamrockcompanies.net

Good luck,
Bob De Garmo

Tips for Marketing to Millennials in 2018

Times are changing. The latest Pew Research figures show that by 2019, at 73 million, millennials will overtake baby boomers in population, becoming America’s largest adult generation. Loosely defined as those between ages 21 and 34, millennials are a unique demographic that have come of age in the digital era.

So, what does that mean for us as brand marketers? When it comes to connecting with millennials, video marketing remains the single-most effective channel that influences what they buy. Yet, there is so much more to consider when we look at how to make memorable brand impressions with this target audience. Here are a few ideas to help guide you:

Be socially conscious. Millennials make purchase decisions based not only on products—but on how products and brands make them feel. Tout those important things about your brand, such as efforts/practices that are environmentally responsible or the opportunities your company affords those in need in your community.

Be authentic. Millennials want real brand connectivity—and they can see right through a self-serving promotion. Instead of traditional sales tactics, try boosting personal interaction like replying to customer reviews, using an online contest to drive interest surrounding your brand, or sharing posts by your team members or customers.

Be engaging. Studies continue to reinforce that millennials value experiences over products, which is why experiential marketing is essential. Brainstorm creative ways to promote interaction with your brand. Sponsor a yoga class, create a pop-up store experience: Engineer opportunities for people to connect with your brand—and create simple ways for them to share their experiences.

Be visual. Digital dependence is growing: Nearly half of all millennials look at their phones more than 50 times a day and 25% spend more than 5 hours every day on their smartphones (B2X 2017). With all that scrolling content, use bold graphics and call-outs to cut through the clutter and communicate your brand message with clarity.

Be social. A recent study by Annalect showed 47% of millennials claim that social media has helped introduce them to new brands; and 71% are more likely to buy from brands they ‘like’ on Facebook or follow on Twitter. Revisit your brand’s social media presence and be sure it aligns with your core values.

Be accessible. Lead with mobile-first design. With 80% of social media time spent on mobile devices, it’s imperative that your digital content be optimized for mobile platforms.

How do you connect with your millennial customer base? Join the conversation on Shamrock’s Facebook page.

Ellen Moriarty

What You Need To Know About Marketing to Baby Boomers in 2018

The claim that 50 is the new 40 might not be too far-fetched. Medical technology and improved nutrition have extended our lifetimes, with many baby boomers (age 54 to 72) living healthier and more active lives than generations before them.

But, while today’s seniors may be more vital, there is still a misconception that boomers are old and stubborn. The reality is that baby boomers are tech-savvy, enjoy learning and, as the most valuable generation in America, are well worth your marketing dollars. Here are a few facts about boomers to consider as you formulate your brand strategy:

They have money to spend. Americans over age 50 have the highest net worth of any segment of our population (Venture Capital Assoc., Ernst & Young) and 70% of disposable income is held by baby boomers (Nielsen). Over the next 20 years, spending by those age 50+ is slated to increase by 58%, so be sure that if this demographic buys your products/services, that your marketing strategy includes reaching out to them directly.

They are social. About 82 percent of boomers belong to at least one social media site, with Facebook being their most popular choice (DMN3). They use Facebook to catch up with friends and family, and to share information: Baby boomers are 19% more likely to share content than any other generation (Fractl). Align your social media content strategy accordingly, using ads, sharing content and engaging with boomers on your page. Be sure to link to your website or product purchase page on your social media posts.

They check their email. According to a Third Age/JWT study, 96% of boomers use email; 92% of those who receive promotional emails click through on the advertising product or service; and 55% have purchased a product or service based on a promotional email. By using a drip email campaign, you’ll keep your brand and services front-of-mind for this audience.

They watch video. According to a study by Google, boomers and seniors spend more time online than they do watching TV. What’s more, more than 50% of baby boomers watch online video. (YouTube is the preferred site with 82% of video watchers using it). The study also found that 3,600+ baby boomers Google "YouTube" every minute of every day—that’s a 10% higher view rate than millennials. Check your brand’s online video activity and consider incorporating YouTube marketing videos and/or ads.

They value personal service. Boomers value—and reward—authentic interaction and exceptional customer service. According to a Loyalty One study, if boomers felt the sales associates did not appreciate their business, 54% were “very or somewhat unlikely” to return (as opposed to only 33% millennials). Include a hand-written note with your product shipment; send an email when a favorite item is restocked—the extra effort will reap rewards.

They are loyal. With many baby boomers downsizing and adjusting to living on fixed incomes, they are partial to incentives and loyalty programs. Start with focusing on maintaining exceptional product/service quality and ROI, and then consider giving a little brand love back to your customers with a simple loyalty program that makes them feel appreciated.

Do you have a strategy for reaching baby boomers through your marketing effort? Join the conversation on Shamrock’s Facebook page.

Ellen Moriarty

Why human interaction is good for your business

Do you remember when you got lost on a road trip and had to pull out a map to get yourself back on track? No voice-assist GPS. No recalculating. Even as a Waze user, I’m confident that need be, I could find my way using map-reading skills. Without digital tools, I could still get there.

But is the same true of my business communications? If I didn’t have a mobile device to connect with customers, would I still be able to make meaningful connections with my clients?
 
In this age when digital is our go-to communication channel, it’s important not to lose the human touch. Forcing ourselves to step away from our phones and PCs—and make personal contact a priority—can help us be more successful, and here’s why:

In-person interaction is more effective. There is value in meeting face-to-face. Interpersonal interaction captures peoples’ attention, engages meeting participants and leads to greater collaboration. It also allows you to ask questions with free-flowing dialogue that can help uncover details that might otherwise be overlooked. Looking to drive productivity? Boost sales? In-person meetings might help get you there:    

• Research shows face-to-face requests are 34 times more effective than those sent by email (Washington Post).
• Remote meetings generate on average 10.43 ideas, while in-person meetings generate an average of 13.36 (Hubspot)
• The close rate for in-person meetings is 40% (Hubspot)
• You are twice as likely to convert prospects into customers with an in-person meeting. (Forbes)

Nonverbal cues help clarify communication. The groundbreaking (and still relevant) 1967 study published by the Journal of Consulting Psychology found 93 percent of communication is nonverbal. Eye contact, gestures, tone and inflection, posture, and body language all affect our understanding of context and meaning.

You can’t read nonverbal cues in an email. So, in addition to digital touches, make the effort to meet customers in person to ensure the intended message or information doesn’t get lost.

Personal connections build relationships. Greeting your client with handshake and getting to know them on a personal level helps build relationships and establish trust. No matter which business or industry we’re in, we all work with people. In-person contact is genuine and real. In conjunction with digital tools, it can help you nurture the authentic, long-term relationships that drive business success.

How often do you meet with your team? Your clients? Chime in our Facebook page.

Tim Connor

5 Tips for Selecting Executive Gifts Your Customers Actually Want

It’s the thought that counts: That’s the gift-giving mantra that many of us embrace—and one that rings true when considering executive gifts: Putting thought and effort into the discovery process first is what helps us arrive at the right gift, for the right occasion, and at the right price.

Now is the time to start thinking about executive holiday gifts. Here are my 5 essential steps to gift-giving success:

1. Vet your client list. Consider there are many organizations that cannot accept gifts from their clients and vendors. It’s important to vet the client/recipient list so that the gift campaign does not work against you.
2. Identify your demographic. Think about who the gift is going to and then, how will it arrive—wrapped? In original retail packaging? Personalized with your logo? Will it be shipped, hand-delivered or presented at an event?
3. Consider the occasion. Is the gift commemorating a holiday? An anniversary? A thank-you gift?
4. Identify how the gift will be used. Do you see your gift sitting on your client’s desk? Is it a lifestyle product that you hope makes it to your client’s home? An impact piece? Something that has a short shelf life, such as food?
5. Establish a budget. Does that include packaging and shipping?

Shamrock jackets using the subtle 3-ring version of our logo.

These discovery prompts lead to solid gift-giving solutions. For example, one of my customers wanted to spend $50 on a client gift (something that the client would use/keep). He decided on apparel; but then worried that putting a company logo on the chest might prevent the client from wearing it. The solution: We imprinted the customer’s logo on the lining of a jacket, which gave a nod to their brand without making the gift feel too self-promoting. My customer was pleased with the result—his gift was the right product, presented in the right way (with subtle branding), and at the right price.
 
Some customers start the gift-giving process backwards—starting with the item first. But to get it right, it’s more about knowing your audience than picking the right product. Using this discovery process as a guide, you’ll find that you arrive at the ideal gift.

What’s the best executive gift you’ve received? I’d be interested in your feedback tberry@shamrockcompanies.net.

Take care,
Tim Berry

6 Reasons to Put Marketing Asset Management on Your Radar

We live in the instant-gratification age. Whether we’re tracking a package or running a meeting, we expect instant status updates. When managing marketing assets and inventory, such real-time updates are not only convenient, they can help you run your business with greater productivity, increased brand control and at a cost savings.

As businesses grow, diversify, merge, expand into new markets, and so on, it can become challenging to manage all marketing processes and assets. This is where marketing asset management comes in. This online platform allows you to control all elements of your marketing program throughout their respective lifecycles, from creative, to acquisition, to delivery.

Marketing asset management is the ultimate convenience tool for business marketing: A real-time digital portal, it allows you to easily manage your marketing assets—ideal for these everyday scenarios:

1. When you need to maintain brand control
In today’s digital world, brand impressions are made quickly and have the capacity for instant and mass distribution on a worldwide scale. Control is a must-have for brand integrity: Marketing asset management gives you that command, with one portal that houses all collateral, campaign materials and online store inventory with real-time inventory reporting.

2. When you need to boost brand compliance
The platform allows you to manage or lock-in overall brand image/consistency while allowing certain marketing elements to be personalized specific to a region or audience, providing brand and message integrity in all markets.

3. When you need to simplify collateral management
Because all pre-approved marketing elements are uploaded and managed by one online program, it helps to reduce production costs and cut administrative time for a boost in productivity It also provides tracking data for greater cost control.

4. When you need to eliminate redundancy and versioning issues
No more obsolete collateral: With one central clearinghouse of all marketing elements, you get less waste, more accurate distribution of assets, greater control of “versions” to ensure messgage integrity and accuracy, and more precise tracking of information dissemination.

5. When you need to generate content fast
Today, information flows at near warp-speed, causing consumer dynamics to change at an ever-evolving pace. Marketing asset mangement technology gives you the tools you need to be proactive, and also to react to market changes in a timely manner. Print-on- demand; and manage distribution channels with 24/7 reporting functions.

6. When you need to launch time-sensititve promotions/campaigns/sales
Empower your local marketers, giving them the freedom to direct their message to make stronger customer connections: They’ll get more timely information, directed expressly to their local/regional audience, while still complying with corporate brand image guidelines.

If you’re looking for a smarter way to manage and maximize your marketing program, marketing asset management might be the solution for you. If you’re interested in learning more about how Shamrock can help, connect with me directly: emoriarty@shamrockcompanies.net.

Ellen Moriarty

Top 10 Marketing Podcasts

Today, more of us get our news and industry updates from digital channels. So, it’s no surprise that the popularity of podcasts is on the rise: According to Nielsen, 50% of all U.S. homes are podcast fans, with more than 525,000 active podcasts and over 18.5 million episodes (Fast Company 2018).

With all that content out there, how do you know which marketing podcasts are worth your time? This Entrepreneur article https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/293333 outlines the top 28 marketing podcasts for entrepreneurs. The list is comprehensive and, in addition to marketing thought leadership, also includes a host of freelance and business resources.

If you don’t have time to sift through all 28, following is my curated top10 list (with active links and summaries borrowed directly from the article): 

1. Unthinkable Podcast
One of the hottest new marketing podcasts out there, Jay Acunzo sails Unthinkable through the murky waters of content marketing and how entrepreneurs can create truly interesting and valuable content without falling prey to “hacks” and shortcuts.

2. The Marketing Companion
Boldly claiming to be the “world’s most entertaining marketing podcast," The Marketing Companion claims to bring laugh-out-loud comedy, “celebrity” guest appearances and cutting-edge marketing insights each episode. Hosts Mark Schaefer and Tom Webster combine to bring expertise and commentary which has attracted thousands of subscribers.

3. Six Pixels of Separation
Mirum President, Mitch Joel, brings you digital insights and media hacking insights and provocation from his “always on/always” connected world.

4. Social Pros Podcast
Social Pros is one of the most popular marketing podcasts, and was recently named the best podcast at the Content Marketing Awards. Listen for real insight on the real people doing real work in social media. You get the inside stories and behind-the-scenes secrets about how companies like Ford, Dell, IBM, ESPN and dozens more staff, operate and measure their social-media programs.

5. Duct Tape Marketing
Based on the book of the same name, this podcast covers simple, effective and affordable small-business marketing strategies.

6. Content Warfare
Content Warfare help brands and businesses find their audience, tell their story and win the battle for attention online. Host Ryan Hanley helps you create content that converts each episode.

7. Marketing Over Coffee
Marketing Over Coffee is audio on demand that covers both classic and new marketing. Hosts John J. Wall and Christopher S. Penn record the show in a local coffee shop every week and publish the show on Thursday mornings. Each show is about 20 minutes long and covers marketing tips and tricks in a casual conversation format.

8. Social Zoom Factor
SocialZoomFactor is a social media marketing, branding, business and lifestyle podcast created for you – the business and marketing leader at companies ranging from startups to enterprise organizations. Each episode brings you actionable tactics and strategies you can implement today for real business results. Host Pam Moore is CEO and founder of Marketing Nutz and was ranked as a Top 10 Social Media Power Influencer by Forbes.

9. Copyblogger FM
A short-form broadcast hosted by Sonia Simone. Each week, she and a cast of rotating experts analyze the week in content marketing, copywriting, email marketing, conversion optimization, mindset and much more.

10. Web Marketing That Works Podcast
Hosted by real-life marketing experts Adam Franklin and Toby Jenkins who authored a book of the same name, their guests discuss their failures and reveal the truth about what really works on the web.

Like most of you, I’m committed to continuous learning and these podcasts are excellent resources for new perspectives and up-to-date industry and technology trends. Are there any you’d add to the list? Join the conversation on our facebook page.

Ellen Moriarty

Grow With Who You Know: Marketing to Existing Customers

Do your marketing efforts focus on new customers—or on those who are already loyal to your brand?

The answer should be: both. When you consider that acquiring a new customer is five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one (Harvard Business Review), it makes sense to focus on keeping the customers you have, happy.

According to an article in Marketing Land, marketing to existing customers drives business growth: In addition to recommending you to others, satisfied customers positively impact your bottom line in many ways:

•   They are more open to upsell and cross-sell opportunities, increasing their lifetime customer value.
•   They’re less price-sensitive because they know you’re worth it.
•   They are more resistant to outreach efforts by competitors.

Given these bottom-line benefits, it’s smart to develop concentrated marketing campaigns that connect with and engage existing customers. But where do you start? Consider these four questions:

Are we delivering on our brand promise?
A brand promise is a contract between you and your customers. It sets the stage for the experience they should expect to have. By evaluating your business objectives and comparing them against the customer experience, you’ll get a clear picture of what your customers are experiencing. Is your internal and external messaging consistent? Are you over-delivering in some areas and lacking in others?

By gathering feedback from these prompts, you can fine-tune your messaging and delivery, bringing what you do and what you say you’ll do into closer alignment, which equates to a better customer experience.

Who are our most satisfied customers?
It’s likely that you have a system in place to gather customer feedback. So, use that to you advantage in strengthening your brand story. Consider using customer testimonials, case studies, guest speakers, etc. to build your brand reputation and help you stand out among competitors.

Do we have a strategy for growing ancillary revenue from happy customers?
Are you meeting your customers’ needs? How can you provide greater value? At Shamrock we use Business Reviews: We crunch the data on previous orders/products/categories, etc. and provide these summaries to our customers. Then, we ask for feedback and take the opportunity to share our other products/services to cross sell and upsell. Always, you want those suggestions to be relevant to your customers.

What are our competitors doing?
Understanding the reasons why you win or lose business is an important to keeping customers happy and your company primed for growth.

How does your product or service stack up against the competition? What are they doing that you aren’t? What are your salespeople hearing from customers? Answering these questions will help to shape your view of where
you stand in the marketplace and can help identify areas that require greater attention.

To read the entire article, click on the link below:
https://marketingland.com/rise-retention-marketing-strategic-priority-2017-202503

Focusing creative efforts on customer retention benefits your bottom line. Are there other questions that you use to identify ways to provide a better customer experience?  I’d like to hear from you.

All the Best,
Tim Connor
tconnor@shamrockcompanies.net

Simplify your marketing supply chain

No one disputes that the velocity of change in modern marketing strategy and tactics is astounding. Just keeping current with the latest trends and thought leadership can be overwhelming—not to mention that quickly shifting gears and changing direction can pose a significant challenge for many organizations.

So how do you keep up? How do you remain nimble? One trend worth exploring is to reverse-engineer the traditional marketing challenge: Rather than looking at bolstering up your staff and vendor base, try testing that pro-growth mentality with a simple question: How are you managing your current supply chain partners?

Maybe you and your team juggle a host of vendors who independently source and manage the elements of your brand marketing program. The truth is, simplifying your supply chain makes sense for modern brand management. I relate it to the evolution of superstores (both online and brick and mortar): It used to be that I’d go to the sporting goods store to buy golf balls, to the mall for dress shoes, and the liquor store for wine. Now, I can get everything I need—at the best quality and price—through one retailer, delivered to my front door.

Successful marketing requires that same progressive, efficiency-driven mindset.

Companies that continue with old-fashioned partnering find themselves having to settle for the status quo. Few companies have the budget to staff-up to manage a stable of vendors. Smart companies are partnering differently for their marketing services: They’re carefully choosing one partner that helps drive growth through streamlined efficiencies and economy-of-scale cost savings.

To maximize results, look for a marketing resource with these types of service advantages:

• Single-source project management
• Ongoing and updated status regarding projects, data/feedback, budgets, etc.
• Strategic oversight—one that can find the right marketing mix for your business
• Proven tactical plan execution
• Flexibility to pivot and change up or redeploy plan elements as needed

This type of partnership allows your company to quickly change without overwhelming your infrastructure—enabling you to rethink and refresh your marketing program without depleting your internal resources.

At Shamrock, we serve as that single-source partner for our clients. If you’re interested in talking about how we can help grow your business, connect with me directly at bdegarmo@shamrockcompanies.net.

Tips to Keep Your Marketing Program On Track

In this era of podcasts, YouTube channels and online news sources, it’s easier than ever to continuously build upon your base of knowledge and experience.

In addition to learning new stuff, it’s wise to look at our everyday actions to make sure we’re aligned to reach our goals. This is particularly true of marketing: While new ideas and trends are important to incorporate, it’s also wise to regularly review existing program initiatives and recalibrate to make your marketing effort more productive.

Here’s a checklist of best practices for sizing up your current marketing program to ensure you’re maximizing your potential:   

Think mobile. 51.89% of global web traffic originates from mobile devices (statista)—so, step away from the desktop and make sure your web content is also mobile-friendly.
Brevity rules. Humans have an attention span of 8 seconds. Marketing that cuts through the clutter with attention-grabbing graphics and succinct copy makes memorable brand connections. 

More visuals. The brain processes visuals 60,0000 times faster than the time it takes the brain to decode text. Selling your story with pictures and graphics is a must. Use in case studies, brochures, on your social media feed, etc.

Video. Video. Video. Challenge yourself to find a new way to incorporate video into to your existing channels: A livestream on your Facebook page, a product value video in your blog or email campaign. The statistics say it all:

• Video content earns 12 times more shares than text and images combined 
• Viewers retain 95% of a message when they see it in a video, as compared to only 10% when they read text
• Live streaming video is gaining momentum: 82% of consumers polled preferred live video to static social media posts

Variety. Use an integrated, multi-channel approach to reach your target audience. While digital is essential, don’t discount the power of print media:

• 70% of Americans consider physical mail "more personal" than email (Experian Data Quality Group)
• Consumers who receive ad mail spend 28% more than those who don't (USPS)

Get personal. According to Campaign Monitor data, a personalized email subject line boosts open rates by 26%, and increases click-through rates by 14%. What’s more, we’ve seen a greater response rate in emails using a more approachable, conversational tone. If you were sitting across the table from your prospect, what would you say? Use that as your prompt for writing email campaign content that resonates with your target.

Engage your audience. Experiences over possessions—this is the new rule (thus the rise of experiential marketing). According to data from the Event Marketing Institute, 72% of consumers say they view brands that provide quality experiences more positively, and nearly three-quarters said when they can engage with a brand's experience, they're more likely to invest in its products or services.

Follow best practices. Keep up to date on changes that effect brand visibility. For example, for SEO the recommended meta description length (to rank high in Google searches) is 110 – 130 characters. Make a regular practice of updating your online material.

Be authentic. Stay true to you brand. It’s smart to change up your game and try new avenues for reaching your prospects; but do it in a way that reflects and reinforces your brand image.

At Shamrock, we’re committing ourselves to revisit our marketing programs on a quarterly basis to re-position and refresh to make sure our efforts are more efficient and effective. What tip would you add to this list?

Ellen Moriarty

Practice Self-care for Your Personal Brand: 4 Easy Steps

There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the importance self-care: the self-initiated effort to assess, and then take an active role in preserving or improving, one’s health. And why not? Being aware of what we need or lack, and then identifying how we can improve, can improve our quality of life.

That same self-reflective, recalibration practice can—and should—be implemented for your personal brand.

But where do you begin?  This article www.entrepreneur.com/article/277751

In Entrepreneur magazine cites four ways to tune up your brand (from Karen Tiber Leland’s book The Brand Mapping Strategy.) Here are Leland’s tips (summarized) from the article:

1. Brand Sound Bites. In today’s limited character world, the need for a succinct brand presentation is essential. This “brand at a glance” functions as a cheat sheet to deliver your brand’s bottom line quickly, efficiently and with maximum impact. It should include:

• Stats and specifics that demonstrate the competency and results of your brand.
• Trends. Demonstrate your brand’s relevance to what’s happening in the marketplace by sharing knowledge of leading trends in your field—and how you’re at the forefront.
• Hot tips. One or two timely and helpful pieces of advice can help establish the credibility of your brand. The tips don’t have to be world shattering, just useful.
• Points of view and informed insights. Brand thought and industry leaders have strong points of view about their areas of expertise and aren’t shy to share them.

2. Branded Biography. While your profile picture, logo or other visuals may make the first impression when a visitor lands on your website or social media, it’s your biography that often inspires them to dig deeper.

Poorly written “About” sections on your website, too-short summaries on LinkedIn, and sketchy bio sections on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest can stop an inquiring employer or potential customer in their tracks. On the other hand, a well-written and branded biography can be a pathway to new opportunities.

3. Social Media Profiles. One advantage to having a well-branded bio is that it can function as the source document for creating social media profiles that give your site visitors an immediate feel for your brand.

Using the space provided to its greatest branding advantage is a factor you need to take advantage of. On LinkedIn, for example, the professional headline space (located just under your name) is prime personal-branding real estate. Too often people write only their job title and miss the opportunity to create a mini-narrative of their personal brand.

4. Content Creation. Your branded bio, social media profiles and brand sound bites may form the foundation for your brand, but the graduate-school level of cerebral connection is the content you create.

Four of the best content-creation tactics include: blogging, podcasting, videocasting and writing a book.

As marketers, we understand that our brand is always evolving, so there’s no time like the present to look at your brand profile and give it a refresh. My next priority is updating my LinkedIn profile. Which brand update will you tackle first? Join the conversation on our Facebook page.

Ellen Moriarty

Video Marketing: Tips for telling your best brand story

When it comes to quickly and effectively delivering a brand message, there is power in video marketing. According to data from Brightcove, social video generates 1,200% more shares than text and images combined; and video drives a whopping 157% increase in organic traffic from search engines.

Why is video important?

At Shamrock, we see video as an absolute essential for helping our clients tell their stories: Video provides instant brand gratification. And regardless of industry or budget, it’s a channel easily incorporated into your marketing program.

Above all, video is the trend in marketing: It is estimated that 80% of all internet traffic will be video by 2019. (Cisco)

How can you put video to work for your brand?

Creating original, compelling, relevant content that makes a brand connection with your audience—that’s the ultimate goal of video marketing. There’s a lot of great ideas for videos that meet that criteria: Roundup The Team—take a camera around the office and have people briefly speak about the latest product introduction or community service project; focus on Live Customer Service—create a montage that captures customer service and value in action; or develop an enticing How We Do It video that shows behind-the-scenes innovation. 

Click below to access social video marketing tips—this MarketingProfs infographic covers it all from video topics and recommended length, to the pros and cons of each channel: 


Click here to view

A recent study from Ascend2 concurs with MarketingProfs, citing the most effective video for converting sales leads include these topics:

• customer testimonials
• demo videos
• explainer/tutorial videos

What’s great about these video themes is that the scripts practically write themselves: Capturing a testimonial or demonstrating a product or service are stories that authentically speak to your brand and its benefit to your customers. In other words: You know your brand best, so use that information to tell your story through video. Grab your device and get started.

All The Best,
Tim Connor

11 Tips For Successful Event Marketing 2018

A successful special event takes more than an engaging program and an open bar, it requires strategic marketing to drive attendance at, and create a buzz surrounding, the event experience.

Following is an essential event marketing checklist to keep the effort on track:

1. Why/Who? Consider these questions first: Why and to whom are you marketing your event? Is this an annual meeting? A women in leadership event? The answers will shape messaging and drive marketing decisions.
2. Invitations. Start with a save-the-date (card or email) 8 weeks out; and 4 weeks prior, follow with an invitation that provides complete event details.
3. Survey. Send out a survey prior to the event—the responses will help shape content and can be used to generate ideas for session topics, speakers, etc.
4. Content. Make it relevant to your audience. If it’s not, leave it out.
5. Email. Take advantage of your regular email campaign schedule and use that as a platform to promote your event.
6. Blog. Beginning four weeks prior to your event, blog weekly. Add videos to engage your audience: If you have footage from the previous year’s event, use that to drive interest and excitement; or create new video highlighting speakers, entertainment, venue, etc.
7. Homepage link. In all communication (email, blog, social channels) provide a link back to your event homepage where people can register.
8. Social media. Take advantage of all social media channels to market your event before, during and after. Facebook is the most popular social media choice leading up to and after an event, while Twitter holds the top spot during events. (Source: FreemanXP, Event Marketing Institute)
9. Track results. Check to see what’s working from the links in different channels (i.e., email, blog, facebook). Redeploy as applicable.
10. Promo items. Consider your audience and put thought into choosing a useful and/or unique gift.

    

    click here to view

11. Branded convenience. In addition to gifts, make added brand impressions with on-site conveniences: Supply pens, notepads and device charging stations (how can they tweet with low battery?). Watch the video below:

Prior to the event, I always meet with my team to help outline individual charges: During the event, who do you want to meet? What are you hoping to glean? What does that conversation look like? 

This is the event marketing framework that I’ve found to be most useful. Are there other items that you would add? Connect with me
@ msmith@shamrockcompanies.net.

Megan Smith

Make Timely Brand Connections Using Digital Targeting

We’ve all felt the rush of finding ourselves in the exactly the right place at the right time—like when the front spot in the over-crowded parking lot opens just as you pull up, or when the price of airfare drops the day you’re ready to book a flight.

Digital targeting creates that same sense of instant satisfaction. With your brand.

 

It positions your brand directly in front of your customers, at the right time, in precisely the right place and on the right device. Using this powerful one-to-one digital technology, you’re able to serve targeted content to your prospects, with incredible accuracy: It brings the location-specific accuracy of direct mail to digital advertising.

 

There’s a variety of digital targeting applications that can provide exceptional ROI for your marketing dollars. Here’s a few examples of how digital targeting technology can be used to make smarter, more effective brand connections:

• send targeted display ads, video ads or trigger-based direct mail to your prospects’ homes (based on linking their postal addresses to their IPs)
• capture people’s Device IDs at events they attend, where they work, where they study, where they shop—and then map the device back to a household address for targeting
• take your CRM (or new customer list) and target their neighbors with ads

In so many instances in life, timing is everything. The exciting aspect of digital targeting is that it takes our marketing game to the next level—now we can use both time and place to our advantage. It allows for a stronger, more engaging brand connection.

 

If you’re interested in learning more about digital targeting, I’d love the chance to talk to you. Connect with me directly bdegarmo@shamrockcompanies.net

 

Bob De Garmo

 

Marketing Tips for Nonprofits

Nonprofit marketing requires a delicate balance. Often strapped with doing a lot more with a lot less, you still have to find a way to stand out among the other nonprofits vying for donors’ attention—and dollars.

As a nonprofit, your advantage is your story. By harnessing the power of that story and communicating with your audience in an effective and authentic way, you’re one step closer to converting those connections into brand advocates or even champions for your cause. Here are 10 marketing tips that can help you get there:

1. Make your message clear. Let people know who you are and what you stand for. Transparency is important: Donors want to understand exactly how their money being spent and the impact it will have.
2. Create content. Content marketing is a powerful way to demonstrate to donors what you stand for and to share your passion about your goals. Use a marketing automation platform to manage your outreach with greater efficiency.
3. Have a solid social media plan. To reach donors, you need to connect with them where they are—and facebook, twitter, Instagram and Snapchat is where they reside. Post regular content and place ads on these channels and take advantage of analytics to ensure the best ROI.
4. Use hashtags. You can create your own (both brand- and event/campaign-specific) and also use popular nonprofit hashtags to boost your visibility in searches: #charity, #DoGood and #volunteer are great options. 
5. Take SEO seriously. For donors to give money, they have to be able to find you online—so embed social media feeds, ads, blogs and key words to boost SEO.
6. Use video. Tools like Adobe Creative Cloud and Canva make it affordable to edit and create great video content. Then post on social platforms that allow you to livestream content; and embed clips in email campaigns, on your website, etc.
7. Write a blog. This platform gives you the opportunity to share more about your cause and to tell your brand story.
8. Engage social media influencers. According to TapInfluence, “influencer content on social media earns more than 8X the engagement rate of brand-direct content.” Connect with influencers who align with your cause for added visibility.
9. Forge partnerships. Reach out to other nonprofits, corporations and organizations that are in sync with your mission and your values for organic cross-promotion opportunities.
10. Use digital apps. Digital tech apps offer unique functionality ideal for events: push notifications, GPS/map features, schedule of events, social media tags, response polling, video links, program updates—the list goes on.

As with any brand-promoting effort, the key to nonprofit marketing success is to use an integrated strategy that employs multiple channels as part of one seamless campaign.

 

What is the most memorable non-profit marketing campaign that caught your attention? Chime in on our Facebook page.

 

Tim Connor

5 Corporate Apparel Trends to Follow

Know your audience. It’s the basic first-step when you’re approaching any marketing task—and making corporate apparel selections is no exception. Whether you’re buying branded items for your own team or purchasing apparel as gifts or giveaways for clients and vendors, start by first considering who you’re targeting.

Millennials have surpassed Gen Xers and Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the U.S. labor force—so, if you’re looking to reach these decision-makers and influencers with your apparel offerings, then speak their language. These top trends should help you make the right choices:

1. Athleisure
Blending activewear with comfortable, street-savvy style is on trend. Athleisure gives people the best of both worlds: casual, stylish apparel they can wear outside the office. This apparel choice offers comfort and adaptability—it can go from the gym to the office or lunch. Look for style as well as performance features such as moisture-wicking fabric, UV protection and/or antimicrobial properties that keep fabrics fresh. Consider subtle branding like tone-on-tone logo for a refined look.

2. Vintage
What’s old is new again: The broken-in, weathered look is in. Super soft-feel vintage t-shirts are very popular; they are as comfortable as they are stylish. Raglan baseball shirts and varsity-inspired jackets are also making a comeback. Check out this video that features one of our Shamrock vendors that offers beautiful quality and great designs in customized vintage apparel:

click here to view

3. Bright color
Bold, bright colors are making a statement. (Pantone named Ultra Violet as its 2018 Color of the Year.) But you don’t have to go with a neon shirt or pullover to be current. We’re seeing splashes of color used in accent stitching, in logo treatments, on reflective stripes and cording, and more.

4. Functionality
When it comes to branded corporate apparel millennials and Xers expect more out of their garments: They want style and quality, but also with extra performance and functionality such as comfort/stretch, lightweight/warmth or wind repellant/slim fit. 

5. Responsibility
The apparel you choose to represent your brand says a lot about your company and the values that are important to your organization. Choosing organic or recycled fabrics, eco-responsibly sourced materials and socially-conscious brands are all opportunities to make a brand statement in a subtle but powerful way.

Connect with me at tberry@shamrockcompanies.net if you’d like to learn more about brand-driven corporate apparel solutions.

Tim Berry

Happy 4th of July

 

 

Make Tangible Brand Connections with Experiential Marketing

More experiences. Less stuff. That pretty much sums up the millennial mindset. Today, more young adults are choosing experiences over possessions…like travel over a new car; or concert tickets instead of designer shoes.

Experiences matter—not only in everyday life, but also in marketing. The rise of experiential marketing gives today’s mobile-driven consumers what they want: A firsthand, engaging and tangible connection with your brand.

Creating these brand experiences is simply smart business: According to data from the Event Marketing Institute, 72% of consumers say they view brands that provide quality experiences more positively, and nearly three-quarters said that when they can engage with a brand's experience, they're more likely to invest in its products or services.

When you consider that 49% of people create mobile video at branded events — 39% of which is shared on Twitter — it makes sense to incorporate subtle branding in a way that can be shared socially to drive recognition beyond the event or experience.

A great example of experiential marketing done right is Google’s Mini Donut Shop experience: To promote the new Google Home Mini automated assistant—which happens to be the size of a donut—Google opened pop-up donut stores in strategic cities. They welcomed visitors inside where they were met by conveyor belts moving donuts and Google Minis throughout the space. When the customer asked the Mini a question, a donut box slid down the conveyor and onto the counter—some boxes contained donuts, and others, the new Google Home Mini. Watch the video:


Google Home Mini Donut Shop

The campaign was a success because it was engaging, unexpected and multi-sensory—there was a “sprinkle” booth that showered customers with confetti. Combining Google and irresistible donuts was a genius idea that created a viral celebration surrounding the brand.
If you can’t go as big as Google with a pop-up store experience, consider borrowing a few of the essential elements from the campaign: Create a non-venue venue (in a park, a neighborhood, a lobby, etc.); create/encourage interaction with your product; provide a giveaway; and create a hashtag to drive social media sharing.

Can you think of an experiential marketing campaign that caught your attention? Join the conversation on Facebook.

The benefits of nurturing a philanthropic corporate culture

Summertime is non-stop busy. Barbeques, vacations, reunions—this is the time of year to enjoy and make memories. It’s also a great time to do good for those in need. At Shamrock, our team organizes charitable giving and volunteer opportunities year-round. And we don’t take the summer off.

The recent and tragic losses of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain have made us all pay closer attention to our family, friends and colleagues—to how they’re feeling, to how their words or actions might be a call for help. It’s an awareness that we all ought to bring into our everyday focus.

Each quarter, Shamrock chooses an organization to benefit from our fundraising and volunteer effort. Fittingly, our benefactor this quarter is The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (www.afsp.org), the nation's largest non-profit dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide.

Last quarter, we raised funds for Fisher House Foundation (www.fisherhouse.org.) which builds comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay free of charge, while a loved one is in the hospital.

While I feel blessed to be able to help and lend support to these organizations, I’m even more proud that this philanthropic effort wasn’t my idea.

We have a dedicated team of people at Shamrock who spearhead community involvement efforts, providing all of us here with opportunities to serve. They meet monthly and discuss ways that we, as a company, can help in our community and even beyond. Having the discipline—and the desire—is what has helped to make philanthropy a core element of our corporate culture at Shamrock.

What’s important to our employees’ hearts is what’s important to us as a company: That’s always been who we are and how we operate. But being philanthropic is very personal. I think what has made our efforts at Shamrock so successful is that we take everyone’s input and ideas and passions—and then we provide opportunities for our employees to plug in and join in where they feel most compelled to help. 

As with any effort, there must be leadership by example for it to really succeed. And we have that here. All of us at Shamrock—and at every level—take pride in being part of our community efforts. It’s a source of camaraderie. The result is that, as a group, Shamrock has been able to make a big difference in the lives of many people who are in need. It’s a satisfying feeling—and it’s also motivating.

If you’re looking for ideas to help get your own community involvement program off the ground, send me an email and I’ll connect you with some of the people here who do it best. tconnor@shamrockcompanies.net

Tim Connor
https://www.fisherhouse.org/