Sales and marketing go hand in hand. Without effective marketing, there are no prospects to sell your product to. Without sales people to convert those prospects into customers, marketing efforts are wasted. In a small company, sales and marketing functions are often the responsibility of one or two people with blended roles so the communication of goals and priorities is often simpler and clearer. But as an organization grows and teams begin to form, the lines of communication often begin to break down. It’s not uncommon for marketing teams to have very little knowledge of the sales process, and for [...]
Category: marketing
Ode To Social Media Roses are red, violets are blue, Started using your services, my business grew. Ah yes, it’s true. There’s no denying that social media is incredibly valuable for businesses, both big and small. Although it’s a new marketing technique, some would argue that social media marketing is one of the most effective. In an article entitled The Developing Role of Social Media in the Modern Business World, published recently on Forbes.com, Jessica Bosari notes that “85% of all businesses that have a dedicated social media platform as part of their marketing strategy reported an increase in market [...]
We’ve all done it. Gone to a website with our mobile smart phone or iPad, only to discover that the website isn’t mobile-friendly. Constantly squinting, enlarging the screen, and pressing the wrong links gets tiring – real fast! Does your website allow visitors to browse your goods and services? Good for you. But if your site isn’t mobile-enabled, it isn’t good enough. People aren’t walking the streets with their laptops or desktops; they’re on their mobile phones and iPads, ready to buy, and frustrated when your site isn’t accessible to them! Top 3 Reasons to Optimize your Website for Mobile [...]
What Is Lead Scoring? Lead scoring is a key component of an efficient marketing and sales process. By assigning scores to your leads, you can determine which ones are ready to send directly to Sales and which ones still need nurturing in Marketing. This practice not only provides Sales with better-qualified leads, it also streamlines communication between the two departments. How Are Scores Assigned? Lead scores are usually determined by matching the web activity and engagement of a prospect with your company’s target demographic. Your Sales and Marketing departments should first meet to define your ideal customer profile. Create a list [...]
Several weeks ago KitchenAid and StubHub experienced highly publicized Twitter “oops.” These were just two of the latest in a series of tweeting blunders committed by major brands and organizations.Remember this: You can delete a tweet, but you can’t take it back or prevent followers from taking screenshots. Remember this, too: Always double-check the name of your Twitter account before posting a tweet at work. It’s a very good idea to choose different platforms for your personal and professional Twitter accounts. For example, if you use HootSuite for your professional account, use TweetDeck for your personal account. You’re less likely [...]
Are you committed to growing a great business? Here at The Whole Brain Group we strive for “business mojo” – a concept introduced by Bo Burlingham in his 2006 book “Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big“: “Business mojo is the corporate equivalent of charisma in a person…Companies with mojo have a quality that makes people want to be part of them.” So, what is this elusive “mojo”, and why should you care? It turns out that companies that pursue this philosophy also tend to attract and retain great employees and customers, and they have highly sustainable and [...]
Marisa Smith, president and founder of internet marketing agency The Whole Brain Group, will be speaking at Eastern Michigan University’s Search Engine Marketing Workshop. The second annual workshop will be held on November 16 at the Marriott Eagle Crest Conference Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Marisa will be presenting the Lead Quantity vs. Lead Quality workshop along with Kevin Woodward, Director of Digital Strategy at re:group. Lead Quantity vs. Lead Quality: How to Determine Your Formula for Success A successful lead generation strategy places equal weight on generating the right quantity of leads to meet your sales goals, as well as [...]
Ever wonder how Facebook determines what content appears in your newsfeed? You may also have wondered how to ensure that your content appears in other people’s feeds. The secret behind both lies in an algorithm called EdgeRank. EdgeRank was developed by Facebook and is based upon the idea that each piece of content (what you might call news) is an “edge.” Status updates, photo posts, shared links, “likes”, etc – every interaction is an edge. EdgeRank, therefore, is just what it sounds like – the ranking of edges in order of importance. That rank is determined by three factors that [...]
Have you seen other companies using QR Codes and wondered how to use them yourself? We recently posted a basic introduction to QR codes, “What’s a QR Code and How Can My Business Use One?”, demonstrating how QR codes can help your business in its internet marketing plans. Effective QR campaigns can augment other marketing efforts such as social media and email campaigns to aid in your digital success. The infographic below visually outlines some of the QR code basics discussed in our original post. Next steps: Register now for our FREE webinar, Internet Marketing 101: Social Media Basics Share this [...]
Working in the world of digital marketing I am often asked for the “secret recipe” for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). While there is not a simple, secret ingredient needed for optimizing a website, sometimes it is what you are doing that can hurt your ranking more than help. 1. Only Feeding Engines While search engine optimization is important, your visitors matter most. Many websites go over the top with copy or links meant for search engines. Countless home pages have paragraphs of what could be referred to as “SEO copy” below the footer at the very bottom of the page. [...]
Ode To Social Media Roses are red, violets are blue, Started using your services, my business grew. Ah yes, it’s true. There’s no denying that social media is incredibly valuable for businesses, both big and small. Although it’s a new marketing technique, some would argue that social media marketing is one of the most effective. In an article entitled The Developing Role of Social Media in the Modern Business World, published recently on Forbes.com, Jessica Bosari notes that “85% of all businesses that have a dedicated social media platform as part of their marketing strategy reported an increase in market [...]
We’ve all done it. Gone to a website with our mobile smart phone or iPad, only to discover that the website isn’t mobile-friendly. Constantly squinting, enlarging the screen, and pressing the wrong links gets tiring – real fast! Does your website allow visitors to browse your goods and services? Good for you. But if your site isn’t mobile-enabled, it isn’t good enough. People aren’t walking the streets with their laptops or desktops; they’re on their mobile phones and iPads, ready to buy, and frustrated when your site isn’t accessible to them! Top 3 Reasons to Optimize your Website for Mobile [...]
What Is Lead Scoring? Lead scoring is a key component of an efficient marketing and sales process. By assigning scores to your leads, you can determine which ones are ready to send directly to Sales and which ones still need nurturing in Marketing. This practice not only provides Sales with better-qualified leads, it also streamlines communication between the two departments. How Are Scores Assigned? Lead scores are usually determined by matching the web activity and engagement of a prospect with your company’s target demographic. Your Sales and Marketing departments should first meet to define your ideal customer profile. Create a list [...]
Several weeks ago KitchenAid and StubHub experienced highly publicized Twitter “oops.” These were just two of the latest in a series of tweeting blunders committed by major brands and organizations.Remember this: You can delete a tweet, but you can’t take it back or prevent followers from taking screenshots. Remember this, too: Always double-check the name of your Twitter account before posting a tweet at work. It’s a very good idea to choose different platforms for your personal and professional Twitter accounts. For example, if you use HootSuite for your professional account, use TweetDeck for your personal account. You’re less likely [...]
Are you committed to growing a great business? Here at The Whole Brain Group we strive for “business mojo” – a concept introduced by Bo Burlingham in his 2006 book “Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big“: “Business mojo is the corporate equivalent of charisma in a person…Companies with mojo have a quality that makes people want to be part of them.” So, what is this elusive “mojo”, and why should you care? It turns out that companies that pursue this philosophy also tend to attract and retain great employees and customers, and they have highly sustainable and [...]
Marisa Smith, president and founder of internet marketing agency The Whole Brain Group, will be speaking at Eastern Michigan University’s Search Engine Marketing Workshop. The second annual workshop will be held on November 16 at the Marriott Eagle Crest Conference Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Marisa will be presenting the Lead Quantity vs. Lead Quality workshop along with Kevin Woodward, Director of Digital Strategy at re:group. Lead Quantity vs. Lead Quality: How to Determine Your Formula for Success A successful lead generation strategy places equal weight on generating the right quantity of leads to meet your sales goals, as well as [...]
Ever wonder how Facebook determines what content appears in your newsfeed? You may also have wondered how to ensure that your content appears in other people’s feeds. The secret behind both lies in an algorithm called EdgeRank. EdgeRank was developed by Facebook and is based upon the idea that each piece of content (what you might call news) is an “edge.” Status updates, photo posts, shared links, “likes”, etc – every interaction is an edge. EdgeRank, therefore, is just what it sounds like – the ranking of edges in order of importance. That rank is determined by three factors that [...]
Have you seen other companies using QR Codes and wondered how to use them yourself? We recently posted a basic introduction to QR codes, “What’s a QR Code and How Can My Business Use One?”, demonstrating how QR codes can help your business in its internet marketing plans. Effective QR campaigns can augment other marketing efforts such as social media and email campaigns to aid in your digital success. The infographic below visually outlines some of the QR code basics discussed in our original post. Next steps: Register now for our FREE webinar, Internet Marketing 101: Social Media Basics Share this [...]
Working in the world of digital marketing I am often asked for the “secret recipe” for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). While there is not a simple, secret ingredient needed for optimizing a website, sometimes it is what you are doing that can hurt your ranking more than help. 1. Only Feeding Engines While search engine optimization is important, your visitors matter most. Many websites go over the top with copy or links meant for search engines. Countless home pages have paragraphs of what could be referred to as “SEO copy” below the footer at the very bottom of the page. [...]
