Enhanced brand awareness, increased sales, improved customer perception and greater investor confidence are all things businesses strive for. They are also all things that can be achieved by unlocking the door to top-tier media exposure. Top-tier outlets like Forbes, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal have earned the respect of a global audience. The businesses they highlight or tap for expert insights are considered reliable and respected industry leaders, so much so that even a single appearance in a top-tier outlet can boost brand credibility and drive tangible business growth. However ..read more

Imagine an HR chatbot telling you, “The company no longer requires your services.” Your first reaction might be, “Spam. In the bin, you go,” — it’s written in AI-speak, after all. Then, your reaction changes when you get official confirmation and a final check from HR.  This scenario isn’t real, but the general feeling around AI in regard to employment has many segments of industry in panic mode. This article from Pew Research from last year analyzed workers and notes that mostly, “if AI can either perform their most important activities entirely or help with them,” that’s a job that ..read more

In today’s fast-paced world, ethical and sustainable marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for brands seeking to connect with a more conscious consumer. This has become a movement that generations from baby boomers to Generation Z have embraced. These consumers demand transparency and authenticity from brands. Ethical marketing and sustainable practices are principles that serve as a foundation for building lasting relationships with consumers who have become more informed and discerning than ever before. In its Business of Sustainability Index, PDI Technologies found that 68% of American c ..read more

Last year was a boon year for influencer marketing and the industry shows no signs of a slowdown. Marketers are expected to spend more than $7 billion in 2024 on influencer marketing, proving its value in helping companies reach new audiences, sway behaviors and generate revenue. With a major election afoot and fast-changing consumer behaviors, influencer marketing will continue to evolve in new ways. By getting in front of these three influencer trends, marketers can better position themselves and their organization for success. Influencers take on new role: product development Content c ..read more

In parts one and two of our three-part series on email newsletter best practices, we addressed strategic planning (including goals, audiences, and competitive benchmarking) as well as strategies and tactics to grow your email newsletter subscriber base and how to design an email newsletter template that both engages recipients and facilitates communication of important company news and information. In the final segment of our series, we will outline how to utilize A/B testing to improve your email newsletter performance, audience segmentation and how to analyze data to inform future optimizati ..read more

Amidst tightening budgets in 2024, marketing teams are under extra scrutiny to prove that their work contributes to the bottom line. One area marketers can’t dismiss is dark social media activity. According to Capterra research, marketers say nearly half of their brand’s web traffic can be attributed to dark social channels. Dark social media refers to the private sharing of content through channels such as Facebook groups, Instagram DMs and WhatsApp messages. As consumers grow more wary about their privacy online, they’re turning to closed spaces to share and engage with content. These key fa ..read more

The best leaders know a successful business depends on its employees. That’s because the employees are the building blocks who truly help the company grow and thrive. It’s essential to recognize and support them.  When owners invest in their employees, they can reap incredible rewards as a business because of the better products and services they provide customers. This dynamic is especially true for franchise and service-based businesses where employees are in customer-facing roles.  Join us as we uncover the essential reasons why the power of employee-driven growth can be the secre ..read more

In part one of our three-part series on email newsletter best practices, we addressed core foundational elements of an effective email newsletter, including compelling statistics, defining your goals and audiences and how to use competitive benchmarking to inform the overall email newsletter strategy. In part two of the series, we address strategies and tactics to grow your email newsletter subscriber base and how to design an email newsletter template that both engages recipients and facilitates communication of important company news and information. Build your email list One of your company ..read more

The livestreaming market is estimated to grow from $1.49 billion in 2023 to $3.09 billion by 2028. With more than doubling in five years, livestream marketing can be a successful business strategy for your next campaign. By livestreaming events, you can expand possibilities for real-time engagement with a global audience, significantly extending your brand’s reach.  Livestreaming caters to modern consumers’ preferences for interactive and authentic experiences and provides a cost-effective solution to traditional event hosting, promising a substantial return on investment. Livestream ..read more

AI, AR and cloud gaming My partner handmade a coffee table that can run 30 1970s and 1980s arcade games. While I generally think of this as evidence that the guy’s awesome – he also beat “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” text adventure without a hint book – it’s also evidence of how far video game technology has come since the days when people would make a special trip to the arcade to play Asteroids, or even since the Console Wars of my youth. (16 whole bits!)  Games these days often feature cinematic visuals, music that can fill an entire album, interactive environments and scripte ..read more