Forbes recently divulged the following “5 Surprising Marketing Trends for 2013.” Though the article was targeted at small businesses and entrepreneurs, there just may be something for organizations of all sizes to learn in this look ahead.

1. Smarter social media

They’re preaching to the choir here, but we agree that not all social media sources are suited to every industry. Theoretically, according to Forbes, this will be the year when small businesses “become confident and adept enough at social media integration to pick the specific platforms that make the most sense for their business.” (Hopefully, others will follow, thinking before engaging and wasting time on sometimes half-hearted efforts that produce no return.)

2. Simplicity will reign supreme

Pushed to the edge of overstimulation by bright, flashy, complicated input, consumers in 2013 supposedly will respond to marketing strategies that re not only simple in nature, but promote goods and services that serve to simplify the individual’s life, or even just their customer experience. (Fingers crossed. We know we, at least, would enjoy a rest from glitz and Gangnam.)

3. Campaign-based marketing ill take a break

According to Forbes, the problem with focusing on a tactic that involves a set group of marketing activities and processes centered on one theme is that it operates on a company-based timeline. As consumers operate in real-time, the theory goes, social media and web sites will become the primary drivers of marketing in 2013. (For our nickel, marketing campaigns often can make good sense unless they detract from, or dilute, the power of the brand.)

4. Marketing will be more tied to revenue generation

In 2013, it is envisioned, marketing’s worth will start being weighed against sales growth vs. lead generation. This could entirely change marketing’s key performance indicators, according to Forbes, and lead to more effective marketing altogether. (Music to our ears. As a business strategy company, as well as a communications firm, we’ve always measured ourselves by the impact of our work on our clients’ growth and profitability.)

5. Mobile will get its due

Based on the fact that more people purchased smartphones than PCs in 2012, Forbes sees mobile strategy as a “bigger, boler line item on every major marketer’s strategy this year.” (As in social media, the trick will be knowing when to jump in and how best to do it.)

So there you have it:  Marketing in 2013 will be smart, simple, real-time, sales-focused and available on your phone.

Easy enough, huh? Not really. But we can help. Give us a buzz and get 2013 off to a roaring start for your company

It’s interesting that companies that never would advertise in a publication outside their target market will still jump feet first into every social media network they can find. This enthusiasm can leave them treading in water or being pulled under in quicksand – while no one notices.

But how do you know which network is right for your business or organization?

The answer is found in finding the outlets that reach your market and suit your content. And even if they all do that in some shape or form, it still my involve tailoring to suit specific audiences on the varied sites.

It can be complicated, but a recent article on the Ragan’s Health Communications News site recently provided some research tips, including:

• Facebook Insights – If you are the owner of a business page on Facebook, the Insights tool will give you data on age, gender, location, new “likes,” “like” sources (mobile, timeline, on-page) and more.

• LinkedIn Follower Insights – If you are the owner of your company’s LinkedIn page, you can get information on career levels, industries, job functions and locations of your connections.

• Followerwonk – Twitter doesn’t provide follower data, but this free tool can break down your Twitter followers by location, gender, social influence and language, and show the most frequently used terms in their profiles and tweets.

• Google Analytics – Among other features, this platform allows you to sort by social referrals with the Traffic tab, seeing which pieces of your content were shared and which drove visitors to your site.

The article also suggested a little competitive research, allowing you to learn from others’ social network savvy (or lack of same). And Pew Research recently released a report on more specific demographics (i.e. Pinterest users are mostly women; Facebook users generally under 50).

So there are a lot of things you can do on your own. Or you can ask us for help. We’ll be happy to assist you in making the most of social networking.

Most likely.

Do you have expertise in your industry? Do you have useful information that would appeal to clients and prospects? Can your product or service resolve a problem or challenge they face?

If the answer is “yes,” white papers can be an integral component in establishing your market leadership and drawing users to your web site to order or download them.

In that regard, here are some tips for creating effective white paper content:

– Save readers’ time by succinctly explaining a specific challenge that exists, i.e. a new regulatory mandate, and advising them how to successfully address it. You don’t have to name your own product or service – often it’s best not to – but you can show how its unique features and benefits are integral to the solution.

– The topic, in and of itself, may be boring (laws and regulations generally aren’t written to entertain), but the impact is not – or you wouldn’t be writing about it. Take the subject to the personal/corporate level with examples and just overall good writing.

– Break it up. Charts, graphs and quotes not only pull the reader through the copy but also highlight key points.

– Start with an outline, which is approved by all appropriate persons before writing begins. There are many ways to attack one subject, and opinions can vary on key points. An outline provides the writer(s) with a clear goal and manages the expectations of the client/manager.

There’s more, of course, but this is a start. If you need help initiating or maintaining a store of white papers, give us a call. We stand ready to help.

If you’re a college football fan, right now you’re probably going through some major withdrawal. Thanks to a stroke or two of genius from the creatives at Pixar, though, you now have a worthy goal to pursue in the offseason:  admission to Monsters University!

The spot Pixar is running to promote its summer prequel to Monsters, Inc. is part parody, part inspiration, all monsterously perfect.

You’ve seen the sweeping, sun-drenched campus aerial shots before. Again and again, from every team’s school during every college game ever. But which school is this? The first clue is the bloated green hand that’s writing an equation on glass (probably Dr. Rufus Oozeman’s, from the School of Engineering). Then there’s the MU flag in the distance, with the eye from the Monsters, Inc. logo. But the real payoff is our first glimpse of a real monster whose first word of dialogue is “I”. And she has three eyes. Get it?

This is just a brilliant way to grab viewers’ attention, suck them into a false world of humorous wonder, and deliver them directly to the gates of the fake college website of MU. As we speak, high school seniors and their parents are counting the days until the college admissions decisions come out in April. Now everyone will be counting the hours until the release of Monsters University (June 21st, according to IMDB).

For the record (school transcript?), here’s the script of the spot:

“Imagine an education where extraordinary comes standard, and the power that drives us can’t be contained. Where those who embrace their history become those who create it.

Imagine a university where I… where I… where I (eye?) can be unique… in a family of thousands. Where I can love to learn… and learn what I love.

Your future is knocking. Open the door. Monsters University.”

Here’s some good news for those of you who can’t walk past a university store without buying some gear. The store on the MU website sells real stuff. It’s run, in real life (wherever that is), by DisneyStore.com.

See you during admit weekend! In the meantime, go get a quick marketing education now at http://monstersuniversity.com/edu.

Here’s some good news for those of you who can’t walk past a university store without buying some gear. The store on the MU website sells real stuff. It’s run, in real life (wherever that is), by DisneyStore.com.

See you during admit weekend! In the meantime, go get a quick marketing education now at http://monstersuniversity.com/edu.

Dusting off its crystal ball, PR Daily recently made six public relations and social media predictions for 2013. They are (with our thoughts included):

1. LinkedIn is the new Facebook, and companies will increasingly recognize its marketing potential. Also, as adoption and activity on LinkedIn surge, journalists will spend more time using the platform for research, identifying sources and breaking stories. (We say: The networking opportunity is great, as well.) 2. Governments will go social. The 2012 election generated record-breaking activity on Twitter. In 2013, social media will see an increase in political conversations, driving its adoption as a news source for citizens and traditional media. (We say: Even if you don’t fit in this picture, it’s always good to be where people are talking.)

3. The reputable journalist is revived. The rise of blogging and social media has increased the volume of online news and the speed at which it’s available, often at the expense of responsible reporting. The “citizen journalist’s” 15 minutes of fame are running out and information-overloaded consumers will demand a higher standard of reporting. (We say: Hurray!)

4. PR goes mobile. PR practitioners have learned to draft compelling email pitch subject lines and deliver a message in 140 characters. The next step will be crafting mobile-friendly content as millions of consumers and journalists use their phones as their primary news source. (We say: Simplicity + substance + brevity will drive effective communications.)

5. Pictures tell the story. The rise of infographics, photo sharing and visual storytelling will push PR pros and their clients to deploy messages visually in order to compete in a crowded content market. (We say: As visual content grows in the digital space, the traditional storyboard will become even more important.)

6. PR wins the social media battle. The debate over which corporate discipline (i.e. PR, marketing, advertising) “owns” social media is over. As more businesses recognize the opportunities and threats social media present to their reputation, they will turn to PR pros who can manage the dialog between an organization and the public, achieving results that directly impact the bottom line. (We say: Good. Many companies have gone unguarded too long.)

So what do YOU think? Agree? Disagree? Talk among yourselves.

Don’t miss our latest newsletter, “Thirteen Thoughts for 2013,” please download here.

At the risk of being a downer this happy holiday season, now is the time to think about bad news. That is, to think about avoiding bad news in the coming year.

Every organization has vulnerabilities for criticism – deserved and unwarranted. What if those vulnerabilities became public knowledge?

If you wait until the sky falls, you’ll likely waste the all-important first few minutes or hours covering your head and running in circles. If you acknowledge potential crises now, you can make the easy fixes and prepare to address the more difficult situations.

So make a “I wish this never happens” list and give us a call. We can help you take care and prepare – and tie a nice little bow on your corporate peace of mind.

In business, everyone is constantly looking for new markets, searching high and low to find additional audiences to target. But what if the audience you have searched for has been right in front of you the whole time? Well, at least accessible from the computer in front of you.

Social media outreach strategies have been all the rage since the possibility arose to use the sites as targeted marketing tools. Many approaches look to connect with the Digital Age users, or those who have grown up with this communication channel at their fingertips, but what about those who are relatively “old school” when it comes to social media? The market of older adults and seniors is one that has been expanding online, and devising a plan of action about how they can impact your business could be extremely fruitful.

According to statistics gathered by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, there are three you might want to consider when using social media to engage with prospective business.

1.    50 percent of older adults (50-64) and 34 percent of seniors (65+) who use the Internet access some form of social media on a regular basis.

2.    The Baby Boomer generation controls roughly $7 trillion in wealth, making them a viable audience to consider when looking to present your product or service to them.

3.    With the multitude of products and services they come into contact with (healthcare, insurance, legal, etc), there is opportunity to find a niche where your business could plug in.

Bridging the technological gap is easier than ever before with the convenience of constant connectivity. Are you doing everything in your power to prosper from these possibly untapped opportunities?  If not, we can help you create a comprehensive plan for social media marketing across demographics and consumer needs.

Heard much about “native advertising” yet? If not, you likely will. Touted as a “game-changing” marketing trend for 2013 by Inc. magazine, native advertising is simply advertising that follows the format, style and voice of whatever platform on which it appears.

It’s also another example of content management as the key to effective outreach.

The fact is that consumers are spending more time than ever online, but most have developed enough savvy to quickly click past/block banners and pop-ups. The juxtaposition of these trends has led some marketers to look for new channels of outreach, seeking to connect with people via corporate web site content and social media.

The goal is for browsers to see the advertising as something integral to, rather than an intrusion on, their overall experience of the site – and to give them reason to want to share what they find. Thus we’re talking about things such as blogs, videos, white papers and webinars vs. dancing animals and floating blocks vying for the reader’s attention.

Sure, it will take some effort to keep content fresh, but there are ways to simplify the process and even “outsource” some of the work to consumers themselves.

Need help with your content management in 2013? Give us a call. We’d be happy to assist.

The Next-Mark team recently wrote, designed, produced and edited a powerful campaign video for our client, Nuance Healthcare, a division of Nuance Communications.

As a marketing communications company, we develop many videos each year, working collaboratively with our clients to create an end product that is representative of their product or service offering.

This experience has shown us that there are five key elements to creating compelling and memorable video content. They are:

1. Have a solid team – Understand that this is a collaborative effort that requires concepting, writing, creative production, special effects and other talents to deliver an outstanding product.

2. Always start with an engaging, yet concise, script – We live in a sound- byte world of short attention spans. Thus it is important to keep the narrative simple, to the point and under three minutes ,whenever possible. This will make it more likely your audience will process the information and remember your message.

3. Remember that your brand identity is integral to the look and feel of your video production – Whether you have a formal brand book in place or a just a logo, your video production should be a mirror of your brand identity.  Understand your brand constraints and exploit every creative opportunity to fully represent your brand promise.

4. Use dynamic production techniques as your budget permits – Every day, new video technologies are introduced. Monitor these tools, but keep your eyes on your goal; don’t add unneeded bells and whistles that don’t enhance the communications experience.

5. Distribution is critical to overall success – Once your video is produced, it is imperative that you map out a solid distribution strategy, whether you are posting your video on your website, sharing it in social media or producing DVDs. The more exposure you receive, the more successful your video project will be. Leverage every opportunity to gain the exposure you need!