Marketing/Sales/Advertising
Are You Using Native Advertising?
When I first heard the term native advertising, I’ll admit I didn’t know exactly how to define it. According to Wikipedia, “native advertising is a web advertising method in which the advertiser attempts to gain attention by providing content in the context of the user’s experience.” I think the most obvious native advertising we encounter is through Facebook, as their advertisements populate our news feed. This article, Advertising Groups Struggling to Self-Regulate Native Advertising, published by Associations Now explores how the Federal Trade Commission is viewing native advertising. If you are using native advertising as a revenue stream, you’ll want to read this...
Read MoreExpo Evolution: Don’t be Afraid of Change
We recently read an article written by Samantha Whitehorne with Associations Now that described how the Associated General Contractor’s of America turned their tradeshow on its head in a radical move that would either make or break the event. AGC’s Chief Marketing Strategist Jeff Wilson and Patrick Wilson, president of The Profitable Association, Inc., shared the turnaround story earlier this month at ASAE’s 2013 Annual Meeting & Expo. Whithorne extracts three lessons: Set goals for change, but know your limits. Don’t be afraid to change again. Create an expo brand. This is a great example of how sometimes you need a little courage, a little faith and a brilliant...
Read MoreThe Closer
None of us like to admit that we are in sales, but as a small business owner we are always on the lookout for another great client or another advertiser for a current client. Very rarely will the perfect client or advertiser walk in your door with a checkbook in one hand and a long-term relationship in the other…am I right? Since we all have to go through the challenges that come along with finding clients, we all go through trying to close the deal as well. Some deals end well, some fall apart in the middle, and some become almost unrecognizable through this process. CNN Money ran an article titled “5 Ways to Close Big Deals Now” and it was a nice refresher on...
Read MorePause Before You Post: A Facebook Rule of Thumb
I think we can all agree that Facebook was created to be a personal social network more so than a business social network. That has long been reserved for LinkedIn (or so that’s what I think). But now we have business Facebook pages, Facebook ads–the need to be liked on two levels both personally and professionally. On top of that, we have the issue of what to post, who to friend, who likes us, how many likes makes our business socially accepted, etc. The list could go on and on. Andrea and I both have personal Facebook pages and we both maintain Monarch’s Facebook page. We have seen peers post politically charged comments on both their personal and professional...
Read MoreIs Readership “Buy-in” Necessary?
We’ve encountered a few companies during our growth with thoughts of publications—publications with potential and publications that needed to be rethought. So we’ve had several conversations amongst ourselves and we want to share some key thoughts that continue to surface. Do readers “buy into” your publication? By this I mean do they pay for a subscription to receive your publication? Do they place a value on your product? (I don’t want to get into the conversation regarding e-magazines. I’d rather stick with printed magazine for this post.) We’ve come up with several conclusions, but the main idea is if you ask your readers to make a monetary contribution...
Read MoreEmail Etiquette
When this PR News article by Steve Goldstein landed in my inbox, I thought I was reading my own thoughts! I’m glad to know others share my high standards on email etiquette. If you know me personally, you know No. 8 (not replying within 24 hours) will put me on my soapbox. Polite, 24-hour response time is best for business email, but is essential when you’re in sales. Read through the rest of the list and if you have a few more, please feel free to share them here. — Chellie Thompson, Cofounder, Monarch Media & Consulting, Inc.
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