Marketing 2014: Define Objectives To Customize Success

Each year, marketing campaigns and budgets are created to address the market outreach goals and lead generation objectives of inspired businesses. At times, the marketing budgets are thin, plans are pushed back and the most ambitious of marketing concepts are scrutinized and justified – even rejected.

Other times, marketing budgets are more robust – or, quite frankly, the marketing ambition of the company is too robust to contain – and budgets are built around the latest in online marketing, including social media engagements, as well as traditional marketing and branding. What are your marketing objectives for 2014?

• Launching a new product or service that will command your outreach in 2014?
• Do you need to create, social media platforms to market your expertise?
• Will you focus on content marketing, to boost marketing activities?
• Need a branding overhaul to best market services, products and expertise?
• How important is branded content to your business?
• Know the value of Google+?

These are just a few very random questions out of what should likely be dozens to evaluate and review during the formation of a marketing campaign. All businesses are different – and not every business justifies the value of outsourcing marketing to expert marketers to lead the charge – a serious limitation for many companies looking to tweak key components of their marketing activities.

For some business, 2014 will be perfect timing to launch a new logo and comprehensive corporate branding across all traditional and online spectrums. Others may have tighter budgets, hoping 2014 will deliver a flexible, optimized PPC campaign to drive new business to their doors throughout the New Year. For some companies, a slow and steady marketing pace, with traditional and online marketing activities working in tandem, can be extremely effective.

For other businesses, a rapid-fire social media blitz and content marketing explosion – supported by brand-building visual content and strategically spotted visual search ads and PLA campaigns, thanks to the greatness of Google – will champion epic marketing results.

According to Marketing Sherpa, budgets in 2014 will allocate most marketing dollars to content marketing, landing page optimization, website upgrades, social media, SEO, PPC, email marketing and direct mail. At the bottom of the allocations for marketing in 2014 are broadcast advertising and print advertising.

A MarketingSherpa survey of marketers revealed that content will continue to be king in 2014, with 64% of marketers indicating budgets for content marketing will increase. Also, according to MarketingSherpa, as well as the Content Marketing Institute, more businesses are putting greater budgets into marketing in 2014, especially SMBs. Other industry reports find that, in addition to content marketing, mobile marketing and marketing automation will take big dollars in 2014, all supporting a content marketing surge that will dominate all marketing campaigns.

Whatever your plans are for content marketing, digital marketing and all things marketing for 2014, remember to take the best interests of your business to heart. For more information, or effective branding and marketing concepts ideal for your business, contact The asterism* Group.

4 Social Media Musts In 2014

Social media marketing and organic content strategies will drive marketing campaigns in 2014. What are the four social media musts to keep in mind for maximizing brand awareness and business reputation – not to mention lead generation? From Google+ to visual content marketing, social media platforms will be robust grounds for brand exposure, brand loyalty and overall brand marketing. Deploy these four key strategies – ideally in concert – to master social media for your business in the New Year!

Google+ 
If you thought Google+ was an option for businesses…think again! Google+ is growing in importance, fast. Businesses may find Google+ is a game changer for social media sharing and organic content drives. Do not miss out on Google+ for your business!

LinkedIn Showcase Pages 
With LinkedIn Showcase Pages, businesses can expand their reach beyond current followers by promoting content through Sponsored Updates, enabling brands to directly share from a Showcase Page to members’ feeds on desktop, smartphone and tablet. Businesses will be able to monitor the performance of their Showcase Pages by utilizing LinkedIn’s analytics tools. Best yet, companies will not be charged for creating Showcase Pages—and companies can create up to 10 of them on their own!

Visual Content Marketing
2014 will be the year of visual content marketing, with businesses looking to grow organic follows and build brand awareness by leveraging Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook like never before with infographics, video and anything and everything in between to convey a visual energy. Pictures are powerful, especially on social networks – and businesses are finally getting with it! Yes, B2Bs…that is directed at you! Whether its Vine or YouTube, Pinterest or Instagram, companies that maximize visual opportunities for marketing, sales and brand loyalty will be winners in 2014!

Twitter Power
Tweeting. Following. Oh, the joys of Twitter. But behind the cute blue bird is a very serious marketing machine that is connecting professionals all over the world and literally reshaping the way businesses communicate with clients – and prospective clients! Twitter is a vital marketing engine for B2B companies, as well as consumer businesses and, of course, experts looking to empower their personal brands. Timely tweets with relevant hashtags that leverage great content frequently will give a solid social voice to any business in 2014.

Be ready for major social media madness in 2014 - a divine madness of marketing creativity and social sharing that is poised to, once again, transform the way companies communicate with clients...and the world.

For more information on social media strategies for 2014, contact The asterism* Group!

Content Marketing: Content Strategy Super Success In 2014

Content strategies for marketing, social media and SEO in 2014 are vast – limitless. And extremely necessary! The 2014 buzzword of marketing and online outreach – content marketing – is a mandate for B2B and B2C campaigns right now, with a vibrant energy targeting visual content marketing, brand journalism and content for SEO in 2014.

Recently, the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) shared expertise for what it sees coming for 2014 – 50 Content Marketing Predictions for 2014. Naturally, CMI is not short on content! The highlights of its overview of 2014 content marketing strategies include, but are not limited to, these highlights:

• Brands begin to realize visibility is a commodity.
• The volume of content necessary to earn and keep attention will SKYROCKET.
• Real-time content marketing will become a new goal!
• Content marketers will discover that it takes more than publishing content to become thought leaders.
• Content marketing will embrace the use of video and multimedia formats greatly to tell brand stories.

Clearly, content optimization is going to be an overpowering drive in 2014 for progressive marketing campaigns. Content drives leads, converts followers, builds brand advocates, creates a sense of thought leadership – and increases the opportunities a business has for improving organic search results with the god of all that is SEO…Google.

Keep content in mind for 2014! 

What is content?

• Blogging
• Guest Blogging
• Social Media Optimization
• LinkedIn Business Showcase Page Optimization
• Google+ Authorship and Google+ Engagement
• White Papers
• Infographics
• Short-Form Videos
• LinkedIn Updates 
• Executive Quotes
• Informative Overlays

In short, the goal for businesses in 2014 is to deploy smart, sharp and persuasive messaging that tells a brand’s story, shares a company’s expertise and builds personal branding and thought leadership! For more information about content marketing, brand storytelling and personal branding, contact The asterism* Group at www.asterismgroup.com.