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Thinking

This time we’ve got Jamie, our Interactive Arsonist, in the hot seat. Jamie began her career as a media planner, but quickly fell in love with the web development world...

If you’ve been tasked with writing copy and you don’t know where to begin, “start where the reader starts” reminds us to think about what the consumer of the information would want. Looking at your brand through your customers’ eyes is an important exercise for any writer.

In today’s digital and online world, a significant component of marketing is social media. By combining traditional PR tactics with strategic social media efforts, you can ignite awareness and begin to convert prospects. We show you how with this example....

The differences between branding, marketing and advertising can be confusing. The terms are increasingly used interchangeably, which only adds to the confusion. All three are important, but for different reasons. So what is the difference between branding, marketing and advertising?

How well do your customers know you? Not just your brand but YOU … you as a person? How much do you share of your personal life, not only on social media, but in person? And are those messages consistent?

While the traditional methods of promoting events are still valid, social media has proven to be an incredibly powerful tool to fire up event attendance. The results are impressive considering the cost of advertising on social media, especially when compared to more traditional methods of advertising.

When a consumer buys a brand, it’s an act of trust. When you consistently deliver on your brand promise, you complete the circle of trust. It’s really that simple. If you don’t deliver on your promise, your customer won’t feel confident with your brand, and they won’t be a customer much longer.

Standing out in a crowded market can be quite a challenge. This is especially true in a parity market where everyone seems to offer and claim the same things. However, if you can identify and develop a strong brand identity, you’ll soon be on your way. You just have to keep in mind certain branding essentials…

How satisfied are your customers? Are they as satisfied with your product or service as they were at this time last year? How does your level of customer satisfaction compare with that of your top competitors?

As a marketer, there are a lot of ways to take advantage of this new technology. It helps to be inspired by what others are doing. Here are just a few.

Sparks flew at the 49th Annual American Advertising Awards in Cedar Rapids this weekend when MindFire was recognized with a total of 15 Addy awards. Awards included one judge’s choice, three best in category, six gold and five silver awards.

If you’re annoyed by all the bad TV commercials out there, you should be. Just about everyone else is annoyed by them, too. Sadly, there’s probably no quicker way to lower brand perception than creating low-budget TV spots. When was the last time you hired a lawyer who had TV commercials? Yep, never.