Category: advertising

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#digitalhousekeeping.

I wrote this a while back for GY&K’s blog. Thought I would share, as these tips are always useful!

Four Easy But Sometimes Overlooked Digital Marketing Basics.

It can be overwhelming to think of all the digital options in today’s marketing world. It’s completely understandable to feel like the #trends are happening quicker than you can keep up. After all, your digital marketing efforts can make a big impact on your company’s visibility. Before you take off for summer vacation, check out these simple digital maintenance items, which can be easily overlooked:

1. Website content

  • Is the contact, profile, company and product/service information correct?
  • Do you have any typos? When was the last time you really went through and analyzed your website copy? Does it all make sense?
  • Is the press/media information up to date?
  • Have you installed Google Analytics? Have you been tracking it?

Updating content not only helps keep your brand fresh, it also helps those little magicians in the back end of your computer happy. I’m talking about SEO. For a refresher on alt-tags, keywords and more SEO basics, visit seomoz.

2. Google Alerts

  • Have you set up a “Google Alert” for your company name and your direct competitors?

Google Alerts monitor the Web for new content. You know you’re going to check email from the beach, right? Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your queries.

Here’s what it looks like in your inbox:

you’ve got mail.

Here is a link so you can set up your own #GoogleAlerts.

3. Facebook and Twitter

Facebook:

  • Have you optimized your page for the Timeline yet? Not sure how? That’s okay! Our PR and Social Media Manager Liz Pollock gave us the basics here. It is also a good idea to make sure all the content and company information is correct. Encourage your employees to become fans!

Twitter:

  • Is it time to update your bio or background image? You might also want to make sure you are engaging appropriately with new followers.

4. LinkedIn Company profile

  • Update company information (address, basic bio, etc) as this will encourage people to “follow” any changes with the goings on of your business – changes such as new employees, position changes, contact changes.
be careful who you stalk on Linkedin…there is a link to see who has viewed your profile.
  • Don’t forget to remind employees that they can impact your company’s digital presence in a positive way by posting about the company on LinkedIn and other social media outposts.

Now that you have your #DigitalHousekeeping in check, make sure you are analyzing the metrics of the progress of your work. Look at your likes, followers, Google placement and analytics to see if these simple steps boost your digital presence.

Do you have any other digital housekeeping tips that might be easily overlooked?

 

 

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Evolution of a Branding Landscape

I originally wrote this article for my company GY&K. Enjoy and learn something!

How to be smart about your media placement.

If you’ve ever seen the episode of Mad Men when Joan is asked to step in as a media planner and read through scripts in order to relay where relevant content advertisers should be placing their broadcast spots, then you can understand how much time, energy and effort goes into media planning. If not, then I will just tell you bluntly: it takes a lot of time, energy and effort to be an efficient and successful media planner.

The landscape of media options has grown from the basics- print, radio, TV, and out-of-home, to include today’s digital universe, along with every other platform people will create in order to land a buck. It’s imperative that your agency’s media team not only have experience, but take the extra steps necessary to understand the placement. Do you really want your Wendy’s commercials airing during a PETA special? We didn’t think so.

Recently, I have noticed a trend in “mindless” placement that got my wheels spinning:

Sonic commercials flood primetime in NH programming. I have not seen a Sonic since I left college in Columbia, SC. In fact, when I walked around the office and asked colleagues, not one person could tell me where one was located. Notice on the map below that not one of those locations is actually in the state. Seems like an awkward media placement.

Next, there is a huge story out about a man whose sister was killed in a car accident, causing Progressive Insurance to refuse to settle her estate and defend the other driver (who was cited at fault by the judge), when it was the sister who carried the insurance policy with the insurer. It bashes Progressive to the core, and the article states that social media is defaming the mascot “Flo.” Horrible and tragic story, yet someone thought it was a good idea to place a Progressive Leaderboard on top of the page? Seems like someone should have put a little more thought into that one…

Note to reader: I was also going to cite the example about the “Animal Practice” commercial that was aired directly following Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas’ historic gold medal win, but my colleagues felt it was a little risque. At least they caught their flaw and apologized publicly.

Last example: Comcast Spotlight is a revolution for the local mom and pop advertiser with a limited budget. It allows you to pick and choose areas of the state where your ad will be shown, limiting the reach to a concentrated area and lessening the investment. It is this extreme geo-targeted detailing that made me laugh when a “Click-it or ticket” ad was shown a few Sundays ago in my Exeter, NH living room. Note to reader: NH does not have a mandatory seat-belt law for adults.

I asked our VP of Integrated Media, Shana Malik, to shed some light on the topic at hand and what GY&K does differently. Shana is a 15 year veteran of Madison Avenue, who recently moved to the Granite State to join our team.

“A media department should rely on an evolving suite of tools for in-depth research, tracking and measurement that help guide the overall strategic approach and media plan development,” she said. “Some key factors include the audience alignment, reach, targeting capabilities, and cost efficiencies. While the examples you mention might be benefiting from a lower placement cost through bidding or bundling, they clearly are not aligning content properly to reach their intended audience.”

So what’s your plan? How are you ensuring that your media dollars are being spent with intelligence and insight?

 

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today.

Hello there. It’s been a while since I posted, so I thought I would add some nice original content to spice up the organic SEO.

I’m feeling extra warm and fuzzy today, so I’m going to tell you why.

To start off my (this and every) day , I get woken up by wonderful man: (let me tell you, it’s not the worst thing to wake up to the man of your dreams)

brad.

He is usually leaving for work (after making me my daily salad) and I will continue to sleep for another hour. Today though, I decided to get up and run. It was nice, as the sun had not fully declared it’s HHH (hazy, hot and humid) status, and I needed some natural caffeine. As you may have read previously I cannot drink red bull anymore and I hate coffee. Besides, I love how peaceful Exeter is in the AM. I decided to take Lucy today as well. She was not pleased with the exercise, but at least she got to sniff around while I switched songs on my iPhone.

downtown exeter, nh and lucy at 7am

I have about a 30 minute drive to work, which is great. I can either sing to my random collection of CDs (yes, CDs…I’m that old school) or laugh at the Matty in the Morning radio show. I don’t know why I love that show so much, as most of the time “Matty” sounds like he is whining at whatever topic on hand, but I do laugh. Side note: I met Matty once at an event when I lived in Boston. He was the talk of the room, until Tom Brady walked in the door…sorry Matt. I actually remember his animated reaction of “WTF?” when eyes shifted to the door, away from him. I was going to put a picture side by side of each and ask if you could blame everyone, but I am guessing I don’t even need to do that to get my point across.

And then as I pull in to 121 River Front Drive, this is what greets me. It’s very friendly and bright, with beautiful landscaping and scented with the wild lilacs that grow out front. I mean- even the sky loves this building.

GY&K Creativity. Only smarter.
good morning, and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night! -the truman show.

I have been in advertising since college. Anyone that knows me well knows it’s what I truly love it- and wouldn’t be happy doing anything else (well, besides a nice glamorous Broadway career). A TOTAL BONUS to GY&K, in particular, are my colleagues. They are all passionate and smart and fun. Fun. Now that is not a word most people would associate with work colleagues, but I am confident in this analysis. I am not going to go through all of them, but here are a few that make the day extra special.

Meagan. Meagan and I met on my first day, and we have been inseparable ever since. She get’s my personality (it’s so much better when I don’t have to explain every single thing I say), loves advertising and takes walks with me at lunchtime around the neighborhood. I’m a fan.

meagan. sarcastic. drives a jeep. has a dog. republican. catholic. nh native. think we have anything in common? love her.

After our lunchtime chat at the picnic table and post-lunch walk, we were greeted at the door with a chocolate cupcake from the world’s most wonderful interns. They have WAY better fashion sense than I ever have had- and I am confident I was not as mature as they are at 20. In fact, I was a moron at 20! Granted, I was doing internships myself at that age, but I still was rough around the edges (side note: yes, I realize I am still rough around the edges). I decided to make them do a silly pose for this blog, for the sole purpose to make myself feel like a mature 34 year old woman. Okay– I let them do a nice normal one too.

corinna and megan (aka “secret domestic goddess”). the future of advertising.

I am the Business Development Manager here at GY&K, and recently have been handling some account management for one of our clients. I love all of it. I would work in any department if they asked me to, seriously. It’s nice to know that my college education (Go Gamecocks! 48 days until football season!) and major didn’t go to waste completely. I am one of the few people I know who get to do what they sought out to do in the first place.

This week was my week to write the company’s blog post. If you’re curious, you can find it HERE. I had originally titled it #2012MarketingHoneyDoList, but the social media team deemed it would be too hard to explain what a “honey do list” was, if you were’t already privy to this obviously secret term. Thus, “#DigitalHousekeeping was born. Hope you like it.

This evening we have planned a picnic on the beach. Not a bad way to end a fabulous day, after all. I encourage you to try it.

can’t stop smiling.

I feel very lucky and blessed, each and every day. I wish the same for all of you!