8 Tips For Landing Media Coverage With Major Outlets

Every brand out there wants to get media coverage with high-profile outlets. This type of coverage is not only coveted but can propel brands in sales and brand awareness. Getting major media coverage isn’t something that’s easy. Keep in mind because they are major media outlets they get thousands of pitches every day. Some viable and some are just not even usable to the reporters. 

It’s no secret that journalists ignore your pitches if it’s not relevant to their beat or even something that’s worth covering. Sometimes you’re pitching the wrong journalist while other times your story won’t resonate with their audience. Think of journalists like social media influencers, they care about their audience and want to provide factual information to them. 

So we know you’re already wondering how you can get in front of journalists who are part of major media outlets. Here are the TOP 8 ways to get noticed. 

1. Email Subject Lines Matter 

An email subject line has the power to get someone to click or simply ignore. Think about yourself, whenever you get an email in your inbox. If the title was something like, “Buy a new product,” you probably would ignore it or drop it into the spam folder. But if the title was something like, “New product saving lives and time,” you might get curious and open it. 

2. Be Patient 

Landing major media coverage isn’t an overnight sensation. It takes time to build these relationships with journalists and get them to trust you as a viable source. Journalists are naturally skeptical because their job is to cover real information. Their reputation is on the line, so that’s why they carefully vet pitches. 

3. Stop Asking for Features 

We all love features but when you keep pitching for features it makes you look desperate. Plus journalists do talk to each other no matter what outlet they are with. Instead of asking for a feature ask how you can help them by providing information for pieces they’re working on or by being a source. Sometimes starting by providing a quote is a great way to build credibility with journalists. 

4. Make Yourself Available 

Most of the time journalists are working stories in real-time and they might need to speak to you right away. If you’re not available they’ll easily find someone else to connect with. Remember journalists have tons of sources to choose from so be ready to answer questions when they need you. 

5. Newsjacking Is A Thing 

If you’re keeping up with the trends and what’s happening in your industry, you might be able to piggyback off of trending topics. A great example to highlight this is when Oreo newsjacked the Super Bowl in 2013, during the on-field power outage. Brand managers tweeted, “You can still dunk in the dark,” resulting in massive media coverage. Another great way is setting up Google alerts of happenings in your industry or even news about your competitors. 

6. Check The Archives

Before you pitch to news outlets take a look at their archives to see if someone else already wrote a story about it. Pitching the same story over to that outlet will show that you didn’t do your homework and you don’t have the journalists’ audience in mind. 

7. Timely News is New News 

Send your pitch early in the morning to ensure that journalists see your email. Sometimes sending it late in the day, they won’t see it till the next day. 

• For a daily morning newspaper, journalists typically file in late afternoon/early evening.

• TV news stations are swamped one to three hours before live broadcasts.

• The deadline day for local business journals that publish on Fridays is generally Tuesday or Wednesday morning, however, you should always double-check. 

Speaking of timely you also want to make sure that the topic your pitching makes sense for the news cycle. If for example, you want to pitch gift ideas for moms you wouldn’t pitch it for a Father’s day piece or feature. 

8.  Build A Media List 

This is super important. You need to have a clear idea of what media you want to pitch to and if it makes sense for your product. List building also takes time you need to research the outlet not just on Google but also on social media. You don’t need a list of 200 journalists to make it a great list, sometimes focusing on your top 20 journalists will do the trick.

4 Steps To Developing A PR Strategy

Getting PR for your brand isn’t just about contacting all the media on your list. It takes meticulous planning, careful research and coming up with a strategy that aligns with your campaign goals. In the beginning, it might seem overwhelming but there are easy steps you can take when it comes to planning your strategy. 

Sometimes strategy planning is best kept simple; it doesn’t have to be elaborate. But you will need a plan to help keep you on track when it comes to consistently building your brand and giving it the awareness that it needs. 

Here are the 4 steps to developing a PR strategy:

1. Decide On One Objective During The Campaign

It’s easy to want to accomplish it all in one campaign, but slow and steady wins the race. You want to pick one objective. PR Objectives will be unique to each business at any given time. 

For Example: If you just launched your business, you want to get your name out there so people know who you are and what you do. The objective is brand awareness. 

Another Example: If your business has been around for a few years and you’ve just released a new collection, you will likely want to get your new products in front of as many of your ideal customers as you can. The objective here is conversions and sales.  

2. Know Your Target Audience

It doesn’t matter how amazing your product is because it won’t be for everyone. When you’re creating your PR strategy focus on the customers your product is for. This will ensure that your PR strategy is specific and will help you create your messaging. 

3. Choose One Key Message Per Campaign 

Your PR strategy can include everything from press releases, news releases, TV, radio, even social media so keeping all messaging cohesive is crucial. During each PR campaign, choose just one unique message. 

For example: If your key message is: “The jeans for curvy bodies,” you don’t want to have a press release mentioning ultra skinny jeans for slim hips. 

4. Create a Budget

Make sure that you plan a budget that doesn’t put you over the top. Be sure to include out-of-pocket costs, staff time, transportation, images, materials, etc.

7 Social Media Myths Debunked

When social media first came out many brands snubbed their noses at the whole idea. But now it seems like no one can live without it especially if you’re running a business. Right now it’s estimated that TikTok has 800 million users per month. Facebook has 2.45 billion active users, Instagram comes in strong at 26.9 million users, Snapchat 210 million users, Twitter 330 million monthly active users and that’s only the US-based social media platform numbers. So based on these statistics, there’s no denying why brands find social media a necessity. 

The challenge we face is that there are so many tips and tricks on how to post, what to post, when to post and even where to post that has brands dizzily fumbling around to get the right strategy. At this point what separates fact from fiction? 

Here’s the roundup of the 7 most common social media myths and how you can debunk them. 

MYTH 1: You Have To Be On Every Social Media Platform 

If you’re busy building your brand you need to find the most effective social media platform that works for you. Every brand has a different strategy so finding the right platform where you can reach your target audience is crucial. 

Letting this myth go means that you will need to figure out your company’s function and role in the lives of your customers. From there decide which account(s) you’ll prioritize and how each social media platform will help your strategic engagement goals. 

MYTH 2: Social Media Is A 24/7/365 Job

It might feel that way but today there are a plethora of tools out there that will help you navigate and save time when it comes to posting. Before you determine which tools will assist your social media efforts to keep in mind that 71% of visitors expect help in five minutes. 53% of users who tweet at a brand expect a response in 1 hour. People who range from 35-44 years old are late shoppers. 

To let this myth go make sure you are scheduling content that lives outside of your traditional workday. Make sure you also have a system in place for customer service and post a mix of promotional and useful content. 

MYTH 3: Publishing Content That People Will Engage In

Today it’s noisy on social media. There are so many posts, blogs, promotional items, tweets that it’s becoming harder to stand out. This means you need to be actively engaging with your audience and you have to get customers to take some sort of action. 

Let go of this myth by considering how often you will post promotional content and how you will work to generate engagement, clicks, and retain attention. 

MYTH 4: Post, Post, and Post Some More

This might work on a small portion but when you post the same content over and over again on your social media channels, it can annoy your customers. Research shows that social media content that performs better, attracts engagement and shares when it contains other forms of media.  

Debunk this myth by considering adding GIFs to your content

MYTH 5: Social Media Opens Us Up for Negative Comments 

Remember social media is social which means it’s going to be a two-way street. You can’t avoid those who will post negative comments. But when it comes to negative dialogue it’s already happening the only difference is that when it’s on social media it gives you an opportunity to respond to feedback, even if it’s negative. 

There’s no debunking this one, but remember that negative comments equal feedback and it provides you with free insights without paying for market research. It’s a great way to improve your brand and offerings. 

MYTH 6: The Bigger The Following The Better 

As much as many of us believe this, the truth is that it may not be the case. It’s a popular practice in the lifestyle and fashion space that brands might buy followers. Today with algorithms it’s easy to spot those who are buying followers. Matter of fact when you do this it brings down your credibility and reputation. Right now there are programs in the marketplace whose sole function is to determine if followers are bots or real. 

MYTH 7: Never Promote Competitor’s Content

Many social media marketers believe that if they promote a competitor’s content that it’ll damage their brand reputation. Actually quite the opposite, because this practice is considered sharing valuable content and the best part is that you never know if it’ll spark a future partnership. 

6 Ways To Promote Your Beauty Brand Without Press

We all know that getting press for your brand is crucial but what do you do if you want to promote but you don’t have any press coverage? In the beginning, some people might be skeptical of your product so this is why it’s a common challenge with beauty startup brands. It doesn’t mean that you will have to go without any promotions. There are definitely ways around this and as your brand gets noticed more press coverage will become easier.  

1. Co-Branding With Others 

Find other brands that are within your space but always make sure that the products or services they offer don’t compete with yours. You want to make sure that you both create a partnership. 

2. Create An Experience 

You can create experiences that are either offline (ie: live events) or online (ie: virtual summits). When you create experiences that make people feel great and share valuable information they will naturally share your brand with their circle of people. There’s nothing more powerful than word-of-mouth marketing 

3. Social Media Is Your Friend 

Sometimes brands might be shy about sharing their products when they start out. But don’t forget that we all started from zero. Social media is a great way to let people know about you and they also get a chance to be part of your brand journey. 

4. Celebs and Influencers 

No budget to pay influencers and celebs, no worries there. Sometimes influencers and celebrities are willing to post for product(s). Most likely you would have better luck with influencers when it comes to product post exchange. You can ask them to do a review of your product if they found your product to be great. 

5. Founders Get Out There 

Another way to promote your brand by getting onto podcasts or jumping into speaking opportunities. Make sure that the podcast or speaking opportunities are within your brand’s industry. For example, if you’re a beauty brand you probably won’t be on a podcast about Human Resources. Or if you speak at an event as a beauty brand you probably wouldn’t speak at an auto trade show. 

6. Gift Bag Goodies 

Events are always looking to fill their gift bags (that’s if they provide any for the attendees). You can always offer to provide products for them to fill gift bags. Or if you were a speaker you can also offer those who attend a discount on your products by using a code.  

Can't Hire A PR Agency? Do These 3 Things Instead

These days everyone needs press but what if you don’t have the budget to hire a fancy PR agency? There are definitely ways around it. You can always start small and give PR a try first, it’ll also be a great way for you to be familiar with the PR landscape. But remember to set your expectations. Your first go-around won’t be the best but it takes practice. Know that when you first start you won’t land a feature in Vogue or Inc. 500 instead work your way up to that point. 

By now you’re probably wondering what you can do to get the ball rolling if you can’t hire a PR agency. Here are 3 things you can try: 

1. Learn to Reach Out to Influencers & Editors

If it sounds scary it’s not, keep in mind they are still humans. One of the biggest reasons why people want to hire PR agencies is that they can leverage their existing contacts and get you coverage with speed. Check out our resources section to find more information about how you can better connect with influencers and editors. 

2. Build Your Social Reach and Email List 

These are other ways that you can connect with journalists and influencers who might be interested in your brand. Set up an incentive for people to sign up for something. It can be a discount or some sort of freebie that you give them. 

3. Finding Journalists on Google 

Today we all have access to Google, all it takes is some dedicated time to researching journalists. Sometimes you can find their information on Google, Twitter or even Linkedin. Don’t be shy about sliding into their DM’s and ask if they are open to being pitched to. If they’re interested they will reach out to you. If they don’t make sure you follow up politely. 

PR doesn’t have to be overly complicated it’s simply about communicating with others, crafting a compelling pitch and seeing how you can also help journalists or editors come up with new stories. They are always looking for fresh ideas and new products.

New Rules of Guerrilla Marketing

When it comes to startups and creating experiences it can be a huge challenge due to a lack of cash flow. This means many startups fail to create those experiences that truly connect with customers. They function primarily on a very basic means of building brand awareness which is just social media but it doesn’t have to be this way. Startup brands must have a love for guerrilla marketing in order to succeed. 

The concept of guerrilla marketing has been around for many years. By marketing your brand in this way it can build awareness. Guerrilla marketing is a very grassroots hybrid way of getting your business out into the world. It’s one that focuses on having a dialogue with your customers, encouraging them to engage with you. Versus traditional marketing which is very much a one-way dialogue, where brands tell the world I have this product, buy it. 

One of the key components to building brands is to really ask yourself, “what do I want to do?” What solution(s) is your brand offering to solve a problem in the world? By creating this core concept it provides your brand a Northstar and streamlines a lot of your efforts when it comes to marketing as well as creating brand experiences. The idea is to start with one sentence, cut it down to 7 words and then finally 3 words that describe what you do. 

So the question becomes how do we use guerrilla marketing to encourage a conversation with our customers? It simply starts with these: 

1. Asking Customers to Register For Something 

Maybe you want them to register for a demo of your product or a chance to meet the founder of your company. This is also going to be a great way for you to start collecting email addresses of those who are interested in what you have to offer.  

2. Newsletter Signups 

This is the most common way of encouraging a conversation. Those who sign up for your newsletters find some kind of value in what you’re offering. They want to know more and this is the chance for your brand to shine and educate those qualified customers. 

3. Giveaways and Contests

We see this a lot on Instagram these days where brands ask you to follow, tag a few friends in order to win something from them. If you want new followers for social media this will be the quickest way to do it. 

4. Online polls 

Is another way to get the conversation going. It’s also a great market research tool where you really get a glimpse into the mindset of your customers. Feedback is always great and this is a very non-invasive way of getting it. 

5. Appeal To A Wider Audience 

With over 500 million users utilizing Instagram stories, brands such as Burberry unveiled an interactive AR filter that covers the user's face with white lace, the same pattern used for the house's fashion show invitation during its Spring/Summer 2020 show. 

With all these options which one really works? That’s going to take trial and tribulations because not every brand will have the same goals nor will the audience respond in the same way. It will depend on how you craft these experiences and what your goals are. 

You need a marketing combination, it’s no longer about just about omni-channel marketing. 

Startups with limited budgets can try creating a website, canvassing, telephone marketing, circulars, brochures, signs on bulletins, personal letters, classified ads, direct mail, outdoor signs, billboards (ask for remnant inventory it’s cheaper), demonstrations, seminars, event sponsorships, trade shows, Public Relations, T-shirts, free gift giveaways, newspapers, magazine ads, radio, or television.

Yes, some of these sound like dinosaur advertising methodologies, but I invite you to think about if a marketplace is very noisy, where you’re aggressively competing for attention would your brand be seen? So why not try an area where not many people are playing in.

3 Must Know Media Channels In PR

Public relations isn’t so cut and dry, there are so many facets to it when it comes to media. Every brand needs publicity no matter where in the world you are. If you’re selling products or services then PR is a must-have. Even public relations agencies need PR.  

Publicists have the role of always juggling different opportunities for clients whether its an interview, editorial, appearances, sponsorships or partnerships. But when it comes to the media channels, know that not all media is created equal. Before you dive into allocating your budget to different types of media here are the 3 channels of media you’ll need to know: 

1. Owned Media

This can be from anything from blogs, video content, newsletters, websites, and social media posts. This type of media is generated in-house and controlled by you or by your team. Owned media can act as a home base for your PR activity. Usually, when people mention your brand they’ll link back to your owned media. 

2. Paid Media

Paid media is where you spend some money to gain awareness for your business. It can be in the form of influencer marketing, social media marketing, billboards, pay-per-click (PPC), or even AdWords. 

3. Earned Media 

This type of media is the hardest type of media to get because it takes a lot of effort, consistency, and hard work to establish. It’s also a tactic to boost conversation around your brand. Examples of earned media can be news mentions, feature interviews, editorials, customer reviews or testimonials. 

The ultimate goal of PR is to boost the reputation of your brand and spark dialogue. If you’re wondering what’s the difference between PR and marketing? The goal of Marketing is to drive sales and PR works in tandem with marketing to build awareness.  

10 Core Rules of PR Crisis Management

Every business will encounter a moment where they will need to manage a public relations crisis. In today’s current climate with the coronavirus at the forefront of everyone’s minds, business is scrambling to find solutions to handle this global crisis. We’re all wondering what will happen next as the numbers of those affected by the virus continue to grow by the hour. 

There is no need to when your business is managing a crisis. Here are the 13 core rules of PR Crisis Management to get you through. 

1. Proactive, Transparent, & Accountable

Reputation management is so crucial in today’s world of real-time updates. When something happens you need to acknowledge the incident, accept responsibility, and apologize. 

2. Take The Responsibility

The number one rule to PR Crisis management is not to cover up the incident or make excuses for it. Be the one to take responsibility 

3. Social Media Backlash

You will have social media backlash, so be prepared. It’s not surprising that this will happen since most of the world has access to some sort of social media platform at their fingertips 

4. Be Human 

Just because you are in crisis mode doesn’t mean you turn into an evil spawn, be human. Address the emotions of the crisis and how you plan on making an improvement. 

5. Get Ahead of The Ball 

When something bad happens don’t immediately default to “ghosting” your customers. You want to also bear in mind what are the different consequences, responses and even backlashes you will receive.

6. Hear Your Team Out 

Your team is on the frontlines and they are the ones interacting with clients on a daily basis. Listen to what they have to say because your team might be able to provide you with insights in real-time. 

7. Understand The Situation 

As soon as a crisis happens it's best to stay calm and understand the situation as an outsider who’s not part of the company. This will help you to gain clarity and make sound decisions. 

8. Going Silent 

Once you have addressed the situation properly know that it is ok to go silent on social media for a while. This allows everyone to regroup and process all the information. 

9. Monitor & Plan 

It’s always important to have your team continuously monitor the situation and be flexible with their response strategy. 

10. Apologize & Take Action 

In any PR crisis management, you should send out a heartfelt and genuine apology. Then follow it up with action to course correct the situation.

5 Brand Trends in 2020 You Need To Know

We’re well into the first month of 2020 and already new brand trends are popping up that you have to pay attention to. These may be new categories but definitely worth the note. Consumer needs are ever-changing and that will continue to apply indefinitely as we look to brands to make our lives better. Whether it’s in beauty, tech or foods there will be something new that’s born every quarter. 

Here are the top 5 trending categories we’re seeing in the marketplace: 

1. Intimacy School 

This one’s interesting, intimacy is definitely recession-proof as we’re all looking for ways to connect with one another whether it’s through technology or face to face. In 2020 we’re going to witness a backlash to the loneliness epidemic that plagues us as a society. Similar to how mindfulness is a trend we will start seeing more organizations teaching us how to build deeper bonds, be vulnerable and have meaningful conversations. We’re going to get schooled on how to be human again. 

2. Frozen Foods 

Frozen foods usually get a bad wrap, but it’s going to experience a renaissance in 2020. Consumers are seeking more and more convenient ways of eating that reduces waste. Frozen fruit and vegetables have become a convenient way to introduce micronutrients into consumers’ diets while remaining open to trying new healthy frozen meals. Frozen food start-ups are now providing plant-based or gourmet meals to update convenience food. People will also challenge consumerism and bring their attention to self-sufficiency.   

3. Nanoswimmers 

Beauty has been an explosive category in the last five years so it’s time to take it to the next level. Nanoswimmers are tiny robots that are used to deliver ingredients, medicine, or nutrients from inside the body. Though this technology is still in its infancy it holds a lot of promise because it avoids invasive procedures. Injectable “beauty bots” may be the wave within the next decade or so.  

4. Dressing Above The Keyboard

As the work from home workforce rises, on-screen meetings have become the norm. Above the keyboard is designed to focus above the waist while “off-screen” (below the waist) is all about comfort. It’ll focus on statement pieces that enhance the neckline and sleeve shapes. Shoes and bags will become less important while bold jewelry especially earrings and necklaces will become the focal point. 

5. Digital Fragrance

Yes, you heard it right! As of now, it’s projected that by 2030, digital smell technology could allow odors to be transmitted in online chats. How will this work? Machine-learning algorithms will analyze structures of scent molecules, predict their smells, and send it digitally. The digital scent will also have wellness applications to interiors, at home, in the office and even cars. This will allow for scents to be digitally tweaked. Downloaded digital fragrances will be used to enhance positive behaviors such as good sleep or cognitive alertness. This may be a technology that could be well adapted in the hospitality industry. 

5 Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Marketing Agency

We all know that marketing is imperative to ensure the success of our businesses and brands. But with all the options out there in the world how do you pick the best marketing agency for your brand? It’s easy to google them but you need to know that your marketing agency of choice can deliver results and help you to not just gain awareness and sales but also build your brand the way you envision it. 

Before you sign that contract with your marketing agency you want to make sure you ask these questions. It’s not only a way for you to vet the agency but also to see if the agency’s values align with your business. 

Here are the 5 top questions you want to ask: 

1. Who are some of their past clients? 

You want to know what successes this agency had in the past. It’s also a great way to gauge if the agency is working across different industries. 

2. What kind of services do they offer? 

Is this agency a one-stop-shop of they are specializing in something specific. Depending on your needs a specialty agency may be a fit for your business. 

3. Who will be your point person at the agency? 

Get to know who will be working on your account. It’s easier to have a point person that you can communicate with regularly as opposed to having to connect with five different people from different departments. 

4. What does the ramp-up phase consist of? 

Here is where you’ll get an idea of how the inner workings of how the agency operates with clients. 

5. Do they do test campaigns with new clients? 

Some agencies offer a paid test campaign that allows potential clients to work with them for a few months so they get a feel for the agency. Test campaigns may be a great way to see the capabilities of an agency and not shell out large amounts of money right away. 

4 Marketing Challenges Brands Are Facing in 2020

It’s a new year which means new challenges to tackle, especially for brands. The consumer landscape is constantly changing at a speed we no longer can ignore. Brands have to be nimble and flexible especially in their marketing approaches on top of being creative. In 2020 brands will be facing some new challenges while others will still be the same since 2019. Yes, the struggle is real but the opportunities are plentiful. 

Here are the top 4 marketing challenges brands are facing in 2020: 

1. Humanizing Brands

Vulnerability is beautiful, Is it really? Of course, because vulnerability has become a brand all onto itself. It’s a topic that is being strongly embraced as a culture around the world. We are now seeing the power of being vulnerable yet still, brands are not brave enough to go there. Vulnerability has the ability to connect not just people to people but also people to brands, therefore creating a “tribe.”  

2. Attribution 

Brands might know where their traffic is coming from whether its search, social media, etc. but they don’t have a sure-shot way of knowing how customers have heard of them. The challenge is that with so many brands we are also doing offline experiences it becomes hard to tell if customers are learning about them offline or online. 

3. Growing Multiple Audience 

It’s true, brands will now have multiple types of customer personas that will be purchasing different types of products within your brand. So it’ll be a constant juggling act to understand each type of customer and their journey through your brand experience. 

4. Optimizing Robotics 

Samsung’s recent unveiling of “Ballie” is now going to be something interesting to watch how marketers and brands will build robotics into their customers’ brand experience. Ballie is a new personal care/ personal assistant that follows you around and determines what you will need before you even realize it. The challenge for marketers is whether or not they will be able to utilize the data collected through robotics to design better experiences.

3 Keys To Successfully Managing Brands

Being a brand today is much more complex because it has to embrace a brand’s core values which extend to every brand interaction whether it’s with customers, employees, or suppliers. So when it comes to managing a brand there are several key components that must always be present because consumers are much more savvy and skeptical when it comes to brand promises. 

How do we successfully manage brands when there are so many touchpoints? Before we can answer that question, let’s be clear about what exactly is brand management. In marketing terms, brand management is a series of techniques that increase the perceived value of a product or service. When done right it can build loyal customers through positive brand association and can affect your bottom line. 

In order to ensure the success of your brand here are three key areas you want to pay attention to:

1. Target Market 

It’s crucial to develop a strategic plan to manage your brand equity. This is where you need to understand your company’s vision and goals, the brand itself, and your target market. Having a great relationship with your target market is a must in order to drive sales. 

For brand management to be a success you have to use marketing techniques that highlight the brand entirely and making a commitment to your customers then delivering on that promise. 

2. The Tangibles

This is about the actual product itself, such as the packaging, pricing, the look and so on. It’s also the kind of experience that you deliver to your customers. For brands to reach full potential customers and employees must have some sort of emotional attachment to your brand. 

3. Your Bottom Line 

At the end of the day, your brand still needs to make a profit. But strong brands are not just driven by marketing alone they are also dependent on employees and customers who will drive sales. The key to impacting your bottom line is to stay consistent in your messaging.

5 Tips For Managing Your Personal Brand

Managing your personal brand may seem like an impossible task these days, especially in today’s “look-at-me culture,” dubbed by Goldie Chan. It’s become a must not just for brand’s founder but also for those in the workplace. Between influencers and thought leaders how would one even start to develop a personal brand, let alone manage it? 

Here are our top tips on how to manage your personal brand 

1. Know Yourself 

It’s important to know what your core values are and what you believe in, same as when it comes to creating a business. This is where you want to think about your story, your passion and how you can use all of that to craft a brand. 

2. Being Consistent 

Once you have figured out your story it now time to go into the marketplace. When you’re creating content, doing interviews, or even speaking you want to be consistent about your messaging. This avoids confusing people. 

3. Keep It Real 

Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. It’s always easier to tell your own story than it is telling someone else’s. Plus people can see if you’re not being genuine. 

4. Letting Others Tell Your Story 

We all know the power of media. So why not have other people tell your story? Positioning yourself as an expert will always help get you there. How do you do it? Simply by putting out content whether it’s blog articles, videos, writing a book, whatever it is just get moving. There’s no way people can tell your story if they don’t who you are. 

5. Create Opportunities 

This one always sounds easy but in reality many people get stuck on this part because they don’t want to come off as sleazy or some self-absorbed person. But it’s a necessary part of building your brand, if it’s something that makes you queasy, then you can hire a professional to help you secure opportunities.

5 Influencer Marketing Trends For 2020

As we gear up for 2020, what will happen with Influencer marketing? This year we’ve seen major changes in the marketplace from Instagram removing likes to the introduction of new categories of influencers and so much more.

Brands will continue to allocate their budgets towards influencer marketing. Estee Lauder, for example, is rumored to allocate 75% of their marketing budget to influencer marketing in 2020. According to Later, “Influencer marketing is on pace to become an $8 billion dollar industry in 2020.” Here are the top 5 Influencer Marketing Trends for 2020 that’s going to be trending:

1. No More Likes

So many people on the social media space get hung up on the number of likes. Ever since Instagram removed likes many have applauded the move as it promotes more human to human connection and focuses more on authentic content.

2. Video Content is King

Video is going to continue to be the go-to source of content creation. Influencers are finding that it’s more authentic and less curated while building the human connection.

3. Micro and Nano Influencer Continue Rise

Many brands are finding success in working with micro and nano influencers. Studies have shown that micro-influencers have the highest engagement rate, sitting at a whopping 7%.

4. Less Editing More Real

Influencers are starting to steer away from the curated feeds and embracing more of the real-life unfiltered posts that truly reflect their life. It’s important to ask yourself what kind of emotion are you really looking to elicit from your audience?

5. Long Term Partnerships Are More Important

Gone are the days of one-off’s, what’s trending is the long-term partnerships. Brands realize the value of creating long term relationships that are much more integrated with their influencers.

4 Types of Word of Mouth Marketing You Need to Know

Marketing is the lifeline of every business, it’s an ongoing effort of bringing awareness to brands. With all the new tips, tricks, and marketing trends out there, we can’t argue with the fact that word of mouth marketing is the most powerful form. It’s also the most valuable form of marketing for every business. According to Get Ambassador, “92% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know directly while 70% trust anonymous reviews posted online.” To this point, this is exactly how the rise of influencer marketing came flooding into the marketing world as a still coveted way for brands to connect with customers.

Word of mouth marketing isn’t as clear cut as it was twenty years ago, especially now with the marketing landscape is constantly changing. Yes, we know it’s confusing but here are the 4 types of word of mouth marketing you need to know about:

1. Affiliate Marketing

It’s a transaction between a brand and a third party where the brand will receive customers (leads) in exchange for financial exchange. This is how it works a brand designates $Y per lead ie: app download or X% of a purchase. Netflix and Amazon use this kind of marketing model.

2. Influencer Marketing

This is a modern spin on affiliate marketing but it uses a network of affiliates to drive traffic. Influencer marketing mainly targets people who have a large audience. Brands will manually pick influencers to partner with or work with influencer agencies.

3. Partner Marketing

Partner marketing utilizes synchronicities of two brands, each of which has its own expertise and brand equity to create a strategic alliance in order to gain market share. It’s commonly managed in house and carefully vetted by each brand. This method is commonly used with Supreme, the highly coveted streetwear brand that does collaborations with other major brands.

4. Referral Marketing

This is a strategy that is used to encourage fans of the brand or passionate customers to refer directly to their network or business. What’s great about this type of marketing strategy is that it’s been found that customers actually take action. Many brands have built referral programs in house. But the successful brands automate the entire process, using one system to track, enroll, manage and reward the ambassadors.

Gen Alpha and What We Know About Them

Brands it’s time to start thinking about the next generation, Generation Alpha. This generation was raised on technology, touch screens, voice activation devices, and born between 2010 and 2025. Alpha’s are inspired by the Gen Z’s raised by Millennials and according to Wunderman Thompson Commerce’s 2019 report, “59% would like to work somewhere saving lives, while 51% want a job where they can use technology to make a difference. While echoing gen Z’s climate activists, 67% of 6-9-year-olds say that saving the planet will be the focus of their career.” 

So what does this mean for brands? These Gen Alpha’s values will steer them towards brands that are doing good for the world. Aside from being attracted to brands doing goodGen Alphas will continue on the legacy of valuing inclusivity. In preparation for that response, Mattel had launched its first gender-neutral dolls in order to accommodate the shifting gender norms. Though this generation is not old enough to make purchasing decisions they are impacting buying behaviors and brand decisions. 

According to Mark McCrindle a social researcher in Australia, “Generation Alpha will be the most formally educated generation ever, the most technology-supplied generation ever, and globally the wealthiest generation ever.” With all this information what will the future of marketing and branding look like? What will be the future for Generation Alpha? 

It comes down to this, many brands will have to fully embrace voice as a means of reaching this generation, remember this is a generation that will be used to speaking into a device that will be embedded into their lifestyle at a young age starting with the toys. A great example is Photon, a robotic playmate that grows with your child. This toy is Bluetooth capable, operated by your child, equipped with touch sensors, night light, and more.  

LUX Brands and Millennial Customers

It’s interesting to watch as brands embrace all the different generations from Millennials to Generation Alpha. As their consumer base changes and grows, so too do the brands. This also applies to the luxury industry, the highly coveted brands that create an experience unparallel to what everyday consumers know. Long ago when it came to luxury it was all about exclusivity and high-end craftsmanship filled with deep-rooted brand history. 

Today that’s not enough to impress the millennials not to mention the Gen Z’s. According to Diane Primo, Intralink Global’s CEO, “To win with millennial consumers, brands need to understand what they value.” Forbes also reported that millennials aren’t just the most powerful consumers; “millennials and Generation Z account for nearly 50% of Gucci’s total sales.” 

So what’s happening in the luxury world that is reshaping how consumers especially millennials and Gen Z are consuming these products? 

1. Fashion LUX meets Streetwear

This has been a trending concept for the last 3 years where brands are rethinking their offering alongside their distribution channels. Many fashion brands have been doing cross-collabos to help drive sales. 

Louis Vuitton partnered with Supreme, two of the largest LUX brands co-branding their products to reach millennials. This strategy is not only prevalent with LUX brands but it seems like fast-fashion giant H&M had also taken on this idea by partnering with big-name streetwear designers. The global sneaker brand VANS even partnered up with the late Karl Lagerfield. 

2. Marketing Strategy Is a Must 

In order to drive sales for LUX brands, it’s not enough to have a great product but millennials are expecting to see: 

• Strong web presence 

• Digital online ads 

• An inspiring narrative behind the brand

3. Personalized The Experience 

Customers want to feel important so it’s not only imperative to personalize their experiences in-store but also online. A great example is Rebecca Minkoff’s website which updates its currencies automatically in 100 countries and 70 currencies by using IP geolocation. 

Inner Success A Forever Brand That Changes Lives

As new brands enter into any marketplace it’s imperative that they set a strong foundation. Too often brands enter into today’s competitive market with a lack of direction and vision. It is the lack of foundational boundaries that result in brands failing to launch or even obtaining sales. Creating a brand is a daily discipline of conveying your brand values, messages and benefits to an audience who may not necessarily know or want what you offer. 

This is the case for Inner Success Project, a brand to watch and rising star. They entered into the market fully ready to serve an industry that is already overcrowded. The personal growth space. But it was with a tremendous amount of preparation and strategic brand alignment that ISP was able to penetrate into the space making significant noise so early on in the game. 

Early adopters of the brand quickly learned about this brand, what they offer and why ISP is an important part of their customers’ lives. So how did this brand go from zero to hero in a very short span of time? Here’s what they did:  

1. VALUE

Value people bring value! It doesn’t matter if you are a big brand or a small brand, you must provide value to your customers. You see human nature is simply this, we ask what’s in it for me? The same thing goes for your customers, they want to know how will your brand change their lives. Specifically, how will you help them level up? That’s the ultimate question every customer has. Will your brand save them time? Or give them happy feelings? Or take away some sort of pain? Whatever value you’re offering make sure customers understand it in your initial interaction with them. 

2. BUILDING A TRIBE 

Without customers, you don’t have a brand period. So what ISP does so well is that they are continuously building their tribe, starting with social media. They share content that makes your life better. Let’s be honest here, your brand will not be for everyone and it shouldn’t. Every brand has it’s unique message and a unique tribe of people. Something to consider, if your brand is liked by everyone then you’re doing something wrong. It’s impossible for everyone to love your brand. Think about this, you have people out there who are loyal to Apple and others loyal to Androids. And it’s ok. 

3. TESTIMONIALS 

Testimonials are golden! It’s been proven that word of mouth works and not only that it’s the most powerful form of advertising. And here the BEST part! IT’S FREE. Potential customers want to know what other people have experienced with your brand. What are some of the best things about your brand and what are some challenges other customers have faced? By the way, a small secret for you all, if you have the ability to create video testimonies, it’s the most powerful form of testimonies. 

4. CREATING EXPERIENCES 

What Inner Success Project did was that they ultimately created an experience one that touched about all the emotions of everyone. Remember emotions have the power to create customer loyalty and that’s exactly what ISP did that created life long fans. They touched onto all the emotions of customers from happy, sad, inspiration, growth, and ultimately creating business opportunities for attendees. 

3 Things We Learned About Brands During NYFW

Fashion Week in NYC just wrapped up with tons of cool new looks, celebrity sitings, and most importantly interesting brand experiences. The week-long fashion festivities brought people together from all over the world and it was also a chance for brands to showcase their newest product. Here’s what we learned at Fashion Week. 

EXPERIENTIAL POP-UPS ARE A THING

Brands are breaking tradition and looking for new ways to engage customers by inviting them to be part of an experience. For example, Showfields created a space where many Indie brands across a variety of industries had a chance to showcase their products. Each station had a story attributed to a brand that was part of a guided tour. Other pop-ups such as Shopbop and Mejuri were the most popular event influencers attended. These pop-ups made the experience available to influencers over a number of days in order to maximize social media presence throughout the week. 

BRAND VALUES DO MATTER

The new generation of buyers is interested in fashion but more so they want to know how fashion will share in cultural moments and that is why socially-conscious fashion speaks to this generation. Many influencers are not only challenging mainstream fashion but also beauty brands and they are interested in representing brands that share their values and think about the greater picture of how these brands build their businesses. 

SUSTAINABILITY

Consumers have long been taking advantage of fast-fashion that’s dedicated to a balance of trending and affordable. Now more than ever with the rise of global concern for the environment, many consumers are turning to rental services to satisfy their fashion needs. While other consumers are selecting to spend their dollars with brands that are sustainable or brands that sport vintage merchandise. 

These trends aren’t just specific to fashion but across the board brands in every industry are starting to recalibrate the way they are building brands. The days of simply creating ads are long gone as marketing is a cohesive practice of implementing social impact strategy, building brand values and actively listening to what consumers want and need. 

Photo Reviews Gaining Clout: 5 Reasons Why They Work

The idea of photo reviews isn’t something new to the marketplace. Matter of fact it was made popular by Rent The Runway back in 2012. The online retail giant encouraged customers to post photos of themselves in the dresses to help other shoppers get a real sense of the dress. From there, the company built out photo walls that helped shoppers pick dresses and catered to different body types. This concept of social listening has turned into a major tool for fashion retailers to boost sales and also cut down on the calls coming through their customer service centers with questions from customers. 

Are photo reviews a hype worth considering? Does it even have clout? Here are the 5 reasons why they do. 

1. Data Collection

Today businesses are always on the pry for data with the sole purpose of getting to know their customers better. In turn, driving more sales. Rent The Runway has 17 million data points that they collect from photo reviews. If you’re wondering what they can do with it, well here it is. 

• They use it to understand which items are popular and not among their customer base. 

• Quality control if customers are saying things about the fit of the outfit or if the garment doesn’t hold up through dry cleaning. These are all concerns they bring back to the designers to let them know. 

2. Inclusivity 

Our bodies come in all different sizes and shapes. Photo reviews help customers visualize how an outfit could potentially look before they purchase. If a customer had a curvy or pear-shaped body they can see how it would look and how it could be styled. 

3. Cuts Down on Returns 

When customers get to visually see an outfit before they purchase it cuts down on the returns. They can virtually experience the outfit see how it would look from different angles and how it would fit them before they make a final decision. 

4. Styling Inspiration 

It’s a great add on value for your customers when they can get inspired to see how others have been styling your clothing. This will be an attractive selling point for many for Gen Z’s since they are the most creative generation to date. 

5. Getting Your Customers Involved 

We’ve said this over and over again that customers want to be part of your brand journey. This is another great way to get them involved and build a community around your brand. Glossier is an example that does this well. They are heavily involved with customers and are constantly employing social listening.