Pros and Cons of Pop Culture References

By | Brand marketing, content marketing, marketing, Millennials, public relations, Social Media | No Comments

Brands today have started to focus on ways that they can make their content more efficient. From blog posts to videos and social media posts, it’s important for companies to produce written work, videos, and graphics that will resonate with their audience; if you fail to make your content engaging, you’re not going to see results. When it comes to the type of content that reaches an audience more than any other piece, it really depends on the person, but all kinds of people today are watching more videos than ever.

Video production companies are going to be looking to capitalize on the opportunity they have to connect with audiences and start leading the world in digital marketing. However, how do video production companies do this? They have to find ways to incorporate current events and trends into their videos.

In recent years, video production companies, as well as marketing agencies, have begun to include pop culture references into their content to make it more appealing to audiences, but does this really work? When it comes to pop culture in the world of digital advertising, there are a few upsides and some downsides.

The Pros of Pop Culture References

Pop culture references in social media content are ideal because it produces some of the most eye-catching and tempting clickbait out there. Pop culture references make it hard for people to ignore pieces that include topics that are relevant to them. When a post is able to captivate the audience just on its title alone, the higher the chances of that company obtaining more traffic to their pages. From YouTube videos to blog posts, a crafty title with a pop culture reference and a keyword is sure to draw in an audience.

Another reason video production companies and marketing agencies choose to use pop culture references are because they provide easy explanations for complex issues. This is especially effective if you’re trying to reach and engage with a younger audience. If you use a current pop culture reference as a metaphor to a widely known tread, it will make that piece of content all the more easy to understand.

The Cons of Pop Culture References

Of course, using these references also has its downside. While pop culture references can, in fact, make a current world issue or trend simpler to understand, they can also distort reality and cause misinterpretation from certain groups. While a video production may have used the reference with no ill intent in mind, their audience can misinterpret the information, which can lead to dangerous outsiders stereotyping the company.

Another disadvantage that comes with using pop culture references in media is that they have a short shelf life. These references usually die out within a set amount of time, and you’ll soon have to look for the next reference to replace your current choice. This can get confusing for audiences and can even discredit your content as well. Pop culture is always changing, and it is near impossible to keep up with it 100 percent of the time. 

While using pop culture references may have its benefits, makes sure that you understand the consequences that may come with it so that you can avoid any media disaster.

Inside an Ad Agency: Time and Project Management

By | advertising, content marketing, digital marketing, marketing agencies, public relations | No Comments

You’ve often heard the phrase “time is money,” and that pretty much sums up what it’s like for advertising agencies. Time is something that you can’t get back and something that should be valued maybe than money, but what happens when you find that your time isn’t being spent as wisely as it could be?

Time management goes hand in hand with project management, and at advertising agencies, there is usually an efficient project management strategy in place. When companies hand their work over to the hands of a competent ad agency, they will find that they have more time to complete other important tasks and stay caught up with their workload, but that is all thanks to a system they have set in place.

Here’s how companies can mimic advertising agencies and set up effective time and project management strategies to help their productivity.

Track Your Time

It’s important to know how long a project takes. Knowing how long a project takes will helps you measure how many tasks, you’ll be able to get to in a day. Time tracking apps and widgets are essential in successful advertising agencies because they help both the employees and employers gauge how much an individual can take on daily. This also helps divide the workload between their employees and ensure that each employee is taking on what they can handle.

Determine What your Most Important Tasks Are

You should always focus on priority tasks. If you see that something is overdue or is going to be asked for soon, you should definitely make that your priority. Go through your task list and see what you can put off for later and replace those tasks with things that are needed ASAP. Advertising agencies who fail to organize their workload find themselves in deep trouble when their clients are asking why a specific project hasn’t been completed.

Remember That You Don’t Get Paid for Checking Emails

Emails are an important form of communication, but they are not priority tasks. While emailing is used to talk about a task with clients and coworkers, you have to make sure not to get distracted by menial tasks when you check your emails. The best thing to do to save time and increase production is to check, respond and organize your emails first thing in the morning and then focus on important tasks for the rest of the day.

With the time you’ll gain by following these guidelines, you can get ahead of your work, breathe easy and even bring on new clients and increase that revenue stream. By solidifying your project management strategy and properly managing your time, your agency is sure to flourish in this competitive industry.

What Makes an Advertising Agency Successful?

By | advertising, Brand marketing, content marketing, digital marketing, marketing, marketing agencies, public relations | No Comments

Successful companies all have one thing in common: a service to the public that is ideally incomparable—something that brings a positive outcome to their consumers and stands the test of time. It’s all about the quality of the service. When it comes to advertising, an advertising agency needs to give their clients actual results—not just a pitch with empty promises. When it comes to digital marketing, we here are Fusion 360 have created the perfect recipe for success.

Our advertising agency offers everything from brand development to pay per click advertising, but aside from our wide array of services, there are a few other things that help us stand out as the top advertising agency in Utah. Here are some of the things to consider if you’re looking to grow your advertising agency to its full potential.

Client Knowledge is Key

You can’t help your clients grow if you don’t take the time to get to know them; marketing blindly can be the ultimate recipe for disaster. One thing that an advertising agency should always do is understand each clients’ goals, constraints and customer needs. Since writers at an advertising agency will be creating content based around the company’s specific services, they not only need to know everything about the company but also the product inside and out.

With the right amount of understanding and research, you’ll be able to create strong campaigns and bulletproof content that will see excellent results.

A Knowledgeable and Capable Staff

The core of any advertising agency is the staff. The success of the company depends on results and those results come from a team that not only has advertising expertise but oozes with creativity. In addition to this, your staff should work well together and understand each other’s individual roles. The more the cooperation there is, the better the chances of all aspects coming together.

A Vigorous Online Presence

You can’t expect to market someone else’s company if you can’t market yourself. That would be like a local, unknown artist trying to promote an even smaller artist. Your advertising agency should have a strong social pull and be able to draw mass online crowds to make an impact on your client’s business. You should consistently rank high on search engines. If you’re pulling in massive numbers, other companies will tend to take you more seriously and establish a dominating presence as an adverting agency.

Clear Billing and Valuable Services

Once you’ve pulled in a client with your services, you have to seal the deal with your pricing. This doesn’t mean you have to lowball yourself or others, but just be sure that your prices are competitive, fair, and reflect the quality of your services. Also, it’s important to be clear when it comes to billing. Making your billing process as simple as possible is the best way to keep them happya happy client is a successful one.

Ultimately, an advertising agency relies on this success, so making sure your agency is strong enough to produce results is the number one way to thrive in the world of digital advertising.

Social Media in the 2016 Presidential Election

By | public relations, Social Media | No Comments

It’s election season. Some of you may feel like your voice is finally being heard — and others may feel straight outta options. That’s the beauty of the American election system. It’s what makes the United States great. For 240 years, Americans have been throwing aside old ideals and starting revolutions.

One of those revolutions took place in 2008. That year, Barack Obama made history as the first United States presidential candidate to use social media for a campaign advantage. The Obama campaign harnessed the power of social media to reach young voters. Marketing agencies say the strategy was so effective because Obama supporters didn’t just send out a few clever tweets; they used social media to start a movement, with Barack Obama as the leader.

The 2008 election cycle forever changed the way presidential campaigns are run. Candidates today must scramble to find the best marketing agencies and consultants to help them connect with the masses. They look to marketing agencies to tell them how their messages are received. The 2016 presidential candidates are no different. Social media is the new political bread and butter.

Figures current as of May 28, 2016.

Facebook

Facebook is a staple of any social media campaign. It’s an oldie but a goodie — kind of like the presidential candidates (though goodie is debatable depending on your political inclinations).

Donald Trump by far leads the pack with 7.8 million likes, more than double Hillary Clinton’s 3.5 million likes and well ahead of Bernie Sanders’ 4.2 million. Why the huge difference? Marketing agencies will tell you that Trump uses the platform to his full advantage. His posts feel real, helping potential voters form a connection to him on a personal level. Other candidates’ pages feel like someone else is writing for them. Some of Trump’s Facebook posts may come off a little brash, but you know he’s the one writing them.

Twitter

Trump takes the cake again on Twitter with 8.27 million followers to Clinton’s 6.28 million and Sanders’ 2.2 million and for pretty much the same reason he rules Facebook. Both Clinton and Sanders disclaim that tweets come from staff members. Clinton does sign personal tweets so followers know when something is coming directly from her, but many marketing agencies would agree this might do more harm than good. It shows followers that Clinton only tweets personally every 4-7 days. Trump on the other hand, well, that dude is always tweeting.

trump twitter

Instagram

Instagram is the new social media frontier for this election cycle. All three candidates dance around 1.5 million followers, and it seems they are all trying to work with their staff and marketing agencies to figure out how to best use this platform to further their campaigns.

YouTube

Hold up! You are now entering Bernie-town. Bernie Sanders leaves the other candidates in the dust when it comes to YouTube subscribers, coming in at 132,362 subscribers to Clinton’s 46,139 and Trump’s 36,568. Sanders simply posts more videos than anyone else. His official YouTube channel has uploaded 513 videos compared to Clinton’s 164 and Trump’s 45. Video is the future, so good for Bernie.

bernie webpage

Snapchat

There’s not much to say about Snapchat because the platform doesn’t release information on how actively users snap, but we do know that Hillary Clinton is by far the most vocal lover of this social media channel. She even snaps during interviews.

How to Respond After a Bad Ad: Navigating a PR Nightmare

By | public relations, Reputation Management | No Comments

What the public thinks about your brand defines you – for better or worse. Hiring a good advertising agency and producing successful ads sounds simple enough, but no matter how talented the agency, sometimes bad ads happen. How you respond when they do can make or break the future of your brand.

Preparation

The key to good performance is good preparation. If you are an established Utah advertising agency or a Midwest startup, the principle is the same. Have a plan, and make sure every employee is aware of that plan.

While you can’t plan an exact response to every situation, you can have procedures in place for who will comment on behalf of the company, who will talk to the press, and who will say absolutely nothing. Help employees understand that if a bad ad happens, they can either help turn the situation in a positive direction or they can sink the entire ship.

Respond at the Right Time, in the Right Way

If a bad ad happens, you need to decide how to respond, and you need to decide quickly. Determine the authority of those who are upset. If you are an advertising agency in Utah and the only complaint you have received about an ad is from a man who lives across the street from the office, there probably isn’t a need to publicly respond. On the other hand, if millions of angry people are expressing their opinions on social media and national news outlets are reporting the story, you absolutely need to respond.

Remember the public is always right. Customer service is more important now than ever before. If the public thinks your ad is bad, then it is bad. Pull the ad and issue a sincere apology. Saying “no comment” might as well be commenting, “We’re in the wrong, and we don’t care.”

Replace Bad PR With Good PR

The best solution to bad PR is to simply do better. Adopt a Utah highway as an advertising agency or create a campaign for a local non-profit organization. Show the public that you are trying your best to serve the community, fix any problems, and give consumers the best products and services you can offer.

How Important Is Establishing a Brand Voice?

By | content marketing, marketing agencies, public relations | No Comments

Keeping a consistent tone in your brand voice plays a huge part in how your customers will perceive your company. Big name companies such as Google, LinkedIn and Yamaha have really been amping up their game on how they use their voice — because they understand how important their brand voice is. Knowing your voice will help you craft your content, and content marketing companies in Utah, like Fusion 360, can help you with that craft.

Finding your voice isn’t easy; you have to consider if your company is looking for a funny tone, a serious tone or maybe something inspirational. Once your company has discovered what their tone is, that’s when the real work comes in. Changing your brand tone will mean some major overhauls in your writing styles, content and website.

Who Are You Speaking To?

Whatever you’re trying to market, whether it’s in Utah or around the globe, knowing your audience is going to help you build your voice. Are you trying to speak to teenagers or are you trying to get the attention of senior citizens? Whatever platform you decide to write with, you will want your company to be able to speak to your clients, and give them reassurance that your vision is what they want too. If you’re speaking very bluntly with humor, this probably wouldn’t be the right voice when speaking to senior citizens in Utah, instead try to make yourself sound professional and honest.

What Are You Trying to  Say?

Forbes writes, “Why is your message of broader significance, to the market in general and to your target customers in particular?” Basically, what is your business trying to accomplish, what is the main message? If you’re trying to set up a charity fund, you don’t want an angry tone, you want an understanding and open-minded tone. This is where your company will want to express what your business is all about, and how that connects your customers. Your hired content marketing company Fusion 360 in Utah, can help you with this and help you craft a connection.

How Are You Expressing It?

According to Forbes, there are multiple layers on how you will want to communicate: Your tone, your approach and your medium. Focusing on your medium can help your company when it comes to your content marketing strategy. Many sources will tell you to start a blog, or start an e-newsletter, but this may not be the right way to market to your audience. If you find that these content marketing strategies aren’t working, expand and explore video making or podcasting. Trying new social platforms, or ways of communicating to the client is a god way to find your customers here in Utah or around the world.

How Are You Saying It?

An author knows how to use their voice in their stories – with plot twists, character developments and the author’s descriptions.  Finding this voice will be imperative, because your company could have two writers working on the same article, but both will have very different voices. Think of what vocabulary you want to use, and how you want the tone of your pieces to sound. Using these in your content marketing  will help you reach your audience, and market what you want your customers to know about your company.

Before you start writing content, consult a content marketing company like Fusion 360. We can help you get the right voice for your brand, and once you have this solved, this will help you gather the right audience to your company whether it’s in Utah or around the world.

 

 

8 PR Tips for Pitching a Journalist

By | public relations | No Comments

In the world of PR, sometimes it feels like you’re pitching into a big empty space and the only person responding is your own echo. Digital marketing firms who understand the importance of getting a story out there know this process can be rough. From ignored phone calls to blocked emails, everyone has taken his turn at rejection.

If you’re having a particularly difficult time getting journalists to notice your pitches, it might be time to take a step back and take closer look at your strategy. Based off of common journalist pet peeves and expert advice, here are a few things to keep in mind before you send that next email.

Fusion 360 - 8 Tips for Pitching a Journalist (Fusion 360 Agency)

Old School PR vs. New School PR

By | public relations | No Comments

As far as marketing agencies are concerned, the world of professional communications is no stranger to change. What was once very much a field built upon yellow legal pads and ink pens is currently digital in every facet of its existence.

As a direct byproduct of such a change, public relations—and the innumerable specialists and managers who work in said field—have had to adapt their communicative tactics to account for the transformation.

Long gone are the days when traditional reporters, direct mail and simple phone pitches earned proper media placement. Interested in a few more of the specifics? Take a look at the following infographic to see what’s presently going down in the world of PR:

Fusion 360 - Old School PR vs. New School PR (Fusion 360 Agency)

Coming to Better Understand ‘Content PR’ In the Digital Age

By | content marketing, public relations | No Comments

Defining the subtle differences between advertising, marketing and public relations can be a difficult endeavor, even for the country’s most successful ad agencies. While answers certainly exist as to what barely separates and drives the booming communicative fields, most communications professionals have always felt that—on the flip side of things—content marketing and digital PR were held at opposite ends of the spectrum by way of huge distinguishing factors.

In reality, however, the overlap is prominent, to say the least. In fact, so joined at the hip are the two practices that—sooner, rather than later—you’re bound to hear the term “Content PR” being tossed around down at the office. Needless to say, whether it’s content marketing or digital PR that you consider your God-given forte, there’s bound to be a heavy mixture of both advertorial tactics.

As an improved spinoff of traditional marketing, content marketing is focused primarily on the creation and distribution of meaningful content which, when consumed, both engages and acquires a target audience. Interestingly enough, PR strives to do something very similar: build rapport and trust with a predetermined demographic. In time, as the aforementioned specialties continue to evolve, the dividing line of separation between content marketing and PR promises to become thin.

Distribution Is Just as Important as Production

Does the term “churnalism” ring a bell? You might’ve heard it mentioned a few times during an introductory journalism course in college or while working an entry-level gig at any one of America’s many ad agencies. “Churnalism” refers to a writing style that’s centered on quantity, rather than quality.

When done properly, content marketing needn’t be an activity in speedwriting; moreover, an exercise that aims to examine the questions and concerns of consumers—a very PR-driven concentration, in its own right—and address them through published content. Sure, production is important for content marketing to take effect, but it means absolutely nothing without sound distribution techniques.

This is where PR comes into play for marketing agencies. Content marketers and their respective agencies tend to allocate the majority of their publication efforts towards channels that they rightfully own and manage. Owned media helps with long-term growth, search-engine rank and becoming an industry-specific thought leader, but there’s more out there to be discovered.

On the other hand, PR spotlights the importance of earned media. Of the matter, says ContentMarketingInstitute.com, “Key elements of marketing are to attract an even greater audience, lead pool, and increasing brand awareness. While content marketing beefs up one’s owned-media outlets, PR bolsters earned media and likely garners new eyes for a brand.”

Brand Reputation Is Strengthened With Every Link Hit

Blogs are important and most content marketers already know it. They have to know it, seeing as how they spend countless hours crafting engaging posts for both blog subscribers and those who might stumble upon their site through random Google searches or social posts. With that in mind, however, blogs aren’t necessarily the most important thing for content marketers and the agencies at which they work.

Let’s say, for example, that the CEO of your tech startup has a new app update that he or she would like to announce to the world. Obviously, a well-written blog post should be crafted to help get the word out. When shared through a company’s numerous social platforms, people are going to learn not only what said update is and how it can help them, but how they can get their hands on it.

That being said, blogs aren’t always the perfect solution for agencies. The problem with blog posts lies in the fact that there’s a certain self-serving stigma that surrounds them. Now, imagine if The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal wrote a piece on your startup’s newest app update. Not only would more people know about it, but they’d be more inclined to believe that such an update could really help them. If this sounds like a worthwhile pursuit, go nab your closest PR representative and get to work on gaining coverage.

Content Marketers Must Think About the Bigger Picture

Writing purists will argue that the world’s greatest authors wrote, write or will write for writing’s sake. This sort of utilitarian approach is fine, but usually there’s a greater good that’s being accomplished. In the case of the aforementioned authors, making a living, providing for loved ones or presenting an important message all might take the proverbial cake as a main motivating factor.

As far as agencies are concerned, content marketing is no different. At its core is a heavy editorial skill set, but there’s so much more that’s being accomplished through the strategic writing process that’s often forgotten. Content marketing agencies must remember that they’re not writing to meet deadlines or to fulfill a quota; they’re working to better serve digital audiences healthy doses of incredible stories, industry-shaping news and groundbreaking ideas.

More often than not, PR helps content marketers fine-tune the emphasis being placed on the public. In the process, fresh insights, new angles and creative perspectives are formed and implemented.

Truthfully, it shouldn’t matter if it’s a basic blog composition or a bit for The Huffington Post, if a target group is kept in mind right from the very start, the end result will be worthy of everyone’s time and energy. With a similar goal driving both content marketing and PR, it won’t be long until “content PR” becomes a mainstay of any communications team.

Fusion 360 - Coming to Understand Content PR (Fusion 360 Agency)

3 Reasons for Why Marketing Agencies Must Include PR In Their Game Plans

By | public relations | No Comments

If you were to go up to just about anybody on the street and ask them to speak of the differences between marketing and public relations, odds are that you’d find yourself hunting for the answer for quite some time. Though subtle, the differences between the two advertorial fields are gargantuan enough that, in recent months, some of the world’s largest and most successful marketing agencies have opened their own PR divisions.

In December of 2014, for example, Havas Worldwide Johannesburg made way for Havas PR to come into full effect. Likewise, just this month, the Black Snow Group decided to take the PR plunge. Could the biggest of PR’s pillars and marketing differentiators—relationship/reputation maintenance, networking and procurement of owned media—really be enough to push the globe’s biggest powerhouses of marketing into full-fledged PR involvement? Apparently, many certainly feel so. Here’s why:

1) The Field of Communications Is Changing

Simply put, traditional marketing no longer works and marketing agencies have taken notice. Yes, there are a few industries that might still benefit from a radio advertisement or highway billboard, but they are few and far between. What was once television commercials and flyers is now sponsored tweets and link-driven articles. No longer do consumers—regardless of industry—want to feel that they’ve been sold.

Instead, they’re demanding transparency and quality with the information that’s being given them. For that very reason, social media and SEO-driven article integration have taken the marketing world by storm. In the near future, in order for complex marketing solutions to be both developed and implemented, public relations will need to play an important role.

2) From a Business Standpoint, PR Is a Necessity

While marketing and advertising certainly fall under the canopy of “professional communications,” public relations, when combined with the aforementioned disciplines, ensures that all communicative channels are efficiently addressed. Long gone are the days when funds devoted to public relations where considered expendable.

Says Chris Verrijdt, Head of Havas PR, “These days, with information being consumed at the rate and across the channels it is, it would be naïve to keep PR out of the mix. Earned and owned media are integral to the conversation our clients have with their customers. Real time and right time communication is a necessity rather than a luxury.”

3) Through PR, the Client Always Comes Out On Top

Truthfully, it’s nearly impossible that a client fail to benefit from the services offered by a reputable PR team. Marketing agencies—specifically content marketing agencies—from all over the world can agree on one thing: “content is king.”

At this point, it’s the biggest buzz-centric phrase that the realm of professional communications has to offer, but it’s true. Public relations places a great deal of emphasis on content and, through content, the solidifying of a specific brand as an industry leader.

By creating helpful, informative content, not only is reputation enhanced, but leaders, potential clients and investors are drawn to a business. Needless to say, whatever your specific company’s marketing needs may be, public relations can help.