Most brands realize that when it comes to marketing, it’s vital to “test and learn, test and learn, and a test and learn some more.” Split testing, or A/B testing, your marketing efforts is helpful for determining what practices are the most effective in reaching your goals. Let’s take one marketing example to apply how [...]
Small Businesses are realizing that mobile is meant for “today”, not “tomorrow” – and it’s time to get on board before falling behind. Mobile isn’t just about having an app (but it is one option). Being mobile can mean having a mobile site (or responsive design), an app that allows the consumer to interact with [...]
Many brands today are still figuring out how to tell their story, show the human side of the brand, and connect with their audience on a deeper level than just their products and services. If that isn’t hard enough, there are a myriad of avenues by which to do so…should your brand use Facebook, a [...]
So you know about Facebook and Twitter, but there’s more to social then those two players. Some brands forget that LinkedIn is not just a great resource for individuals and their “online resumes” – but also a great network for you to showcase your brand, boast product offerings, highlight team members, initiate collaboration, and more! Here are 5 Ways [...]
Does your brand get distracted by shiny objects (aka social networks)? Don’t be fooled by a fad; but at the same time don’t dismiss them either. We’ve come a long way since the days of only MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter — there’s a new social network popping up seemingly every day – whether it’s Pinterest, Instagram, [...]
Ever fear you are posting “too much” on Facebook or Twitter? Ever wonder why some people post every minute of their lives, rather than just living those moments? I admit, I spend a lot of time on my computer, but one comes to question, when is it just TMI? I recently read an article from [...]
As I was sitting here thinking about what I wanted to do this evening, I realized I had been twiddling my thumbs on Facebook for a little too long. Then I started to wonder, how long do I REALLY spend online between Facebook, Twitter, reading blogs, on Gchat, etc? I don’t think I want to [...]
People make fun of me all the time for being a little obsessed with my cat (who being 1 yr old now – still is the size of a 6 month old kitten…quite cute). However, I think I may be given some reprieve since I did not join a pet social network site and post [...]
Boston has always been full of culture, and today, it is full of culture AND become a hub for social media. There are many prominent firms including Holland Mark, Cone Inc, Schneider Associates, Arnold, Hill Holiday, MNET, Mullen, One Pica, and many others which demonstrate that Social Media today, is not just a “buzz” anymore, [...]
Twestival (Twitter Festival) is an event to raise money for charitable causes around the world. This annual event takes place in large cities such as Boston, NY, and Chicago – put together solely by volunteers who wish to make a difference. In addition, all monetary amounts raised are donated in full to the cause of [...]
I frequently wonder how people find the time to research and write daily blog posts on relevant topics. I write a weekly blog and this past week I have fallen behind, due to being an overzealous full-time MBA student and feeling like a massochist, for not only having 1, but 2 consulting gigs, a fellowship, [...]
In my MBA Organizational Behavior course, we collected data on the use of social media in the workplace: If people use it, how often they use it, for what purpose, and if their workplace has policies for such use and how that impacts their views on that company. Of the 45 people surveyed (in the [...]
Want an opportunity to donate clothes or “SWAP” them with others? These events have been occurring in Toronto and Montreal Canada (among other int’l locations) and now it is here in Boston (June 5th and 6th). Thanks to Sarah Martin for putting it together here in Boston and of course all the volunteers. And if [...]
Do you subscribe to magazines the old-school snail mail way? Or do you get the digital version sent to you via email? I cannot help but still enjoy turning each glossy page filled with a ridiculous amount of advertisements…and then the other day I was trying to decide whether or not to subscribe to Fast [...]
The Spa Week Retreat which my friends @juliaroy and @clayhebert attended, gave a chance for social media pioneers, thinkers, and strategists to relax and aka #Signoff. Take a view at this video to get a glimpse at this kickass retreat that the rest of us missed out on….and hope to be a part of next [...]
Can’t help but be intrigued by this project — who will be most influential? I hope it’s not some fluff person who wins due to having a bazillion fans/followers. I hope Fast Company keeps the respect they have earned from me by choosing a person who truly deserves such honor. What’s even cooler? They get [...]
I know I haven’t blogged in a while…I could say it’s because I’ve been too busy working for a kickass marketing firm downtown, or that I’m having too much fun with friends and enjoying summer, or “fill in the blank” excuse. But, while I’ve been away from blogging I’ve attended a couple networking events here [...]
After attending numerous social media networking events such as the 140 conference, and now Podcamp (and soon to attend FutureM), I can officially claim my “nerd status” without rebuttal. Although, I was only able to attend the 2nd half of this weekend’s PodCamp conference (can you blame me for wanting to run the Susan G. [...]
As I sat in my MBA Global Branding class last night, I couldn’t help but laugh. As the professor went on and on about how brands need that “one word” which consumers will recall at the drop of a hat — I thought back to my time at Holland-Mark (HM). HM coined the term “One [...]
Customer service is key to a brand having loyalty by a consumer — at least for me, that’s the case. For example, recently an item I purchased via Amazon was not delivered. My online status said “delivered” but said package was not on my doorstep. I immediately thought “crap! Someone took it!” — “now what?” [...]
Were you a part of this year’s breast cancer awareness viral phenomenon on Facebook? Last year it was what color bra you were wearing, this year it was where do you put your purse when you come home. A little bit of scandal with a bit of fun and lots of awareness for a great [...]
Unfortunately due to my silly MBA classes, I was unable to attend any of the FutureM events earlier in the week, but I was able to hit up a couple events Thursday night. Holland-Mark‘s Digital Man Mike Troiano spoke about “Scalable Intimacy,” siting their client example Notch Session (which I must admit is some exceptional [...]
Most brands realize that when it comes to marketing, it’s vital to “test and learn, test and learn, and a test and learn some more.” Split testing, or A/B testing, your marketing efforts is helpful for determining what practices are the most effective in reaching your goals. Let’s take one marketing example to apply how [...]
Small Businesses are realizing that mobile is meant for “today”, not “tomorrow” – and it’s time to get on board before falling behind. Mobile isn’t just about having an app (but it is one option). Being mobile can mean having a mobile site (or responsive design), an app that allows the consumer to interact with [...]
Many brands today are still figuring out how to tell their story, show the human side of the brand, and connect with their audience on a deeper level than just their products and services. If that isn’t hard enough, there are a myriad of avenues by which to do so…should your brand use Facebook, a [...]
So you know about Facebook and Twitter, but there’s more to social then those two players. Some brands forget that LinkedIn is not just a great resource for individuals and their “online resumes” – but also a great network for you to showcase your brand, boast product offerings, highlight team members, initiate collaboration, and more! Here are 5 Ways [...]
Does your brand get distracted by shiny objects (aka social networks)? Don’t be fooled by a fad; but at the same time don’t dismiss them either. We’ve come a long way since the days of only MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter — there’s a new social network popping up seemingly every day – whether it’s Pinterest, Instagram, [...]
Brands realize (or are realizing) the importance of mobile considerations as our society is no longer just consuming content via a desktop of the television or newspaper. In the age of smart phones, tablets, and constantly being “on the go,” brands need to constantly consider how best to distribute content – where, when, and how. [...]
Video content isn’t a new trend, but it’s definitely being adopted more often by brands as the value and engagement has increased with social media and blog content — especially fashion brands, in order to tell their story. The value of video content is growing exponentially in this visual world of social media and content. Hot [...]
Have you encountered Vine yet? This short video app is already being utilized by brands and consumers alike due to its many advantages, two of which are simplicity and ease of use. As a brand owner, you should think about how Vine could possibly work with your current social media strategy. Here are 5 advantages Vine has for brand [...]
So many tools, so little time. It is not always easy to determine which ones are right for your measuring your social media performance. We know the usual suspects like Facebook Insights, which is free on Facebook for Page Admins, and Hootsuitewhich allows you to manage multiple channels and get some general information about traffic and keywords. [...]
This post on starting fresh for the new year in social media was originally written for Social Media Club and my original post can also be found here. Now that you have your social media resolutions on your checklist, why not consider some other social media goals to accomplish this year as you “start fresh.” As we [...]
Warning – this is not the usual social media success post. Keep reading to get to the root… So you’ve read about what your brand resolutions should be, what social media goals you should consider, and what to do and not do over and over again…but do you really know what your brand needs to [...]
Have you ever been to a trade show or a promotional event and you just knew that brand had not prepared enough? Don’t let yourself be that brand. Two words: Plan Ahead. When it comes to online and offline events, online event marketing is key to success in order to engage your audience pre-event, during the event, [...]
Many of us tech obsessed, gadget oriented, app-using, smart phone addicted individuals breathe, eat and sleep with our favorite devices. Can you imagine what that does to our daily productivity? To most of us that means we can: answer emails quicker, respond to phone calls and texts faster, pay with our smart phones rather than [...]
Your brand is awesome, you have great content, and your blog is off to a great start. But before you started said blog, did your team consider editorial guidelines? The content is crucial but so is maintaining control over how the content is created. Here are five things to consider when putting together blogging editorial [...]
I In earlier posts I wrote for the Startup Fashion blog, I talked about the importance of a content strategy and determining which platform is best for your blog: wordpress or tumblr. Once your brand has worked out these important steps, and has decided to create and curate content via a blog, an editorial calendar is a necessary next step in [...]
Image via janefriedman.com Publishing is no longer just in the hands of magazines and newspapers; brands have the opportunity (as many have realized) to provide the value of content to consumers through video, blogs, infographics, and much more. Today the brand is the publisher. When brands start creating and curating content it is normally through [...]
Email marketing is an essential part of marketing programs for brands. It allows brands to communicate personally and directly with their audience. There are the basics that all brands should be implementing into their marketing plans, but then there are those few extras that brands can do to further optimize their email campaigns for increased [...]
The importance of starting a blog as an independent fashion designer is based around a solid way to tell your story, drive traffic to your website, and allow your brand to grow a loyal fan base while allowing for a deeper look into the brand. Lets take a closer look on why your brand should have a blog… Create Awareness [...]
Facebook gone Global or should we say local? Global brands can now reach a larger audience with these pages in the Facebook users’ own language. Great for brands and consumers. Here’s why: 1. Go local – Although targeting is available now for Facebook posts, it is a nice luxury to be able to have a whole [...]
Nowadays more and more people are multitasking while watching TV in their living rooms and bedrooms. The laptop is open, the iPad is flipped up, and the smartphone is more of an experience than a phone. People are tweeting, get glueing, checking in, posting, and more. Why only watch a tv show, a sports game, [...]
Image: SmartFatBogger.in Starting a fashion blog is not always as simple as one, two, three – but platforms like Tumblr and WordPress do help in making it a little easier. Luckily they are both fairly easy to use and provide many options for templates as well as customization. The tough part is choosing which platform fits your needs and wants for [...]
Living in a city where there is a sea of college students, I see more technological gadgets on these young students than sometimes even on adults. They have iPads in the classroom to take notes on, read their books on, and more. However it’s not just technology that’s advancing in the classroom it’s also the acceptance [...]
Always on the lookout for interesting new start-ups in the fashion world, especially those that are doing something to shake up the industry a bit, I was looking forward to the opportunity of speaking with Anthony Chan from the new fashion start-up Sketch Street, a brand that is rethinking the fashion cycle around the community. StUF: How did Sketch [...]
As many of us have realized with September, comes not just the school year, but autumn days full of productivity and kicking butt with new projects, goals, and more. So in the back to school spirit – for those of who aren’t going back and haven’t been back in year – here are some productivity [...]
Tumblr, a microblogging site and social networking platform has over 60 million blogs running on it currently — including individual blogs to blogs by brands. Brands have come to utilize this platform as a simple-easy-to-use tool for their content needs. Blogs range from informative, technical, financial, news-worthy, lifestyles, and more. The blogs that do the best [...]
Instagram has been “downloaded like hotcakes” since it became available in late 2010 (now for both iphone and android interfaces). The perfect mix of a photo sharing app and social network for those visual fanatics. Currently with over 80 million users, it is still showing Facebook (who purchased it earlier this year) that the purchase was [...]
Do you “pin it” or do you “fancy it” or both? Pinterest may be kicking butt and taking names when it comes to members of the Pinterest community but does that give them the championship belt? Let’s assess the uniqueness and differences of both platforms. Unique Traits and Differences: How Each Wins Both are similar in that [...]
My eighteen year old sister types papers on an iPad, has a Tumblr blog, Tweets everyday, and knows the latest music and fashion via Pinterest and blogs before most. A newbie freshman about to enter a college in Boston – she expects her college to keep up and be ahead of the curve when it [...]
I had the pleasure of interviewing friend, fellow fashion lover, and digital marketing expert, Michelle McCormack, CMO of Fashion Project in Boston, MA. Let’s take an inside look into what brought her to where she is today… StUF: What brought you to Fashion Project and FNO? Michelle: It’s been an organic process of just ‘showing up’ and working every day. [...]
The top ten things your brand should always consider when starting, strategizing and optimizing your channel strategy for Twitter: Listen: First and foremost your brand should set up a listening station to listen each day to what’s going on the Twittersphere. It’s important to listen not only to what your followers are saying, but [...]
Summer brings many enjoyable times each season including beach trips, family time, bbq’s, and much more. The tough part is remembering to capture all these great times so you can recall and reminisce later on. Luckily there are many creative ways to do so effectively, quickly, and easily with the touch of a smartphone app. [...]
A social network born out of a dorm room has come a long way over the past 8 years. Here are just a few stats to show its immense growth: 901 million monthly active users (March, 2012) On average more than 300 million photos uploaded to Facebook per day (March, 2012) An average of 3.2 billion Likes [...]
Content is significant to every brand and their marketing strategy — but content creation takes time, effort, planning, and well-equipped writers. Some brands have the staff to write and whip out content continuously, while others seek outside sources. And some prefer both. When hiring guest bloggers to write for your brand, there are a few things [...]
First people feared giving your credit card number over internet versus giving it to an operator on the phone…now we are using the phone to swipe your credit card via an online app. Funny how things become so easily integrated. According to Pew Research, “Within the next decade, smart-device swiping will have gained mainstream acceptance as a method [...]
Facebook may have over 910 million users, but it still has stealthy competitors such as LinkedIn. LinkedIn may not be where most individuals share their photos, check their newsfeed or share their daily status updates — but it is where businesses can flourish, B2B kicks butt through lead generation, and ”likes” can have more weight. [...]
In the days of “content being king” many brands have recognized both the importance and value of content in their marketing strategies. Simply put, marketing without content is like peanut butter without the jelly. Now that would be a sad little sandwich. Luckily most brands have not forgotten the relevant ingredient. Created Content Ok, so [...]
Social Media…a not so new concept, yet one which can still allude many brands if they do not strategize their content appropriately for each channel in regards to how it fits their brand. But we’re not here to criticize, we’re here to learn from the ones who take advantage of social media and elevate their [...]
So in case you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon, just have, or are wondering what all the hype is about, Pinterest is still sizzling. It’s a fun and useful tool that brands can use to their advantage in order to show a more visual side to its consumer market. Now here’s what’s really important…how to truly capitalize on Pinterest [...]
There are so many shiny new toys in the social media sphere…sometimes we can’t keep up. Google has a tendency to test out new ideas (remember Google Buzz?) and this time around they have spun out Google Plus Hangouts. It’s an opportunity for individuals or businesses to utilize this virtual “hangout” to communicate with others in [...]
Pinterest, a virtual pin board, is no longer just for individuals who pin what they love for potential home decorating, weddings, and recipes…it has become a mecca of fashion, design, consumer engagement, photo sharing, and more with brands and consumers alike. It’s a phenomenal platform for consumer brands to share what they have to offer [...]
So many New Year’s resolutions, so little time. The New Year is already flying by, and it’s no time for slacking off. Many individuals have the desire and resolution to find a new job that will make them happy and put them in the right path for their desired career aspirations. Need some help? Here [...]
Recently I started utilizing my tumblr blog for unique, fun, and classic fashion I love, why I love it, and why it’s more unique through a digital scope. I love the simplicity of the platform and how it’s so convenient to post, even via the iPhone from my beloved instagram app. Lets just say, it’s [...]
Have a list of New Year’s Resolutions? Need some help staying organized? Well there’s an App for that, of course. It may be easy thinking of resolutions to start in the upcoming new year, especially after the indulgent holidays…but not always as easy staying committed. Check out these Apps to tackle your resolutions a little [...]
Social media is a great inbound marketing tool that allows businesses and marketing teams to interact with prospects, cater to customers, promote their content, and yes, generate leads. When a business uses social media right, prospective customers have the opportunity to access great content and information via a platform they already populate and actually want to gather said content [...]
Lead management bridges the gap between marketing and sales. It’s a customer acquisition process which identifies potential buyers (leads), educates them, engages with them, and when the leads are considered qualified, get passed from marketing to sales. Is your business following an organized and effective lead management process? Doing so can improve the results of your lead [...]
Generating and nurturing leads is a key part of campaigns and the sales cycle for a business looking to kick butt and make a good profit. But did you think social media would be a great way to nurture those leads? Social media is the key to inbound lead nurturing because it allows people to [...]
Like many people I was definitely hesitant at first about whether or not to utilize Google Plus? Another social platform? Another place to have to keep up with? But since I am a Google Fanatic with my Gmail, Docs, Calendar and more…and not to mention a complete digital geek…I had to join. Here are a few [...]
Your marketing team should be relying on data to see what’s working, what could use improvement, and what should be squashed as an approach. Data may seem intimidating, but it can also be a marketer’s best friend. How? Keep reading! 1. Referral Sites It’s important to monitor analytics in order to see which sites are the best [...]
Marketing and sales teams must work hand-in-hand in order to provide a company with the leads and profits it needs to grow and succeed. But let’s back-track a bit. Exactly how does a marketing team help a sales team with those leads once they’re generated? It should all start with a content map for lead nurturing, [...]
Love your smart phone? Debating a tablet? Gone app crazy? Check out these stats on the mobile market … 1. Smart phones “Of the world’s 4 billion mobile phones in use, 1.08 billion are smartphones.” 2. Smart phones Of those, 3.08 billion are SMS enabled. 3. Mobile One half of searches are done via a mobile device: smartphone,tablet, etc. [...]
