Jeff Esposito

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

In July, one of the sporting world’s most popular brands saw its stock instantly drop with a simple decision. Well the LBJ brand is still in a kind of flux, instead of being the poster boy playing for a small market team, James is disliked. I am not talking Nike here, but the LeBron James brand. Sounds harmless right?

Brands 27

Brands Sports Posterous Team 27

Jeff Esposito

JANUARY 21, 2014

Content marketing is alive and healthy in 2014 and it’s not leaving anytime soon. In fact, 92% of B2B marketers say they are budgeting for it, which is a sure sign that content marketing here to stay. Here are seven of the biggest trends in content marketing that are gaining momentum in 2014. But how has it evolved?

Trends 20

Trends Content Marketing Press Release 20

Jeff Esposito

MAY 14, 2012

After I got over the initial humor of this 4-year old girl breaking down the tactics of toy marketers, I found myself nodding along with what she was saying. Marketers are fond of the keep it simple stupid, or KISS method, when building up a campaign. There may be opportunities to capitalize on. Are you being too predictable?

Marketing 50

Marketing Campaign Video Products 50

Jeff Esposito

DECEMBER 9, 2010

The one downside is that it negatively impacts the way that brands can interact with their fans. A full writeup on the change can be seen over on Effective Student Marketing. This is something that can become a headache for both customers looking to interact and the brands looking to converse with them.

Brands 31

Brands Privacy Policies Education 31

Jeff Esposito

MARCH 3, 2014

Social media is a lot like search marketing and is something that should be looked at with lens similar to both paid and organic social media. So, for example, Facebook is the world’s largest social network, but if it is not being used by a brand’s customer, why invest time and resources there instead of a site where they are active?

Social Media 20

Social Media Marketing Overview ROI 20

Jeff Esposito

JUNE 20, 2012

But as we all know, marketers are not that environmentally conscious. Permission based marketing should offer value to both sides. My coworkers Cristina and Karen were discussing that a large retailer asked them if they wanted to be green and have their store receipt emailed over to them.

Sports 44

Sports Retail SMS Marketing 44

Jeff Esposito

APRIL 3, 2012

It is rare for me to get geeked out about a product launch for a brand. Maybe it’s because I am getting older or maybe I am desensitized to the over-hyping of marketing machines. So when a brand evokes the kid in a candy store feeling in me, I get excited. After all would you expect the NFL to use sub-par equipment?

Apparel 43

Apparel Case Study Sports Study 43

Jeff Esposito

NOVEMBER 6, 2013

Branding Company Beer cult cult marketing Heady Topper the Alchemist' While Apple has their followers, I would tend to argue that they may not be as passionate as the fans of the Alchemist in Waterbury, VT. Can you name another business that you might go gaga over?

Apple 40

Apple Company Campaign Brands 40

Jeff Esposito

APRIL 8, 2012

This post contains video, click here if you cannot view. Over the weekend I picked up a 12-pack of Magic Hat for a family birthday party for my son. While loading up the cooler, I noticed some interesting packaging where the brewery invites consumers into their online community.

Case Study 45

Case Study Study Sample Samples 45

Jeff Esposito

JUNE 27, 2011

In 2011 marketers will increase their social media usage by 75 percent ( Brian Solis ). percent of CMOs say social marketing efforts are effectively integrated into their overall marketing strategy ( MarketingProfs ). 97 percent of the top US charities utilize Facebook in their marketing efforts ( UMass Dartmouth ).

Social Media 55

Social Media comScore Wikipedia Hubspot 55

Jeff Esposito

JANUARY 14, 2013

For the sake of this post, let’s say that the major stakeholders in your company’s social media output are communications (PR), marketing, recruiting and support (here’s a look at a much larger touchpoint model ). Social Communications – How many fans are engaged with the brand or reduction in fan churn due to great content marketing.

Social Media 53

Social Media Metrics Cost Campaign 53

Jeff Esposito

NOVEMBER 10, 2010

With that audience, Disney is able to do something that was banned for companies like Marlboro – they directly market to kids. Live the brand. Do you think that you could see your brand or favorite company adopting some of Walt’s magic? Tags: Branding brand business Disney Marketing Walt Disney.

Discount 48

Discount Groups Groups Hosting 48

Jeff Esposito

MAY 23, 2012

Business cards are often the first piece of marketing or branding collateral purchased by businesses of all sizes. Many times we think of these cards as a way to trade pertinent contact information and make a great first impression on clients, peers or prospects.

Team 42

Team Data Brands Marketing 42

Jeff Esposito

JANUARY 8, 2014

A recent Facebook update changed how brands are able to get content onto users’ news feeds. As someone who manages social media internally for a brand, my initial thought was, “Hey, this sucks.” From a Facebook user standpoint, I implore you to take off the brand/agency/social guru hat for a second. Am I right?

Meme 54

Meme Real Estate MySpace Organization 54

Jeff Esposito

OCTOBER 18, 2013

A marketing persona is simply an invented version of your business, consumers and products that work as a marketing tool for your overall business. Doug and Flo act as characters that allow customers to relate to the brand on a fun new level. The Three Types of Personas. The use of personas is as varied as its definition.

Company 40

Company Social Media Insurance Influencer 40

Jeff Esposito

JULY 30, 2012

Social technologies have given consumers a voice and platform to communicate with brands. It has also given brands the opportunity to better understand their customers’ needs, wants, and demographics. Marketers’ have spent their careers creating ads that drive consumers to purchase with little or no customer input.

Team 44

Team Resources Buy Examples 44

Jeff Esposito

JULY 8, 2013

Translation: I don’t understand social marketing, and I’d prefer you to tackle that medium. While I successfully built the company’s blog and social media channels from scratch, those marketing channels went mute after I left the company. YOU hold the reigns. YOU learn how people communicate online. YOU respond in your own voice.

Reputation 47

Reputation Authentication Small Business Social Media 47

Jeff Esposito

MARCH 8, 2012

You Don’t Always Need 100 Million Dollars or 100 Years for Traditional Advertising to Work – We all know social media is big for marketing. Is your marketing message too good to be true?

Blogger 36

Blogger Influencer Social Media Advertising 36

Jeff Esposito

FEBRUARY 1, 2013

Lance Armstrong, Manti T’eo crises prove value of your own story – just like a brand, your story is important. The four Ps of content marketing – everyone is high on content marketing now and this is a good read for those in content marketing. Don’t believe me?

Communities 42

Communities Questions Social Media Content 42

Jeff Esposito

MAY 4, 2012

Heineken explains its response to dog-fighting PR crisis – this is an interesting read on how a mega-global brand dealt with a PR nightmare across multiple platforms. One of which has been talking about social scoring and how it is being used by brands. So without further adieu here is this week’s edition of Five for Friday.

Klout 37

Klout Study Social Media Review 37

Jeff Esposito

AUGUST 15, 2012

It is perfect for brand or community managers looking for ways to help build up a strong community that will share your brand’s message. If selected, this panel will feature Teresa Cantwell, Dave Shaw and me. Having a kick ass community without a sexy product – this proposed panel will feature Mike Schaffer, Ms.

Products 44

Products Proposal Small Business Communities 44

Jeff Esposito

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

If you aren’t into crunching numbers, the main Insights page for your brand is probably more than enough as you can see where new fans are coming from, reach of your wall posts and people talking about you. People Talking About Your Brand – these metrics show you how many people are actively talking about your brand.

Facebook 46

Facebook Metrics Comparison Data 46

Jeff Esposito

OCTOBER 18, 2010

In the marketing and communications world, we tend to use labels to describe people, places and things. Savvy marketers know how to use labels in the art of persuasion, calling your innermost thoughts and emotions to get you to act (or not). So my challenge to you, marketing folks, is to rewrite your rules. No, really.

Sports 37

Sports Industry Brands Company 37

Jeff Esposito

MARCH 18, 2012

South by Southwest is often called spring break for nerds – a place filled with techies and marketers looking for the next big thing. Users need their daily fix, making it a destination site and a place that brands need to be active. So it may come as a surprise to you that my biggest takeaway from the conference was maturity.

Conference 40

Conference ROI Small Business Metrics 40

Jeff Esposito

MARCH 25, 2015

The hub’s Community features a catalog of Content Creators, Brands and Groups. Guest Post Chris Ehrlich Content Marketing newsspark' Creators publish original news, blogs, updates, photos, videos and audio (soon) — or Sparks. The social content hub. Sparks are published by anyone with great original content. Digital benefits.

Content 20

Content Journal Publishing Metrics 20

Jeff Esposito

MAY 17, 2011

Well, that was until today when I read this article on the Street noting that CEO Vikram Pandit launched his own fan page on Facebook to help bolster the brand image. To me this is just Citibank talking out of both sides of their mouth while also screaming at the top of their lungs that they were the first to market with a CEO fan page.

Banking 48

Banking Wikipedia Fashion Training 48

Jeff Esposito

JULY 11, 2011

Brand Awareness – given the nature of the platform, companies can search for their brand and products or services and see what is being said about them or their space. To help build up awareness, respond to questions about your company or share relevant information about the brand to potential customers who are discussing your market.

Social Media 48

Social Media Fashion Issues Consultant 48

Jeff Esposito

NOVEMBER 2, 2012

There’s Nothing Savvy About Marketing or Newsjacking Disasters – this is a good post from Danny Brown showcasing the really seedy side of marketing with folks trying to take advantage of Hurricane Sandy. Why Brands STILL don’t Understand Digital Influence? Have a great weekend and catch you on Monday.

Google 40

Google Transportation Influencer Study 40

Jeff Esposito

MARCH 25, 2015

The hub’s Community features a catalog of Content Creators, Brands and Groups. Creators publish original news, blogs, updates, photos, videos and audio (soon) — or Sparks. The social content hub. Sparks are published by anyone with great original content. Leave “jeffespo” in the referrer field at the signup page. Digital benefits.

Content 20

Content Journal Publishing Metrics 20

Jeff Esposito

APRIL 19, 2012

I think data like this will start a brand gold rush towards the site’s power users similar to the rush to work with mommy bloggers. Marketing strategy: be where others are not – Christopher Penn might be one of the smartest dudes out there in terms of digital marketing. Become a leader rather than a sheep.

Instagram 39

Instagram LinkedIn Small Business Analytics 39

Jeff Esposito

JULY 18, 2012

Sure CEOs should know what is going on within their company and marketing or communications department. They should also care about what is being said about their brand overall and how their employees feel about the company. Does social media play a role in this? You betcha! But is social media the only factor in this?

Social Media 48

Social Media Report Consultant Skills 48

Jeff Esposito

NOVEMBER 16, 2012

The Three Things Marketers Keep Forgetting About Facebook – this is a really smart post that looks at a common thread I have heard the past few weeks. The Dark Side of Content Marketing – Tom Webster is a smart dude. This post takes a look at content marketing and how it can be something that is not always what it says it is.

Vocus 39

Vocus Content Facebook Conference 39

Jeff Esposito

JULY 2, 2012

After thumbing through the traditional marketing, I came across the publication’s inaugural list of Retailers with the highest Social Media Impact (full list below).

Retail 42

Retail Social Media List Trends 42

Jeff Esposito

SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

Communications and customer service folks have been utilizing tools and building communities and brand awareness while driving revenue as a secondary benefit. The dollars brought in from people who are generally not seen as revenue drivers has given marketers a set of green blinders. 6 Comments - Leave a comment!

CoTweet 36

CoTweet CoTweet Press Release Company 36

Jeff Esposito

MARCH 15, 2012

The Most Effective Marketing I Saw at SXSW – at conferences, brands blast you with their marketing messages. Hopefully you are having just a good one with awesome weekend plans. So without further babbling, here’s this week’s edition of Five for Friday. It makes sense and can be extremely effective.

Google 36

Google Conference Meeting Issues 36

Jeff Esposito

JULY 1, 2011

My team also headed to the New England Direct Marketing Association where we took home awards for top Twitter strategy (second year in a row) and third place for overall social media strategy. How ‘branding’ is ruining journalism – I love this take on personal brands from the Washington Post. This was one heck of a week.

Klout 26

Klout Journal Reputation Education 26

Jeff Esposito

SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

Especially since the Red Sox season is done, so I would appreciate it is the Sox marketing team didn’t send emails saying that they are in the playoff hunt. No matter what the person’s role in the company, they can be a brand ambassador, very good case studies. How do you measure a personal brand? What do you think?

Creative Commons 28

Creative Commons Case Study Disqus Influencer 28