Blog Posts - SuperDeluxe Marketing .:. Marketing Strategy . Content Marketing . Branding

Customer Personas: Know Thyself, Know Thy Competitors

5/22/2018

Early in May, I was the expert on Erika Heald’s tweetchat #ContentChat. The topic was a deep dive on personas: why they’re important, what (and who) who you need to create them, and how to put them into a format that’s usable and helpful. The conversation was so rich I felt compelled to share some of the highlights — and there were a lot! Following is Part 1 of the chat highlights, where we focus on what you need to know before you ever start thinking about your customers: defining some commonly-used terminology, then working to understand yourself and your competitors. We have tons more about personas in part 2 and part 3, so keep reading!

Brand Ambassadors vs. Influencers vs. Employee Advocates vs. Thought Leaders

4/28/2018

Last week I was delighted to be featured on the Content Marketing World tweetchat #CMWorld. If you see me around, you probably know I’m on da twitterverse as @SuperDeluxeMo (look me up! Let’s be friends!) The focus echoed what I’ll be talking about at Content Marketing World during my solo session: turning employees into thought leaders.

Although the whole “what is a thought leader” question might seem like a boring old “state of the union” question, I think it’s actually an interesting opportunity to dig a little deeper.

Picking A Social Media Management Tool: My Journey

10/30/2017

I’m in the process of choosing a social media platform. What’s clear is having a process is going to make this easier. If you’re a small business owner or leading a small marketing team, you’re probably tired and don’t have time for this kind of nonsense. That’s why I’ve put together a framework that might help you narrow down your social media tool choices based on your specific needs. Here goes!

What this social media management tools post IS NOT:

This is not an exhaustive list of social media management tools. Those exist. I won’t be recreating them. See them here, here, and here.

Guide to Social Media for Startups & Small Business

10/20/2017

How often do I need to post on social media?

I get that question a lot – and my answer is probably not as straightforward as you’d like. The good news is: a lot of people have already documented best practices for this subject. There's no need for me to reinvent the wheel when it comes to social media frequency statistics, but I will provide you with a few choice resources to help you make decisions:

Infographic: How often should you post on social media? – Buffer
How Often to Post on Social Media – Proven Research from 14 Studies – CoSchedule
How Frequently You Should Post on Social Media According to the Pros – Forbes

It's critical to note – and you'll see this in the articles above – that the need for social media posting varies from platform to platform. But what you won't see is that it's also different for every business. It’s on you, the business owner, to test and measure the effectiveness of your social media efforts.

Oh man, that sounds daunting, doesn’t it?

Here’s the good news: I’ve created a clear and concise guide to help launch your social media program. The guide outlines a few simple steps to get your social media program rolling so you don’t have to start from scratch. And – BONUS – there's a simple guide to testing and measuring included with the guide. For the record, this guide isn't exhaustive. There are a ton of things you CAN do to get your social media strategy up and running. The guide is meant to be a simple plan that might work for your business.

Seattle Startup Week: Big Marketing, Little Budget

10/6/2017

This week I had an opportunity to be a moderator and presenter at Startup Week Seattle, Techstars. Today’s talk, Big Marketing, Little Budget was a sexy little title that didn’t really bely the meaty nature of the topic. What it all boiled down to, is that marketing for startups is about in helping your market understand why they should trust your business. And that’s no easy project.

My Content Marketing World 2017 Expectations

9/5/2017

It’s my second year at Content Marketing World and I’m already so delighted I have this opportunity. I come to represent one of my clients and myself so I can make connections and learn, but I expect to come away with so much more.

So, I come to this year’s CMWorld, with high hopes. And as much as I like to think that I am a free-spirited gal, ready to go with the flow, I’m not. I’m coming with a plan. I expect to get more and give more than last year. Here’s what I’ve got up my sleeve:

When Companies Invest in Employees' Personal Brands, Everyone Wins.

7/31/2017

Once upon a time, there was a company that encouraged their employees to go out in the world and talk about what they are passionate about. And they lived happily ever after. The end.

True story.

On Monday, July 24th, I had the pleasure of being the tweetchat expert for #contentchat (noon Mondays PST). It's a chat run by Erika Heald, content strategist and super all-around awesome lady. It was all about how personal branding isn't just for individuals, but a way to help companies drive (and build!) thought leaders for their brand.

I don't want thought leaders at my company!

-Said no CEO, ever.

What's the Point of a Content Strategy?

7/24/2017

I’m sure you’ve been pressured by various people to blog, do social media, yadda, yadda, yadda. You might even be doing some of that. But when resources are tight and you’re down to the wire, you might be asking yourself…

Why should you have a content strategy at all?

As with anything, a directed and cohesive plan will help you be more successful. Sometimes the road is longer and bumpier with gold at the end of the rainbow and sometimes you’ll see swift results like an eagle, or some junk. No matter what, you can’t go wrong with having a strong content and measurement strategy. If you choose to invest and effectively measure your content efforts over the haul, you’ll get results.

So, let’s get to the nitty gritty: how can a content strategy help you win more business?

Should You Write About Your Products on Your Blog?

7/17/2017

It can seem questionable to write about your products or services on your blog. And sometimes it is. If you do it wrong, it can go south pretty quickly. If you keep one rule of thumb in mind when you're creating blog articles, no matter what the topic is, you'll be fine:

What would help the customer?

Blogging about products the wrong way.

There are a few things that happen when companies get a little too lackadaisical about this rule of thumb. Here's the most common mistakes:

There's no compelling reason to talk about their products. They're just selling. It's boring and, honestly, no one cares.
The blog sounds like marketing gibberish. As soon as your blogging doesn't sound like a human, you've lost your audience.
The blog doesn't illustrate the value of the product in a way that's interesting to the reader.

Building a Content Strategy: Three-Layer Cake-Style

7/5/2017

Content strategies can feel hard. Especially if you’re too close to it. I could make a case that this is the perfect reason to involve someone who can help you with it, but it feels too salesy, so forget I said that. What I would like to encourage you to do is think about your content in context of something more fun and light hearted. Something delicious and that draws you back to a time where big wheels, swings and birthday presents were at the forefront of your mind. I’m talking about cake.