Before you sign that digital marketing contract…

Today, businesses and organizations increasingly turn to digital marketing firms to achieve that elusive first-page ranking and gain a competitive edge. Many of our clients tell us that digital marketing firm contracts are overly complicated and full of gobbledygook! The goal is to build a long-term relationship with a marketing partner. Start off on the right foot by using this primer to help you make sense of a digital marketing firm’s contract. Most digital marketing contracts include…

26

Jun 2024

By Laura SheridanBlog

2023 Year-End Marketing Checklist

As the year draws to a close, your plate is likely overflowing. That’s why we crafted this concise end-of-year marketing checklist to make sure you kick off 2024 with confidence. This checklist is about the 3 P’s that are critical to your 2024 marketing strategy: People, Performance, and Partners. #1: PEOPLE. Your customers and employees are at the center of your success. Understanding your customer – their wants, needs, shopping and buying behaviors, and online habits…

13

Dec 2023

By Laura SheridanBlog

Where’s your customer?

Before you sign off on your 2024 marketing plan, pressure test it by checking to make sure it has your customer at the center. Your customer should be at the heart of what you do. Whether it’s signing a new business partnership, choosing keywords for an email newsletter, or building your product roadmap, your first step should be making sure the decision is good for your customer. That means you need to understand your customer. How…

06

Dec 2023

By Laura SheridanBlog

Year-End Marketing Checklist

Now’s a great time to reflect on the past 11 months and evaluate the impact of your marketing on your business results. Patterns may reveal themselves about your team or your clients. What worked and what didn’t? Here’s a checklist to help you evaluate your marketing’s effectiveness and plan for a successful 2023. MARKETING CHECKLIST #1: Marketing Team Do you have the right internal talent in the right positions to accomplish your goals for 2023? If…

30

Nov 2022

By Laura SheridanBlog

Featured in Crain’s Cleveland Business by Laura Sheridan, President of Viva La Brand: Five hacks to connect with your customers

Really understanding your customers is fundamental to realizing the greatest return on investment from your marketing and advertising. Here are five hacks to uncover insights that enable you to connect with them. Hack No. 1: Conduct primary customer research. You need to hear from your most loyal customers, your least loyal customers, your newest customers and your most profitable customers. Call them. Better yet, engage a third-party research firm to interview them. A third-party firm will…

15

May 2022

By Laura SheridanPress

4 tips for working with an Ad Agency

I started my career working at some of the best ad agencies in the world. Then I switched to the “client side” where I engaged numerous advertising, digital, and public relations agencies. I’ve learned a few things that enable me to help our clients hire the right agency, produce the best outcomes, and create long-lasting relationships. Unfortunately, many clients have come to Viva La Brand with stories of failed agency relationships. These failed relationships are stressful,…

30

Mar 2022

By Laura SheridanBlog

2022 Marketing Planning: 8 Tips

We’re in the thick of the planning season. Here are eight tips to enhance your marketing plan. Tip #1: Know thy customer.It’s easy to post on social media. It’s hard to deeply understand your customers to ensure you’re posting where and what they care about. It’s easy to spend money on ads. It’s hard to create a value proposition that differentiates your brand in a relevant, compelling, and meaningful way. It all starts with understanding your…

20

Nov 2021

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: [Marketing Trends] New Ad-Less Platforms

Consumers are more skeptical of paid advertising than ever before. According to a study commissioned by the American Association of Advertising Agencies, 94% of consumers don’t trust ads. Ouch. New ad-less platforms have emerged that let consumers directly control the content they absorb and let creators connect directly with their audiences. And, they’re incredibly popular right now. These platforms are all about sharing knowledge, educating others and learning together. They present a huge opportunity for…

21

Apr 2021

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: 6 Year-end Marketing Tips

Tip #1: Engage your marketing talent.Employers are struggling to keep their employees engaged. According to a Gallup poll, in 2020, the overall percentage of engaged workers in the US is 36%. That means 64% of workers aren’t feeling it. The takeawayThink differently. Provide your associates with opportunities to jumpstart their creative juices. How about offering employees a grocery budget for a rotating team member cooking demonstration? Have you tried playing board games virtually or staging…

15

Dec 2020

By Laura SheridanBlog

Viva’s Blog: Your customer has changed. Have you?

We’re all shifting our sights from surviving the coronavirus pandemic to charting new courses through it. Data shows that 84% of people plan to maintain the routines they adopted during COVID even after the crisis. Smart business people understand that the consumer insights they depended on when making marketing decisions pre-COVID may no longer hold true. Research on customer behavior is essential. Consider that according to research conducted by Goodques, 74% of people say that…

08

Oct 2020

By Laura SheridanBlog

marketing planning