How to Implement a Brand Activation Strategy Did you know that it takes 5 to 7 impressions for people to remember a brand? With branding, the goal is to continue making those positive impressions on an ongoing basis. One way to do that is through brand activations. In this post, we'll dive into what brand activations are, how to strategically plan a brand activation, and give you some ideas to inspire your own branding events. While a brand activation is a singular event or campaign that is meant to elevate your brand it shouldn't be confused with ongoing brand strategy. So, what does brand activation strategy look like? Let's dive in now. Brand Activation Strategy Before you get started with planning different brand activation events, it's important to understand the goal of each separate campaign. The best way to plan a strategy is to identify your goals. It could be customer acquisition, user sign-ups, social media engagement, etc. Ultimately you'll want to increase brand awareness, however, narrowing down your goal, even more, will make it measurable and attainable (hello SMART goals). Once you know your goals, you can begin brainstorming various brand activation events or campaigns that you can do to achieve your goals. For instance, let's say your goal is user sign-ups. One brand activation for that goal could be going to a trade show. There you can talk to potential customers and then hopefully sign up users on the spot (depending on your offerings). Once...

13 Examples of Meme Marketing + 4 Best Practices to Follow My social media feeds are made up of 90% memes. They're usually posted by people I follow but every once in a while, a brand will post a meme and add their own spin on it. When it's done right, those are the brands whose content I engage with the most. What was once considered a trend reserved for Millennials and Gen Z has now evolved into an effective way for brands to engage with their audience.  Let's talk about what meme marketing is, how you can leverage it, and see examples of brands getting it right.    A quick background on memes – they’re concepts, behaviors, or ideas that spread on the internet. A meme can be any type of media format, including a GIF, video, text-post, or basic image. The truly successful memes spread like wildfire. That’s exactly why marketers want to leverage these already viral pieces of creative for their own marketing. Another benefit to meme marketing is that it’s low effort. Most of the work has already been done: It’s being shared all over social media and it has a clear concept. All you have to do is fit the meme to your brand and hit "post." Furthermore, memes help bring communities together. Not only are users tempted to like and comment on them, but they also want to share them. Now that we...

UTM Codes: How to Create UTM Tracking URLs on Google Analytics Crucial aspects of being a great marketer are being able to measure your success and measure your impact. No matter which metrics you use, you want to prove to your boss (and the company) that you're worth your salt. You deserve your budget — and maybe need more of it — and you deserve to dedicate time to the marketing activities that work. Building UTM codes that track your campaigns' success is the best way to prove it. In this blog post, you'll learn what UTM codes are, how to use them, and how to build them in both Google Analytics and HubSpot. UTM codes are also known as UTM parameters — or tracking tags — because they help you "track" website traffic from its origin. Now, you might be thinking, "Ginny, I have HubSpot, so I already know if my website traffic is coming from Google, email, social media, and similar marketing channels. What does a UTM code tell me that I don't already know?" HubSpot Marketing Hub provides you with these high-level sources of traffic, but UTM also helps you drill down into specific pages and posts within these traffic sources. UTM Code Example If you're promoting a campaign on social media, for example, you'll know how much traffic came from social media. Building a UTM code, however, can tell you how much of that traffic came from Facebook or even a particular post on...

What Is Guerrilla Marketing? 11 Examples to Inspire Your Brand The word "guerrilla," in its written form, seems very intense. It conjures images of rebellion and conflict. Put it next to the word "marketing," and it makes a lot of people ask, "Huh?" But guerrilla marketing isn't some sort of combative form of communication. In fact, it's actually a very unconventional form of marketing in that it raises brand awareness among large audiences without interrupting them. The term itself was created in the early 1980s by the late business writer Jay Conrad Levinson, who wrote several books about guerrilla tactics in a number of professional areas. Of course, at that time, marketing in general looked very different, and while guerrilla marketing is still used today, the ever-growing digital landscape is changing what it looks like. Roots of Warfare When we hear the term “guerrilla marketing,” it’s hard not to think of guerrilla warfare -- which makes sense, since that’s where this style of marketing got its name. In the warfare context, guerrilla tactics depend largely on the element of surprise. Think: “Ambushes, sabotage, raids,” according to Creative Guerrilla Marketing. But how does that translate into the work we do every day? In marketing, guerrilla techniques mostly play on the element of surprise. It sets out to create highly unconventional campaigns that catch people unexpectedly in the course of their day-to-day routines. Budget-Friendly What marketers really enjoy about guerrilla marketing is its fairly low-cost nature. The real investment here is...

The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Campaigns From P&G’s “Thank You, Mom” to American Express’s “Small Business Saturday” to Dos Equis’s “Most Interesting Man in the World,” marketing campaigns have a way of sticking with us long after an impression or purchase. Why is that? Well, campaigns make companies memorable. They promote a focused effort that guides consumers towards a desired action. They also give brands identity, personality, and emotion. Marketing campaigns can do the same for your business. That’s why we’ve compiled this guide — to provide a clear, concise approach to your next campaign. Keep reading to get started or use the links below to jump ahead. Marketing campaigns don’t include all marketing efforts for a brand. In fact, the word “campaign” is defined as “a connected series of operations designed to bring about a particular result.” That’s why politicians campaign for a specific election and militaries campaign for a specific battle. Great marketing campaigns follow a consistent theme and promote a single or focused idea or goal (as we’ll discuss.) For example, every Nike advertisement you see or hear on the way to work probably isn’t part of a campaign. But, if you see a Nike billboard, scroll past a Nike sponsored Instagram post, and receive a Nike email all promoting the same product … you’ve definitely witnessed a marketing campaign. You’ve also probably heard the word “campaign” used for both marketing and advertising. What’s the difference? Advertising is a component of marketing. Marketing...

What is Real-Time Marketing? (In 300 Words or Less) While it might seem like people use delayed media (like streaming services or podcasts) more often, real-time media hasn't come to a halt. Real-time marketing is still a great way to get in front of and convert your audience. In fact, a new report from Monetate and Econsultancy concludes that UK marketers report a 26% increase in conversion rates from real-time marketing. Additionally, a study found real-time marketing not only positively impacts standard marketing goals -- word-of-mouth, attention, preference, likelihood to try or buy -- but it also turbocharges other marketing initiatives, including paid and owned media effectiveness. As marketers, those stats are impossible to ignore. Below, let's learn more about real-time marketing, and then we'll see what it looks like in action. This type of marketing occurs when your company reacts, instead of planning or strategizing a marketing plan for months. That's not to say that you won't have a real-time marketing plan, but it'll be a quicker turnaround. The objective? To connect with your audience and communicate your brand position. You might be able to plan real-time marketing if there's an event or ongoing trend. For example, if you strategize an ad around a current fad, your company might become more appealing to your audience because you understand them. Real-time marketing helps you provide relevant messaging that is tailored to your audience's wants, interests, and needs. One way for marketers to implement a real-time marketing strategy is...