Differentiation
Humor and Serious Can Work Together in Marketing
Have you seen the Idris Elba “Be My Valentine” video making the rounds on social media? If not, oh my, are you in for a treat! For your viewing pleasure: I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling incredibly charitable right now. And that, my friends, is marketing that does its job. Most of us…
Read MoreWhat is Your Favorite bbr marketing Halloween Card?
Each month, bbr marketing will host a vote to find out what tickles your marketing fancy, with results revealed in a follow-up post. Have an idea for one of our surveys? Let us know! Most professionals send out cards to clients to celebrate the winter holidays. That’s a wonderful sentiment and we whole-heartedly encourage everyone…
Read MoreStand Out by Targeting Underserved Markets
by Sarah Warlick, content director So often in marketing, we hear clients asking that old question, “How can I stand out in a crowded professional landscape?” We help them answer it with a variety of customized marketing strategies based on what makes them different. Before we can do that, though, we spend a good…
Read MoreCruising the Fine Line Between Edgy and Unacceptable
by Sarah Warlick, content director Marketing isn’t always black and white. Judgment calls are part of the job when it comes to deciding what works for your audience. One of the challenges in marketing – whether you’re trying to sell shoes, services or Swiss chalets – is finding the sweet spot in your communications.…
Read Morebbr marketing’s Annual Halloween Cards Are Here!
At bbr marketing, we LOVE Halloween. Always ones to embrace being a little different, we started sending out our “holiday” cards a few years ago, causing a stir each time with Halloween trivia, zombie movie posters and a snakes & ladders game. This year we decided to go the digital route and send it…
Read MoreDangers of Cheap Stock Photography
by Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, president I’ve written about the pros and cons of using stock photography before. In some cases it is a great way to communicate a message and take advantage of the “one picture = 1000 words” dictum. It can also be a way to illustrate a point in a blog post…
Read MoreWe’re Celebrating 5 Years in Business!
We’re big kids now – a whole five years old! To commemorate bbr marketing’s 5th anniversary, we decided to celebrate the way most kids do at their fifth birthday parties – with Pin-The-Tail-On-The-Donkey! Our team created custom posters complete with directions (in case you’ve been living under a rock) and cut-out tails for the…
Read MoreDirect Mail Still Works
by Kelly Lucas, marketing and social media manager I recently attended and exhibited at the Society for Marketing Professional Services’ (SMPS) Build Business: Dream Big conference at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. I had some spare time and decided to walk around Downtown Disney, which boasts the world’s largest Disney store. As…
Read MoreKnowing Your Clients’ Industries Builds Their Trust In You
by Sarah Warlick, writer and copy editor Clients expect you to understand your own industry, but you can really impress them by showing you know about their field as well. Sure, you studied accounting, law, engineering or IT in school and your years of professional experience have made you a real expert, if you do say so yourself.…
Read MoreThe Night the Lights Went Out in NOLA
by Kelly Googe Lucas, marketing and social media manager Leave it to the snark masters of the internet to make a 34 minute power outage during Super Bowl 47 the most entertaining 34 minutes of the entire game. As a dyed-in-the-wool Atlanta Falcons fan, I’m still sulking from our defeat to the 49ers a…
Read MoreForget Black Friday – We’re All About Small Business Saturday!
by Kelly Lucas, marketing and social media manager It’s that time of year again. Time to brave the throngs of crazed deal-seekers of Black Friday and shop ‘til you drop! Or, for those slightly less insane and not so hot on getting elbowed for $5 mittens, there’s always Small Business Saturday. What’s that, you…
Read MoreBeware the Scourge of Buzzwords
by Sarah Warlick, copywriter and editor You know the way a buzzing mosquito or a fly stuck in the blinds can drive you crazy? Well here’s another buzz that drives people right up the wall: buzzwords. Every industry has them, and they serve a reasonable communication purpose. For a moment. After that, they’re just…
Read MoreAccounting Humor: Oxymoron or Brilliant Marketing Strategy?
by Sarah Warlick, copywriter and editor The answer can sometimes be a resounding “both” as illustrated by a series of video blogs (vlogs) produced by a creative senior auditor at Brown Smith Wallace in St. Louis, Missouri. Adding video to your company website is an effective way to boost SEO and communicate with new…
Read MoreAn Argument for Original Content
Published in AccountingToday on August 9, 2012 by Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, president I am asked quite frequently about the pros and cons of writing original content – blog posts and newsletter articles mainly – versus purchasing canned articles from a content farm. Right off the bat, I will admit that I understand why so many…
Read MoreLessons in Content Marketing from…The Daily Show?
by Sarah Warlick, writer and copy editor It’s not a professional services firm, but the strategies the show employed to become so successful translate directly to good marketing advice for your firm. As an award-winning comedy/news program, The Daily Show created an unusual niche.It’s been incredibly successful there too, on the air for well over a…
Read MoreHow Can You Be the ‘Most Wanted’ if Your Picture Isn’t on the Post Office Wall?
by Sarah Warlick, writer and copy editor Maybe the post office isn’t the best place for it, but don’t underestimate the importance of having a picture associated with your professional presence. Your website and your social media profiles absolutely need one. But what if you’re shy? You value your privacy, and your mother repeatedly…
Read MoreApplying Blue Ocean Strategy to Social Media
by Kelly Lucas, marketing and social media manager At this point, I’d be willing to bet most readers have heard of Blue Ocean Strategy. Now, whether or not you actually know what it is, that’s a different story. Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) is business theory created by Renee Mauborgne and Chan Kim. In essence, BOS…
Read MoreIs an hour’s work really an hour’s pay?
I had the pleasure of meeting Paul when I spoke at the Thriving Firm Conference in San Diego in October. I was impressed with what he is doing at his firm and asked him to write a guest post for our blog. Enjoy! by Paul Foster, The Business Therapist I had an ongoing debate…
Read MoreSarah Addresses Readers’ Grammar Gripes
by Sarah Warlick, copy editor or grammar geek, whichever you prefer It seems that a lot of people have specific grammar gripes, as well as areas where they’re unsure how to navigate. Perhaps we were each looking out the window in English class on different days. In response to some great comments and questions…
Read MoreHow to Become a High Growth Professional Services Firm
Hinge Marketing recently reached out to us on Twitter, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know them in the last few weeks. I was interested in the research they had done with professional service firms, so agreed to have them guest post on the BBR Marketing blog. Now that I see their results, I’m pretty…
Read More