Millennials Want Stories Not Just Ads

By David Mills
on August 17, 2016

Story Collaborative recently completed a series of focus groups on millennial with the assistance of Honestly Magazine and the team at Workforce & Community Education from Germanna Community College. Focus group participants provided insights into their habits, preferences and life challenges which we combined with other research to shed light on strategies for effective business communication. This is the first of several articles.

4 Ways to Make Your Brand Story Count (Start with Employees)

By David Mills
on August 03, 2016

If you listen to what Jeff Bezos of Amazon says about our brands, you’ll probably agree: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

Your Brand Story

The story part of the brand is important too because the impressions that people have and share about our companies aren’t just fleeting observations-- they are stories that get told over and over again, woven into the broader life narratives that people remember and take with them into all of their relationships.

Working Well with Your Designer

By David Mills
on May 12, 2016

We live in a visually demanding world -- we need graphics for almost everything in marketing. That means involvement with designers is a part of daily life. It's especially true if you're committed to keeping on-brand web content, emails, and social posts. I've learned a few things about working with designers in the last 10 years. (At least they don't laugh at me quite as often.) In this short video, Amy Alexander, our brand guru (not self proclaimed), shares some of the common questions that she gets working with business and organizational leaders.

SEO Packages Need Content to Thrive

By David Mills
on May 06, 2016

The web marketing world is full of SEO (search engine optimization) offers. They often tell stories of wild new amounts of business using back room magic. One that was shared recently promised 111% more traffic in just 14 days! Usually more web traffic is better, but SEO packages that deal only with structure and links miss the reality of customer behavior---especially if they resort to risky or unethical tactics. Without addressing what the web searcher finds when they arrive on a site, SEO can miss the main point of building valuable web traffic that creates real customers. Both the search engines and potential buyers are looking for valuable content.

A Powerful Sales Pipeline is Driven by Brand Stories

By David Mills
on March 28, 2016

We need marketing that truly connects in order to deliver qualified customers. An effective sales funnel that doesn’t feel like sales at all comes from the warmth of an engaging story. In turn, those story-based activities deliver customers who are engaged with the experience - engaged with you. With so many media choices, allowing customers to experience your brand story from the beginning—while still ensuring the greatest number of qualified leads from our marketing investment—can be a challenge.

People Keep Breaking My Sales Funnel

By David Mills
on February 20, 2016

Our assumptions about how to manage sales and marketing, along with our sales funnel, have to change to fit new buyer behaviors that have been shaped by technology.

Another Take on SMART Marketing

By David Mills
on February 16, 2016

The SMART acronym has been applied to objectives in a variety of fields. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely goals have made project management, performance evaluation, and even marketing more effective. When you are setting goals for your marketing, "SMART" is the way to go.

Growth Marketing and the Magic Moment of Local Search

By David Mills
on February 15, 2016

Local search services allow businesses to meet customers in the "magic moment of search." Searching online may no longer seem like magic to the customer who has become accustomed to using their phone, tablet, or laptop to shop or find services, but it is magic when a business finds a ready customer through local search. Google's mission is to match up consumer intent in the immediate moment of their search, and local seo services can help organizations meet the consumer in that moment.

Why Mobile Ready is Key for Local SEO Services

By David Mills
on February 15, 2016

Local SEO services help your business appear at top of the page for the large percentage of searches that Google tags as "local." But here's the kicker--the majority of those searches are being completed on mobile devices. Google's explanation goes like this, “more Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries, including the US and Japan."

3 Ways to Own Your Smart Marketing

By David Mills
on February 15, 2016

Finding the right mix for your marketing budget requires ongoing vigilance and regular adjustments. The shift toward digital media has pushed many organizations into a significant learning curve that can result in smart marketing.  Much of the decision-making ends up being a wrestling match between "what we’ve always done" and attractive new opportunities. Beyond the tactical decisions over how much to allocate to various media, there lies a bigger opportunity.