Creative Stream Marketing

Once again, Elon Musk is making awful marketing decisions at X pushing users to rival social networking apps. He decided to change what happens when users block each other on the app. Historically, if you blocked someone on Twitter (note how many people still refer to it as Twitter...) they could no longer see your account, your posts, or interact with you in any way. For seemingly no reason, Musk decided to allow blocked users to see the accounts and activity of other users who blocked them. They still can't interact with the posts, but this kind of defeats the purpose. Within 24 hours, 500,000 users went to Bluesky. When companies make poor changes without putting their audience first, the audience leaves. https://lnkd.in/er-YxPWB

According to a recent Financial Times article, the number of C-suite professionals using LinkedIn has increased by over 35% in the last five years. CEOs have specifically been posting 23% more from last year to this year. Regardless of whether the increase is due to AI adoption or changing beliefs and behaviors of those in c-level positions, this is something to take note of for marketers. If your company is not leveraging your CEO on LinkedIn, you are missing out on a great way to amplify your brand's reach and voice on LinkedIn. https://lnkd.in/e3n9iSB5

Are buzzwords and clichés useful in marketing? It turns out, they aren't. That's not that shocking. Buzzwords and clichés are often annoying and overused. They also can confuse and obscure your message. When it comes to marketing your B2B products and services, remember to use plain, simple language. Avoid fluff at all costs and clearly communicate what you want your audience to understand. https://lnkd.in/eZQQ8PaN

How many ads do we see a day? An outdated but often quoted study found that it was somewhere around 362 per day. That was back in 2014, though. It is likely much higher than that now. However, the study also found that, on average, only 12 of those 362 could be recalled. A different study found that long taglines using rare words are more memorable, but often less liked. The takeaway? It is much harder to be memorable. Brands that use a slogan in their ads must consider the end goal. Do you want the ad to be liked, or do you want people to remember it? It's a tough decision. If people remember your ad but don't like it, they probably won't buy from you anyway. Instead, find ways to make ads that are memorable AND likable. Most ads use a mix of design and copy. Leverage psychological truths, like the Von Restorff effect, in your designs to make them more memorable. According to the Von Restorff effect, people are more likely to remember something that stands out from the rest, compared to items that fade into the background. Use color, whitespace, and other design elements to make words or brand assets stand out.

Even if you love your job, you can still struggle with workplace anxiety. And that's ok. It happens to more people than you might think. The most common cause? High expectations and pressure. Check out the article for a helpful method to cope with workplace anxiety. https://lnkd.in/eE8tMi8b

Satisficing sounds like a made-up word. Because it is. It was coined by an economist named Herbert Simon who combined the words "satisfy" and "suffice" to make "Satisficing." This term means to select an option that is good enough for now when an ideal or best possible option isn't available. It describes the next best option available when your preferred option is not. This word is important for marketers because it helps them better understand their target audience. By paying attention to our prospects' choices, we can see what their preferred choices are and what they will choose if they need an alternative solution.

LinkedIn has started using your data and posts to train its AI models. Here's how you can opt-out: 1.) Login (obviously) to LinkedIn 2.) Click on your profile pic in the top right 3.) Click "Settings & Privacy" 4.) Select "Data Privacy" in the sidebar menu on the left. 5.) At the very bottom, select "Data for Generative AI Improvement" 6.) Toggle the option to "Off"

Peter Drucker wrote “You have to produce results in the short term. But you also have to produce results in the long term. And the long term is not simply the adding up of short terms.” He's exactly right. And marketers need to make business executives constantly aware of this. You cannot forgo branding and long-term organic methods in favor of short-term advertising alone. You need both, but if you can only do one, start now on your long-term growth plan that will bring results for years to come.

Earlier this year, Solo Stove fired its CEO for a "failed" campaign. To promote its smokeless fire pits, Solo Stove partnered with rapper Snoop Dog to launch a new brand awareness campaign. The campaign kicked off with a post on X by Snoop announcing he was giving up smoking. The campaign built on this post with other video content showing Snoop in front of Solo Stove products. After only a few months, Solo Stove let its CEO go as a result of the campaign because it "did not lead to the sales lift" the company expected. However, the new CEO claims the campaign was not only a success that resulted in increased brand awareness and sales, but they are doubling down and partnering with Snoop on even more content. "The brand saw a 2.5X increase in unaided brand awareness, a 22% reduction in customer acquisition cost (CAC), a 365% increase in email subscriptions, as well as an improvement in both Amazon (+195%) and Google (+167%) shopping search." As we pointed out in a post before, brand awareness campaigns are not designed to lift sales. However, an effective branding ad can lift sales and also boost awareness if given enough time to aerate. Solo Stove owes the old CEO an apology because they clearly made a mistake in their decision to let them go. And the marketing team needs a raise. https://lnkd.in/eCNgeW9u

The term "brand" is used so often in marketing that it can sometimes lose meaning. Where does that word even come from? The word “branding” is a term marketers borrowed from ranchers who “brand” their special cattle to distinguish them from another rancher’s ordinary cattle. A brand in marketing is much deeper than a logo and color palette. Your brand is the essence of your company. It's how you handle customer service. It's how your services look and feel. It's the tone of your messages and the attitude and emotional ties of your advertising efforts. Your brand is all the stuff that makes you unique, demonstrates your value, and helps you establish a reputation.