The beginning of a new year is a prime time for year-end reviews. For many businesses, it’s the time to review annual budgets, expenditures, goals and traffic, and for good reason. There’s nothing like looking back to look forward, since it helps business owners reflect on strengths and weaknesses and figure out where to lean in or pivot for the year ahead.
Where some businesses go wrong, however, is making the start of a new year the only time they do a check-in. When it comes to their digital presence in particular, business owners would do well to make dedicated time for review sessions not once a year, but every single quarter (at a minimum). The digital space is changing ...
In case you haven’t heard the buzz online, the Google core update that rolled out in August 2024 has had a major impact on page views and user traffic for more than a few websites. As per Google, the update aims to improve search results so they’re geared toward reader service and are “genuinely useful.”
Sounds vague, right? It all ties back to Google’s focus on E-E-A-T, which stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. In other words, page rankings on search aren’t just about SEO, but a whole slew of factors. Now, instead of working on optimizing a page with the likes of keywords and meta text, creators need to also strongly consider things like brand reputation, site longevity ...
If you want to know why brand voice matters to your company’s success, just remember the chicken sandwich wars.
Back in the distant social media past of 2019, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen launched a chicken sandwich. Chick-fil-A apparently took exception to this, tweeting what the New York Times called “a thinly veiled critique” of the new offering.
Thus, the first salvo of the chicken sandwich wars was fired. Within 15 minutes, Popeyes’ Twitter account returned fire with the now-immortal words “…y’all good?”
The tweet went viral, leading to such massive demand for the new Popeyes sandwich that lines formed around the block at local Popeyes restaurants and the company eventually had to concede it had simply run out of the popular offering.
While creating ...
As any business owner today likely knows, social media is a powerful tool. Whether that means setting up a strong Google Business Profile or managing a Facebook page, business professionals need to have a pulse on what their online presence looks like. Unsurprisingly, few platforms garner as much attention as Instagram. For business owners, the photo- and video-based platform can serve as a major asset to help promote products and services or get the word out about new offerings.
Here are a few tips to make the most of the platform:
1 | Craft strong captions with a consistent voice
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but that doesn't mean you should ignore the caption. Instead, use the caption space ...
Every visitor and convention bureau faces the same struggle year after year: how do you promote the same sights, restaurants, shops and venues repeatedly, while still making your content seem fresh?
Luckily, we can help. Here is a list of expert tips on how to keep your travel content compelling from one year to the next.
1 | Add a multimedia component
Even if you publish a print guide (which you should), you can add interest to the guide by linking to videos via QR codes throughout the book. The videos could be behind-the-scenes footage of photo shoots you did for the guide, or a quick, informal tour of a notable local place by one of your staff members.
2 | Tell a ...
Whether you’re a membership association, a nonprofit or an employer in the education or healthcare space, you have important messages to communicate — and stakeholders who need to hear that message.
What better way to keep potential members, donors or alumni engaged with your mission and vision than with a magazine that highlights your needs and accomplishments?
For one, the consistent publication schedule of a magazine means your stakeholders are reminded of both your existence and your value on a regular basis, whether it’s monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly.
Also remember that a beautiful magazine can be a keepsake, lending your message the kind of staying power that’s difficult to achieve in the digital age.
1 | Consider Print vs. Digital
Your magazine could be ...
Having a well-designed website and an active social media presence is a great start. But if you really want to keep customers interested, you’ll need to get creative — and interactive.
Here are some tips to get you started.
1 | Get Your Name Out on TikTok
TikTok is having a major moment as the place to be for brands, but getting it right and getting noticed can be a challenge. Luckily, TikTok itself has put together a guide to success, with tips on how to come across as authentic and creative.
2 | Launch a Customer Loyalty Program
One of the simplest ways to reward loyal customers is with a points program. Let customers earn points for actions like following you on social, ...
Here at TMCC, we put out a lot of publications — magazines, anniversary books, newsletters, membership directories and so much more. With each project, we learn a lot of interesting facts about places and people, so we thought we would share some with you!
1 | A company in Delaware is working on a super-protein that could help feed the world.
In fact, companies in Delaware are working on hundreds of innovative, world-changing ideas, such as using hydrogen as a clean power source and making the IT industry more equitable.
Where we learned it: Innovation Delaware 2022, an annual supplement to the Delaware Business Times.
Read more here!
2 | Baltimore gave birth to both the Star-Spangled Banner and baseball legend Babe Ruth.
The ...
If you’re anything like us, your resolution to hit the gym three times a week is going to fizzle out by mid-February. But when it comes to your business, there are a few resolutions you should work hard to keep.
1 | Take a fresh look at your brand.
What are the values and experiences that define your brand, and are they still relevant to the actual values and experiences you’re hoping to embody? Just as importantly, are they still relevant to what consumers want from a company in your space? If your most recent brand update happened a few years ago — or in reaction to a market trend that might no longer be current — the new year is ...
It’s never been easier to get in touch with your audience. Gone are the days when you were limited to print ads or even email marketing blasts. Today, savvy brands choose to reach out to customers and prospects via content they’ve created themselves (or paid someone to create for them).
But it’s also never been more confusing to choose the right strategy for your brand. There are so many different kinds of content, and each of them serves a different purpose. Here is a short introduction to some of the most common terms, what they mean, and how they help your brand in different ways.
Thought Leadership
As a general rule, this kind of content comes from the top of your organization ...
