Writings from Force 5 Basecamp

05/09/22

Do you wish you could be more responsive and personalized in your communications? Wish you could figure out the right sequence of content that’s just right for a buyer and then “set it and forget it.” It may sound like fantasy, but marketing automation here, and easier to get started than you might think. If you’ve ever been curious about

03/31/22

Google has finally announced a date that will bring an end to Universal Analytics,leaving only Google Analytics 4 as your continued free option for website tracking.I’ll let you know what this means and how to prepare in this Marketing Minute.Come July 1st, 2023, your Universal Analytics will no longer be supported, andGoogle is requiring users to use their new property

03/23/22

by Deb DeFreeuw, President & Certified Brand Strategist You may have heard us say “WHO are you, WHAT do you do, and WHY does it matter” when talking about brand? The “WHY” refers to your BRAND SOUL. What exactly is “Brand Soul”? It is what drives your organization, what makes you unique. We helped develop a brand for a manufacturer

02/23/22

by Jim Ragosta, Director of Digital Strategy & Sales YouTube remains the #1 social media platform, and the #2 most visited website domain in the United States, only behind its parent company, Google. (SEMRush) If you want to build your brand, it’s a safe bet that you should be on YouTube, whether that’s with a paid advertisement, or creating content

02/03/22

by Deb DeFreeuw, President and Certified Brand Strategist We know that sustainability and eco-friendly are big buzzwords in our culture, and companies like Patagonia are champions of a circular economy. But what does this mean for the average business, who may or may not be directly connected to a market where sustainability is encouraged? You may know it’s the right

01/27/22

by Jim Ragosta, Director of Digital Strategy & Sales 2022 is going to be the year of your brand.  Times are changing, as are consumers like you and me. How we buy products, gather information, entertain, communicate, etc. all revolve around one thing, your brand. That’s all well and fine, but what do you need to do to make your

01/25/22

Deb DeFreeuw, President/Certified Brand Strategist Setting a Marketing Budget As we start our new year, I would like to talk briefly about typical percentages of revenue that should go be allocated towards setting your marketing budget. For small businesses (revenues of 5 million or less), a common rule of thumb is that B2B (business-to-business) companies should spend about 5% –

01/14/22

By: Dan Vukmirovich, Director of Creative Strategy Today we’re going talk about effectiveness, and what it means in your marketing. Two “M’s” …and maybe a bonus “M” to give you a little bit of marketing advice.  Effective Messaging in Marketing So the first M is Messaging. Are you being effective in your messaging, whether it’s on your website, in your

01/05/22

By: Jim Ragosta, Jr., Digital Media Specialist I recently watched a live press conference of Stellantis featuring CEO Carlos Tavares discussing the transition of Stellantis to a sustainable mobility tech company. Great things are happening with the company, the presentation left me with two takeaways of how this could impact digital marketing efforts.  Stellantis announced a partnership with Amazon to work on improving the consumer experience

06/01/21

By Jeff Murphy Extraordinary customer service is a value that businesses are constantly aiming to achieve. As new technologies are introduced, new opportunities arrive that enable companies to assist their consumers in ways that were previously unimaginable. One recent breakthrough in online customer service has been the implementation of chatbots on company websites. This breakthrough has prompted many a question

05/12/21

By Deb DeFreeuw, President, Force 5 Recently I happened to shop at two different Martin’s Supermarkets in our area and each provided very different experiences. The different experience at each brought to light the importance of brand enculturation. Brand enculturation is making sure that the people on the team understand, believe and live the brand promise. Understanding the promise to

02/17/21

By Jim Ragosta, Digital Media Specialist 2020 was an interesting year for the social media industry. The COVID-19 pandemic led many businesses and people to turn to social media to stay connected, whether that’s through direct or indirect communications. 2020 also brought light to the questions many have had for years surrounding Big Tech in regards to censorship and privacy. And,