“Brand me!” It’s the phrase new businesses say to marketing professionals hoping to build a successful brand. Marketing agencies helped national corporations like Pepsi, Coke, and Kraft establish their brands, so it makes sense for a new business to ask a marketing company for branding. The problem with this perception is that brands aren’t created […]
Branding


4 Fresh Technologies That Will Rescue You From Your Branding Rut
There’s no denying that digital marketing is at its peak — the problem is, many of the platforms we use have plateaued. As we strive to find innovation in branding, it may be time to look past what’s already been established to make something new of our own. As consumers become savvy to how brands […]

Why Your Business Needs Copyrights
Savvy business owners understand the importance of intellectual property (IP) to their business’ success and most can name patents, trademarks, and copyrights as some of the various forms that IP can take. But the distinctions between copyrights, patents, and trademarks is often confusing and misunderstood, even by business people that regularly deal with IP. But not […]

Trademark Protection for Startups
As a startup one of your most important assets is your brand and that brand is usually embodied in your company name and logo. The valuable time that you invested in coming up with just the right creative name and developing the branding and marketing around that company name is impossible to measure. After creating […]

How These Three Entrepreneurs Made a Million Dollars on a $35 Weebly Site
So you want to be a millionaire? Well, turns out it’s not as hard as it used to be. Entrepreneurs with niche products like spherical ice cube molds and edible vegan cookie dough are raking in the other kind of dough with thousands of orders rolling in to an online store they built themselves (one […]

Jive Founder Backs New-School Engagement Platform
Founding Jive Software CEO Dave Hersh defined the enterprise community and collaboration category from 2001 up to the company’s 2011 IPO. Since then, the space has changed dramatically as businesses have realized the importance of building engaging, valuable communities of professionals and supporters. So it may come as a surprise to learn Hersh recently acquired […]

How to File an International Trademark When You’re Ready to Take Your Business Global
Congratulations on eyeing the international market for your business growth. We are living in an age of globalization and more and more companies are recognizing the profitability of taking their products and service offerings globally at a relatively small incremental cost. It is an easy calculus to recognize that international consumers are able to be […]

4 Email Personalization Tactics That Are Sure to Get Clicks
Email is a notoriously fickle channel. Something as simple as tweaking the subject line can be the difference between an 8 percent or an 80 percent open rate. Companies that get it right earn an average of $38 per dollar spent, the most of any marketing channel. But for every success story, there are half […]

In a High-Tech World, Do Businesses Overlook the Value of Heritage?
“Authenticity” has likely been mentioned more than once in any modern company boardroom. And for good reason: A 2017 study from Cohn & Wolfe revealed that 91 percent of consumers reward “authentic” companies for their behavior, purchasing their goods or recommending them to others. But all of the strategizing and positioning that goes on behind […]

The Hidden Growth Area that Successful Companies Are Investing In
What would you guess is the world’s most in-demand field? Healthcare? Data science? Accounting? Believe it or not, it’s customer success. According to LinkedIn data, the ratio of jobs to current workers is 32.5 percent for customer success managers. For perspective, that ratio is 31 percent for data scientists and barely 1 percent for mature […]

In an Experiential-Obsessed Marketplace, Surkus Uses Tech to Stand Out
Experiences have flooded the marketplace. Whether they’re investing in pop-up stores or festivals, brands have recognized the major shift happening. The IPA Bellwether Report found that in the U.K., experiential marketing was the only area to experience significant growth in spend in 2017 besides internet marketing. Similarly, EventTrack found that American consumers gravitated toward the […]

Killer Marketing Plan For Startup Entrepreneurs
Why break the bank for your marketing needs when you can brainstorm your way to a killer marketing plan? The best marketing ideas come simple and cheap but these ideas do not come out of the blue. Your actual business plan will require an out-of-the-box, innovative thought process. You’ll want to get your marketing wheels […]

Your Swag is an Extension of Your Brand, So Don’t Neglect It
The true origins of the word swag are unknown. Swag means a few different things, but in the corporate world it typically refers to promotional products. You know, that stuff you get handed when you walk around the expo hall at conferences. All those pens, flash drives, stickers, and cheap sunglasses are used as giveaways […]

Data is the Future of Brand Identity
Brands have always used a host of different tools, from advertising to product design, to clearly define themselves to their audiences. They understand that without communicating their voice, values, mission and approach, many brands would feel largely interchangeable. Sure, Nike makes sneakers and apparel for athletes, with a message that speaks to speed, design, and […]

Data is the Future of Brand Identity
Brands have always used a host of different tools, from advertising to product design, to clearly define themselves to their audiences. They understand that without communicating their voice, values, mission and approach, many brands would feel largely interchangeable. Sure, Nike makes sneakers and apparel for athletes, with a message that speaks to speed, design, and […]

The Hidden Growth Area that Successful Companies Are Investing In
What would you guess is the world’s most in-demand field? Healthcare? Data science? Accounting? Believe it or not, it’s customer success. According to LinkedIn data, the ratio of jobs to current workers is 32.5 percent for customer success managers. For perspective, that ratio is 31 percent for data scientists and barely 1 percent for mature […]

4 Email Personalization Tactics That Are Sure to Get Clicks
Email is a notoriously fickle channel. Something as simple as tweaking the subject line can be the difference between an 8 percent or an 80 percent open rate. Companies that get it right earn an average of $38 per dollar spent, the most of any marketing channel. But for every success story, there are half […]

How to File an International Trademark When You’re Ready to Take Your Business Global
Congratulations on eyeing the international market for your business growth. We are living in an age of globalization and more and more companies are recognizing the profitability of taking their products and service offerings globally at a relatively small incremental cost. It is an easy calculus to recognize that international consumers are able to be […]

In an Experiential-Obsessed Marketplace, Surkus Uses Tech to Stand Out
Experiences have flooded the marketplace. Whether they’re investing in pop-up stores or festivals, brands have recognized the major shift happening. The IPA Bellwether Report found that in the U.K., experiential marketing was the only area to experience significant growth in spend in 2017 besides internet marketing. Similarly, EventTrack found that American consumers gravitated toward the […]

Killer Marketing Plan For Startup Entrepreneurs
Why break the bank for your marketing needs when you can brainstorm your way to a killer marketing plan? The best marketing ideas come simple and cheap but these ideas do not come out of the blue. Your actual business plan will require an out-of-the-box, innovative thought process. You’ll want to get your marketing wheels […]

Your Swag is an Extension of Your Brand, So Don’t Neglect It
The true origins of the word swag are unknown. Swag means a few different things, but in the corporate world it typically refers to promotional products. You know, that stuff you get handed when you walk around the expo hall at conferences. All those pens, flash drives, stickers, and cheap sunglasses are used as giveaways […]

Jive Founder Backs New-School Engagement Platform
Founding Jive Software CEO Dave Hersh defined the enterprise community and collaboration category from 2001 up to the company’s 2011 IPO. Since then, the space has changed dramatically as businesses have realized the importance of building engaging, valuable communities of professionals and supporters. So it may come as a surprise to learn Hersh recently acquired […]

How These Three Entrepreneurs Made a Million Dollars on a $35 Weebly Site
So you want to be a millionaire? Well, turns out it’s not as hard as it used to be. Entrepreneurs with niche products like spherical ice cube molds and edible vegan cookie dough are raking in the other kind of dough with thousands of orders rolling in to an online store they built themselves (one […]

Why Your Business Needs Copyrights
Savvy business owners understand the importance of intellectual property (IP) to their business’ success and most can name patents, trademarks, and copyrights as some of the various forms that IP can take. But the distinctions between copyrights, patents, and trademarks is often confusing and misunderstood, even by business people that regularly deal with IP. But not […]

Trademark Protection for Startups
As a startup one of your most important assets is your brand and that brand is usually embodied in your company name and logo. The valuable time that you invested in coming up with just the right creative name and developing the branding and marketing around that company name is impossible to measure. After creating […]

4 Fresh Technologies That Will Rescue You From Your Branding Rut
There’s no denying that digital marketing is at its peak — the problem is, many of the platforms we use have plateaued. As we strive to find innovation in branding, it may be time to look past what’s already been established to make something new of our own. As consumers become savvy to how brands […]

How To Brand Yourself Through Your Dedication And Value
“Brand me!” It’s the phrase new businesses say to marketing professionals hoping to build a successful brand. Marketing agencies helped national corporations like Pepsi, Coke, and Kraft establish their brands, so it makes sense for a new business to ask a marketing company for branding. The problem with this perception is that brands aren’t created […]

In a High-Tech World, Do Businesses Overlook the Value of Heritage?
“Authenticity” has likely been mentioned more than once in any modern company boardroom. And for good reason: A 2017 study from Cohn & Wolfe revealed that 91 percent of consumers reward “authentic” companies for their behavior, purchasing their goods or recommending them to others. But all of the strategizing and positioning that goes on behind […]