CaliberPulse

In these uncertain times, companies from small businesses to major brands are turning to digital marketing and social media to offer valuable content, build brand credibility and engage with audiences. Consumers across the globe have dramatically increased their reliance on technology. So, including these tactics in your marketing strategy enables you to access to nearly […]

April 28, 2020

Now more than ever, your customers are being bombarded with messages from your competitors demanding their attention and motivating them to open their wallets. When consumers are presented with competing choices to your offerings that appear equal in price, benefits and quality, one sure way to stand out from your competition and gain customer loyalty is to support a charitable cause that your customers care about.

August 18, 2011

Clients and seminar attendees frequently ask us when the best time to send email and post social media content is. The answer often depends on the business and the target market, but data have been released that reveal timing patterns of email and social media engagement. We recently participated in a HubSpot webinar discussing this very topic. Here are seven valuable suggestions.

April 26, 2011

We have yet another answer for the ever-present challenge of how to stimulate more interaction on Facebook. Facebook recently introduced a new feature that allows page administrators to build interaction by polling. This added feature allows social site managers to not only survey their fans to find useful information, but it can also be used to reinforce message strategy via questions.

April 12, 2011

Research on eco-marketing has shown that women and men receive “green” messaging very differently. For marketers promoting green products, it is important to note this key challenge to creating messaging. Let’s take a brief look at consumer perceptions on the “green movement,” and why marketers must make note of these major incongruities. According to a recent survey from Crowd Science’s Just Ask!, women are the primary household spenders (80-85 percent of retail consumer goods) and prefer to be spoken to as a caretaker concerned about the fate of their environment. Unlike most men, women are driven by product reviews, real life improvements, and what it means to them and their families to live a sustainable lifestyle.

March 10, 2011

Over the last decade, marketers have focused on moms as the primary shopper and decision-maker of most households. With the emergence of mommy bloggers and followers coinciding with an unabashed admission of female buying power, more marketing and PR professionals began focusing campaigns on these consumers. Where did this leave dads? Some dads report feeling ignored by brand ad campaigns. A recent Yahoo study about dad consumers is turning heads and should influence some retail marketers to expand their target audiences. Some of the misconceptions that researchers found about dads are: 1. Dads don’t do housework. 2. Dads aren’t interested in retail shopping. 3. Dads don’t sway spending on household products. 4. Dads don’t share brand choices with peers. 5. Dads don’t do brand research.

February 22, 2011

Signs that conspicuous consumption is passé abound, even as business sees an upturn in consumer spending. Savvy businesses will seize the opportunity of an economic rally dovetailing with price-sensitivity to build brand loyalty. The Wall Street Journal reported April 26 that first-quarter sales show a second consecutive period of gains with consumer-oriented companies, retailers and restaurants enjoying increased sales. By some measures, these trends indicate the economy is pulling out of recession. However, amid upward economic trend reports, value remains a top priority and thriftiness is a virtue. The frugality is chic and evident in everyday conversations when pricey vacations are discussed in apologetic tones and a compliment on a designer bag is quickly dismissed with “got it at the outlet store with a coupon.”

April 29, 2010

Do you know who your competitors are? Would your customers provide a similar response if asked the same question about you? Have the fluctuations in the economic climate changed the competitive situation for your company? Theodore Levitt’s landmark article “Marketing Myopia,” first published in 1960 in the Harvard Business Review, implores us to think of our competitive set in terms of the need we are filling or the problem we are solving for our customers, as opposed to an orientation towards the products and services we are offering. One of Levitt’s examples — rail companies that incorrectly considered themselves as being in the railroad industry rather than in the transportation industry— demonstrates the shortsightedness that made railroads ill-equipped to handle challenges from the airline and automotive sectors. It is an ideal time to start asking questions to ensure that your company doesn’t succumb to a similar fate. Consumer decision-making seems to be shifting from wants and toward needs.

January 13, 2010