Printing Impressions Tom Marin

Social Media or Social Mess?

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:52:15 EDT

By Tom Marin
This diagram was shown at a recent marketing launch showcasing a suite of new media measurement tools as reported in Business Media. It visually presents the current social media landscape as it relates to those who use social media in their...

How NOT to Approach Strategic Marketing

Fri, 18 May 2012 14:49:31 EDT

By Tom Marin
There are ways that you can absolutely guarantee that your strategic marketing and related communications will be ignored by your key prospects. During a recent brand review, I came across a prospective customer who had been contacted by our...

Five Big Strategies to Gain a Bigger Market Slice in 2012

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:29:41 EDT

By Tom Marin
No one has a crystal ball into what 2012 will continue to bring for business, which is why we all look back for context and ahead to try and project best strategies going forward. It’s tough not to see a few big trends. Marketing has taken...

Three Things You Need to Know About Self-Promotion

Fri, 04 May 2012 08:30:46 EDT

By Tom Marin
If you’re in the marketing business or do your own marketing, you know how difficult self-promotion can be. Due to current market conditions, many business people find themselves working on their own marketing campaigns and branding...

Why Your Strategic Marketing Should not Include the Kitchen Sink

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:19:33 EDT

By Tom Marin
...at least not at first. Two words marketers hate to hear are—opt out. This occurs, of course, when someone decides that what he/she is reading no longer offers enough value to continue. While it is inevitable that some will opt out of...

Better Customer Engagement Boosts Lead Conversions

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:46:20 EDT

By Tom Marin
Complaints about not generating enough sales conversions abound. Perhaps you have heard or seen the daily requests from companies that are looking for an “Experienced business development director” who can bring in the bacon! I receive...

Playing It Safe with Marketing Budgets Carries Its Own Risks

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:24:42 EDT

By Tom Marin
Having worked on both the agency and corporate sides of the desk, I can attest that most companies are more comfortable sticking to last year’s budget allocations than changing them. There are a variety reasons for this. #INLINE-CHART#...

A Kodak Moment Come and Gone

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:31:58 EDT

By Tom Marin
Keep it forever. Keep it Kodak. Keep me. Protect me. Share me. I want to be fair, but at the same time focus on reality. “Keep me. Protect me. Share me.”—along with the other tagline above—were the words Kodak chose as...

Why Do So Many Brand Programs Fail?

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:29:03 EDT

By Tom Marin
I’m a second-generation brand strategist who has been observing and producing branding programs for three decades. My dad had been a partner in an ad agency in Chicago for 25 years before I got out of college. I remember many Saturday...

10 Simple Rules for Building a Brand Leader

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:54:50 EDT

By Tom Marin
Branding is an ongoing process that cannot be achieved in an afternoon spent reviewing your logo, corporate colors and website design. Rather, we all know that a successful brand is built from a multitude of coherent decisions that grow out of one...

Five Ways to be Better at Handling Difficult Questions

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:52:03 EST

When was the last time you had to respond to a specific criticism about an issue associated with your company or a perceived product defect and you were at a loss for words, realizing that your response needed to be carefully phrased? Difficult...