Integrated Marketing Fortune Cookies
When you ask communications professionals for advice to keep in mind when creating marketing programs, you get a lot of good suggestions. We recently did that here at Howard, Merrell & Partners and thought it would be fun to share this integrated marketing advice as if they were inside fortune cookies. More »
Happy Donut Day
In case you don’t know, Friday is National Donut Day. Both Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts will be handing out free donuts.
At Dunkin Donuts you’ll have to purchase a beverage to get the gratis goodie (bottled sodas don’t count) while at Krispy Kreme you’ll have your pick of donuts without any purchase.
Though it sounds like a totally made-up holiday, National Donut Day is actually legit. It was begun in Chicago in 1938 by The Salvation Army to honor women who served donuts to soldiers during World War I. So if you didn’t properly reflect on those who served our country on Memorial Day weekend, this is a chance to reflect on those women who served those who serve.
How Companies Can Use Google +1 for Recommendations
Google just announced the +1 feature to bring social recommendations to search. The initial presentation of the button is that it gives people the ability to endorse search results, and share that with their networks. The problem with that idea is that people are unlikely to recommend a search result without clicking through to the page. But the real idea behind the +1 button is that it will be incorporated on web pages and blog posts across the web, and when people in your social network +1 things on the web, they will show up in your search results.
Continue reading on SocialMediaB2B.com
12 Tips to Produce Compelling Video
I recently made a short video for a new business pitch, and there were lots of simple things that I did to make the video better. It was a short leap from reviewing those ideas to writing a post blog about them. These are good reminders for anyone shooting video on a limited budget.
Read the post on SocialMediaB2B.com
Creating a Social Media Point of View
A part of B2B marketing that many people don’t think much about is having a point of view. Traditional marketing textbooks lay out the steps to creating a marketing plan, and marketers have succeeded by following those steps. Nobody had to take a stand for doing it this way or that way. Sure, there may have been a variety of tactics used to meet the goal, but in the end, it followed a similar model that everyone else used.
In the age of social media, things have gotten very different. Many have said that there is no wrong way to do social media. Does that mean that there is no right way to do social media?
Continue reading on Social Media B2B
Storytelling with Instagram Photos
One of the most popular recent iPhone apps is Instagram. This photo sharing application lets users apply interesting filters to photos, attach them to a location and share them with their network within the app and across their other social profiles. Many people focus on the app itself and think of sharing these photos primarily within this new network they have created. They also can be pushed out through Twitter and Facebook, but this drives traffic back to Instagram.
Barton College Clock Tower, Wilson NC
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Anna Agnew Joins Public Relations Department
Account Executive Anna Agnew is the newest addition to our public relations team. In her new role as account executive, Agnew will be responsible for implementing public relations strategic plans, conducting research, social media monitoring and counseling clientele.
Prior to joining Howard, Merrell & Partners, Agnew was a project manager for Direct Impact, a Washington, D.C.-based grassroots communications firm. In that position, she was responsible for developing grassroots strategies to achieve the legislative, brand recognition and crisis communications goals of clients in the healthcare, automotive, agricultural, ethanol, and overnight-delivery industries.
Gear to Grow Selects Howard, Merrell & Partners as Agency of Record
We have been named public relations and social media agency of record for Utah-based Gear to Grow. In this role, the Howard Merrell & Partners’ Public Relations and Social Media team will develop and implement an integrated communications campaign that employs both traditional and non-traditional media relations as well as a social media strategy.
The organization takes gear donations from outdoor retailers and manufacturers and distributes them to non-profit organizations that get people involved in outdoor recreation.
President and CEO Jim Cobb Celebrates 30 Years at Agency
Our President and CEO Jim Cobb recently celebrated his 30th anniversary with the agency.
A farm boy from Vance County, N.C., Cobb pursued a job at Howard, Merrell & Partners because he could relate to agricultural clients like W. R. Grace and Company. Cobb got his start at Howard, Merrell & Partners in 1979 as an intern and joined the agency fulltime in 1981. The agency’s first employee with a Master of Business Administration, Cobb was hired as an account manager, with duties spanning everything from market research to account management. Cobb took the reins as president and CEO in 2004 after serving as an executive for more than 20 years.
Managing Director, Scott Adkins, Joins Agency
We welcome Scott Adkins as Senior Vice President and Managing Director. Adkins will oversee the award-winning agency’s account management team, provide counsel and oversight on client strategies, and lead business development efforts for the full-service advertising and branding agency. Additionally, he will work closely with the department heads to continue to grow and shape the agency.
