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Author: John Bracamontes

Do you value getting “The Work” done?

It’s one of the things we constantly talk about in our office.  If you’re not getting the work done, you are accomplishing nothing.

Sounds like an obvious statement right?  It is.

BUT…

Many companies do not hold true to this philosophy when it comes to their content marketing. They Literally DO NOTHING!

Why?

  • Fear of Imperfection
  • Believing they don’t know enough about digital to do it
  • Thinking that no one will care what they have to say
  • And Worst of All The Belief that it doesn’t work (it does work by the way)

Putting together a strategic content strategy based on what your customers and prospects are looking for and talking about online is much easier than you think, costs less than you probably imagine and returns greater results than you would expect.

Simply Attack the Content Marketing Process

Here’s a good video we like to share by our friend Ben Newman on Attacking the Process.

 

Want to learn more about Strategic Content Marketing?
Download our “7 Keys to B2B Content Marketing” Below.

    Lauren Lowe Account Manager

    We are Excited to Announce the Newest Acumen Team Member Lauren Lowe!

    Lauren is coming on as an Associate Account Manager to help us be even more Awesome for the companies we work with.

    We ask her a few questions so that you can get to know Lauren a little better.

     

    Where are you from?

    I am from Guam. I have lived in Illinois and Missouri for the past 8 years, but my home is Guam.

     

    What are some things you enjoy doing (besides working)?

    I enjoy my down time with my dogs and friends. If the weather is nice, I like to be outside hiking, biking, and doing photography. If its not, then I cook. I make a really good banana bread.

     

    Favorite Movie Genre?

    Action and Superhero. Growing up my dad got me really into movies that have some historical base and I have been a huge fan of super hero movies. I am excited for the next Avengers movie to come out.

     

    Favorite Type of Music?

    Reggae and island. Growing up in Hawaii and Guam, that was we listened to. It always puts me in a good mood.

     

    Place you’d like to visit?

    I’d like to visit Switzerland.

    Growing up I was exposed to many cultures, and I had gone to China back in 2013. So Switzerland is a place I want to go because I have never been to any European country.

    Drink of Choice?

    Coffee. Lots of coffee.

     

    Favorite Restaurant?

    That’s a tough one. I love food. Hands down right now my favorite restaurant is the Sushi Station in Webster Groves. They offer other Japanese cuisine aside from sushi.

    It’s Official!

    We’d like to give a big Welcome to Scott Foster for joining the team as the new Sr. Acquisition Partner.

    We always like to get a little more info to share with you about our team so keep reading to learn more about Scott.

    Where are you from?

    Born in Myrtle Beach South Carolina but now reside in the beautiful St. Charles Missouri

     

    What are some things you enjoy doing (besides working)?

    I enjoy hanging out with my awesome soon to be 5 year old son. He keeps me pretty entertained! Besides him I enjoy golfing and being with family.

     

    Favorite Movie Genre:

    I enjoy action/suspense films. Something to keep you guessing.

     

    Favorite Type of Music:

    I listen mostly to different podcast but when it comes to music it would be more country than anything other

     

    Place you’d like to visit?

    Australia would be a fun adventure!

     

    Drink of Choice?

    During the day I enjoy coffee and water but when it comes to a little fun I enjoy a nice vodka sprite!

    Many marketers for years have wasted the time of other marketers and cost businesses countless dollars from unproductive time spent on tasks that won’t produce results.

    This isn’t some in-depth piece on the details of how this happens.

    This is a Public Service Announcement to all business and marketing professionals to stop letting under performing marketers waste your time.  Demand efficiency and demand results.

    We don’t waste time, We get work Done!

    Have you struggled to figure out how to brand / re-brand your company?  Or even wondered if doing it is a waste of time?

    We don’t consider ourselves a Branding Agency but we are experts at knowing where your company lands in the spectrum of branding needs.

    Here’s a Fact!

    If you were to talk to a creative / branding agency today they will tell you that…

    • You need to do research
    • Create a messaging & positioning strategy
    • Build the creative

    Makes sense right? It sure does, but wow, that’s generic!

    Then they’ll speak to the success of big brands.  They will always reference Apple, then talk about other huge brands like Nike and others.

    Here’s another Fact!

    Apple didn’t become how it is today overnight.  Neither did Nike or any other huge brand.

     

    This is a typical journey of a company from startup to mature leading brand.

    1. Company starts – No one knows you who are or how good your product / service is
    2. Company gets sales – The company has the ability to keep going
    3. Company grows – Now more sales are achieved and needed to get bigger
    4. Company is bigger – More people know about the company through sales and word or mouth
    5. Company matures – Refines processes, products and services in a consistent way
    6. Company is defined – People now know the company by it’s name, logo, products, services, etc.

    Most companies hang out at stages 2, 3 and 4.

    You get very little benefit from Apple-level branding until your ready to move into stage 5 of maturing the company.

    Of course you need to differentiate your company, define your goals and have a clean & consistent visual identity.

    But to over focus on your message and position in early stages can only help so much.

    If you’re company is in stage 3 or 4 then you need to focus on strategic deployment of your company, products and services.

    Sales focused messages that are put directly in front of the people that best fit your ideal customer profile and those searching for the products & services you provide.

    There’s a Branding for that!

    And it’s not the overthinking of which adjectives to use when describing how you provide the best services and deliver the best products.

    *As a side note that’s pretty much every branding agency’s process. Figure out a way to say how you’re different, provide the best service and have the best products in a way that makes you feel good about the process you just went through and paid for.

     

    By researching online what customers pain points are, how they search for the products & services you sell and what other industry authorities are saying on these topics you can create a content strategy that answers their questions, get’s you found and “brands” you as a go to resource and provider of exactly what your customers are looking for.

    This will grow your sales, your brand and your reputation (which ultimately is a part of your brand).

     

    Contact us to learn more about how we can Brand you into more sales!

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      We are Excited to welcome Aykut Ibrisim to the team as a new Sr. Marketing Strategist!
      His experience is strong, his attitude for winning is stronger.
      Learn a little bit more about Aykut.

      Where are you from?
      I’m actually from  Turkey – Istanbul, but I’ve been living in St. Louis for almost 4 years now.

       

      Where did you Graduate from? (College / High School if not college grad)
      I  had my BA in Public Relations and Advertising from Istanbul Bilgi University.

       

      What are some things you enjoy doing (besides working )?
      I recently began producing Podcasts and I really enjoy learning different things, meeting with different people with each show. I love making and upscaling things such as turning vintage cameras into lamps, bringing old bikes back into life.

       

      Favorite Movie or Movie Genre?
      Good old Star Wars series are the best. Give me all Dystopian movies 🙂

       

      Favorite Type of Music?
      I am a fan of Blues from the heart. But my Spotify lists are mostly filled with Indie Rock.

       

      Place you’d like to visit?
      There are too many places I would like to visit in States which makes me very excited but I am really looking forward to visiting Grand Canyon.

       

      Drink of Choice?
      During the day always trying to keep hydrated with plenty of water. But in terms of enjoying the moment with friends and family, The Old Fashioned is my first choice.

      Facebook ads are typically a part of most successful B2B digital marketing & content marketing campaigns.
      This platform has become increasingly more complex over the years, but is very powerful at getting in front of prospective customers.

      To guarantee you’re maximizing ad spend and generating High ROI from your Facebook Ad Efforts we wanted to make sure you had a guide that would give you the best advice possible in making that happen.

      • Only 2 out of 9 B2B companies that run Facebook ads have a strategy
      • 79% of B2B Marketers say Facebook Ads are one on the best places to target buyers
      • 87% of B2B Facebook ads generate at least a 5X return when used in combination with a strategy

      If you are wondering why your current Facebook Ads haven’t produced the ROI you hoped for then take a look at these B2B Social Media recommendations for Facebook Ads in our easy to follow guide.

      Download Your B2B Facebook Ads Bidding Guide

        Preston Keller is the Vice President at Kingdom Capital.

        Preston is currently the Vice President at Kingdom Capital and Former Vice President of Business Development at Adaraz BioSystems.

        Through his strategic leadership organization have grown exponentially leading successful capital raises and growing winning teams.

        Leaders in Business & Marketing.

         
        Leaders in Business and Marketing iTunes

        Leaders in Business and Marketing Stitcher

        We love hearing from the Experts!

        You’re talking to customers everyday and are hearing their questions, concerns, wants and needs.

        We are writing a collaborative article that features You and what you are seeing / hearing in the industry today.

         

        OUR QUESTIONS TO YOU ARE

        What are current and prospective customers asking for most often of you?

        What helps your current and prospective customers better understand your capabilities?

        What is the most common way new and prospective customers order from you?

         

        Below is a form that if you could fill in these answers below we will feature you and your answers in our upcoming Print Professionals Q&A Article!

         

         



          Best Way to clarify your capabilities to customers? (required)
          Phone ConversationYour WebsitePhysical Packet or FlyerDigital PDF Sales Sheet

          The most common way customers order from you? (required)
          Phone ConversationForm on your WebsiteOnline Customer Portal

          Apple’s iOS 11 will now have a native installation of a QR Code reader built into the camera.

          QR code usage was never really that strong due to the need for using a 3rd party app to scan them.

          The journey went something like this:  A company adds a QR code to some information or engagement piece, the user has to find and download a QR reader, then has to scan the code and finally land on the piece.

          Now all the user has to do is open their camera and click!

          This is huge for Commercial Printing Company Marketing because now it makes sense to add QR to direct mail, brochures, flyers, posters, etc.

          What are your thoughts?