How to Turn Bloggers (and Other Influencers) Into Your Brand Champions

Very good overview on how to solicit bloggers and other influencers to be brand supporters. Read the whole article here. How to Turn Bloggers (and Other Influencers) Into Your Brand Champions

Quote:

Influencer marketing is one of the most effective ways to drive sales and grow your brand online. That's because people tend to trust bloggers they follow more than they trust you or your marketing. So, bloggers and other influencers can have a huge impact on your potential customers. 

However, getting bloggers to become your brand champions takes much more than a casual email: You need to take a structured approach to building a long-term relationship. The following nine steps should have you well on your way.

Is Marketing Branding?

Often I talk with clients about the connection between branding and marketing. Almost all the time, there is a great deal of confusion. I bet you, reading this, are a little confused.

This article, Where Marketing Ends, Branding Begins from Kiss Metrics, is a very good, easy to understand overview.

What do most people get wrong?

Misconception #1: Branding is marketing / advertising / promotion / anything to that effect.
Misconception #2: You are the ultimate authority when it comes to your brand.
Misconception #3: There exists a formula for success when it comes to branding.

Do yourself a favor and read the rest of the post...

Wild Drastic Logo Changes

I saved this article in Business Insider a while ago. I am fascinated by how logos have become more and more minimalist over the years. A simple, easy to understand logo is the starting point of any brand.

Certainly not the way they used to do it. Lol.

Read the whole article here:

Honeycomb Consulting Covered in Washington Post

So...I'd like to brag a little bit. LOL.

I was asked to appear on a panel for DC Entrepreneur Week. The topic was on branding and marketing a startup, something that I love to talk about. The other panelists were super engaging and intelligent, so it was a great discussion. Anyway, the Washington Post wrote a short overview of the event, with a quote from yours truly.

Read it here: 5 take-aways from DC Entrepreneurship Week’s panel on “Creating a Loyal Brand”

Reading List - June 7

Here are the articles and posts I've been reading...quite a hodgepodge. Read anything interesting lately? Send me the link at jeff@honeycomb-consulting.com

B-to-g marketers leverage social media to build relationships with federal employees - Direct Marketing News


The 5 Pillars of Social Media Strategy by Brian Solis, on the Networking Exchange Blog

Top 50 #Mobile Twitter Influencers by Jen Cohen on SAP's mobile blog

The 8 Keys to Successful Branding - Why 'Mad Men' and Whisky Are Not Going To Cut It by Matt Symonds, Forbes


Why the surge in obesity? - Consider the Evidence

Summary- the obesity epidemic started in 1980. The only variable changed around the same time is Calories in the Food Supply. Everything else that can plausibly explain the nation's weight gain- levels of exercise, hours spent TV watching, sedentary jobs, daily commutes in cars- aren't correlated with the change in adult obesity rates around 1980. Basically, everyone in America started eating more, a lot more, around 1980.

St. Bernanke's Fight Against the Deflation Dragon By Lance Roberts of Streettalk Live

Excuse me for geeking out on the economics front for a moment, but this is an excellent article on, what I think is a very much overlooked part of our troubles, the collapse of the velocity of money, which has happened despite the huge increase in the supply of money. Something for all you tea partiers to chew on...

Plus, for all you 99%-ers, check out this chart:

Kind of hard to blame rising inequality on recent events, when this is a trend that started in the late 1970's. Which is also when people started eating too much and getting fat. Coincidence? Correlation?

Why working-class people vote conservative - Jonathan Haidt, The Guardian

And check out the middle finger on the gentleman's book cover. LOL

All Men Can’t Jump - David Stipp, Slate

Quote:

There's no denying it—our kind started substituting brains for brawn long ago, and it shows: We can't begin to compete with animals when it comes to the raw ingredients of athletic prowess. Yet being the absurdly self-enthralled species we are, we crowd into arenas and stadiums to marvel at our pathetic physical abilities as if they were something special. But there is one exception to our general paltriness: We're the right honorable kings and queens of the planet when it comes to long-distance running.