Influencer marketing has been in the spotlight for strong marketing trends the past year. It is a form of marketing that focuses on targeting key individuals or brands rather than the entire target market. In a world where consumers are increasingly distrusting of advertisements and corporate messages, influencer marketing offers a refreshing escape. The bombardment of competing, contrived marketer messages only serves to amplify consumer cynicism. In contrast, recommendations from influencers appear to be more credible and authentic – they don’t come off as messages spearheaded by big corporate agendas. The market influence often stems from recognized expertise, popularity, or …

Together WE can change the world. For those who are not aware, WE Day is an extraordinary event structured to empower and encourage youth in making a difference. The mission has a simple purpose, to empower young people to change the world. The celebration depicts stories of compassion, bravery and strength with positive vibes that quickly spread from the speakers and throughout the audience. With energy, laughter, and tears this event quickly pulls you out from the distractions of the everyday hustle and sends you into an atmosphere of support and excitement for change. As an adult, you would know …

You are losing sales – big time. It may seem harsh to hear but it is so true. If at this point in the progression of smart phones, where the technology is practically an extension of one’s self, you have not considered the gravity of mobile optimization – we can’t help but wonder where you have been. Mobile optimization is most defiantly past its tipping point, but here we are, still stressing the importance of mobile optimized websites. Again, perhaps harsh, but as users ourselves we are surprised to find so many websites that do not provide the same great …

Leads leads leads These days there is plenty of online encouragement reminding you that the key to success is to attain more leads. But if we recall, there is and always has been cost involved in gaining leads. This is not to deter from its importance, because yes – it is key; there is great value and potential associated with utilizing content marketing, advertising, SEO (search engine optimization) and adwords. Without these costs you are stranded, unable to reach your targeted audience. There would be no online lead generation at all. However, to unlock the ‘key to success’ with leads …

After reading the article Break your Industry’s Bottleneck by Barrett Ersek, Eileen Weisenbach Keller, and John Mullins it left me curious in a number of areas. If you read the original article, which I suggest you do, you may also find yourself intrigued. Published by the Harvard Business Review this cleverly crafted article is rich in concrete examples and guides readers to understanding one thing – questioning where your industry bottlenecks are. Essentially, the article identifies 5 industry bottlenecks; outdated customer experience, cost categories, customer risk, disengaged employees, and negative externalities. Each industry in theory operates with at least one or …

Sure, playing it safe seems like a smart, reliable and promising path to choose when presented with choice or opportunity but consider what the long term results of playing it safe can have on your career. ‘Your Career’, dramatic I know, but in all seriousness consider how this can stifle drive, creativity or leadership. The very end result of success aspires from the choices that are made in the process of achieving success. If the safe option is always selected what advances are to be made? By playing it safe, creativity is overlooked, thinking out side of the box is …

After you navigate your way through the interviewing process you are going to select the best possible candidate for the job – at least we hope you will. But before you disregard the applicant fresh out of university or collage you may want to consider some of the perks of hiring the young and impressionable.   Firstly, they are impressionable – and this is a good thing! These candidates come with a clean slate, and a capacity to absorb. Young professionals have no desire to stick to old ways, because there are no old ways! They are eager to adapt …

Social Media for your Business – How to ‘clean up’ your network When you think about social media, what comes to mind? Are you picturing images upon images of silly memes, or scrolling through selfies and over edited ‘artistic shots’? Is every second tweet you read an exaggerated commentary or criticism? If you experience this with not only your personal accounts but also your company profiles, it may be worth your time to clean up your network. For some people, the consistent flow of irrelevant information on their social media feed is something they have simply become accustom too. Many …