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Most Valuable Global Brands 2017: An Infographic

14 Aug

Each year, BrandZ publishes its list of the top 100 global brands. Click here to access the 2017 report, produced by WPP and Kantar Millward Brown: “In its 12th year, this is the most comprehensive study into brand value, grounded in unique attitudinal data from over 3 million consumer interviews. The report includes an in-depth analysis of consumer and business-facing brands across 14 categories as well as the Global Top 100 ranking.”

Here is an interesting look — by Visual Capitalist — at the evolution of the most valuable brands in the world since 2006 (based on BrandZ data):

“A decade ago, the list of the world’s top brands was dominated by old guard names like Coca-Cola and Marlboro. However, the global scale of technology – and today, the top five brands by value are tech-related.”

 

 

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An “Upscale” McDonald’s

10 Aug

McDonald’s is constantly striving to improve itself and to be more distinctive both in the United States and internationally. See, for example, “McDonald’s Honest Self-Assessment – in Public!”

Here’s an example, as reported by Chris Snyder for Business Insider:

“When you think of McDonald’s, you typically think big golden arches and a red roof. This restaurant is much different. A unique McDonald’s in Freeport, Maine was installed inside an old mansion built back in 1850. It maintains the Victorian aesthetic and even offers lobster rolls for the complete New England experience. This is what it’s like.”

 

 
(Video from Business Insider)
 

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How Credible/Authentic is Your Web Site Perceived?

8 Aug

Why do most people trust those whom they know and .org Web sites more than mass media and .com Web sites? In a word: credibility (authenticity) — people’s trust is hard to earn and to retain.

As Bob Hutchins reports for Business 2 Community:

“Did you hear the story about how Kim Kardashian lost 100,000 Instagram followers? Her problem? Authenticity. When it comes down to it, authenticity – or credibility, as it’s referred to in a recent infographic from Content Ranked – affects everything in your business. While, I’m primarily interested in authenticity as it pertains to marketing and communications, the effects of authenticity stretch far and wide across your entire business.”

“You can review the infographic below to check out several ways that the marketing and communication strategies used on your Web site affect your credibility.”

 

 

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Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

2 Aug

This post focuses on marketing tips specifically geared to small businesses, a group that often under-appreciates the importance and availability of marketing practices.

As Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead notes for Small Business Trends:

“You’re a small business owner. You don’t have an endless marketing budget, or an abundance of time that you can spend doing the marketing yourself for the that matter. You do, however, need to market your products or services so as to remain competitive. What do you do? Fortunately, there are plenty of marketing approaches that small business owners can adapt to successfully market their businesses without breaking the bank!”

 
Click the image to read 25 marketing strategy tips for small businesses that are proposed by Pickard-Whitehead.


 

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SEO FAQs: An Infographic with 16 Tips

1 Aug

For many firms, search engine optimization remains a challenge. After all, it can be hard to land on page one in a Google search.

Consider these observations from SEO Jury:

“When was the last time you checked out page three of Google search results? That’s right – never! The majority of users never even go to page two, let alone beyond that. This is why every Web site owner’s dream is to get to the top of the Google search results.”

“New search engine optimization (SEO) strategies are being developed constantly, and the rules of SEO keep changing. This can make it difficult for those new to SEO to keep up with the developments in this area and figure out what the best SEO strategy for their website is. While the history of SEO starts a while ago, we still see millions of people searching for ‘SEO’ every month, which means that there are still plenty of confusing things about SEO that most users are struggling to understand. This is why we bring you this informative infographic about 16 things we still struggle to understand about SEO.”

 


Presented by SEOjury.co.uk

 

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Apple Cuts Back on iPod Product Line

31 Jul

In 1979, the Sony Walkman revolutionized the portable music industry. It was marketed for 30 years; and 400 million units were sold. The Walkman’s decline and ultimate demise was brought on by the Apple iPod, whose first version was introduced in fall 2001. Now after years of great success, like the Walkman, the iPod has seen a steady decline. And last week, Apple announced the withdrawal of the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano. Why? The rapid growth of streaming music.

Consider these observations and the chart below from Statista’s Malin Ridder:

“Apple killed the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano, trimming its portable music players to one model: the iPod Touch. According to Business Insider, Apple confirmed the discontinuation of both devices in an email after they had disappeared from the Apple Store Web site. The announcement doesn’t come as a surprise considering that both iPods haven’t been updated in years and do not support streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify.”

“The decision to further reduce the iPod lineup marks another chapter in the popular music player’s slow but steady decline. When the first iPod was released in fall 2001, it rang in the age of digital music and quickly became Apple’s cash cow. As our chart illustrates, the iPod accounted for as much as 40 percent of Apple’s revenue in 2006, just before the iPhone was released. With the growing popularity of smartphones however, MP3 players were gradually pushed towards obsolescence and iPod sales started declining in 2009. In 2014, the last year Apple broke down iPod sales as a separate category, the company sold 14.4 million iPods, down from nearly 55 million units in 2008.”

 

Infographic: The Slow Goodbye of Apple's Former Cashcow | Statista You will find more statistics at Statista

 

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A Social Media Policy for Employees

27 Jul

Globally, a very important issue facing companies of all types and sizes involves the use of social media by employees. Whether we are considering comments on company social media or observations at personal social media pages, there is a lot to be concerned about. In particular: (1) Is the desired company messaging presented consistently? (2) Do employees post anything that may reflect negatively upon their employers?

Recently, Larry Alton (writing for Social Media Examiner) presented these valuable recommendations:

“Want to help your employees better engage on social media? Wondering how a social media policy can help? A social media policy gives your employees guidelines for interacting with customers and protecting their personal safety, as well as your business’s reputation. In this article, you’ll discover three tips for creating a social media policy for your employees.”

(1) “Explain Who Can Speak for Your Company on Social Media. Your social media policy needs to explain who can or can’t speak on behalf of the company on social media. For example, Walmart has a strict social media policy that prohibits regular employees from answering customer complaints or questions directed toward the company. Walmart has an official social media team specifically for that purpose. However, not all policies have to be as strict as Walmart’s. In fact, a more relaxed policy can still protect your business and generate trust among your staff and fans. Experienced employees who are passionate about customer service may have solid advice to help customers resolve their concerns.“

(2) “Create Detailed Guidelines for Business and Personal Conduct on Social Media. Your social media policy should provide detailed content guidelines for all of your employees who regularly (or occasionally) post on social media as your business. To help employees understand your expectations and create a consistent voice for the business, you can include standard responses to common situations in your policy [such as handling complaints, posting on personal accounts, etc.].”

(3) “Protect Your Employees and Sensitive Business Information. You can’t assume employees know what you consider ‘sensitive information.’ Also, many people share every aspect of their lives on social media. Your policy must clarify what business-related information employees shouldn’t share. You need to prohibit posts that put your business or staff at risk and explain why certain information creates a risk. If you run a coffee shop, for example, information on your opening procedures can be considered sensitive information since someone can use it when looking to steal from or hurt your employees.”

 
Click the image to read more from Alton.


 

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