Making Every Word Count

The Quick Reference Branding Guide for Small Business Owners

Brands are powerful – they allow companies to make lasting impressions on customers and, ultimately, influence purchase decisions. There’s a reason why companies spend 10.9 percent of their revenues on marketing, with branding being a large part of it. Focusing on your brand as a small business owner can reap rich rewards.

Branding is a nebulous concept, though, not well-understood and ever-evolving. It can be hard to know where to begin and what’s going to net you solid returns. To help you get started and make informed decisions, GB Marketing & Communications offers this quick reference branding guide for small business owners:

6 Critical Reasons to Monitor Website Performance

Your website is a cornerstone of your business in today’s technology-driven era. You can expect new customers to research you online – and assess your trustworthiness – through your website before approaching you. And if you operate an e-Commerce store or similar, then your website performance is responsible for a large chunk of your earnings, if not the entirety of them.

Thinking About Moving Your Business to Orange County? Smart!

Orange County is an attractive location for business owners. The combination of wonderful Southern California weather, proximity to airports and greater Los Angeles attractions, and access to high net-worth potential clients make it difficult to resist. As one example, GB Marketing & Communications is located in Orange County and has never regretted that choice!

Why Data Visualization Has a Tremendous Impact on Marketing

Even if you’ve developed an effective marketing strategy, it can be easy to fall into a rut. You post on social media. You run web ads. You incentivize word of mouth. What else can you do to refresh your marketing and reach new potential? Data visualization is a great way to revitalize your marketing efforts — and it’s one of the most versatile, too. Here are some tips and resources to demonstrate how data visualization can help you build a stronger connection with your existing clients while also gaining new clients.

How to Know When a Business Coach Is Your Only Option

Running a business on your own is far from easy. What makes it all the more challenging is that the onus is on you and you alone to make a business succeed, which can result in you feeling overwhelmed and pressured beyond your limits. However, you are not alone in feeling so, which is why many entrepreneurs aim to get a business coach on board to help boost their chances of success. Here are some tips on how to know how and where to find a reputable business coach if you are in need of a helping hand.

3 Types of Tech Investments Small Business Owners Should Consider

According to a recent survey, the majority of businesses expect to make tech investments this year in areas like IT, cybersecurity, marketing automation, cloud technologies, and remote team collaboration. And while budgeting for technology isn’t always easy as a small business owner, most businesses simply can’t afford to skimp on tech — especially those operating online or working remotely amidst COVID-19.

Below, learn about three types of tech investments all small business owners should consider to improve their chances of success now and in the future. It may not be cheap, but you’ll save time and money in the long run.

Looking to revamp your business’s marketing and branding to increase sales? GB Marketing & Communications can take your business to the next level and deliver results!

It’s Time to Break Down the Data Silos of Marketing!

New research suggests that Marketing organizations need to do a better job at breaking down the internal “silos” that separate functions and data. One of the reasons why this issue has emerged is that people like to keep a tight control their slice of the data “pie.” I thought it might be helpful to share some suggestions on what can be done to overcome this challenge to help unlock greater efficiency and performance with how Marketing teams operate – a win-win for all!

Data silos can be found in many places. Within a digital campaign, it might include contact information, such as name, title, employer, email address, and phone number. Event sponsorships might include a list of attendees; website visitors represent another source of contact information.

Over time, it can be difficult to keep track of all this information. And, to ensure the data is accessible and current. Further, with the changing data privacy laws and the fact that these records include Personally Identifiable Information (PII), it is now increasingly critical to know exactly where all this data resides.

3 Ways PR Can Boost Event ROI

Technology has come a long way to mainstreaming remote working. Yet, despite all of these advances, it is still important to meet with people in person at events and conferences. As important relationships are best maintained in this way, events should be part of your marketing mix. The challenge is that can often be difficult to quantify or justify the Return on Investment (ROI) of this activity. And, picking the right events to attend can sometimes be difficult. Combining Public Relations activities with your Marketing and Event program is a great way to increase overall marketing effectiveness and ROI.

Read this article to see how the role of PR and marketing is now merging, “The Future of Public Relations.”

The Role of PR at an Event

Given the large investment of attending an event, including sponsorship fees, booth design, graphics, labor set up (paying union wages), travel, and lodging, anything that can be done to amplify the benefits and reap future dividends will go a long way to justifying attendance.

Have We Lost Trust in Communications?

Regardless of your political orientation, I think we can all agree that anytime popular opinion can be manipulated by spreading false news is a bad thing. With a new election set to occur next year in the US, there is a concern (rightly so) about the possibility of foreign actors or others exerting influence on the outcome. Similarly, trust over personal data held by corporations is now at an all-time low. Have we forever lost trust in communications? Can it be regained? What can marketers or communications pros do to help reverse this trend?

The Research Findings are In

The Institute for Public Relations recently conducted a survey addressing this concern. The study, “The 2019 IPR Disinformation in Society Report,” was based on a poll conducted March 19-24, 2019 by 2,200 Americans. The research sought to identify the level of trust the American public has in collecting information from various data sources as well as the parties that are responsible for combatting disinformation.