Welcome to The Leverage Marketing Blog

Do you have a "Timeline" mindset yet?

Does your business have a Facebook page? If it doesn't, I think it's safe to say you probably should - and if you do, then you've probably noticed the recent change to the new timeline view.

Have you been doing anything differently, or just treating it like Facebook-as-usual?

Adage says you've got to evolve your thinking - read the article here.

There's a great list of tips on SproutSocial.com, here, including some great examples of pages that are doing some really good things with timeline. 

 

Get some video in your ads, if you can.

According to this article on emarketer, if your ads don't have video, you're missing out on a great opportunity. Apparently video makes people click, and it affects people who don't click, in the form of lingering brand awareness.

And not only that, but:

In the US, eMarketer projects advertisers will increase video ad spending by 54.7% and up investments in standard banners by nearly 20%.

and:

December 2011 research from digital ad agency ValueClick Media found that video was second to mobile as the leading channel marketers said they would increase spending on this year.

It might be a good idea to take a look at video, if you haven't already.

Business with a social mission.

"The wave of online businesses with a social mission is coming quickly," according to this article on openforum.com.

The first company that comes to mind is Toms shoes - they're a ubiquitous example of a company with a social mission. More are coming, and I think that's a good thing. People often feel helpless to make real change in the world, but even a college student on a ramen-noodle budget can choose to do business with companies who are working to make the world a better place, not just enrich their CEOs and stockholders.

And, maybe even more importantly, a company with a social mission can advertise that fact - and then their competition starts to look like the wrong choice. Business as usual suddenly doesn't work so well... and to be honest, I think that's a good thing.

Here's a link to the article.

 

Happy Employees

Have you heard of the book "The Happiness Project?" I know a few people who've been reading it, and it seems like it's worth checking out. 

The author, Gretchen Rubin, has some thoughts that apply well to happiness in the business world, too. Some things might seem obvious, but it doesn't hurt to reinforce them. Take a minute to think about what you're doing to foster happiness.

Read the article on openforum.com.