In the Social Universe, there are few things as rewarding as a good conversation with a customer. I've read some interesting articles lately about outsourcing social media management, specifically focused on communication and comments. While this is one good option, especially while rolling out a new social program, I must say that some of the most effective social communication comes from internal corporate teams. In many cases, they capture the most authentic and compassionate voice of the brand.
Companies that seek to develop their online personality can do so through social posts. For example, if a brand wants to stress their customer focus and premium care, social media is the most effective marketing channel to convey this message in a personal manner. Each post can reflect the quality of products and services, and by managing this in-house companies are able to communicate quickly and in their own voice.
Many corporations that are cautious of the ramifications of engaging in the social channel develop "canned" comments. Whether the social communications are created internally or via an agency, a large mass of comments are crafted at once, they are run through the Legal department and then dispersed at scheduled intervals. Many times these communications feel generic and are not relevant... Read more
Tagged 'interactive marketing' 
Quality Interactive Marketing Creative and What It Means in 2010
The following is a guest column from Erica Baer, director of creative services at Epic Advertising.
Web design is like fashion; it changes every season, what's old is new again, and when you look back, you can't believe you actually wore it.
Before I was Creative Director at Epic Advertising, I was a landing page and banner designer. Flash back to the early 2000s—anyone who surfed the Web can remember those annoying "Get a Free iPod" ads, and it was obvious in those days that design aesthetics were not a priority across the interactive landscape. Then, it was all about the large seizure-inducing flashing buttons, high-contrasting colors and thick strokes around all the text. Thank goodness Web design has evolved! Here are some of the trends I have seen crop up recently that give promise and hope to providing better creative services for clients:Traditional Print StyleOne of my personal favorite trends is the utilization of traditional print design style for Web design initiatives. There's more focus on typography (heading and body copy interaction), clean lines, lots of white space and beautiful high-quality imagery.
Targeting & DesignWith a greater emphasis on the use of anonymous data for better targeting, most... Read more
One agency guy's New Year resolutions
I run a creative agency with a strong focus on digital. Here are some of my resolutions:
1. Be thoughtful about our process so we continue to consistently create breakthrough ideas that move the dial for our clients AND demonstrate positive ROI. I think an unrelenting focus on metrics can put us in a box where the best idea might not win
