Ask any tenant what grates them about renting their home and it’s sure to be that once they move out, they’ll have nothing to show for years of paying rent. It’s money thrown away, or at least money that doesn’t lead to lasting value.

Something similar goes on with traditional one-way ad campaigns. Once the commercial ends or the newspaper page is turned, the only thing you can hope for is that your message got through during the brief time you had the consumer’s attention. Once it ends, so ends access to consumers—and the potential to engage them.

Wisely, most brands are shifting from one-way models of communication and toward multi-channel outreach with special emphasis on digital.¹ The best of them have moved from “announcing” to “communicating,” and thus from short-lived gains to more lasting, meaningful results.

Brands making the most of digital are committed to a two-way value exchange with consumers. They provide incentives to engage with their brand, and consumers provide them with their emails and or mobile numbers and often more (e.g., participating in surveys, recommending the brand to friends). Ultimately, a sustained relationship ensues, with the brand gaining increased opportunities to sell their products and services not just once, but again and again. › Continue reading

Imagine for a moment the following scenario: every day, 5,000 people approach you to express just how wonderful they are and how much you need them in your life. Even though you might actually like some of them if you got to know them, there’s a good chance their sheer number—5,000—would overwhelm you and you’d ignore most of them. You wouldn’t have the time or patience to do otherwise. › Continue reading

Contests are an excellent way to motivate employees.  If you need to educate your staff about a new product or service offering or you’re trying to push your business development team to increase sales, consider offering incentives to motivate them to help you reach your goals.  Here are five tips for successful execution:

1. Execute Online

Executing online allows employees to access the contest from anywhere.  For companies that have employees in more than one location executing online ensures your contest can reach all employees.  Consider adding some fun content to your contest and employees may even participate from home!

2. Make sure your employees know about your contest

Be sure to use all available resources to drive employee participation.  Send out a dedicated email blast with a link to the contest.  Put promotional posters up on the wall and in meeting rooms.  Mention it at all staff meetings.  Create buzz by offering daily or weekly prizes and send out winner announcements.  Be creative and don’t miss an opportunity to remind your staff to participate.

3. Content is king

Just offering a prize isn’t enough to drive the results you’re looking for.  Incorporate some interactive content such as a quiz or a game to convey your messaging.  If you make it fun for employees to participate you’ll get much better results.

4. Choose relevant prizing

Be sure to offer prizing that is appealing to your employees.  If you’re trying to reach a diverse group, consider something as simple as a day off.  If you have the budget trips and cash are always compelling.

5. Dot your I’s and cross your T’s

Make sure to have your contest plans reviewed by your HR and Legal teams to make sure you’re not breaking any contest/gaming or labor laws.  Someone once said it’s better to be safe than sorry.  That was sage advice.

Not sure about advergaming as an online marketing tactic? Here are eight reasons that you should consider it:

1.       They’re magnetic
People are much more likely to click on a link or banner that promises to provide value to them. Advergames are magnetic because they offer an entertaining experience to consumers in exchange for their time. › Continue reading