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Best Social Media marketing (SMM) Company services in Chennai |FDM

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Social Media Marketing is the most cost-effective marketing procedure. Get the astonishing opportunity to connect with the customers directly and reach out to your target audience with the least effort.

The first and foremost reason for investing in social media marketing is that it has a mass reach and can connect the customers who are looking for your product. Your customers are present on social media. It becomes an enormous opportunity for business people who are foreseeing a space to grow.

Social media platforms are growing massively because of the easy and fun way of networking and understanding what is happening in the world. While looking at it, we can understand that social media users are very open to engaging with the social media holds of the brands and like to follow them. We get to know the audience’s view and expectations we can serve.

Another essential aspect of social media marketing is that people can find and effortlessly recognize your brand. Posting constant and versatile content on social media platforms will help the customer know more personally and create new leads and new customers for you.

One of the exquisite benefits of social media marketing and one of the most versatile methods that small businesses can use to reach their targeted audience as well as boost sales over a certain period. It is very inexpensive to display paid at on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms.

People are examining for recommendations where they can authorize the company and the brand. In the olden days, there was the word of mouth marketing, but now social media marketing has evolved into the new version of it. The customers start to trust their brand: they tend to suggest it to their family and friends. And many customers are likely to buy from the brands which are recommended. You have more chances of them examining your business when your advertisement just pops up on their screen.

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EXCLUSIVE: Neeraj Joshi, marketing head of Zee Studios, explains how he generated EXCITEMENT for Gadar 2: “Jab main truck ke upar Sunny Deol ko Raj Mandir ke bahar khada karta hoon, aur jab wahan law-and-order situation hota hai…”

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Gadar 2 has emerged as a blockbuster, collecting Rs. 419.10 crores in just two weeks. The credit of course goes to the extreme popularity of the sequel and its lead star Sunny Deol, action and patriotic scenes and Anil Sharma’s superior direction. But one can’t deny the fact that the marketing strategy adopted by Zee Studios also played a crucial factor in generating excitement. Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to Neeraj Joshi, head of Marketing, Zee Studios, to understand how they nailed the marketing so well.

How difficult was it to promote Gadar 2 when you began working on it? After all, at that time, no one really had an idea how big it would turn out to be
When we have the sequel to such a legendary film in hand, you have to live up to the legacy and not take people for a ride or take their time and attention for granted. At the same time, we should offer them something that is expected and yet go beyond. It was like a challenge along the lines of Jurassic Park! Agar hum part two banayein, toh ab main aur kitne dinosaur dikhau? But at the same time, dinosaurs are essential. When we started working, we realized that there was a latent demand for something like this, especially with the way South films dominated the box office scenario. We realized that hum desi hero dikha hi nahin rahe hamare filmon mein.

Sunny Deol poured his heart into promotions. He usually doesn’t do so. How did you convince him?
I still don’t know how I convinced him (laughs). He knows what the powers of his characters have been and that doesn’t include just Tara Singh. We believed that if he led the campaign, it’ll not just help the film but it’ll also help his brand and what people are expecting out of him. I told them that with all due respect to his attempts in doing experimental films like Chup (2022), which are good and every artist should attempt different genres, but I asked him that ‘Lekin Bharat aapse kya chahta hai’? He agreed and said, ‘Toh fir humko marketing bhi woh type ki karni padegi’.

Usually, we end up doing ‘India marketing’. With Gadar 2, we opted for ‘Bharat marketing’.

The mural of Sunny Deol on a building near a flyover in Andheri East, Mumbai, caught attention big time in the city and also on social media…
The idea was to instil the legend of Tara Singh into people’s minds. I also wanted to go back to basics. The audiences today know about influencer marketing, paid activities etc. I wanted to present Tara Singh for what he is – larger than life and simple. Tara Singh uncomplicated aadmi hai. We wanted to do something in sync with his characteristics. We thought of doing print ads. Lekin yeh sab to humne pehle bhi kiya hua hai. I asked why can’t we take a leaf out of our own history and ways and means of marketing, which we have sadly forgotten. The focus is nowadays on influencers and not on creating real emotions through promotions. Real emotion shayad itna khoobsurat nahin hai lekin woh asardar hai. And it appeals to the common man. We were sure that every promotional activity should make news. This also complicated the campaign. We knew what we wanted to do, which actually emerges out of what we do not want to do. That’s where a marketer’s insecurity comes out as he/she wonders if his campaign is falling short if he/she skips certain activities.

On top of that has been a generational shift between Gadar – Ek Prem Katha (2001) and Gadar 2. How do you get the youth, who were very young in 2001 or maybe not born, to get interested in the film? Secondly, we wanted to keep our activities contextual. Hence, we partnered with the army and had a special screening for them.

We also decided to start very early. I wanted to change the grammar of marketing with this film. Hum kaafi superficial cheezein karte hai, jo hum khud ki khushi ke liye karte hai. I was not keen on it. I am not at liberty to share the marketing spend but more than 70% of the marketing budget was spent on ground promotions. Others spend only 20-25% on ground promotions.

It’s astonishing to know that such a huge chunk is spent on digital promotions when it often reaches to a minuscule audience…
And it’s also an unengaged audience. Influencers will talk about you on social media. But the content is created on digital, it is consumed on digital and that is where it dies. But my content is created on the ground. Jab main truck ke upar Sunny Deol ko Raj Mandir, Jaipur ke bahar khada karta hoon, aur jab wahan traffic jam aur law-and-order situation hota hai, kam se kam 5000 log ne usko saakshaat dekha hai. Even if 500 of them post the visual on social media, it’s real.

Similarly, we held the music concert in Ghaziabad and not Delhi, as part of the ‘Bharat marketing’ plan. In Ghaziabad, 10,000 people turned up. Entry was free. It was a bigger law-and-order situation! But they had a real experience of Gadar and its characters, Tara Singh and Sakina. That was our mantra.

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A post shared by Zee Studios (@zeestudiosofficial)

The iconic hand pump was also installed in many cinemas. Moviegoers were encouraged to uproot it and it worked big time among audiences…
(Laughs) When the team comes up with such ideas, it’s my job to back them. As a matter of fact, the hand pump scene was retrofitted in the film. Somewhere during the middle of the shoot, we insisted that it needed to be incorporated in the film as a tribute.

I’ll share one more secret that nobody has noticed so far. Everybody is saying ki bahut promotion kar liya hum logon ne. But do you know that we put only 5 video units – the teaser, ‘Udd Jaa Kaale Kaavaa’, ‘Khairiyat’, the trailer and then ‘Main Nikla Gaddi Leke’. That’s it! We played with a limited number of assets.

Zee Studios didn’t even put dialogue promos…
Uska zaroorat hi nahin tha. We didn’t obsess about views either. Often, it is said that a promo should be uploaded on just one YouTube channel for a better number of views. We put up the trailer of Gadar 2 on 70 video channels of Zee Network and its verticals!

Gadar – Ek Prem Katha was also re-released in cinemas on June 9, 2023…
That was one of the landmarks of the campaign. And we re-released it with an Easter Egg, that is, with the teaser of Gadar 2. Again, we didn’t put it on the internet until the fourth day. We let people discover it on the big screen. Mujhe yeh sab cheezon ki insecurity nahin hai. If a common man is spending money to watch Gadar – Ek Prem Katha again, we want that usko kuch naya dekhne milein. I want to gratify him. He’ll feel special that he is one of the very few people to have seen the teaser.

In an unusual move, the premiere of the film was held on Friday night instead of Thursday. The press show was also not held a day before. Only the army saw the film before the release…
It was a conscious decision. Gadar 2 was trending on the advance booking front, including at very massy centres in the hinterlands. We thought that if we allowed a certain section to see the film before, the moviegoers might feel cheated. And anyway, we knew what kind of reviews we were going to get for the film. Very rarely, such films get 4 or 5 stars from critics! Then why should I be desperate for something where my film is not going to do well?

Will Gadar 2’s blockbuster success benefit Sunny Deol’s next film Baap? It’s also backed by Zee Studios…
Every content poses a different challenge. The expectation from Baap will be higher now. It’s a present-day action film, different from Gadar 2, which was set in 1971. Sunny’s character traits in Baap are also different from Tara Singh. While it will make it easier from a popularity point of view, it’ll be difficult because of the huge expectations. Now, everybody expects a Gadar 2 type of campaign. That’s the curse of a super-hit, right? Nevertheless, Baap will have its own customized campaign for sure. But the intention and intensity will remain the same. And wherever possible, we’ll do really long campaigns for sure.

One thing I have learnt is that claiming that ‘aakhri 10 din mein main faad dunga’ doesn’t work when it comes to marketing. People’s attention is not that high. If you keep feeding them the same thing or different versions of the same thing over and over, it will prove futile. It’s better to start early and give time to the audience to consume your content, allow them to build it in their minds and then it’ll lead to something big. It is an impossible task for everyone to consume all your content in three weeks.

When will Baap be released?
The release date is not locked yet. A little bit of shoot is left. Some action piece is yet to be filmed. The VFX work is also pending.

How big is Sunny Deol now?
He was always a big star. It’s just that his film choices didn’t match up to it. These are the characters that people love to see him in. People will literally give an arm or a leg to see him in movies like Gadar, Border, Ghatak, Apne etc. He should continue doing such cinema.

How has Gadar 2’s success helped the industry?
It’s an adrenaline shot for everybody. not just for the team at Zee but the industry at large. Veteran filmmakers like Indra Kumar, Subhash Ghai etc. thanked Anil Sharma and us and said ‘Aapne cinema ke liye bahut accha kiya’. What they were trying to imply is that this brand of cinema was dying. Bollywood was built on such films. We started making films catering to 900 multiplex screens in the country. Then we grouse that the South is dominating the Hindi-speaking markets. But that was bound to happen as they are advancing using our playbook. We need to realize that there has to be a content balance.

Good filmmakers and good craftsmen will always be worthy as they stick to their guns. As marketers, it’s our job that their guns don’t misfire while they try to create an aura at a marketing level. Hamesha lalach rahega to go all out par kabhi kabhi kam bolna bhi achha hota hai.

It is said that Anil Sharma will be paid a bonus thanks to the historic numbers earned by Gadar 2…
Zee has always done that forever. When a film works big time, every partner has benefited.

Was it your idea to get Akshay Kumar to sing ‘Udd Jaa Kaale Kaavaa’ in OMG 2?
(Laughs) Not at all. I wish it was! It was very heartening though. Healthy competition is always welcome.

Akshay Kumar promoted both the films in a social media post and said that it was the greatest week in Indian film history…
I call it the ‘golden weekend of Bollywood’. Rs. 390 crores were generated in five days. It’ll be very difficult to beat this feat.

Also Read: Gadar 2 nears Rs 430 crores mark, aiming to overtake Pathaan; Anil Sharma says, “Our box office numbers are real, not fake”

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Liberty Safe blasted over admission that it voluntarily gave FBI the access code to Jan. 6 protester’s gun safe: ‘Start marketing your stuff as Bud Light storage’

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A prominent gun safe company has come under fire after admitting that it voluntarily provided the access code for a customer’s safe to the FBI.

Liberty Safe’s attempt to explain why the company readily surrendered a January 6 protester’s code has not gone over well, prompting critics to threaten giving the company “the Bud Light treatment.”

What’s the background?

Nathan Earl Hughes, 34, was arrested on Aug. 30 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on felony and misdemeanor charges.

According to the Biden Department of Justice, Hughes, spotted wearing an “Infowars”-branded Space Force shirt in the vicinity of the Lower West Terrace tunnel at the Capitol on Jan. 6, allegedly “helped other rioters physically fight police in an attempt to breach the line and enter the U.S. Capitol building.”

Extra to his social media posts, the Arkansas Times
indicated that the FBI was able to identify Hughes on the basis of the “distinct notches at the top of his ears.”

Hughes is apparently known to the twin conservative commentators Keith and Kevin Hodge, who claimed on X, “Last week, a friend of ours was raided by the feds over J6.”

“Nate was raided by the FBI and arrested at gun point. His girlfriend (who just had a miscarriage) was held at gun point and put in handcuffs. The FBI turned off his security cameras, unplugged his internet, and flipped his house upside down in a search,” stated the Hodgetwins account. “The feds called the manufacturer of his Liberty Gun Safe and got the passcode to get into it too. All for protesting at the Capitol over 2 1/2 years ago.”

Video of Hughes’ arrest shows at least five armed federal agents taking him into custody.

A second video shows a cavalcade of cars pulling up to what is apparently Hughes’ property ahead of a raid made easier by Liberty Safe’s compliance.

ud83dudea8 Last week, a friend of ours was raided by the feds over J6, his name is Nathan Hughes and heu2019s from Fayetteville, Arkansas. Nate was raided by the FBI and arrested at gun point. His girlfriend (who just had a miscarriage) was held at gun point and put in handcuffs. The FBIu2026

— Hodgetwins (@Hodgetwins)
1693873353

Not so safe

Just over 24 hours after the Hodgetwins detailed what had happened on X, Liberty Safe confirmed in social media posts on Instagram, Facebook, and X that the company provided the FBI with the pass code.

“On August 30, 2023, Liberty Safe was contacted by the FBI requesting the access code to the safe of an individual for whom they had a warrant to search their property. Our company protocol is to provide access codes to law enforcement if a warrant grants them access to a property,” said the statement. “After receiving the request, we received proof of the valid warrant, and only then did we provide them with an access code. Liberty Safe had no knowledge of any of the details surrounding the investigation at the time.”

Notwithstanding its apparent eagerness to crack its own safe for the benefit of the state, the company noted, “Liberty Safe is devoted to protecting the personal property and 2nd amendment rights of our customers and has repeatedly denied requests for access codes without a warrant in the past. We do not give out combinations without proper legal documentation being provided by authorities.”

The company, whose safes in many cases cost several thousands of dollars, concluded by reiterating, “Liberty Safe is committed to preserving our customers’ rights, and we will remain unwavering in those values.”

— (@)

As its name would suggest, Liberty Safe specializes in gun safes.

On its website, the company
states, “We understand the importance of safeguarding what matters to you — and with our collection of gun safes, you can enjoy peace of mind that comes with knowing that you’re protected by the very best America has to offer.”

That Hughes’ peace of mind was disturbed by the company’s uncoerced help prompted outrage online.

Kyle Seraphin, a whistleblower who was an FBI special agent for six years until his suspension in June 2022, suggested, “The irony of the name [of the company] PLUS total cooperation with the government is rich.”

The Hodgetwins
replied to the company’s statement, “And you call yourself ‘Liberty’?? Bout to get the Bud Light treatment.”

Turning Point Action COO Tyler Bowyer similarly seized upon the Bud Light parallel,
writing, “New slogan: ‘The Bud Light of Safes!'”

“Absent a court order, you weren’t required to give them anything. You voluntarily gave out a combination over a warrant, per your own release, that didn’t apply to you or your property,” wrote Sean Davis, CEO of the Federalist. “Maybe start marketing your stuff as Bud Light storage.”

While many critics took issue with the company’s provision of its customer’s code, podcaster Tim Pool
noted the issue that the company “had the codes in the first place,” stressing that “Liberty [S]afes are completely worthless.”

Others similarly
puzzled over what good it was having a “wildly expensive *safe* if the manufacturer maintains secret back door access they can share with others without your consent.”

Since being slammed over its apparent betrayal of a customer’s trust, the company has disabled replies on its X posts.

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Join the Marketing Leadership Masterclass

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The Marketing Leadership Masterclass is the complete toolkit to help marketers build their influence and boost their career. From the world’s largest-ever studies on marketers’ success.

We believe that if more marketers and agency leaders cut through, firms and customers will benefit. Unfortunately, doing marketing isn’t the same as leading marketing. In the world’s largest-ever study on marketers’ success, we have proven that the most successful customer leaders master the art (and science) of marketing leadership. To pass on the insights for success as a marketer, I have created the Marketing Leadership Masterclass. The latest version with my friend and colleague Syl Saller (Diageo’s former global CMO) is now the global #1 Marketing Leadership Masterclass. In a 12-week sprint, marketers lead upwards, help their bosses make better decisions, and accelerate their career. Here’s more:

Learn to lead upwards!

Participants master what other classes won’t teach. In just 12 bite-sized modules, our participants learn how to win over stakeholders, mobilize colleagues & clients, and lead empowered teams. It’s the complete marketing leadership class by world-leading experts Thomas Barta & Syl Saller.

Study with peers

Participants come together 24/7 with fellow students from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia/Pacific. On our unique discussion platform, people solve challenges and help others. Everybody is part of a real-time peer group. In this class, nobody is ever alone!

10 minutes daily, 12 weeks

We’ve built this 12-week sprint from the ground up for busy people. All lectures are short and on demand. People go at their own pace. In this class, nobody will fall behind. Upon completion, we’ll issue a Certificate in Marketing Leadership!

A week on the Marketing Leadership Masterclass. What’s it going to be like?

  • When you first log on, you’ll immediately meet your peers from around the globe, client-side, agency-side—from a large variety of industries. Start to network and make friends.
  • Every week, we’ll message you with new bite-sized lectures during our fun, 12-week sprint. Each lecture includes videos and readings. As everything is online 24/7, you can take the class at your own pace!
  • For each lecture, we’ll provide you questions for your workbook so you can apply the learnings right away.
  • Once you have watched a lecture, join the discussion with your peers, ask questions, and solve problems together!
  • Almost every week, we’ll run a live session with Thomas, Syl, or top-ranking guest mentors. Join live or watch the recordings.
  • Facing difficult business issues? Need help with the class? Turn to one of our Mentors or join their weekly Coaching Circles to get real, personal support.
  • Once you have completed the class, you’ll receive your Certificate in Marketing Leadership. Go for merit or even distinction!
  • In just 12 weeks, become the influential marketer you always wanted to be!

In just 12 weeks, become the influential marketer you always wanted to be!

Learning as a debate

We’ve designed one of the world’s most interactive learning platforms to help participants learn from peers.

  • Step 1: watch. We’ll release fresh lectures every couple of days, with short videos and readings.
  • Step 2: discuss. For each lecture, we have formulated a set of powerful questions—centered around your work. People join the community debate, share ideas, ask questions, support each other—24/7.
  • Step 3: apply. With the help of questions and participants, build their workbook, build their plan. Make change happen—right the next day.

Participants learn a lot from the videos. But the real magic happens when people team up and solve problems together with peers.

What participants say about the Marketing Leadership Masterclass

Marketing Leadership Masterclass results

Marketing Leadership Masterclass results

Taking the next steps

We currently run the Marketing Leadership Masterclass twice a year. Besides individual seats, we offer team packages for leaders who want to up-skill their team, including dedicated mentors and group sessions. Book your seat here or message us if you consider up-skilling your team.

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Influential Pros: Marketing Account Manager

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Headquarters: Los Angeles California

URL: https://influentialpros.com/

Influential Inc is a brand-new agency founded by two partners who have been in the marketing space for almost 20 years together. Our company culture is about getting results for clients, getting work done, and having a good time.

We are a very different agency because we don’t like to play the “volume” game like most agencies. We focus more on high-quality accounts that we become partners with to grow their business.

If you love marketing, working with team members that are killers in their departments, and are ready to get stuff done, then you will love working at Influential Inc.

Influential Inc is looking for an Account Manager to join our team. You will be working as the lead contact point for our clients, coordinating between the client and their assigned team to ensure the businesses hit their growth goals. You will be building and maintaining strong, long-lasting client relationships as you help them grow their businesses.

You will look at the data for each account on a weekly basis to see what’s going well, what needs improvement or attention, and then communicate that information to the correct team member as well as manage small client projects and tasks.

This is a part-time with a potential to become full-time, remote-work contract position. Influential Inc is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. You’ll be working remotely with our team during normal business hours, communication is done via project management software.

  • Input client information into CRM software.
  • Meet with team to discuss client prior to kickoff meetings.
  • Participate in kickoff meetings for new clients and walk them through the customer journey.
  • Review how to use our software and platforms with clients.
  • Correspond and supply clients with pertinent information regarding campaign setup, kickoff, launch, and ongoing maintenance.
  • Check-in with clients via Slack, meetings, or email to confirm proper documentation has been received, and the customer understands and is happy with their journey.
  • Test forms.
  • Answer phones.
  • Automate workflows.
  • Create agendas for internal and client meetings and request additional information from all necessary parties.
  • Review/test landing pages and automation.
  • Review ad copy.
  • Schedule client meetings.
  • Monitor progress of client accounts.
  • Task team and complete tasks when necessary within CRM.
  • Report observations and trends in CRM.
  • Report issues when immediate action is required.
  • Help move projects to the finish line.
  • Prepare a summary of accounts prior to team and/or client meetings.
Education & Experience Requirement
  • 2+ years in a Marketing manager, account manager, or relevant role within a marketing agency or in-house marketing team.
  • Effective team management: the ability to work with a creative team of designers, developers, writers, and advertising managers to get marketing campaigns executed.
  • Experience working with online marketing campaigns that drive business growth.
  • Demonstrable ability to communicate, present and influence key stakeholders at all levels of an organization.
  • Proven ability to manage multiple client accounts at a time while maintaining sharp attention to detail.
  • Excellent listening, negotiation, and presentation abilities.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills.
P.S: Send an email to team@influentialpros.com with the subject line “I’m Your Next Badass Account Manager” and include in there a quick summary of why you would be a good fit for the position.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Salary: $42,000.00 – $75,000.00 per year

  • Flexible schedule
  • Paid time off
  • Paid training
  • Parental leave
  • Travel reimbursement
  • Work from home
  • 2 years
  • Monday to Friday
  • Bonus opportunities
  • Commission pay
  • Performance bonus
  • Yearly bonus
People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

  • Please share your Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn profile. Thank you

To apply: https://weworkremotely.com/remote-jobs/influential-pros-marketing-account-manager

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5 Steps to Create an Outstanding Marketing Plan [Free Templates]

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Do you take a good, hard look at your team’s marketing strategy every year?

You should. Without an annual marketing plan, things can get messy — and it’s nearly impossible to put a number on the budget you’ll need to secure for the projects, hiring, and outsourcing you’ll encounter over the course of a year if you don’t have a plan.

To make your plan’s creation easier, we’ve put together a list of what to include in your plan and a few different planning templates where you can easily fill in the blanks.

To start, let’s dive into how to create a marketing plan and then take a look at what a high-level marketing plan has inside.

In this article, we’re going to discuss:

Marketing Plan Outline

Download This Marketing Plan Outline for Free

The below marketing plan outline will help you create an effective plan that easily generates buy-in from stakeholders and effectively guides your marketing efforts.

Marketing plans can get quite granular to reflect the industry you’re in, whether you’re selling to consumers (B2C) or other businesses (B2B), and how big your digital presence is. Nonetheless, here are the elements every effective marketing plan includes:

1. Business Summary

In a marketing plan, your business summary is exactly what it sounds like: a summary of the organization. It’s essential to include this information so that all stakeholders, including your direct reports, learn about your company in detail before delving into the more strategic components of your plan. Even if you’re presenting this plan to people who’ve been in the company for a while, it doesn’t hurt to get everyone on the same page.

Most business summaries include:

  • The company name

  • Where it’s headquartered

  • Its mission statement

Our marketing plan outline also includes information on marketing leadership, which is especially helpful for companies with large marketing teams.

2. SWOT Analysis

Your marketing plan’s business summary also includes a SWOT analysis, which stands for the business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It’s essential to include this information so you can create targeted strategies that help you capitalize on your strengths and improve upon your weaknesses.

However, be patient with your business’ SWOT analysis; you’ll write most of it as you conduct your market research and create your strategy. Feel free to come back to this section periodically, adjusting it as you discover more information about your own business and your competition.

3. Business Initiatives

The business initiatives element of a marketing plan helps you segment the various goals of your department. Be careful not to include big-picture company initiatives, which you’d normally find in a business plan. This section of your marketing plan should outline the projects that are specific to marketing. You’ll also describe the goals of those projects and how those goals will be measured.

Every initiative should follow the SMART method for goal-making. They should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

4. Customer Analysis

In this part of the marketing plan outline, you get plenty of space to share all the data you collected during your market research. If your company has already done a thorough market research study, this section of your marketing plan might be easier to put together. Either way, try to do your research before synthesizing it in a shareable document like this one.

Ultimately, this element of your marketing plan will help you describe the industry you’re selling to and your buyer persona. A buyer persona is a semi-fictional description of your ideal customer, focusing on traits like:

  • Age

  • Location

  • Title

  • Goals

  • Personal challenges

  • Pains

  • Triggering event

5. Competitor Analysis

Including a competitive analysis is essential when creating a marketing plan. Your buyer persona has choices when it comes to solving their problems, choices in both the types of solutions they consider and the providers that can administer those solutions. In your market research, you should consider your competition, what they do well, and where the gaps are that you can potentially fill. This can include:

  • Positioning

  • Market share

  • Offerings

  • Pricing

Our marketing plan template includes space to list out the specific products you compete with, as well as other facets of the other company’s strategy, such as their blogging efforts or customer service reputation. Keep this part of your plan simple — your full competitive analysis should be done separately. Here are a few competitive analysis templates to get started.

6. Market Strategy

Your market strategy uses the information included in the above sections to describe how your company should approach the market. What will your business offer your buyer

personas that your competitors aren’t already offering them?

As you fill out the section, use the insights from your SWOT analysis, your competitive analysis, and your market research to create targeted, effective descriptions that will help you secure buy-in for your later tactics and strategies. For instance, if you found that one of your competitors employs stronger social media marketing strategies, you might add “We’ll post 3 times per week on our social media profiles” under “Promotion.”

In our full-length marketing plan outline, the market strategy section contains the “seven Ps of marketing” (or the “extended marketing mix”):

  • Product

  • Price

  • Place

  • Promotion

  • People

  • Process

  • Physical Evidence

(You’ll learn more about these seven sub-components inside our free marketing plan template, which you can download below.)

7. Budget

Don’t mistake the marketing budget element of your plan with your product’s price or other company financials. Your budget describes how much money the business has allotted the marketing team to pursue the initiatives and goals outlined in the elements above.

Depending on how many individual expenses you have, you should consider itemizing this budget by what specifically you’ll spend your budget on. Example marketing expenses include:

  • Outsourcing costs to a marketing agency and/or other providers

  • Marketing software

  • Paid promotions

  • Events (those you’ll host and/or attend)

Knowing the budget and doing analysis on the marketing channels you want to invest in, you should be able to come up with a plan for how much budget to invest in which tactics based on expected ROI. From there, you’ll be able to come up with financial projections for the year. These won’t be 100% accurate but can help with executive planning.

Remember: Your marketing plan only includes a summary of the costs. We recommend keeping a separate document or Excel sheet to help you calculate your budget much more effectively. Here’s a marketing budget template to get started.

8. Marketing Channels

Your marketing plan should also include a list of your marketing channels. While your company might promote the product itself using certain ad space, your marketing channels are where you’ll publish the content that educates your buyers, generates leads, and spreads awareness of your brand.

If you publish (or intend to publish) on social media, this is the place to talk about it. Use the Marketing Channels section of your marketing plan to map out which social networks you want to launch a business page on, what you’ll use this social network for, and how you’ll measure your success on this network. Part of this section’s purpose is to prove to your superiors, both inside and outside the marketing department, that these channels will serve to grow the business.

Businesses with extensive social media presences might even consider elaborating on their social strategy in a separate social media plan template.

9. Marketing Technology

Last, but certainly not least, your marketing plan should include an overview of the tools you’ll include in your marketing technology (MarTech) stack. These are the tools that will help you achieve the goals you outlined in the previous sections. Since all types of marketing software usually need a generous investment from your company’s leadership, it’s essential to connect them to a potential ROI for your business.

For each tool, describe what exactly you’ll use it for, and be sure that it’s a strategy that you’ve mentioned elsewhere. For instance, we wouldn’t recommend listing an advertising management tool if you didn’t list “PPC Advertising” under “Marketing Channels.”

1. Conduct a situation analysis.

Before you can get started with your marketing plan, you have to know your current situation.

What are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats? Conducting a basic SWOT analysis is the first step to creating a marketing plan.

Additionally, you should also have an understanding of the current market. How do you compare to your competitors? Doing a competitor analysis should help you with this step.

Think about how other products are better than yours. Plus, consider the gaps in a competitor’s approach. What are they missing? What can you offer that’ll give you a competitive advantage? Think about what sets you apart.

Answering questions like this should help you figure out what your customer wants, which brings us to step number two.

2. Define your target audience.

Once you better understand the market and your company’s situation, make sure you know who your target audience is.

If your company already has buyer personas, this step might just mean you have to refine your current personas.

If you don’t have a buyer persona, you should create one. To do this, you might have to conduct market research.

Your buyer persona should include demographic information such as age, gender, and income. However, it will also include psychographic information such as pain points and goals. What drives your audience? What problems do they have that your product or service can fix?

Once you have this information written out, it’ll help you define your goals, which brings us to step number three.

3. Write SMART goals.

My mother always used to tell me, “You can’t go somewhere unless you have a road map.” Now, for me, someone who’s geographically challenged, that was literal advice.

However, it can also be applied metaphorically to marketing. You can’t improve your ROI unless you know what your goals are.

After you’ve figured out your current situation and know your audience, you can begin to define your SMART goals.

SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. This means that all your goals should be specific and include a time frame for which you want to complete them.

For example, your goal could be to increase your Instagram followers by 15% in three months. Depending on your overall marketing goals, this should be relevant and attainable. Additionally, this goal is specific, measurable, and time-bound.

Before you start any tactic, you should write out your goals. Then, you can begin to analyze which tactics will help you achieve that goal. That brings us to step number four.

4. Analyze your tactics.

At this point, you’ve written down your goals based on your target audience and current situation.

Now, you have to figure out what tactics will help you achieve your goals. Plus, what are the right channels and action items to focus on?

For example, if your goal is to increase your Instagram followers by 15% in three months, your tactics might include hosting a giveaway, responding to every comment, and posting three times on Instagram per week.

Once you know your goals, brainstorming several tactics to achieve those goals should be easy.

However, while writing your tactics, you have to keep your budget in mind, which brings us to step number five.

5. Set your budget.

Before you can begin implementing any of the ideas that you’ve come up with in the steps above, you have to know your budget.

For example, your tactics might include social media advertising. However, if you don’t have the budget for that, then you might not be able to achieve your goals.

While you’re writing out your tactics, be sure to note an estimated budget. You can include the time it’ll take to complete each tactic in addition to the assets you might need to purchase, such as ad space.

Now that you know how to create your marketing plan, let’s dive into creating a marketing campaign outline that will help you reach the goals outlined plan.

Marketing Plan Timeline

Rolling out a new marketing plan is a big lift. To make sure things are running smoothly with all of your projects, you’ll want to create a timeline that maps out when each project is happening.

A marketing plan timeline allows your team to view all projects, campaigns, events, and other related tasks in one place — along with their deadlines. This ensures everyone on your team knows what’s due, when it’s due, and what’s up next in the pipeline. Typically these plans cover marketing efforts for the entire year, but some companies may operate on a bi-annual or quarterly basis.

Once you’ve completed your analysis, research, and set goals, it’s time to set deadlines for your assignments. From new blog posts and content initiatives to product launches, everything will need a deadline. Take into account any holidays or events taking place over the course of the year.

While setting deadlines for the entire year may seem daunting, start by estimating how long you think each task will take and set a deadline accordingly. Track the time it actually takes for you to complete similar types of projects. Once you’ve completed a few of them, you’ll have a better idea of how long each takes and will be able to set more accurate deadlines.

For each project, you’ll want to build in time for:

  • Brainstorming: This is the first phase where your idea comes to life in a project outline. Decide what you want to achieve and which stakeholders need to be involved to meet your goal. Set a due date and set up any necessary meetings.
  • Planning: This can include determining the project’s scope, figuring out how much budget will be allocated for it, finalizing deadlines and who is working on each task. Map out any campaigns needed for each project (social media, PR, sales promotions, landing pages, events, etc.).
  • Execution: This third phase is all about your project launch. Decide on a date to launch and monitor the progress of the project. Set up a system for tracking metrics and KPIs.
  • Analysis: In this final phase you will analyze all of your performance data to see whether or not your marketing efforts paid off. Did you meet your goals? Did you complete your projects on time and within budget?

All projects and their deadlines should be in a central location where your team can access them whether that’s a calendar like HubSpot’s tool, shared document, or project management tool.

One-Page Marketing Plan Template

As demonstrated above, a marketing plan can be a long document. When you want to share information with stakeholders or simply want an overview of your plan for quick reference, having a shorter version on hand can be helpful. A one-page marketing plan can be the solution, and we’ll discuss its elements below.

1. Business Summary

Include your company name, list the names of individuals responsible for enacting the different stages of your plan, and a brief mission statement.

Example

2. Business Initiatives

Include your company name, list the names of individuals responsible for enacting the different stages of your plan, and a brief mission statement.

Example

3. Target Market

Outline your target audience(s) that your efforts will reach. You can include a brief overview of your industry and buyer personas.

Example

4. Budget

This is an overview of the money you’ll spend to help you meet your marketing goals. Create a good estimate of how much you’ll spend on each facet of your marketing program.

Example

5. Marketing Channels

List the channels you’ll use to achieve your marketing goals. Describe why you’re using each channel and what you want to accomplish so everyone is on the same page.

Example

Free Marketing Plan Template [Word]

Now that you know what to include in your marketing plan, it’s time to grab your marketing plan template and see how best to organize the six elements explained above. The following marketing plan template opens directly in Microsoft Word, so you can edit each section as you see fit:

Download your marketing plan template here.

Marketing Campaign Template

Your marketing plan is a high-level view of the different marketing strategies you’ll use to meet your business objectives. A marketing campaign template is a focused plan that will help achieve those marketing goals.

A marketing campaign template should include the following key components:

  • Goals and KPIs: Identify the end goal for each of the individual campaigns you’ll run and the metrics you will use to measure the results of your campaign when it ends. For example, conversion rates, sales, sign-ups, etc.
  • Channels: Identify the different channels you’ll use to enact your marketing campaign to reach your audience. Maybe you run a social media campaign on Twitter to raise brand awareness or a direct mail campaign to notify your audience of upcoming sales.
  • Budget: Identify the budget you’ll need to run your campaign and how it will be distributed, like the amount you’ll spend on creating content or ad placements in different areas. Having these numbers also helps you later on when you quantify the success of your campaign, like ROI.
  • Content: Identify the type of content you’ll create and distribute during your campaigns—for example, blog posts, video ads, email newsletters, etc.
  • Teams and DRIs: Identify the teams and people that will be part of enacting your marketing plan from start to finish, like those responsible for creating your marketing assets, budgets, or analyzing metrics once campaigns are complete.
  • Design: Identify what your marketing campaigns will look like and how you’ll use design elements to attract your audience. It’s important to note that your design should directly relate to the purpose of your campaign.
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Digital Marketing Plan Template

A digital marketing plan is similar to a marketing campaign plan, but, as the name suggests, it’s tailored to the campaigns that you run online. Let’s go over the key components of a digital marketing plan template to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

  • Objectives: The goals for your digital marketing and what you’re hoping to accomplish, like driving more traffic to your website. Maybe you want to drive more traffic to your website, or
  • Budget: Identify how much it will cost to run your digital marketing campaign and how the money will be distributed. For example, ad placement on different social media sites costs money, and so does creating your assets.
  • Target audience: Which segments of your audience are you hoping to reach with this campaign? It’s essential to identify the audiences you want to reach with your digital marketing, as different channels house different audience segments.
  • Channels: Identifies the channels that are central to your digital marketing campaign.
  • Timeline: Explains the length of time your digital campaigns will run, from how long it should take to create your assets to the final day of the campaign.

Many people use social media in their digital campaigns, and below we’ll discuss some ideas you can use for inspiration.

Social Media Marketing Plan Templates

As marketing departments grow, so will their presence on social media. And as their social media presence grows, so will their need to measure, plan, and re-plan what types of content they want to publish across each network.

If you’re looking for a way to deepen your social media marketing strategy — even further than the marketing plan template above — the following collection of social media marketing plan templates is perfect for you:

Download 10 social media reporting templates here.

In the above collection of marketing plan templates, you’ll get to fill in the following contents (and more) to suit your company:

  • Annual social media budget tracking
  • Weekly social media themes
  • Required social media image dimension key
  • Pie chart on social media traffic sorted by platform
  • Social media post calendar and publish time

Below, let’s review the social media reporting templates, and what you’ll find in each one.

1. Social Media Questions

This template lists out questions to help you decide which social media management platform you should use.

Once you know what social media tactics you’re going to implement in your marketing plan, it’s time to figure out what channels are right for you. This template will help you do that.

2. Facebook Live Schedule

If Facebook Live is one of the marketing tactics in your plan, this template will help you design an editorial calendar. With this template, you can organize what Facebook live’s you want to do and when.

Once you’ve decided on dates, you can color code your FB calendar and coordinate with your editorial calendar so everyone can see what lives are running in relation to other campaigns.

3. Instagram Post Log

Are you going to begin using Instagram regularly? Do you want to increase your following? With this template, you can organize your Instagram posts, so everyone on your team knows what posts are going live and when.

Additionally, you can organize your assets and campaigns on this doc. Use this doc to collaborate with your team on messaging, landing pages linked in your bio, and campaign rollout.

4. Paid Social Media Template

With this template, you can organize your annual and monthly budget for your paid social media calendar.

You’ll want to use this in conjunction with your marketing plan budget to make sure you are not overspending and funds are allocated appropriately.

5. Social Media Audit

Conducting a social media audit? You can use this template to help you gather the right analytics. Tracking the results of your marketing efforts is key to determining ROI.

Use this template to track each of your campaigns to determine what worked and what didn’t. From there, you can allocate funds for the strategies that deliver the results you want.

6. Social Media Editorial Calendar

With this template, you can organize your social media editorial calendar. For example, you can include social media posts for each platform, so your team knows what’s going live on any given day.

7. Social Media Image Sizes

With this template, your team can have the latest social media image sizes handy. This template includes image sizes for all major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Having a resource like this readily available for your team ensures that everyone is on the same page regarding image sizes and prevents delays.

8. Social Media Marketing Proposal

With this template, you can create an entire social media marketing proposal. This will outline the social media goals, the scope of the work, and the tactics that you plan to implement.

Think of this proposal as more of a deep dive into the marketing channel section of your marketing plan.

9. Social Media Reporting Template

With this template, you’ll gain access to a slide deck that includes templates for social media reporting. If you plan to implement social media in your marketing plan, these reporting templates can help you track your progress.

If using the social media audit above, you can add all of your data here once it’s been collected.

10. Hashtag Holidays

If you’re going to lean into social media in your marketing plan, you can use hashtag holidays to generate ideas.

These holidays are a great way to fill out your social media publishing schedule. With this template, you’ll get a list of all the hashtag holidays for the year.

Once you’ve come up with content ideas, you can add them to your social media calendar.

Simple Marketing Plan Template

Of course, this type of planning takes a lot of time and effort. So if you’re strapped for time before the holidays, give our new Marketing Plan Generator a try.

This tool simplifies yearly planning by asking prompted questions to help guide your process. You’ll be asked to input information about:

Try our free Marketing Plan Generator here.

  • Your annual marketing mission statement, which is what your marketing is focused on for the year.
  • The strategy that you’ll take with your marketing throughout the year to accomplish your marketing goals.
  • Three main marketing initiatives that you’ll focus on during the year (i.e., brand awareness or building a high-quality pipeline) metrics you’ll use to measure your success.
  • Your target goals for those marketing initiatives like generating 100 leads per week.
  • Marketing initiatives that are not aligned with your current strategy to stay focused on your goals and activities that will help you be successful.

Once you input all information, the tool will spit out a table (as shown in the image below) that you can use to guide your processes.

Pro Tip: If the tool doesn’t work, clear your browser’s cache or access it in incognito mode.

Start the Marketing Planning Process Today

The best way to set up your marketing plan for the year is to start with quick wins first, that way you can ramp up fast and set yourself (and your team) up to hit more challenging goals and take on more sophisticated projects by Q4. So, what do you say? Are you ready to give it a spin?

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Rob and Ryan have given North Wales a £1bn marketing boost says tourism chief – North Wales Live

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A tourism boss says Hollywood A-listers Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have given North Wales a £1billion marketing boost. According to Jim Jones, the chief executive of North Wales Tourism, the global publicity generated by the Wrexham AFC co-owners has put the whole region on the map like never before.

Mr Jones, who recently launched the Go North Wales Tourism Awards for 2023, said: “It’s impossible to accurately calculate the precise value of the profile created by their special brand of magic, but the Rob and Ryan factor would undoubtedly be worth more than £1bn if you had to pay for the equivalent coverage in advertising.

“We need to capitalise on the fairytale success of Wrexham football club and the fantastic job Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds are doing, not only in reviving the club and taking it back to the promised land but the global headlines they are getting in the process. When it comes to marketing, Rob and Ryan are absolute geniuses. It’s brilliant for the city of Wrexham but the whole of North Wales is benefiting from the golden glow of the priceless publicity generated by their brilliant documentary series, Welcome to Wrexham.

“They’ve raised our profile, especially in north America and we’re already seeing an influx of tourists as a result and they’re not just going to Wrexham, they’re also exploring the rest of North Wales. People used to say that Chester was the gateway to North Wales but Wrexham is the new gateway to North Wales now. After a particularly tough time in tourism and hospitality, Rob and Ryan are providing a ray of sunshine.”

Mr Jones was speaking ahead of the annual Go North Wales Tourism Awards at Venue Cymru in Llandudno on November 23. The ceremony celebrates the heroes of the tourism and hospitality industry. It is supported by headline sponsor Harlech Foodservice and will be hosted by respected ITV Wales journalist Carole Green.

The window for submissions in 19 categories is open until October 9 and more details can be found at www.gonorthwales tourismawards.website

Mr Jones said: “The Go North Wales Awards is one of the highlights of the year and it gives us a really good opportunity to recognise what a great tourism and hospitality industry we have in North Wales.

“It’s a chance to celebrate and raise the profile of all the good work that is happening in North Wales and the new products that are being developed in extremely challenging times.

Jim Jones, managing director of North Wales Tourism in Llandudno

“I have been involved in the industry for quite some time and I have never known a period as tough as it has been. The remarkable resilience shown by the people working in the sector over the past four years has been nothing short of heroic

“Businesses are working extremely hard to try to get back to where we were in 2019 when we were on a high, with an all-time high number of visitors generating a record number of jobs and an annual boost of £3.6 billion for the regional economy in North Wales. We are determined to get back to where we were before Covid struck and the tourism and hospitality industry can play a key role in leading North Wales on the road to economic recovery.

“The domestic market will always be our most important one but our focus at the moment is to look further afield to try and attract more international visitors, especially Japan and America. We’re also a great destination for Europeans, especially with the close proximity to the airports, Liverpool and Manchester. They’re easy connections into Europe.

“We’ve got everything that the Europeans like, walking, hiking in the countryside. It doesn’t matter really what the weather is like, they’re willing to come out and all we’ve got to do is promote our hiking routes and our walking routes and everything else that we have to offer. It is the international market that will bring in the big spenders and they’re the ones you need to stay and our businesses need to work hard to fulfil their expectations.

“We’ve got people ringing us up to book tours and they want executive tickets to watch Wrexham and while they’re here they also want to do other things to make the most of their visit. Once people come here they are enchanted because we have so much to offer. We have spectacular scenery, fantastic hospitality and amazing attractions in abundance.”

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How AI Is Changing The Property Marketing Landscape – Best Real Estate Websites for Agents and Brokers

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What’s all the fuss about AI?

Both real estate and the tech industry are fond of buzzwords — and no term is buzzier these days than “AI” or artificial intelligence.

It’s not hard to understand, though. If we told you there was a tool that automates tasks so you can free up time in your hectic day, you’d likely say: “Where do I sign up?!”

We’ve already talked at length about how ChatGPT can be a busy agent’s secret weapon, but that barely scratches the surface of AI’s potential use in real estate.

So join us for a peek into the future of real estate marketing — and how AI will shape it.

AI for beginners: Understanding this groundbreaking technology

AI means different things to different people. To some, it’s a capable but (still) imperfect virtual assistant. For others, it’s the next big technological leap. Some pessimists also insist it’s the harbinger of the apocalypse.

For the purpose of this discussion, though, let’s use a by-the-book definition: AI is a branch of computer science that aims to create systems that can reason, learn, and act like a human so they can perform tasks often done by humans.

“Systems” can mean both machines and software, but the latter has become more mainstream (so relax — there’s no AgentBot3000 out to get your job!).

There are many types of AI being used and developed today, but three major ones include:

Machine learning
This entails creating algorithms or programs that allow computers to analyze data so they make predictions or decisions from the insight they glean (not unlike a data analyst). If you’ve ever wondered how Gmail filters out spam messages from your inbox, that’s machine learning at work.

Natural language processing (NLP)
This is the realm of ChatGPT and Bard, chatbots that not only process human language but also output text that sounds uncannily human — including poetry, blogs, and even property listing descriptions.

Computer vision
If NLP is concerned with understanding language, computer vision deals with recognizing images and objects. Self-driving cars and facial recognition technology are just some of its mainstream applications.

And the best part? All three of these have applications to the real estate industry. Let’s take a look at some ways you can utilize AI for your marketing.

If you’ve ever interacted with a chatbot before (or have one on your real estate website), then you’ve interacted with artificial intelligence. From answering commonly asked questions, to qualifying leads, to scheduling appointments, chatbots can be a real lifesaver for frazzled agents. It’s like having a virtual assistant that’s on call 24/7, handling tasks so you can focus on the big picture (read more about chatbots here).

Tools to try:

Facebook’s default chatbot suite

IDX doesn’t just allow you to display MLS listings on your website — it’s become so much more powerful thanks to AI. For example, did you know that some IDX suites can deliver relevant listings to prospects based on their browsing behavior on your website? Or that it can crunch numbers in real time to generate always-up-to-date market reports?

Tools to try:

IDX Broker

Generating leads is important. But nurturing prospects and existing clients is just as critical. Fortunately, AI empowers CRMs to be even more effective at their job. By using predictive analytics, a CRM suite can determine which prospects are most likely to convert, so you can focus your marketing efforts on them. AI can also analyze a prospect’s behavior and send them personalized emails containing listings that might pique their interest. (Looking for more nifty IDX features? Check out this blog we wrote!)

Tools to try:

Salesforce Einstein

Oracle Sales Cloud

Programmatic ads

At the heart of effective marketing is delivering the right ads to the right people at the right time. Luckily, programmatic ads allow you to hyper-target homebuyers and sellers at scale by looking at their demographics, interests, and browsing behavior. What’s more, it can optimize your campaign by trying different ad creatives, placements, and targeting strategies, ensuring you get the highest possible marketing ROI.

Tools to try:

Google Ads Manager

Adobe Advertising Cloud

Home valuation

Homebuyers can rarely purchase a property outright. A lot of time, they have to sell their current home and make up the difference by taking out a mortgage. You can make this process easier by adding a home valuation tool on your website. It uses AI to give a ballpark estimate of a property, using data such as location, size, condition, and features. It’s a simple and powerful feature that makes your site a one-stop shop for people looking to buy or sell homes.

Tools to try:

Image recognition is extremely versatile. It can assess a property photo to determine its estimated value, it can detect duplicate listings, and it can even identify features of a home. Most impressive of all, though, is the fact that it can stitch together photos to create virtual tours that give prospects a 360-degree view of a house.

Tools to try:

Get more results with less effort

Technology is ever-evolving and artificial intelligence is further proof of that. With their ability to do tasks efficiently, AI tools are fast becoming the MVPs of real estate marketing. So if you want to be more productive without actually working more hours, give AI technology a spin!

For the latest marketing trends and insights, be sure to bookmark our blog!

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Barbie has made $1b at the global box office. Experts are crediting its ‘masterclass’ marketing campaign – ABC News

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Barbie has surpassed $1 billion at the global box office just three weeks after its release – and it’s on track to become the biggest movie of the year.

The film, produced by Australia’s Margot Robbie who plays the iconic doll having an existential crisis, hit what the internet has dubbed the “Barbillion” milestone this weekend.

Barbie has smashed box office records.(Supplied: Warner Bros.)

Now, Gerwig has become the first female filmmaker to surpass the billion-dollar benchmark as a solo director.

“As distribution chiefs, we’re not often rendered speechless by a film’s performance, but Barbillion has blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water,” said Jeff Goldstein and Andrew Cripps, who oversee domestic and international distribution for the studio, in a joint statement.

Now, Barbie just needs to topple The Super Mario Bros Movie to become the most successful flick of 2023.

Barbie was already an iconic piece of intellectual property, but experts say those behind the film did not rest on their laurels, and they credit its “masterclass” marketing campaign for its global success.

The Barbie hype machine

Pictures of Airbnb’s Barbie Dreamhouse in Malibu went viral when photos were released before the film’s premiere.(Reuters: Mike Blake)

There’s a Barbie Dreamhouse Airbnb in Malibu. There are Barbie gaming consoles, Barbie rugs, Barbie suitcases, Barbie burgers (complete with a mysterious pink sauce) and even a Barbie collaboration with an insurance company.

“A lot of fashion retailers have jumped on board as well,” Graeme Hughes, director of Griffith’s Business Lab, said.

“I don’t think there are too many shops that you would pass by these days without some sort of either pink or Barbie-branded items.”

Plenty of fashion and beauty brands have done official collaborations with the Barbie movie.(David Canales/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Mr Hughes says Barbie’s impact on the retail sector has been “significant”, adding the scale of Barbie’s marketing campaign has been “outside of the box, no pun intended”.

“It’s really a triumphant marketing campaign,” he said.

“I would say that it’s a marketing masterpiece.”

Warner Bros remains tight-lipped about just how deep the Barbie marketing team’s pockets are, but Variety estimates the company has spent roughly $US150 million (about $227 million). And that’s on top of the rumoured $US145 million production budget.

“It’s way, way out of the ordinary,” said Dee Madigan, creative director of Campaign Edge.

“It was almost as creative as the film itself. Having said that, if the film had not lived up to the hype I think there would have been a huge backlash.”

‘A life of its own’

Barbie’s marketing campaign started more than a year before its release.

Warner Bros president of global marketing Josh Goldstine said the first “electric” moment of the campaign was at CinemaCon last year, when the company released a single image of Margot Robbie, as Barbie, laughing in a pink Corvette.

“It was one of those moments that took on a life of its own,” Mr Goldstine told Variety.

The internet lit up when Warner Bros released the first image of Margot Robbie as Barbie.(Supplied: Warner Bros)

Two months later, the company released the first image of Ryan Gosling’s Ken.

What quickly followed were leaked images from the set, a situation which was hard to avoid considering the scene involved Robbie and Gosling rollerblading along Venice Beach in full view of the public.

When a second teaser trailer was released in April, so too were dozens of cast posters, with Robbie’s tagline being “Barbie is everything” and Gosling’s reading: “He’s just Ken.”

The company released a filter so fans could get involved, but the memes came thick and fast and became far more viral.

“There’s a real risk to some of that organic stuff because if the movie had been a bomb or people hated the marketing, people could use those assets to create bad memes,” Ms Madigan says.

“There’s a real risk in letting it go because you lose control of the brand a bit.”

‘Using pink was brave’

In an interview with Architectural Digest, production designer Sarah Greenwood revealed the film used so much pink paint to create Barbieland that “the world ran out of pink”.

Greta Gerwig told Architectural Digest she wanted Barbieland to be “very bright, and everything to be almost too much”.(Supplied: Warner Bros.)

With just as much pink injected into the marketing, Ms Madigan says the absolute commitment to the colour was critical.

“It was absolutely a masterclass and it’s because it was brave,” Ms Madigan said.

“They absolutely banked on the movie being great. Using pink was brave, as well as stretching it out that long. It’s very easy with a cynical audience to over hype things as well.

“I think we get to the point that when you’re doing it so over the top, it doesn’t become over-promoted, it becomes fun again.

“If you’re going to do this, just go all out. And that’s what they did.”

Forget Marvel – we’re entering the Mattel Cinematic Universe

Mattel will be hoping its other slated productions are just as much a hit at the box office as Barbie.(Supplied: Warner Bros.)

In a piece titled After Barbie, Mattel Is Raiding Its Entire Toybox, The New Yorker revealed Mattel has another 45 other projects in development.

That’s on top of the 13 it has already publicly announced, from a Polly Pocket movie directed by Lena Dunham and starring Lily Collins, to a Hot Wheels film by JJ Abrams.

But experts say Barbie’s success doesn’t guarantee every film about toys or products will be a box office blockbuster.

“I think that there is a risk for those that follow to be viewed as sort of infomercials,” Mr Hughes said.

“Barbie is quite a storied brand and I think they can play with the tongue-in-cheek [humour] of sliding between it being an advertising piece but also an entertainment piece.

“You lose the impact when you’re a follower in the space so it would be quite detrimental for other films to go down this pathway.

“I think there are only a few brands that could do it in this way and still have the commercial success.”

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The biggest content marketing trends of 2023 (so far)

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If there is one thing that all marketing managers can attest to is that marketing is ever-evolving. Regardless of you approach it, you need to constantly learn and adapt to new industry standards and trends. Therefore it is paramount that you are up-to-date with what is going on with digital marketing in general, in order to get a good idea of which ongoing trends are likely to shape the future. So, let’s use this article to look back and outline the biggest content marketing trends of 2023.

The most influential content marketing trends of 2023

Depending on what industry you are focused on, there could be various marketing trends that are more or less prevalent. But, we do feel that there are some that have left their mark in every industry. These are AI, Short videos, and Visual elements. As such, it is important that you fully understand these three trends in order to get a good idea of what modern marketing is like.

AI development

Arguably the biggest factor in modern content marketing is AI development. Ever since it started, we all had a feeling that it will leave a lasting impact. But thinking about it and seeing it happen are two different things. There are quite a few ways in which AI development has impacted content marketing as a whole.

AI content

Firstly, AI has made it possible to quickly and easily generate content. This includes written content like blog posts, articles, and even visual content like images and videos. For marketing purposes, most of the AI use still revolves around written content. But, as time goes on, we are likely to see an increase in visual content as well. As it is now, natural language processing (NLP) models like GPT-3 can produce coherent and contextually relevant text. As such, content creators can use AI-generated drafts as a starting point and then refine and personalize the content to match their brand voice and style.

A robot painting, representing one of the content marketing trends of 2023.

Unfortunately, not all content creators use AI for this purpose. It has become quite easy to simply copy/paste the content written by AI, and not worry much about copyright. This has led to a couple of issues. Firstly, while AI may generate content that is grammatically correct, it can lack nuance, context, and creativity. This leads to less engaging and compelling content. And seeing that there are brands that don’t care much about content quality, leads to a substantial oversaturation of poorly written AI content. Secondly, this overreliance on AI-generated content can lead to a loss of authenticity and the human touch in brand communication. Audiences can usually detect a lack of genuine emotion and connection in AI-generated content. This tends to have quite a negative impact on brand perception.

AI marketing plan

The second transformative impact that AI has had on the field of marketing is that it fundamentally changed the way strategies are formulated and executed. By relying on AI tools, marketers can delve deep into vast datasets. Doing so enables them to extract valuable insights that inform every aspect of their campaigns. AI’s advanced analytics capabilities help identify trends, consumer behaviors, and market shifts, providing a solid foundation for strategic decision-making.

One of AI’s key strengths lies in audience segmentation and personalization. Through sophisticated algorithms, AI can segment audiences based on a multitude of factors, enabling marketers to tailor their messages and content to resonate more effectively with specific groups. As we mentioned before, personalization can not only enhances engagement but also foster a deeper connection between brands and consumers. And as time goes on, it will be only more and more important to adopt personalization as a marketing norm.

Lastly, modern SEO optimization is becoming more and more reliant on AI. Marketers pretty much need to use AI-powered tools, to analyze vast amounts of data. By doing so, they can identify keywords, trends, and user behaviors, enhancing on-page and off-page SEO efforts. AI-driven content generation ensures high-quality, relevant, and engaging material that resonates with both users and search engines. Additionally, AI aids in competitor analysis, providing insights to refine SEO tactics and stay ahead. Voice search optimization is facilitated by AI’s understanding of natural language, while AI-driven chatbots enhance user experience and interaction.

Short video content

While we can continue to discuss how AI has essentially shaped the modern marketing landscape, let’s take a step back and consider short video content. If you are using Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and especially TikTok you’ve noticed how prevalent short videos have become. If they are not the sole format hosted on platforms (TikTok) they tend to take up prime real estate. The reason why this is that, due to a multitude of factors, people simply respond best to short videos.

Attention-Grabbing

Short videos capture viewers’ attention quickly, making them effective for conveying key messages or sparking interest in a short amount of time. In a fast-paced digital landscape, grabbing attention is crucial for successful marketing. Once brands get a hold of this, they can look to showcase their personality, values, and products in a visually appealing and shareable format. This can lead to increased brand awareness and recognition. If properly made, short videos can convey stories, evoke emotions, and create connections with viewers. This ability to convey narratives in brief moments is a unique strength of short videos.

Mobile consumption

Keep in mind that most modern viewers with content on their phones. While there are those that use PCs, most predominantly use mobile devices. And, as it turns out, short videos are perfectly suited for mobile consumption, as they can be easily viewed on smartphones and shared on various social media apps. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as much surprise that short videos have had such a rise in popularity.

User-generated content

Brands can encourage user-generated content through challenges, contests, or interactive prompts. This can lead to increased engagement, as viewers become active participants in the brand’s content creation. And seeing that users tend to use phones and that phones have cameras, what better UGC than short videos? When it comes to UGC, short videos are both easiest to create, and most interesting to view.

A person making content for a brand.

‍Viral Potential

The bite-sized nature of short videos makes them highly shareable, potentially leading to viral campaigns that reach a massive audience in a short period. The same goes for UGC, where other viewers can rewatch and share interesting videos. Brands can use this viral potential to showcase their products or services. A well-crafted video can easily demonstrate features, benefits, and value propositions that potential customers might find interesting. Similarly, short videos can convey quick tips, tutorials, or educational snippets, positioning the brand as an expert and helping viewers solve problems. As long as the content is interesting and to the point, viewers will be more than happy to see what the video is all about.

Visual elements

The last trend we will go over is the visual elements. What we mean here are the visually rich elements that content creators incorporate in various types of content. These can range from infographics that help explain complex subjects. To seemingly simple images that help give written content an emotional tone. All in all, marketers have long recognized the value of visual elements, especially if one knows how to properly incorporate them with the rest of their online presence.

The big thing about visual elements, such as images, infographics, and videos, is that they capture readers’ attention and encourage them to spend more time engaging with your content. This extended engagement can lead to a deeper understanding of your message and a higher likelihood of conversion. Visual elements can also break down information into digestible components, making it easier for readers to grasp and retain key points. Well-made visual aids can clarify data, processes, and instructions, enhancing the overall readability of your content.

Guiding a narrative

Now, it is important to note that visual elements aren’t solely about explanation. They can also complement your narrative, enabling you to tell a more compelling and memorable marketing story. Well-made images evoke emotions, establish context, and enhance the reader’s connection to the content. This helps tremendously with brand recognition as doing so gives your brand a distinct tone. And in the modern era of brand oversaturation, having a distinct tone is invaluable.

Also, keep in mind that visuals can guide readers’ attention to specific areas of your content, such as calls to action (CTAs), important statistics, or key takeaways. This strategic placement directs readers toward the information you want them to focus on.

We, as people, tend to like well-crafted, interesting images. This is why written content with visually appealing elements is more likely to be shared on social media and other platforms. Infographics and images, for example, are highly shareable and can extend the reach of your content to a broader audience. Visual elements, when used thoughtfully, can enhance accessibility for different audiences. One shouldn’t forget to use alt text, descriptive captions, and other techniques to ensure that visually impaired individuals can engage with your content. You should also note that integrating visuals diversify your content, catering to different types of learners and readers. Some people prefer visual learning, and by accommodating their preferences, you can appeal to a broader audience.

Share icon for online content.

All this is why incorporating visual elements into written marketing content enhances has become one of the most powerful content marketing trends of 2023. By strategically choosing and integrating visuals, you can create a more immersive and impactful experience for your audience, ultimately driving better results for your marketing efforts.

What the future holds

When asked what the future of marketing will look like it is surprisingly difficult to give a straight answer. On the one hand, we can expect that modern trends will only further develop. AI will become more robust as it incorporates different aspects of personalization. And before long, we might even see AI-powered tools that create short videos. But, on the other hand, this is simply our assumption based on how AI has developed thus far. 15-20 years ago, the modern marketing landscape would seem like science fiction. Yet, we are living it. So, are there some key points that we can use to base our future marketing campaigns?

A person shaking hands with a robot.

The future of marketing is poised for dynamic transformation, driven by technological innovations and shifting consumer expectations. Data-driven personalization will be at the forefront, leveraging advanced AI and analytics to deliver hyper-personalized experiences that resonate deeply with individual consumers. Voice and visual search will gain prominence, shaping SEO and content strategies to cater to evolving search behaviors.

Video content will continue to dominate, with immersive experiences such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) becoming integral to marketing campaigns. Ethical considerations surrounding data privacy and sustainability will, hopefully, guide responsible marketing practices, and brands aligning with meaningful causes will stand out. Interactive content, real-time marketing, and seamless omnichannel integration will be essential for engaging and captivating consumers in fast-paced digital environments.

Customer experience will remain a top priority, emphasizing value, convenience, and exceptional service. Collaboration with influencers and user-generated content will bolster authenticity and trust. In this ever-evolving landscape, successful marketers will be those who adapt swiftly, harness the power of emerging technologies, and prioritize authentic connections to deliver valuable, personalized experiences that resonate with diverse and discerning audiences.