Another year has passed and truly the seasons are getting shorter and shorter. Simply said I am getting older and hopefully wiser. Each New Year I take a hard look back and analyze that year’s business plan and create a new one. I realize it is still is a tough economic time we are facing both from a business standpoint and most importantly how it has impacted people on a personal level. Lost jobs, homes and delayed retirements. Fortunately for Strategis we saw a solid double digit growth in revenues coming off a solid 2010. I truly have to attribute two years of growth to our strategic planning and dedicated team.

“Follow the numbers and they will determine tactics to prosperity/” George H. Irish Jr. – My Dad (And I used to think he didn’t know anything.)

A few things to keep in mind when planning for 2012:

1. Create a plan – It sounds obvious, but if I had to guess a good 30% of organizations don’t even have a simple one page plan.
2. Work on the business not in it – Allow yourself time to step back and think. I find we have the mentality that progress is defined in just moving the process.
3. Set goals high – I have always found it easier to achieve a high level of success when I am chasing a goal that might seem to most unachievable. 2012 – 100% growth in revenues.
4. Get granular – Create strategies to attain those goals and constantly measure. I can see at least 4 key areas to grow revenues 100%.
5. Plan your work and work your plan – You just have to be doggedly persistent and understand failure will not be an option.

I hope this helps and please add to my list.

Many brands and businesses have seized the Instagram opportunity- it provides these businesses with yet another platform to present their brand and gain consumer interaction. What I like about Instagram for brands is that it is a way to interact with consumers and customers without trying to push your product on them. It’s not salesy like Facebook and Twitter posts can sometimes be. Instagram is all about sharing, viewing, and commenting on pictures of things that people are passionate about.

Some of my favorite brands and companies that are #doingitright:

• Starbucks (starbucks): Starbucks has over 16,000 followers on Instagram, and they have been tagged over 100,000 times. The popular Frappuccino drink itself has over 1,000 followers. Starbucks has even linked their Instagram account to http://www.starbucks.com/coffeehouse – a smart move.
• ABC World News (abcworldnews): ABC World News uses Instagram to visualize their news stream and engage with over 92,000 followers in the comments.
• Diet Coke (dietcoke): I’m admittedly addicted to both coffee and diet coke. So maybe I’m biased with listing Diet Coke under one of my favorite brands on Instagram, but I can’t help it- and neither can their other 1,700 followers. Diet Coke’s instagram is filled with quirky graphics all related to DC.
• The Boston Celtics (celtics): Sports Social Media Marketing can also go beyond the habitual mediums such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, believe it or not. The Boston Celtic’s Instagram has over 50,000 users following. The Celtics are using Instagram to connect with its passionate fans.
• Mashable (mashable): As everyone’s most frequented source for social and digital media, it’s no surprise that Mashable is on Instagram- and even less of a surprise that they have almost 33,000 followers. Mashable has uploaded photos of social media events, employees, and puppies. It’s no wonder they have such a following.

If you’re an avid Instragram user such as myself, feel free to leave your username in the comments, and I’ll gladly follow you.

At 94% in just 4 minutes, SMS’ user response rate runs laps around every other form of advertising. Over 90% of theU.S.population has a cell phone and 91% of those individuals keep their phone within 3 feet of them 24 hours a day. As if those statistics weren’t something to get excited about get this; SMS marketing is actually extremely easy to use! The first step is to set your customers up with a keyword. They simply text that keyword to your 5 or 6 digit destination number, also known as a short code, and just like that your customers have opted in and your text message campaign is initiated. From there you can send exclusive offers or promote certain products or product launches. If you don’t have anything to promote, SMS marketing can simply be used as a way to keep your company name or brand fresh in their mind (without being too aggressive of course).

With smart phones and tablets on the upswing, SMS marketing is destined for rapid growth. Here at Strategis we have begun offering this new and exciting form of advertising to our clients. Give us a call or shoot us an e-mail with your inquiries and we’d be happy to get your business set up. It’s about time you ride the mobile marketing wave to increase your business!

For more information call (781) 297-9200 or e-mail George at girish@strategisadv.com

What exactly is it you ask? Simply put, the rub-off effect occurs when one product or company is mentioned in the same light as a more expensive product or larger company and the consumer perceives both are equal in cost or size. Many companies can and do use this to their advantage when marketing their product. Take the example of a new microbrewery competing with a much larger, more established brewery. The smaller brewery is able to charge a premium for their beer due to the rub-off effect of the larger brewery’s pricing. It is crucial for the microbrewery to have their name mentioned in as many public relation pieces as possible with the larger brewery in order to increase its market share. The rub-off effect allows less expensive products and smaller companies a fighting chance against their tough competition.