Will Rogers, the legendary cowboy philosopher once said, “It ain’t bragging if it’s true.”

Self-promotion is not a dirty word, in fact, it is necessary for business success. Many of us blush and hesitate to engage in self-promotion. But celebrating wins or trumpeting success stories is an important part of a marketing plan. Customers want and need to know this kind of information before making a buying decision

Creative company culture is a hot topic. Some companies offer free lunches and dry cleaning as a way to boost morale, while others say this just puts pressure on employees to work longer hours. Ping pong tables and wacky decor make your office look like fun, but is it really? Some love an open office floor plan; others say it’s a noisy, distracted hot mess.

Are you familiar with the concept of retargeting? I’ll bet it’s happened to you. You’re online shopping for an item…let’s say a new pair of shoes. You examine the features, check the price, you may even click to add it to your shopping cart, but you never complete the purchase. The next time you’re online you’re served an ad for that exact pair of shoes. Weird? Nope, that’s a form of retargeting.

It’s not merely what you say, or how you say it. It’s also how it looks.

I’m talking about font selection. It might not immediately seem like something that could affect your bottom line, but choosing the right fonts is a way to draw a customer in or drive them away.

There’s no denying it, social media video is the king of content right now. From “live-as-it-happens” videos to eye-catching mini-movies, consumers are watching closely. Visual trends are growing and platforms like Instagram and Facebook play an important role in this shift. Consumers are viewing more video, so brands are creating even more social media video marketing for them to view. And where they watch is extremely important.

By 2019, experts believe that 80% of all the traffic on the internet will be consumer internet video. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, SnapChat or Hulu, video content has emerged as the medium of choice for the masses. In fact, nearly three in four agencies say online video is as effective, or more effective, than television. Here are a few reasons why –

Creating and distributing content is one of the most effective ways to build your brand and engage with your target audience. But, only if it’s done right. If your content primarily focuses on pitching your company, services and products, you need to rethink your strategy. Today’s consumer prefers to learn about products and services through articles, not advertisements. They want to be educated through online searches, not “sold.”

Every year during the holiday season, consumers are inundated with advertisements from millions of companies vying for their attention and money. With so much competition, why do businesses even bother? Because, if you place the right type of ad, it pays off. Big Time! In 2015 , brands reaped 113% more return on ad spend, thanks in part to larger increases in average order values (AOV).

2017 is fast-approaching. And while you’re probably knee-deep in how to finish 2016 strong, now is also the time to start planning for what’s to come. Today, as many as 85% of small and mid-size companies make the mistake of operating based only on a budget. Without a well-designed marketing plan, you fail to establish guidelines and proper direction, as well as run the risk of being unable to successfully identify key performance indicators (KPI’s). To ensure your business can hit the ground running January 1st, you need to be asking (and answering) three key questions:

If you think reputation management is something only large companies need to worry about, think again. Companies of all sizes can quickly find themselves in crisis mode if their brand becomes tainted due to an unforeseen event or negative press.