Latest Posts

Why ‘Infographics’ are a Great Business Tool!

Founded in 1982 the daily newspaper USA Today differentiated itself from its competitors by becoming more colorful, illustrative and photographic-rich. Much of what they did was construct illustrations that consolidated content into a quick, interesting image. This in turn not only stood out but also put the onus on other suppliers of data to treat content in a more engaging way.

Infographics have been around us even longer under the term data visualization. Here is one of the earliest known examples from 1863 of Napoleon’s March to Moscow.
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Are You a Good Corporate Citizen?

Does your company embrace community relations? Here’s why you should! Community relations goes hand-in-hand with being a good corporate citizen and while you’re building all of that good will in the community, it’s been shown that in times of company crisis, communities are more likely to give the company a chance to rectify a situation gone awry before the onslaught of public criticism. (more…)

Starmark Fort Lauderdale Creatives Celebrate First Holiday Season Downtown

The Starmark Fort Lauderdale creatives celebrate their first holiday season “downtown” in Museum Plaza at their tropical modern headquarters office. The integrated advertising and interactive agency was previously located at the DCOTA office building. “We’re happy we were able to help light up Fort Lauderdale for the holidays,” said Starmark President Jacqui Hartnett. Nearly 200 business associates attended the festivities. (more…)

Dan Estes Future Chef Scholarship Established

The Leo Goodwin Foundation and Boys & Girls Club of Broward County have established the Dan Estes Future Chef Scholarship fund in memory of the late chairman and co-founder of Starmark. (more…)

Looking For a Gift? Give Company Executives a Message Tree For 2012

Reprinted from South Florida Business Journal

It’s the holiday season and we are all looking for special gifts for family and friends, but here’s a gift idea for your company executives: a message tree.

Most companies have a media plan, showing what media they will buy and when. Some of these media plans are even broken down by target audiences. However, many do not go the next step to include a message tree (also referred to as a social graph) that defines the messages companies want to emphasize to each target audience.

Today, with media becoming more fragmented and customers driving the conversation online, business marketers often focus more on the message delivery medium than the messaging itself or how that message varies by target audience.

While it is a good idea to make sure your messages to each of these target audiences are relevant to their needs, it is also a good idea to make sure your ad copy, tweets or posts remains consistent with what you want to communicate and are in the spirit of your brand.

Because company executives are more visible than ever before on such social networks as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and now Google+, their discussions about your company become more critical to your competitive edge.

A message tree is a tremendous communications tool. It not only guides the conversation, but it makes executive decisions about ad content and creative much more effective and consistent, adding the power of message frequency to your communications.

So, a message tree is not only a good gift idea for your executives for 2012, but it is also a gift that gives back, in terms of more effective and targeted communications for your company, throughout the year.

Another gift for your company communications plan for 2012 is Google+ Pages. Google+ Pages has been open to businesses for only a month. Both big brands, such as Ford Motor Co. and Sesame Street, and small businesses will have the opportunity to build a presence on Google+ Pages.

The story of how Google+ will impact Facebook, which has become a brand awareness-building giant in the last few years, is yet to be written. What is clear is that, one week after Google+ opened access to individuals, the site received 15 million U.S. visits and is now ranked among the top 10 most popular websites.

Another thing that is clear is that while Facebook and Google+ are rapid awareness-builders for brands, they also have been proven to often increase the number of sales leads from other media in your plan. In other words: If you drop your Facebook program for a month, the leads in your other media, such as print ads, will also decrease. So, Facebook, when mixed with print and other media, provides a powerful combination.

In these touch economic times, it is certainly worth spending extra effort to create the message tree that will drive your return on your media and advertising investment, and give your executives a way to serve the organization in all of their online interactions. It’s an important way you can give your organization a competitive edge and power-up your opportunity for success in 2012.

Leverage Responsive Email Design to Boost Mobile Readership

As you know, we’ve covered it before, putting email marketing best practices to work for us in an effort to deliver a compelling message that results in increased open and click-thru rates. However, have you thought about applying that same strategy to viewing your emails on mobile devices? Well, it’s time that you do and here’s why. (more…)

What’s All the ‘Buzz’ about PR Anyway?

The idea of public relations may evoke thoughts of the “mighty” press release, “spinning the story,” or chic parties. While we don’t like to use the term “spin,” those expressions are part of the bigger picture of public relations. So, what’s the buzz about PR? (more…)

Starmark CEO Wins Two Leadership Awards

Starmark co-founder and CEO Peggy Nordeen received two awards from the Florida International University Center for Leadership and the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center at the “Women to Watch: Florida’s Entrepreneurial Leaders 2011” conference.

Nordeen was one of 25 women across Florida to receive recognition but the only one to receive two awards. She received an award in the category of Highest Revenue Growth due to the fact that Starmark maintained its revenue during hard economic times — from 2008 to 2010 — and had a minimum of $10 million in revenue in 2010. (more…)

Google yourself. Do you like what you see?

Don’t underestimate the power of this social media audit. According to a recent Pew Research Center Study, 44% of online users search for professional information about others online. While what you don’t want may be obvious (misinformation or compromising photos), what you do want requires some planning and work. Doing an “Ego Google” is also a good way to test the privacy settings on your social and sharing networks. (more…)

Place Advertisements With Blog Networks to Target Motivated Prospects

Reprinted from South Florida Business Journal

Newspapers and magazines have long done an excellent job of determining editorial of interest to the buyers of advertisers’ offerings. Special editorial sections for dining, technology, finance, education, fashion and beauty, and weekend entertainment attract advertisers with products or services in those categories. Ads in these special sections often have a higher number of responders, who have more potential to buy because the interest in the editorial powerfully attracts readers’ attention to the ads. (more…)

Don’t Be the Next Social Media #FAIL

It’s easy isn’t it…setting up a Facebook Page, a Twitter account, a website, even interacting in the social media environment. Why can’t you or your new intern take care of it all without hiring an integrated marketing agency? There are many reasons why you can’t, but for starters, have you thought about the potential risks of diving into social media without the proper training on rules of engagement? All it takes is one faux pas to erode your brand and if you’re not careful, you could end up on the “social media failed” list which is why hiring the right agency can mean the difference between success and social outcast. (more…)

Understanding Your Hierarchy Of Social Media Needs

Much like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in psychology, there are various levels in social media that are becoming galvanized within the discipline. Therefore, we’ve outlined each, starting from the bottom and working our way to the top. While this document is a generalization, we know that each client has specific needs and we can work with you to create customized solutions to meet them. (more…)