No doubt, B2B marketers have heard, uttered and preached the phrase, “Content Is King”, more than once over the last few years. And there is reason for that. According to B2B Magazine, a recent survey of 440 B2B professionals revealed
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Content Is King…But Then What?","metadesc":"No doubt, B2B marketers have heard, uttered and preached the phrase, “Content Is King”, more than once...","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"No doubt, B2B marketers have heard, uttered and preached the phrase, “Content Is King”, more than once over the last few years. And there is reason for that. According to B2B Magazine, a recent survey of 440 B2B professionals revealed that 34 percent said they were “very” or “fully” engaged with content marketing, compared with 18 percent the previous year. The most interesting aspect of the study predicts this number will shoot up to 66 percent by next year.
\nThat means heading into 2014 there will still be 33 percent of the B2B world that doesn’t believe content is a main driver of marketing results. Who are these professionals in the 33 percentile? Every B2B campaign today involves content as a cornerstone strategy. Why? Because it is effective. In today’s world, where search engines dominate the land, having content found online serves a number of purposes. It makes you look smart. It delivers qualified leads. It drives traffic to your online destinations.
\nIn a B2B environment, the results of content marketing are even more significant when integrated into a larger marketing strategy. Let’s leave that 33 percentile in the dust for a second. Companies that truly separate themselves from the pack will go beyond content creation. They will also build content marketing strategies that allow them to “push” that knowledge in front of targeted audiences. In a true B2B environment this means posting blog content on the right social media platforms, particularly LinkedIn discussion groups that focus on specific subjects. Content that involves a video component will be placed on YouTube, and those videos shared with other audiences or customer groups. And lastly, engaging with a Twitter network is a tremendous way to share content that’s organically produced. Twitter continues to grow, and today it is a main driver of sharing knowledge on a variety of subjects. Virtually every industry has a focused group of Twitterers who seek information and resources on a particular subject. What is your business doing for content marketing?
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":75,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/your-brand-always-has-an-opinion/","title":"Your Brand Always Has An Opinion","slug":"your-brand-always-has-an-opinion","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Mon Sep 10th 2012","modified":"Tue Jul 9th 2019","excerpt":"Brands are always under the microscope. Like it or not, in this day and age of social media and 24/7 news coverage, everything a brand says is fair game for public record. Marketers, employees and those sitting in the C-suite should be very aware of this.
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Your Brand Always Has An Opinion","metadesc":"Brands are always under the microscope. Like it or not, in this day and age of social media and 24/7 news coverage, everything","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Brands are always under the microscope. Like it or not, in this day and age of social media and 24/7 news coverage, everything a brand says is fair game for public record. Marketers, employees and those sitting in the C-suite should be very aware of this. In addition to strategic business mistakes by large companies, there have been several recent examples where brands have had an opinion for all the wrong reasons.
\nFirst, Chik-fil-A, the popular fast-food chicken company was tossed into the spotlight when it’s CEO made a public statement against gay marriage. It doesn’t matter whether gay marriage is right or wrong. That’s not the point. What is problematic is that Chik-fil-A should not be focused on a topic that has nothing to do with selling chicken sandwiches. The brand veered off message and it resulted in a firestorm. In a second example, David Siegel, founder of timeshare company, Westgate Resorts, said he would fire many employees if Obama gets re-elected. It doesn’t matter if his message is right or wrong.
\nThe problem is that this should not have been one of his messages at all. Sure, there are tax and revenue implications involved in any potential change in the White House. Firing employees over political results should not be the focus of messaging for a timeshare company. Ever. In both cases, roughly half of these companies’ audiences may possibly rally around the statement. That also means roughly half the audiences will rally against both companies. Losing fifty percent of a possible audience is never a best practice. Brands need to realize that everything said is under a microscope. The key is to make sure leaders always stay on message and refrain from discussing non-business headlines, especially those that are opinion-based. History says this results in more harm than good, and there is usually a public apology at the end of the rainbow anyways. What is your brand message and are you communicating it effectively?
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":76,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/the-cloud-to-the-rescue/","title":"The Cloud To The Rescue","slug":"the-cloud-to-the-rescue","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Thu Aug 16th 2012","modified":"Tue Jul 9th 2019","excerpt":"Many SMBs lack an adequate disaster recovery (DR) protection for their applications. Disaster recovery is deemed too expensive, complex and unreliable for any but the most mission-critical applications. Traditional disaster recovery solutions often require significant
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"The Cloud To The Rescue","metadesc":"Many SMBs lack an adequate disaster recovery (DR) protection for their applications. Disaster recovery is deemed too expensive","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Many SMBs lack an adequate disaster recovery (DR) protection for their applications. Disaster recovery is deemed too expensive, complex and unreliable for any but the most mission-critical applications. Traditional disaster recovery solutions often require significant upfront expenditures for hardware, software and network infrastructure. In addition, these infrastructures must be managed and maintained, adding to overhead costs.
\nThese barriers to entry make it difficult for most SMBs to get any DR plan off the ground. With the advent of the Cloud, new DR services and solutions are being offered – at prices that most SMBs can afford. Cloud-based DRs are inherently easy to use and manage, as they are typically deployed as turnkey solutions, with the back end hosted and managed by the provider. Traditional DR solutions fail upon launch because they depend heavily on manual processes.
\nTraditional recovery solutions are complex to set up, require a secondary data centers, dedicated infrastructure, and hardware-based replication to perform the recovery. Cloud-based recovery solutions allow for the replication of virtual machine data to the Cloud. While not without its own challenges the newly emerging Cloud-based services can make it easier, more affordable and reliable for SMBs.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":77,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/the-next-technology-tidal-wave/","title":"The Next Technology Tidal Wave","slug":"the-next-technology-tidal-wave","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Thu Jul 26th 2012","modified":"Tue Jul 9th 2019","excerpt":"With the tablet market share forecasted to grow at 29% year-over-year between 2012 and 2018, it is clear that tablets will become the primary personal
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"The Next Technology Tidal Wave","metadesc":"With the tablet market share forecasted to grow at 29% year-over-year between 2012 and 2018, it is clear that tablets will become the primary personal","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"With the tablet market share forecasted to grow at 29% year-over-year between 2012 and 2018, it is clear that tablets will become the primary personal computer for a large portion of the global population. As more tablets are adopted, prices will steady decrease – possibly to a cost less than a hardcover book. The implications for low cost tablets include:
\nGlobal acceptance and adoption of tables will impact education, health care, retail and restaurant experiences, automobile research and purchases, etc., as they become replacements for paper. Tablets, along with smartphones, are already having an impact in the coffee house industry. New payment acceptance and processing services from Square and PayPal currently allow patrons to walk into coffee shops and complete the entire order and purchase transaction by merely giving the clerk your name. The rapid adoption of tablets is also impacting user experiences on the web as many existing websites are not fully optimized with a responsive design that adapts to the user’s device. Smartphones and tables are the driving force behind several new technologies and coding techniques as merchants and online retailers strive to keep up with the ever changing consumer behavior and demands. The global computing landscape is quickly changing and will soon be littered with discarded desktop PCs as tablets and smartphones become the de-facto personal computing devices for many. Exciting opportunities await merchants and service providers as they rush to keep pace with the changing tide.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":78,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/merit-mile-on-south-florida-business-journals/","title":"Merit Mile on South Florida Business Journal’s Top Ad Agencies List","slug":"merit-mile-on-south-florida-business-journals","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Jul 6th 2012","modified":"Tue Feb 14th 2023","excerpt":"In just its sixth year in business, Merit Mile is proud to be recognized as number 14 on the South Florida Business Journal’s list of the top advertising agencies.
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Merit Mile on South Florida Business Journal’s Top Ad Agencies List","metadesc":"In just its sixth year in business, Merit Mile is proud to be recognized as number 14 on the South Florida Business Journal’s list of the top advertising agencies.","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"In just its sixth year in business, Merit Mile is proud to be recognized as number 14 on the South Florida Business Journal’s list of the top advertising agencies. Companies recognized by the South Florida Business Journal as leaders in their respective industries provide an important service to businesses throughout the region. The prestigious nature of being acknowledged by the publication yields credibility and trust to the firm and its staff while also establishing confidence for its clients and prospective business partners.
\nCalculated in large part by annual revenues, companies that are eligible for the list are carefully vetted by the publication’s selection and verification committee. With a roster of reputable clients, including Microsoft Corp., Hearst Corp., and SwapaLease.com, as well as a variety of industry awards for advertising excellence, the publication’s selection committee was assured in its appointment of Merit Mile. The company’s selection to the list is also notable because of the highly competitive nature of the advertising businesses in general. What’s more, the combination of South Florida’s two media markets places the region near the top-five most prominent advertising markets in the country, behind New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. Merit Mile services clients in a variety of industries, with a concentrated focus on technology, automotive, hospitality and retail sectors. Using custom techniques among advertising, web and public relations, the firm executes across consultative and creative engagements designed to help client partners achieve goals related to brand awareness and revenue growth.
\nMerit Mile fosters a belief that the current day advertising agency requires concerted commitments to creative and technology—thus yielding a new breed of practitioners that are equally vested in art as well as science. This approach is showcased through the firm’s proprietary measurement platform, Merit Mile Metrix, which analyzes and reports on virtually every aspect of a client campaign across advertising, PR, social media, and marketing management. Merit Mile Metrix remains a true differentiator for the firm as it more closely unifies the agency and its client across several key performance indicators.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":79,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/marketing-measurement-is-critical-to-facebook-advertising/","title":"Marketing Measurement Is Critical To Facebook Advertising","slug":"marketing-measurement-is-critical-to-facebook-advertising","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Jun 1st 2012","modified":"Mon Aug 14th 2023","excerpt":"There is no doubt about the impact Facebook has brought to the digital world. We now live in a society where we are connected to professional and social networks 24/7. On a social level, platforms like Facebook have tied together billions of people
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Marketing Measurement Is Critical To Facebook Advertising","metadesc":"There is no doubt about the impact Facebook has brought to the digital world. We now live in a society where we are connected.","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"There is no doubt about the impact Facebook has brought to the digital world. We now live in a society where we are connected to professional and social networks 24/7. On a social level, platforms like Facebook have tied together billions of people, allowing them to share like-minded interests, even with people who we have never met in person. In the business world, though, social networks operate slightly different.
\nSocial networks are still extremely valuable in terms of engaging with people on multiple levels. But there is a business case that needs to be constantly evaluated – the ability to generate revenue. More specifically, Facebook allows companies to deploy strategically placed ads that work in concert with social engagement. Ultimately, companies must commit to a robust marketing measurement system to determine whether the investment in those ads is paying off. Enter General Motors (GM). General Motors, one of the world’s largest companies and a leader in the automotive space, recently decided to pull its advertising from Facebook.
\nThe company simply felt the strategy wasn’t paying off and the return on investment wasn’t there. But questions were immediately lobbed at the company, many wondering if GM gave up on the strategy too soon. “A social strategy does not come with instant gratification,” said Mark Reino, CEO of Merit Mile. “We see Facebook as a necessary part of branding but you must make a commitment and over time measure that value.” While some understood GM’s decision, others in the business world wondered if the issue was a result of poor execution, or if the company decided it had had enough and truly found little value in the advertising strategy.
\nThe specifics of GM’s marketing measurement and campaign results have not been revealed. Many in the car dealership community shared this sentiment and GM’s competitors jumped in to defend their social strategies on Facebook. If anything, Ford believes Facebook can’t be successful if it is just about advertising alone. “It’s not as simple as taking your traditional approach to advertising and porting it over to Facebook,” said Scott Monty, head of social media for Ford Motor Company. “It’s a matter of understanding the platform. Consumers are looking for engaging content, not just ads. Ford is focused on creative ways of story telling and how we interact with people.” The best use of a social strategy falls somewhere in the middle. Yes, companies need to be committed to developing their social plan and community and engaging with their audience in an effort to achieve a return on conversation. But everything companies do in a marketing capacity – whether through advertising, PR or social engagement – needs to be measured and evaluated over and over.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":81,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/merit-mile-metrix-helps-executives-give-pr-a-second-look/","title":"Merit Mile Metrix Helps Executives Give PR A Second Look","slug":"merit-mile-metrix-helps-executives-give-pr-a-second-look","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Apr 6th 2012","modified":"Tue Jul 9th 2019","excerpt":"In today’s business climate, it is more important than ever to deliver tangible results that show, on some level, an improvement to the bottom line of every business. Naturally, every member of the C-level not only wants to see this, they expect to see it from every
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Merit Mile Metrix Helps Executives Give PR A Second Look","metadesc":"In today’s business climate, it is more important than ever to deliver tangible results that show, on some level, an improvement to","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"In today’s business climate, it is more important than ever to deliver tangible results that show, on some level, an improvement to the bottom line of every business. Naturally, every member of the C-level not only wants to see this, they expect to see it from every possible area of the company’s operations. PR is no different, which is why Merit Mile leverages its Metrix measurement technology to demonstrate high-level integration within client marketing campaigns.
\nFor many years, PR’s special calling was that it delivered “buzz”, “awareness”, and “mindshare”. While this is still true today, PR is now similar to other areas of the marketing and sales team. At the end of the day, getting buzz for the CEO and generating awareness for the company are both extremely important, but PR had better find a way to demonstrate an ability to show that its activities are helping to increase the sales funnel. Fortunately, new technology and a closer strategic approach to marketing allows every PR campaign to deliver on this promise. Years ago the general routine for most PR campaigns went something like this: Identify an issue within the company to formulate a press announcement, write and send out a press release, and then count the number of places the press release was picked up.
\nAdd in a little strategic thinking and you’ve got a neat PR campaign that, for the most part, generated some buzz for the company around a certain product or service offering. PR analytics through Metrix are clearly evolving, though, and the practice is integrated more closely with strategic marketing functions that drive lead generation and sales activity. PR will be used to deliver on building mindshare as well as supplement marketing, driving traffic to specific web pages where leads are collected for the sales team. Advanced analytics tools are used to measure traffic and leads resulting from the PR efforts so that the C-level can more clearly see the value stemming from the PR program.
\nAt the same time, the C-level can leverage Metrix to get a holistic overview of the integrated campaign results. In the near future, Merit Mile Metrix will reshape the environment for PR analytics, showcasing integration with marketing campaigns and also helping to drive sales activity. With Merit Mile Metrix and strategic agency vision, executives on the C-level are giving PR another look when considering an integrated marketing communications program to generate awareness AND drive sales activity.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":80,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/microsoft-hostapaloooza-goes-down-under/","title":"Microsoft Hostapaloooza Goes Down Under!","slug":"microsoft-hostapaloooza-goes-down-under","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Apr 6th 2012","modified":"Tue Jul 9th 2019","excerpt":"Merit Mile recently executed our Hostapaloooza event series down under with our first Australian Tour in Sydney and Melbourne. These events were co-hosted by the largest distributor in Australia, NewLease, and sponsored by leading IT vendors including Citrix Systems, CA Technologies, and Brocade.
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Microsoft Hostapaloooza Goes Down Under!","metadesc":"Merit Mile recently executed our Hostapaloooza event series down under with our first Australian Tour in Sydney and Melbourne.","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Merit Mile recently executed our Hostapaloooza event series down under with our first Australian Tour in Sydney and Melbourne. These events were co-hosted by the largest distributor in Australia, NewLease, and sponsored by leading IT vendors including Citrix Systems, CA Technologies, and Brocade. The events were a huge success for this small hosting market, with approximately 40 service providers in attendance in each city, representing a variety of different IT hosting disciplines.
\nMerit Mile will continue this momentum for our spring/summer tour, likely to include India and Europe. About Hostapaloooza Microsoft Hostapaloooza is a live, in-person events series, sponsored by Microsoft Hosting University focused on helping cloud service providers activate new, small to mid-sized business customers around the world. These one-day cloud computing educational events feature presentations on the Microsoft Web Platform, Windows hosting infrastructure, as well as an impressive lineup of cloud-computing solutions from leading vendors on IT subjects related to hosting, storage, networking and more.
\nBy participating, attendees learn how to boost profits and activate new cloud computing customers quickly and efficiently—they also receive free admission in addition to walking away with a rock guitar USB drive containing all presentations and a chance to win an Xbox 360 and Guitar Hero game. Since inception, Merit Mile has managed 15 events in the US, Canada, South America and Australia for Microsoft. To learn more about this event and sponsorship opportunities, please click here.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":82,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/adopting-flexibility-as-a-strategy/","title":"Adopting Flexibility as a Strategy","slug":"adopting-flexibility-as-a-strategy","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Apr 6th 2012","modified":"Tue Jul 9th 2019","excerpt":"The world’s not a perfect place. Unexpected challenges pop up all of the time. In Marketing, paralysis can be a natural reaction to these hurdles. Fear of making mistakes often replaces our courage to attack these problems head-on.
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Adopting Flexibility as a Strategy","metadesc":"The world’s not a perfect place. Unexpected challenges pop up all of the time. In Marketing, paralysis can be a natural","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"The world’s not a perfect place. Unexpected challenges pop up all of the time. In Marketing, paralysis can be a natural reaction to these hurdles. Fear of making mistakes often replaces our courage to attack these problems head-on. It shouldn’t.
\nA flexible approach allows you to react to challenges now, while building a strong strategic foundation for the future. Penn-Florida Companies specializes in commercial real estate and private club management, and they selected Merit Mile to help rebrand and communicate the significant renovations that are occurring at Boca’s newest private club, Via Mizner Golf and Country Club – formally the Country Club at Boca Raton.
\nThis renovated facility will be a crown jewel in the heart of Boca Raton for members that have true passion for the game of golf. Change like this doesn’t happen over night. Financing, budgets, and community planning can take months – but we needed to communicate this reinvention of tradition and luxury to the community immediately. As such, we started with subtle brandmark refinements, and moved quickly onto collateral development.
\nAtop our list was the creation of a “mini-brochure” and the design of an integrated direct mail campaign. Of course, no collateral system would be complete without a web presence and we were happy to launch the initial redesign of Via Mizner Golf and Country Club just a few weeks ago. Flexibility is needed in life… and in marketing. Stay tuned for more announcements from Merit Mile and Penn-Florida in the coming months.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":83,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/welcome-to-resounderscom-the-first-and-last-stop/","title":"Welcome to Resounders.com – The First and Last Stop for Live Music, Reviews and Opinions","slug":"welcome-to-resounderscom-the-first-and-last-stop","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Apr 6th 2012","modified":"Tue Jul 9th 2019","excerpt":"One of the best parts of our job at Merit Mile is the ability to work with a variety of companies in a number of different industries. Engrained into our DNA is the ability to dig into new entrepreneurial ideas, learn quickly, and apply best practices to achieve sales
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"The First and Last Stop for Live Music, Reviews and Opinions","metadesc":"One of the best parts of our job at Merit Mile is the ability to work with a variety of companies in a number of different industries.","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"One of the best parts of our job at Merit Mile is the ability to work with a variety of companies in a number of different industries. Engrained into our DNA is the ability to dig into new entrepreneurial ideas, learn quickly, and apply best practices to achieve sales and marketing goals. Although we’re all pop-culture aware, and we like to think we maintain a high degree of today’s sense of “cool,” the reality is that market forces in the current-day music industry are moving and changing at speeds that quickly evolve yesterday’s hip into today’s passé.
\nEnter Resounders.com, a music portal dedicated to showcasing opinions that get to the root ideas of the only people that matter – the consumers. With emphasis in the growing hipster, jam band and Indie rock genres primarily, Resounders.com is all about creating a public online environment for music neophytes as well as savants, and sharing stories, opinions and ideas therein. The people behind Resounders.com spend most of their time listening, performing, and attending live shows rather than creating and executing marketing and web strategies for profit. Similarly, the personalities stewarding this platform would prefer to make the site all about the users, and steer rather than drive the community of opinions on a number of subjects in the category.
\nTo support this vision, Merit Mile had to start from the very basics, by conceiving the brand name, “Resounders”, as our first initiative. We liked this brand name for many reasons: it truly supports our content sharing mission; it’s a single, actionable term; and as luck would have it, the domain and all the right social media handles were available. In the land of the startup, these factors contributed significantly to the initial branding and associated decision making. From there, we had to create a fun yet professional logo and brand identity. There’s no denying that the integrated vinyl album embraces everything that was fun about yesteryear music, but also sets the tone for a growing trend in music consumption today.
\nSimilarly, the color palette needed to be light and welcoming, yet still maintain a high degree of established professionalism. Moving onto the website, Merit Mile created a simple and editorially focused web platform that makes it easy to absorb and contribute content. The CMS is driven by the ever-popular and continuously-improving WordPress engine, but maintains a high degree of customization particularly in the Shows and Featured sections of the site. On the whole, we are proud to welcome Resounders.com to the Merit Mile family, and we hope you enjoy the community and the vision as much as we do.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":84,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/merit-mile-relaunches-apsstandard-cloud-ifying-applications-worldwide/","title":"Merit Mile Relaunches APSstandard.org – “Cloud-ifying” Applications Worldwide!","slug":"merit-mile-relaunches-apsstandard-cloud-ifying-applications-worldwide","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Apr 6th 2012","modified":"Tue Jul 9th 2019","excerpt":"The cloud is here to stay and software vendors worldwide are scrambling for simple ways to extend their reach. As such, APSstandard.org recognized the need to improve upon their website to reach a broader audience, while better serving the needs of their customer base.
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"Merit Mile Relaunches APSstandard.org","metadesc":"The cloud is here to stay and software vendors worldwide are scrambling for simple ways to extend their reach. As such, APSstandard.org","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"The cloud is here to stay and software vendors worldwide are scrambling for simple ways to extend their reach. As such, APSstandard.org recognized the need to improve upon their website to reach a broader audience, while better serving the needs of their customer base. Application Packaging Standard (APS) allows businesses across the cloud to take more applications to market faster by enabling the automated provisioning, configuring, billing, and support of cloud-based offerings.
\nWhile the changes to the APS website may at first glance appear superficial or cosmetic, the re-launch of the APSstandard.org represents a major shift in architecture and design. The newest version of this site is powered by ExpressionEngine, a PHP-based CMS platform that is highly flexible and scalable to accommodate growth and future enhancements. The site is hosted on Windows Server 2008 with IIS 7 and SQL database powering the backend. A new feature introduced with the re-launch is Forums.
\nFrom here site visitors can discuss and obtain information and support in regards to the APS packaging standards. The forum is an integrated extension of Expression Engine, allowing for seamless compatibility with the main website. The website relaunch is one of several projects ongoing for Parallels Corporation and APS. In this initiative, the combination of Merit Mile’s creative and technical capabilities complemented those of the APS team, and the end result is a beautiful, simple and robust web presence that accommodates thousands of worldwide visitors each month. For more information please drop us a line here.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":85,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/merit-mile-metrix-a-unified-simplified-cloud-based-marketing-analytics-solution/","title":"Merit Mile Metrix – a Unified and Simplified Cloud–based Marketing Analytics Solution","slug":"merit-mile-metrix-a-unified-simplified-cloud-based-marketing-analytics-solution","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Apr 6th 2012","modified":"Tue Jul 9th 2019","excerpt":"Merit Mile Metrix is a proprietary marketing analytics and reporting platform designed and built in the cloud on Microsoft Windows Azure. We use Metrix for secure internal reporting, client reporting, project management, email distribution, and ad campaign reporting.
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"a Unified & Simplified Cloud-based Marketing Analytics Solution","metadesc":"Merit Mile Metrix is a proprietary marketing analytics and reporting platform designed and built in the cloud on Microsoft Windows Azure.","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Merit Mile Metrix is a proprietary marketing analytics and reporting platform designed and built in the cloud on Microsoft Windows Azure. We use Metrix for secure internal reporting, client reporting, project management, email distribution, and ad campaign reporting.
\nBeyond high-level overviews, Metrix also provides granular views on a variety of subjects from open rates and conversions to creative version control and task management. Its goal is to ultimately make monitoring marketing campaigns as painless as possible for us and our clients. Here are some tasty nuggets of data the business analysts will appreciate, and the creative team will love for the purposes of designing and producing smarter communications in the future.
\nEmail Statistics
\nWho clicked, who didn’t? What did they click on, where in the world were the when they clicked, what device did the use to view our communication? Website Analytics Metrix also integrates into the more robust analytics tools out there – like Google Analytics and Piwik. So any site that’s already configured to use these tools can be read and measured by Metrix—all in one online view!
\nProject Management & Time Tracking
\nWe built Metrix with the intention of running it internally to be able to see, in real-time, where all of our time and expenses go—this is a feature any business looking for an agency like us would require. But the enhanced capability has made it an even more robust client-facing web application. Look for more announcements coming soon about Merit Mile Metrix – including social media and public relations reporting and analysis. Contact us to schedule your Metrix demo today!
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":86,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/marginalizing-cost-with-cloud-marketing/","title":"Marginalizing Cost with Cloud Marketing","slug":"marginalizing-cost-with-cloud-marketing","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Mon Apr 2nd 2012","modified":"Mon Aug 14th 2023","excerpt":"In a time when companies are trying to stay ahead of the technology curve while simultaneously maintaining efficient cost controls, opportunities within online marketing including social media have never been in higher demand.
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Marginalizing Cost with Cloud Marketing","metadesc":"In a time when companies are trying to stay ahead of the technology curve while simultaneously maintaining efficient cost controls","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"In a time when companies are trying to stay ahead of the technology curve while simultaneously maintaining efficient cost controls, opportunities within online marketing including social media have never been in higher demand. Intimidating terminlogy and the ever-evolving landscape of web analytics, measurement and ROI can leave contractors curious as to how to best embrace these new tools.
\nAs Mark Reino explains in the April issue of Construction Executive Magazine, many building executives are turning to Cloud Marketing Technology. Cloud marketing is a business strategy that allows builders to shift their investments in IT and marketing-communications from in house to off-premise. Through cloud technology, everything from campaign design and list development to targeted distribution can be automated. Along with this automation, decisions such as identifying the best days of the week to email your prospect list are much easier with point and click reports available within many cloud marketing platforms.
\nReino illustrates that a key payoff with cloud marketing technology is that it is created and launched in standard browser sessions, therefore eliminating the need for specialized in-house staff or dedicated infrastructure. “The bottom line is that contractors can be savvy, ROI-focused marketers while still concentrating their efforts on people, projects and bids”, explains Reino. Businesses can then also scale hosting services up or down depending on the times of year when more capacity is needed, making this especially appealing to small and mid-sized companies where marketing costs are often marginalized. As the economy begins to improve, new technologies such as cloud marketing can be game-changing tools to help companies make informed business-building decisions without compromising the amount of energy dedicated to their core business.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":87,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/pinterest-for-consumers-and-business-alike/","title":"Pinterest for Consumers and Business Alike","slug":"pinterest-for-consumers-and-business-alike","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Thu Feb 16th 2012","modified":"Tue Jul 9th 2019","excerpt":"With 2 million users, Pinterest is generating more referral traffic to websites than YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn combined. The latest darling of the social media universe is undoubtedly Pinterest. Although the company of 16 people has a following
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Pinterest for Consumers and Business Alike","metadesc":"With 2 million users, Pinterest is generating more referral traffic to websites than YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn combined.","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"With 2 million users, Pinterest is generating more referral traffic to websites than YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn combined. The latest darling of the social media universe is undoubtedly Pinterest. Although the company of 16 people has a following that is 97% female, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg just joined. First, a refresher for the newbies.
\nPinterest is a “virtual pinboard” that lets users organize and share everything they find on the web in the form of photographs and video primarily. People use their “pinboards” to plan events, organize otherwise scattered visual ideas, help decorate their work and play spaces, and generally organize, in visual context, their their favorite interests. Get it? Pin + Interest = Pinterest. One of the most viral features of Pinterest is the ability to browse and follow pinboards created by other people, a la Twitter. Browsing pinboards allows users to discover new things and get inspiration from people with similar interests.
\nThe rub: to get started, users need to request an invite and install small footprint web tools onto their devices of choice. How do they make money? Oddly, not via heavy doses of ad serving on the portal but rather a quiet affiliate marketing strategy that generates payments for Pinterest from the retailers if someone clicks through and buys a product featured in the pin. More details on the Pinterest business model here. Interesting, yes. Disruptive, certainly. Look for Pinterest to quickly skate toward the next social media finish line—viral, user generated content that crosses over into the consumerization of IT, and systematically monetize the strategy as their user base grows. For more on the Pinterest revolution to date, check out this insightful infographic, and read this article for insights on how to boost your business with Pinterest.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":88,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/laurenellcom-simple-chic-and-unique-fashions-for-women-and-children/","title":"LaureNell.com Simple, chic and unique fashions for women and children","slug":"laurenellcom-simple-chic-and-unique-fashions-for-women-and-children","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Feb 10th 2012","modified":"Mon Feb 22nd 2021","excerpt":"Do you know those people who are absolutely impossible to shop for? Well, Merit Mile designed LaureNell.com exactly for this audience. What’s more, the site is powered by one of the most robust e-commerce engines on the planet
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"Simple, chic and unique fashions for women and children","metadesc":"Do you know those people who are absolutely impossible to shop for? Well, Merit Mile designed LaureNell.com exactly for this audience.","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Do you know those people who are absolutely impossible to shop for? Well, Merit Mile designed LaureNell.com exactly for this audience. What’s more, the site is powered by one of the most robust e-commerce engines on the planet, integrates social media igniters effortlessly, and maintains a user interface that meets the demand of both power-browsers and power-shoppers.
\nThe biggest marketing challenge associated with this launch was related to marketplace positioning. Additionally, as a start-up, Merit Mile needed to “nail it” on the first click because first impressions (literally) are the only impressions that matter when it comes down to garnering repeat visitors in this competitive environment. Similarly, the leadership at LaureNell.com is French in origin and they regularly travel the world to discover hidden treasures in women and children’s apparel, beauty, and home décor. The collection is purposely edited to offer only true favorites and limited volume to maintain originality and uniqueness.
\nWith a worldly vibe, Laure Nell customers stand out with unique fashions that are hard to find anywhere else. In an effort to appropriately capture these discerning business differentiators, the web design team at Merit Mile focused on simple elegance and made a big design commitment to the idea of “scrolling tiles”. Combined with high level photography (shot in Paris), the balance of the desire for simple elegance was executed using a minimalist approach with plenty of “air” so as not to overwhelm, but instead create a sense of “calm” in the browsing and shopping experience. For more on LaureNell.com including some of the back end technology, check out this post. While you are at it, “like” Laure Nell’s Facebook page and follow them on Twitter here.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":89,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/merit-mile-helps-microsoft-and-key-partners-drive-revenue-in-the-cloud/","title":"Merit Mile Helps Microsoft and Key Partners Drive Revenue in the Cloud","slug":"merit-mile-helps-microsoft-and-key-partners-drive-revenue-in-the-cloud","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Feb 10th 2012","modified":"Tue Aug 9th 2022","excerpt":"On the B2B front, Merit Mile is helping Microsoft realize its cloud computing channel strategy with two, complementary global initiatives. First, in an effort to help over 10,000 partners worldwide activate new cloud computing customers
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"Merit Mile Helps Microsoft and Key Partners Drive Revenue in the Cloud","metadesc":"On the B2B front, Merit Mile is helping Microsoft realize its cloud computing channel strategy with two, complementary global initiatives.","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"On the B2B front, Merit Mile is helping Microsoft realize its cloud computing channel strategy with two, complementary global initiatives. First, in an effort to help over 10,000 partners worldwide activate new cloud computing customers, Merit Mile created Microsoft Hosting University. This portal, dedicated to helping partners grasp technology and sales lesson on Microsoft SPLA, is available in six languages and features heavy doses of video and dynamically published content that is both current and relevant. Second, Merit Mile continues the Microsoft cloud story in the offline world with the Hostapaloooza event series.
\nIn partnership with Citrix, Parallels, Dell, Ingram Micro and others, these live, in-person events, sponsored by Microsoft Hosting University are focused on helping cloud service providers activate new, small to mid-sized business customers around the world. In a rock concert setting, Merit Mile has integrated a tradeshow strategy with a web strategy for the purposes of brand awareness and event registrations.
\nThese one-day cloud computing educational events feature presentations on the Microsoft Web Platform, Windows hosting infrastructure, as well as an impressive lineup of cloud-computing solutions from leading vendors on IT subjects related to hosting, storage, networking and more. By participating, attendees learn how to boost profits and activate new cloud computing customers quickly and efficiently—they also receive free admission in addition to walking away with a rock guitar USB drive containing all presentations. Since inception, Merit Mile has managed over a dozen events in the US, Canada and South America for Microsoft. The next stop on the tour is Australia in March. To learn more about this event and sponsorship opportunities, please turn your speakers up!
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":90,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/who-were-the-super-bowls-biggest-winners/","title":"Who Were the Super Bowl’s Biggest Winners?","slug":"who-were-the-super-bowls-biggest-winners","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Mon Feb 6th 2012","modified":"Mon Aug 14th 2023","excerpt":"Adam Shapiro of the Fox Business Network interviews Mark Reino, CEO of Merit Mile and breaks down how companies benefit from a Super Bowl ad and which commercial reigned supreme. For more information
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"Who Were the Super Bowl’s Biggest Winners?","metadesc":"Adam Shapiro of the Fox Business Network interviews Mark Reino, CEO of Merit Mile and breaks down how companies benefit from a Super Bowl","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"\nAdam Shapiro of the Fox Business Network interviews Mark Reino, CEO of Merit Mile and breaks down how companies benefit from a Super Bowl ad and which commercial reigned supreme. For more information please call 561-362-8888 or email Merit Mile here.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":91,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/merit-mile-announces-new-branding-new-clients-and-new-offices/","title":"Merit Mile Announces New Branding, New Clients And New Offices in Downtown Boca Raton, FL","slug":"merit-mile-announces-new-branding-new-clients-and-new-offices","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Feb 3rd 2012","modified":"Mon Aug 14th 2023","excerpt":"Serving Entrepreneurs and Enterprises Alike, Marketing Agency Uses Cloud Technologies to Complement Design and Strategy, and Measure ROI in the Process Boca Raton, Fla. (February 3, 2012) — Opinions, perceptions, and artistic preferences have always driven advertising
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"Merit Mile Announces New Branding","metadesc":"Serving Entrepreneurs and Enterprises Alike, Marketing Agency Uses Cloud Technologies to Complement Design and Strategy","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Serving Entrepreneurs and Enterprises Alike, Marketing Agency Uses Cloud Technologies to Complement Design and Strategy, and Measure ROI in the Process Boca Raton, Fla. (February 3, 2012) — Opinions, perceptions, and artistic preferences have always driven advertising and marketing success stories. Merit Mile is determined to balance these scales with definitive metrics that tell a complete story in the field of branding and demand generation. “Our work is beautiful and we’re proud of the trophies on our mantle, but when it comes down to evaluating campaign success, bottom line evidence in the form of awareness, impressions, leads, and sales revenue are the ultimate differentiators,” says Mark Reino, CEO of Merit Mile.
\nThe Boca Raton-based agency has developed a suite of proprietary cloud computing technologies branded as Merit Mile Metrix, using Microsoft Windows® Azure™ and designed to measure marketing campaign performance across all conventional online and offline media. Separately, the web-savvy agency also makes additional announcements on this day including the release of their new agency branding—refreshed for the first time since inception in 2007. The brand identity release is well timed as the firm and its staff relocated headquarters to trendy downtown Boca Raton facilities at 131 NE 1st Avenue. True to its identity, the new offices are appointed with a variety of technology amenities including voice over IP telephony, several high-definition flat screen monitors, digital whiteboards, and a gaming lounge appointed with Xbox 360® with Kinect™.
\nReino further states, “As we celebrate our five-year business anniversary, we wanted to go boldly into a comfortable yet energizing setting, and an office that accommodates the needs of our brilliant team and world-class clients, today and tomorrow.” On the business front Merit Mile also announces the onboarding of three new clients, including Parallels Corporation, Resounders.com —a live music editorial review platform, and the Penn-Florida Companies including Via Mizner Golf & Club as well as the Santa Lucia River Club. The agency anticipates completion of several business-building initiatives for the announced clients across print, web and broadcast media outlets in the coming weeks.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":92,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/marketing-lessons-from-super-bowls-3-5m-ads/","title":"Marketing Lessons From Super Bowl’s $3.5M Ads","slug":"marketing-lessons-from-super-bowls-3-5m-ads","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Feb 3rd 2012","modified":"Mon Aug 14th 2023","excerpt":"Originally Published by Kate Rogers on Fox Business. While many fans will be watching the Super Bowl on Sunday to see which team takes home the trophy, small business owners can learn something from the commercial breaks. Chances are your business can’t pony
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"Marketing Lessons From Super Bowl’s $3.5M Ads","metadesc":"Originally Published by Kate Rogers on Fox Business. While many fans will be watching the Super Bowl on Sunday to see which team takes home the trophy","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Originally Published by Kate Rogers on Fox Business. While many fans will be watching the Super Bowl on Sunday to see which team takes home the trophy, small business owners can learn something from the commercial breaks. Chances are your business can’t pony up $3.5 million for a 30-second spot during this year’s big game, but the marketing lessons in these ads won’t cost you a dime. Mark Reino, CEO of MeritMile.com, said first and foremost take budget out of the equation while analyzing these advertisements.
\n“Don’t ever get budget envy,” Reino said. “There’s only a very small handful of companies who can afford to advertise on Super Bowl Sunday.” What you should take away from these spots, he said, is the type of research that goes into creating them. “These days, the industry is as much scientific as it is creative,” Reino said. “I think small businesses get around to marketing when it’s convenient. They invest in the media…and in creative aspects.” However, no matter how creative this mix is, if a business isn’t measuring the impact of its campaigns on consumers, it’s not worth the investment. Measuring return-on-investment is something that even the smallest company should do, Reino said.
\nThere are two types of ads small business owners should look out for, according to Reino. The first are ambiguous, esoteric commercials, which he calls “air cover” ads. “You might find yourself scratching your head and wondering what they are selling,” he said. “A lot of times that is by design—it’s a creative approach that associates a compelling, creative idea with a brand.” One such commercial is Honda’s ad starring Matthew Broderick reviving his role as Ferris Bueller, Reino said. Then there are “ground cover” ads, which are all about the consumer taking action. Such a commercial will prompt viewers to go to a Web site or make a phone call, he said. “This is more direct-marketing focused than brand –focused,” Reino said. “Every small business should attempt to strike the right balance between initiatives. It’s a double-edged sword.”
\nBefore doing any type of advertising, or even research, Reino said any business should lay the foundation for the message they want to give to viewers. “If you can plan, and execute your plan, even without sophisticated technologies you will at least have a compass and roadmap to accomplish your goals,” he said. “That is always helpful.”
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":93,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/merit-mile-expertise-in-qualified-remodeler-magazine/","title":"Merit Mile Expertise In Qualified Remodeler Magazine","slug":"merit-mile-expertise-in-qualified-remodeler-magazine","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Mon Jan 2nd 2012","modified":"Mon Aug 14th 2023","excerpt":"B2B technology marketing is simply part of our DNA at Merit Mile, and agency principals showcase a deep level of this expertise within a variety of B2B industries. Qualified Remodeler, a leading trade magazine for the remodeling profession, called on Merit Mile to explain
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Merit Mile Expertise In Qualified Remodeler Magazine","metadesc":"B2B technology marketing is simply part of our DNA at Merit Mile, and agency principals showcase a deep level of this expertise within.","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"B2B technology marketing is simply part of our DNA at Merit Mile, and agency principals showcase a deep level of this expertise within a variety of B2B industries. Qualified Remodeler, a leading trade magazine for the remodeling profession, called on Merit Mile to explain cloud computing and the benefits it offers remodelers. Mark Reino, CEO of Merit Mile and lead agency strategist for many clients in the cloud computing space, including Microsoft Corp., Parallels and Citrix Sytems, expanded on a topic that’s a growing interest among builders and remodelers. Like many other industries, construction companies are looking for ways to maximize business efficiencies, lower costs, and leverage cutting-edge marketing options. Reino explains in the January issue of Qualified Remodeler: “As with any service, some cloud-computing providers are more reputable than others.
\nMark Reino, Chief Executive Officer of Boca Raton, Fla. – based Merit Mile; a marketing firm that develops and executes business building marketing strategies; recommends finding providers through independent review authorities and industry referrals. “Potential cloud users often wonder why they should pay to use cloud-based services when they could purchase comparable software to use directly on their local or wide area network. ‘It’s the exact same reason you don’t have an electrical power grid in your house,’ Reino explains. ‘It’s a trusted service you rely on. Fundamentally, it comes down to a core business issue.
\nIf software, storage, and web services are your core business, then I can understand the desire to purchase, install, maintain, and be responsible for your IT needs. But if you are a professional home remodeler, you might want to have all of the conveniences of the cloud automatically delivered to you, securely, as needed in real time.’ Reino also notes in a cloud environment the user is immediately downstream of updates; this also means an in-house IT department might be better utilized in a core business capacity.” How can Merit Mile assist with your cloud technology-based marketing strategies? Visit us at MeritMile.com to learn more.
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