Hitting the reset button on marketing communications begins by accepting a new perspective on what marketing communications needs to accomplish. Switching a company’s perspective from that of a traditional advertiser to that of a tightly disciplined, personalized publisher can help a company join the online conversation. The company’s Web site can generate dramatically more sales leads than it ever has before by offering more-timely, personalized, and useful content.

Maples Communications is launching a “Flat-Rate” PR and social media program to help companies build brand visibility, attract new customers and boost their businesses. The program is about using the power of the Internet to lead customers through the buying process.

Maples Communications and strategic partner Citizen7 Studios have been selected by the Irvine Chamber of Commerce to develop the “Digital Irvine” program which will be designed to attract digital media businesses and build upon Irvine’s reputation as a top destination for the digital media industry.

Walking into a ballgame, you are likely to hear someone shouting, “Program! Get your program! Can’t tell the players without a program!” I can’t think of a better analogy for developing a “best practices” social media program: its all about nailing down – in writing – who you need to connect with online, what you are trying to achieve with them, and knowing what to measure so that you will know if you have achieved your goals.

If the company is going to achieve and maintain a brand value using social media, it will need to first understand the company’s stake in the marketplace and the value it offers to its customers. The value proposition is all about the customer. What matters to them and how you can deliver value that differentiates you from your competitors.

Pepsi gets it! Its decision to sit out the Super Bowl, once deemed a “can’t miss” showcase for major advertisers, underscores how social media and the Internet are reshaping marketing by providing companies better ways to convey their messages to customers who might be likely to buy their products.

For Maples Communications, it is an honor to be called a wingman. We want to “check your six”-the six o’clock position where the jet is most vulnerable, the pilot’s blind spot.

A few days ago, a friend sent me the “Social Media Revolution” link from YouTube knowing that I believe the traditional media model for companies to communicate to customers is broken.    We are in the middle of a revolution.  The tools may change over time, but social media is here to stay.   
You and I both [...]

With the holiday season looming (my local Orange County Home Depot is already selling poinsettias and icicle lights!) we will see the social media juggernaut collide head on with the biggest season of the year for retailers-and those retailers are gearing up!

Many companies are embracing social media as a way to reach stakeholders, create a dialogue, and demonstrate that it understands the worries and needs of its audiences. Now the question arises, are you implementing the right social media tools effectively?