Ahmad Kareh

Podcast marketing is one of the most underutilized and unknown forms of marketing, yet ironically, podcasts are what customers have been gravitating towards and asking for over the past few years. Edison Research reports that approximately 21% of Americans listened to podcasts on a monthly basis in 2016.

Rebranding a company or organization is a big endeavor: You have to weigh what image you're trying to convey and who's likely to respond well to it. This means a lot of meetings to discuss things like graphic elements, typography and messaging; the wrong use of any element can hamper, or even end, customer engagement.

Sending out emails about products or services and actually get recipients to open them can be difficult. Basic filters hide unsolicited emails and even those that get through tend to be ignored by users, who are less likely to jump on random messages offering products or services they're not deeply invested in.

Making sure everyone is on the same page and aware of the same issues or developments requires more than haphazardly sent memos. It requires organization and commitment from both your team and the client you are supporting. You need to know what services the client needs and what their expectations are, as well as what they think of current progress. They need to understand what your team is developing for them, what the timeline looks like, and why some options were chosen while others were avoided.

Even if we are not always aware of it, artificial intelligence is already a big part of our lives, having a major impact on how we live and how we work. From customer service applications to voice-powered assistants such as Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, there are several examples of AI and automation tools in use today.

In today’s world, social media is one of the best ways for your business to stand out in its field and to reach a wider audience. Having an active presence on all major social networks, from Facebook to LinkedIn and beyond, is a necessity for any brand that wants to become an industry leader while engaging with its potential and current customers in new ways.

With most Americans on social media (79% of adults use Facebook), neglecting to establish social media accounts for your business can be a detriment to your business. On social media sites, business owners can connect with prospective customers, discuss items of interest and build awareness of company products or goals. And the basic costs for doing so are relatively low.

Even if you're getting out the word about your company or brand, what you're saying may not resonate with your customers. Clients can be perfectly happy with the services you provide, but if they do not feel engaged — or remember why they connected with you in the first place — they may not stay. This costs not only revenue but time: If customers leave for competitors, then you need to not only make up the lost income, you need to cover the expenses related to drawing in new potential customers.

The longer you look at your graphics and website, the more you may see the seams and joints: Places where color choices could have been better or stylish fonts that may be looking a little dated now. You know that a full rebranding isn't needed yet, but you want to improve how your brand looks. So how can you do it? How much should you tinker with your visual style and elements? Would it be better for you to focus on updating the content featured on your site or in your social media?

In April 2017, I was honored to be awarded by SLCC's Business school for the "Marvelous Employee Recognition" award. Below is the write-up announcing this achievement.

In spring 2017, I completed a captivating Microeconomic Course at Harvard University. The course was taught by a brilliant team of professors and lecturers lead by Dr. Bruce Watston.

Search engine optimization can be seen as a running battle between website design and search engine companies. Sites constantly seek edges to gain (or keep) their first-page rankings, while search engines want to refine what they promote, in order to improve results for searchers.

There is an old adage: Under promise and over deliver. The idea, introduced by Tom Peters in 1987, has been a truism for decades: Companies have found great success while striving to offer improved versions of services or products in order to retain or attract customers.

Conferences are an excellent chance to meet and network with others in your industry, as well as opportunities to pick up new techniques and ideas. Good speakers provide guidance, sharing stories of challenges they've overcome or highlighting future developments. Discovering what may lie ahead in your field gives you time to prepare, as well as take advantage of the opportunities that the change brings. If search engine optimization is about to change, and you're not ready, you could find yourself losing your place on front pages. If everyone swaps to AI to handle routine tasks, you may find yourself struggling to keep up while using older workflows. Alternately, if conference speakers start making compelling arguments that a particular technology is more fad than function, swapping to the tech while others avoid it can cost you in time, customers and resources.

Creating an image online is hard work. It requires forethought into what message you want to convey, as well as the writing and technical skills to create the image you're imagining. The rewards, though, are worth it: A brand offers a chance to display your skills, draw in public interest and establish a strong marketing engine. So how can you get started?

Social media provides a powerful tool for outreach: Companies can share stories, talk about events or offers, or discuss services or solutions with interested customers or potential clients. But not every small business has set aside the time and money to establish an online strategy or presence.

Rumors have been spreading about your company. Perhaps a product has flaws that should have been found before they were shipped, some of the people working for the company are facing ugly rumors or accusations, or your company simply made an error in judgment. Regardless, the brand's reputation has taken a hit and has the potential to spiral into a long-term issue, given enough time.

Blogging can provide a serious boost to companies or groups wanting to garner meaningful traffic. According to HubSpot, companies that published at least 16 posts a month received 3.5 times the traffic of blogs that published four or fewer posts a month. When done well, blogs offer a chance to show expertise, provide another path to get people interested in a service or product, and can help increase SEO by drawing in visitors.

According to a Barkley and FutureCast survey, members of Gen Z have very different expectations for interacting with or embracing brands than millennials. Gen Z — teens between 15 and 19 — have grown up in a fully connected world, one that lets them interact with advertising, potentially before a very wide audience. As a result, an ill-timed post or false note could deal a serious blow to an ad campaign.

It's a question that's been asked many times: If all of your friends jumped off of a bridge would you?

From major corporations to small businesses, jumping on a new trend without consideration for the integrated marketing communications (IMC) strategy is a common occurrence. Each time this happens, I have a very difficult time not quoting my parents.