Dear Blue: How Do I “Shake It Off” Like Taylor Swift When I Get a Negative Comment?
Published on August 31, 2023
Dear Blue, Sometimes I see rude responses or harsh feedback on my business’s social media. When should I respond, when should I ignore, and how do I “Shake It Off” like Taylor Swift when I get a negative comment? – I Know That It’s Delicate Image courtesy of @taylorswift on Instagram. Dear Delicate, In today’s […]
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🧀WARNING – This is the cheesiest proposal you’ll read all day🧀
Published on April 28, 2023
How to hire the right person for the job So you want to hire somebody for a newly opened position in your company. You’ve got your list of required experiences, the skills you want them to have, a long, carefully-edited paragraph about the cold brew on tap, company culture, and if they get a gym […]
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Motor Oil and Glitter: How A Marketing Funnel Can Help You Increase Sales
Published on March 31, 2023
Ever wondered why you lose people on the path from prospect to customer? You’ve spent months working on developing messaging, collateral, and drip campaigns to use in your marketing campaign—all the pieces that should take someone from curious about your product or service to “sign here, please” in a streamlined manner. But, prospects aren’t biting […]
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JABB: Odds are you use it. Here’s why you should stop.
Published on February 28, 2023
Clear communication makes for happier customers—and great business ideas. Jargon, acronyms, buzzwords, and big words. Let’s call it JABB for short (see what we did there?). All are examples of communication shorthand used in virtually every industry. Plumbers have them (elbow, sweating the pipe, rough-in). Government has them (JSA, hypothecation, block grant), and marketers have […]
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I’ve got a BIG IDEA!
Published on January 31, 2023
“I’ve got a BIG idea.” At Blue Flamingo, this phrase means things are about to get interesting. It might mean we’re about to wrap an entire water tower in a birthday banner. Maybe we’ll laser a client’s logo on bagels for a big employee meeting and dye cream cheese to match their brand. Or perhaps […]
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Who Wooed You? Attraction Marketing
Published on August 31, 2022
Let’s talk about dating for a minute. Introducing human #1. Your favorite cousin’s best friend. She thought you two have similar interests and values and would likely hit it off. You trust your cousin, so you agree to meet her friend at a casual BBQ. The introduction was easy and the conversation flowed. You go […]
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5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Hiring Marketing Help
Published on August 17, 2022
Let’s say your website is now officially older than dinosaurs, and you need one built in the 21st century. Or perhaps you need a wizardly wordsmith to whip up some blog pieces such as a case study or a set of ads designed to drive traffic and leads. You just realized Insta-something-or-other isn’t going anywhere, […]
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Kitty Litter and Crocs: How Taking Your Words From Abstract to Concrete Can Transform Your Brand
Published on July 26, 2022
Make your brand memorable with words they’ll remember
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What Does Bold Mean to You?
Published on July 14, 2022
A successful business today requires passion, drive, tenacity, creative thought processes, and boldness. But that last one…where does it come from? How do we seek out boldness, foster it, and send it out into the world to work for us? Look beyond the obvious. We can’t ignore boldness when it’s the sports fan that jumps […]
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Help Is Here: Desperately Seeking SEO
Published on March 19, 2022
What is SEO and how it will help your business get noticed It’s time! We’re excited to share the first installment in our social media marketing glossary series. For those of you who missed our thrilling glossary intro, we’re here to help you become seriously savvy on basic terms of social media and marketing. Ready […]
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Tighty-Whities and a Trusty Guitar: How to Create a Culture of Boldness
Published on February 15, 2022
Creating a culture of boldness starts with a clear purpose statement. A stroll along LA’s Venice Beach boardwalk is a lively experience sure to make you both smile and shake your head—often at the same time. Aspiring dancers gather around a boombox energetically moving to the beat. A young woman, 19 at best, steps into […]
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Help Is Here: The Blue Flamingo Social Media Marketing Glossary
Published on January 27, 2022
A dictionary of social media marketing terms for everyone who can’t keep up with social media and marketing lingo Dear Not-So-Youngish Friends, It’s a new year, so let’s get real about a very important topic which is near and dear to us: definitions. We’re not talking about Merriam-Webster style flashcards (although, now you mention it–anybody […]
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Why you should sit on a bench today
Published on December 24, 2021
20 minutes in a park is a great start to self-care. Wow, the holidays. Temperature check: is everyone ok out there? While it’s often a season for joy, the reality is unless you are five years old or less, the holidays can be more complicated. Whether you had jingle-earworms from listening to Christmas carols on […]
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Ye Good Olde Days: How Nostalgia Can Build Better Relationships
Published on December 2, 2021
Use nostalgia to pull from the past and connect with your clients Ah, the holidays. ‘Tis the season to spend time with family, friends, and loved ones. Time to dust off that Menorah, assemble your army of plastic Frosty the Snowman figures on your front lawn, and spend hours untangling your festive lights and putting […]
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Mythbusters: Marketing and Sales
Published on November 11, 2021
How to Use Marketing Content to Sell to Clients Part 3 By: Lindsay, Blue Flamingo Vice President, Would Like to Have Dinner with Eleanor Roosevelt myth /miTH/ a widely held but false belief or idea. Example: “I can design this proposal on my own to close the deal.” “That’s outside of our brand.” “The marketing […]
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Marketing Plan 101: Grab a Shovel
Published on October 27, 2021
How a Plan Can Help You Dig a Hole—and Hit Your Marketing Goals Author: Val Reddemann, President, wants to adopt all the dogs A few months back, I dug a hole. It was one of four holes for our new outdoor patio structure, but this one? It was all mine. The goal was pretty clear: […]
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I can’t believe that worked!
Published on October 15, 2021
Marketing & Sales: How to Use Marketing Content to Sell to Clients Part 2 By: Lindsay, Blue Flamingo VP and not-so-secret Desperate Housewives fan. So you’ve bought in on changing the narrative for salespeople. You know marketing and sales work best together. You’re ready to stop selling and start having real conversations with like-minded individuals. […]
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Great Scott: It Works!
Published on September 30, 2021
Messaging During a Crisis Part 5: How to Engage A quick recap: A crisis has occurred. So far you’ve followed these steps in Recovery mode: Listen Review Plan & Pivot Connect Now it’s time for the last step to Messaging During a Crisis: Engage. This is the fun part. Engagement is how you know you’ve […]
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Death of a Salesman
Published on September 9, 2021
How to Use Marketing Content to Sell to Clients: Part 1 By Lindsay: Blue Flamingo VP, lover of all snacks, and business development whiz Oh no, not another salesperson trying to contact me. The term “sales” or “salesperson” can have a negative connotation. When someone says sales, the mind immediately pictures the used car lot […]
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I’d like to buy Zorro a Coke
Published on August 19, 2021
Authentic Messaging During a Crisis Part 4 These days, Zorro is very confused. Mask on? Mask off? Restaurants are open, but countries are closed. Everywhere, a hodgepodge of people are trying to figure out how to human in our new reality. Which means when it comes to messaging: ya gotta be real. You’ve listened, reviewed, […]
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#HotGirlSummer is here!
Published on August 4, 2021
It is? Hot girls are here? Now? Awesome. If you’re a fan of rap and pop culture, you’ll know all about #hotgirlsummer. If not, and you’re thinking, huh? Here’s a quick recap… #Hotgirlsummer is a hashtag that came out of the 2019 song “Hot Girl Summer” by rapper Megan Thee Stallion. It started as a […]
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Channel Your Inner Ross Gellar
Published on July 22, 2021
Messaging During a Crisis Part 3: Pivot & Plan ✔ The world is reopening ✔ We’re in Recovery mode ✔ You’ve listened to your clients and employees ✔ You’ve reviewed your current messaging ✔ Now, it’s time to go full Ross Gellar and… When you are messaging during a crisis, it’s crucial to adjust your […]
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One Spicy Meatball
Published on July 1, 2021
How Sensory Words Can Make Your Marketing the Most Mouth-Watering Item on the Menu The lick of a melty ice cream cone. The tomatoey tang of spaghetti bolognese. A slick, sharp papercut. Salty ocean droplets near the cove. An unexpected magenta and golden sunset. The soft, silky fur of your dog’s nose. Words like “melty” […]
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Quit lickin’ your fingers
Published on June 17, 2021
Step 2 in Marketing During a Crisis: Review Your Messaging Last month, we covered the first step in Marketing during a Crisis: evaluating your messaging (Listen) as we enter the Recovery phase. Missed it? Get caught up here. Today, we’re moving to Step 2 of 5: Review. Let’s go. Why do you need to Review […]
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Blue is the new pink.
Published on June 3, 2021
Don’t want to go extinct? Keep marketing! Fun flamingo factoid…did you know that there are actually several different terms for a flamingo flock? You can call it a colony, or a stand, or a regiment. But our favorite collective noun is…a flamboyance. That one was obviously cooked up by their marketing department. Surprised? Of course […]
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Hear, hear!
Published on May 20, 2021
The First Step to Marketing Post Pandemic Hi Flamingo Fans, Quick question: is anybody’s closet starting to look a lot like ours? Professional Zoom shirts on the left, leggings and sweats on the right, slippers on the bottom. May marks a year and two months since the pandemic really hit the US in full force. […]
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We will, we will POP you!
Published on May 6, 2021
Let your core message guide your business. Watched any good TV shows lately? Quarantine sent me back to some classics, especially those goofy old game shows. One unexpected delight is the original version of “The Dating Game.” The premise? Three contestants hid behind a wall and answered a few looney questions posed by a bachelor […]
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Blue Lagoon
Published on April 9, 2021
A Refreshing Cocktail, or a Marketer’s Best Friend? Welcome to the party! I’ve been hoping you’d stop by. Fridays are a big deal around here. Like you, the Blue Flamingo crew spends most of our time thinking about our business. Like, day and night. We’re always coming up with interesting new ways to provide value […]
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