A few weeks ago, Christmas came early for inbound marketers when Hubspot released its 2017 State of Inbound report. After combing through the wonderfully presented data, here are a few nuggets that grabbed our attention: 70% of respondents said their top marketing priority was converting contacts/leads into customers. However, they’ve got to overcome their biggest challenge before they can get to their top priority; 63% of respondents said their biggest challenge is generating traffic and leads. 46% of folks said that inbound marketing has a…
Read MoreThere’s nothing more exciting and exhilarating than hearing your name called when a fancy crystal trophy is involved. This year’s Virginia PR Awards, hosted by PRSA Richmond, were held at the Jefferson Hotel – and around 300 of the Commonwealth’s finest public relations and communications professionals celebrated their successes over libations and the obligatory chicken entrée and with Cheryl Miller (who has emceed the event nine years and counting). The Hodges Partnership was part of eight of the evening’s awards, but the one that we’re…
Read MoreDominic Toretto may live his life a quarter-mile at a time, but for PR people, we live ours one quarter-hour at a time. One of the most asked questions by prospective interns and students is, “What is a typical day like in an agency?” The short answer: there isn’t a typical day. One day you could be entirely dedicated to one project or client, and the next day you could be working on three or four clients (or five or six clients). Tack on administrative…
Read MoreMy affinity for live, streaming videos of baby animals began in 2013. It was a big year for babies. Bao Bao the Giant Panda debuted at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Lana, a cheetah at Richmond Metro Zoo, had a litter of five cubs. These live cams helped generate an awareness for the populations of these endangered species (and the zoos that care for them). Fast-forward to 2017 and the latest live-streamed animal phenomenon is April the Giraffe, the 15-year-old leggy lady at Animal…
Read MoreMillennials apparently have the same attention span as a…ooh, look at this cute video of cats dinging bells to get a treat! Adweek talked a bit about the longevity of live video viewing, and it looks like it’s here to stay – for now. In the article, Adweek mentions that Facebook users are 10x more likely to comment on a live video than on a static one. Not only is video important, but live in-the-moment video is what people are drawn to. I’m currently waiting…
Read MoreI am a blue. I’m a coordinating observer who likes to take in my surroundings then retreat to process them…alone. A data-driven algorithm told me this, and I have faith in that, because I am a blue. Hodges participated in an Insights Discovery workshop, hosted and facilitated by Floricane, a management consultancy firm, which helped us tap into the various workplace personalities that make up the agency. THP invested resources in this day-long activity to give us the opportunity to increase our self-awareness and to…
Read MoreCubicles physically wall us off from our surroundings. Headphones help us stay heads down and focused. These physical barriers aren’t bad things, for some of us it’s what helps us generate our best work, but they often hinder our abilities to come together and have an open dialogue as an efficient, effective and cohesive unit. With the natural segmentation that occurs in an office setting, making a concentrated effort to open the lines of communication and taking the time to share knowledge with one another…
Read MoreIf there were coupons for social media advertising, I’d be sharpening my scissors ready to clip away. Unfortunately, the world of online advertising doesn’t have the same perks as other sectors of commerce, so being a good steward of your organization’s ad budget is important. That means designing a plan that balances your organization’s budget and goals. To give yourself the best chance at achieving your objectives, lay your advertising plan over your editorial strategy. Doing so will ensure that you’re spending your dollars at…
Read MoreAsk anyone who works with me on a social project will tell you: I love myself a social editorial calendar. I love pulling, creating, developing, curating, cultivating, nurturing and delivering content. I’ve lost count of how many editorial calendars I’ve made (okay, that’s a lie: 20 – stay tuned for a future post on documenting and reporting), and while there is no right or wrong way to create and utilize an editorial calendar, I’ve learned a thing or two along the way. The benefit of…
Read MoreHe has 654 friends. He has been to a variety of sports venues, restaurants and museums through his travels (the menu at Husk looks divine, but not nearly as good as Sarabeth’s brunch plates). He also “Likes” companies like Land’s End, Nordstrom and The North Face. Using a couple of targeted searches with Facebook’s Graph Search, I can easily gather information on Jon Newman’s personality, preferences and interests. [Editor’s note: Okay, you’ve got my attention. — JN] With all that’s out there on the internet,…
Read MoreRecently, I’ve gone back to the classroom. This classroom wasn’t at a university, but in a training center for a client of Hodges, but nonetheless, being in the environment got me thinking. My mother was a teacher and I HATED summer vacation. I loved school. Not because I was a sacrilegious student, but I loved learning and I was bored at home. I lived for the challenge of learning new material, getting lost in an assignment and competing with myself (ok, and with others) to…
Read MoreWhile I know I’m not alone, I do know that I’m among the small percentage of professionals who have only practiced public relations in the digital age. Facebook, Twitter, blogs and online news sites have always been a part of my media mix. But with so much information out there and different vehicles to carry the message it can be tricky to know which outlets and influencers really carry weight and can make an impact on a brand’s goals. Get this, legend has it that…
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