Straight Talk Blog
Ted Rubin
Make This Year a “Social” Thanksgiving… “OK, now do it”
Thanksgiving, the time when we give thanks not just FOR, but TO those who have been an important part of our lives... not the only time I hope, but certainly an "official" time. I feel the need to once again propose we all try a Social Thanksgiving – one where we...
read more
Want To Keep Your Customer Experience and Marketing Focused… Beware Automation
What’s the key to an unwavering customer experience and marketing focus? – keep the customer front and center, avoid unnecessary automation and ditch the not-ready-for-prime-time bots. There are plenty of marketing and customer service tools that promise more than...
read more
Good ‘Influencer’ Marketing and Measurement
Something John Andrews and I learned early on, him while at Walmart and me at e.l.f. Cosmetics is that when it comes to content marketing, influencing someone means you are speaking to their personal interests and specific needs and engaging that person enough...
read more
Employee Created Content (#ECC) vs. Employee Generated Content
Employee Created Content #ECC is a fast-growing trend in modern marketing, and brands who embrace it over dated control-focused employee policies around their online presence will be positioned to speed ahead of competition. Many companies are looking at how they can...
read more
Ted Rubin on Social Media Success and Programmatic Advertising ~via @tech_funnel
In this interview, Ted shares why many of us get so distracted on social media that we forget about making genuine human connection and relationships and what we can do about it. He also discusses programmatic and the critical things advertisers need to know when...
read more
True Engagement Should Never be Overwhelming
Coming over a little needy? It’s time your marketing stopped overwhelming the audience on every channel and touchpoint with stories about you, your product and brand, and instead focused on them and their needs. What is engagement? Many brands have one simple answer:...
read more
Who Made You the Arbiter of What Does and Does Not Belong on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn Response, When Someone Tells You What You Should and Should Not Post… First of all… curious who made you the arbiter of what does and does not belong on LinkedIn? Second… LinkedIn is a “social” network, and a place for conversation that the person posting...
read more
Start Thinking More Like a Customer and Less Like a Marketer
We are all consumers, so why do we find it so easy to forget what ticks us off as consumers when we design our marketing? Here is some straightforward advice. Given the choice between developing a marketing idea that dazzles fellow marketers but falls flat with...
read more
ROSH HASHANAH… May you be Inscribed in the “Book of Life” for a Good Year!
Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה), literally meaning the “beginning (also head) [of] the year” is the Jewish New Year. It marks the beginning of the year, according to the teachings of Judaism, clearly a time for reflection and hope. And right now "hope" for a...
read more
Too Many Marketing Tools Create Sloppy Work, and Too Few Brands Seem to Care
Telling it straight on the impact marketing automation tools are having on marketing and highlighting a couple of examples that have caught my eye. There are plenty of marketing tools that promise more than they can deliver. That’s always been the case. But when the...
read more
Why Employees Need to Be Empowered to Stop and Think
We live in a culture where the simple act of distraction free thinking has become alien, day dreaming has been replaced with scrolling through a feed on our smart phones and the office is a place for the hustle, not to think – I believe we are missing a trick. Try...
read more
BYOD Retail Marketing
Engaging Employees to Create Scale, Engagement and Localization. Could there possibly be a better influencer to promote your business than your employees? There is simply no one that knows your business, you customers, and most importantly your local market better...
read more
Is Amazon the Next Generation of Walmart?
I made a statement recently that I believe Amazon is the next generation of Walmart, and I was asked if I see any downside with that. I don’t really see a lot of downside here, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any. Time will tell how this shakes out, but I don’t...
read more
Why it’s Time to Change the Conversation from “Targeting” to “Matchmaking”
Why matching your product or service with the consumer will always be more effective than hunting your audience like prey. Targeted ads, targeted content, target demographics… We see the word ‘target’ used again and again in marketing. It’s as common as any of a...
read more
Make Your Advertising a Part of the Customer Experience
Is there a disconnect between your advertising and your customer experience? Let's breaks down the importance of bringing the two together. From a consumer perspective, there are few things more frustrating than seeing an ad for a product that you may really want, but...
read more
Six Steps to Keeping it Real with Ted Rubin
Every month in the Rockstar CMO Green Room, Ian Truscott, Editor In Chief, chats with his regular Rockstars and gets their take on a topic. This month, he discussed all that is fake in our industry, asking for their advice on how marketers can avoid getting caught up...
read more
Respect the Grind Podcast featuring Ted Rubin
Transcript from the show: Stefan Aarnio: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the show Respect the Grind with Stefan Aarnio. This is a show where we interview people who’ve achieved mastery and freedom through discipline. We interview entrepreneurs, athletes, authors,...
read more
Ted Rubin and Brand Innovators 2013-2019…
It has been 6 great years MC’ing and Hosting the Brand Innovators #biSummit’s around the country and overseas... and becoming the face of the brand. I enjoyed the events, “owning” the stage, helping to grow the Brand Innovators business and especially the Brand...
read more
How to Build Better Relationships with Customers by Learning, Participating, and Helping
Want to learn how to take your customer relationships to the next level? Here you go… When it comes to marketing and customer service, nothing is more important than building relationships with your customers. It’s really that simple. Building those relationships,...
read more
Ted’s Tips and Tools for Employee Advocacy
Some companies still fear the “socialization” of the workplace but locking your employees out of all personal social channels while at work is a big mistake. It only forces them to break the rules and use a different screen. Instead of being productive, aware of daily...
read more
Independence Day… YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Independence Day brings to the forefront the current frightening political environment, world environmental, economic, and most importantly and relevant today that represents freedom… the challenges immigrants, and those seeking asylum, have been experiencing more...
read more
Take Your Employee Advocacy Mindset to the Next Level
It sounds obvious, but businesses are missing it: your employees are more important to the success of your company than you think. Our resident rock star Ted Rubin breaks down how you can build an environment that your employees can create, innovate and thrive in. ...
read more
Social Selling: New Technology Didn’t Make Buyers Grow Three Heads
Are you using social media to blindly blast information at your audience? How to use social media to build relationships – and truly connect with consumers. Digital tools like social give us infinitely better ways to understand where our customers are coming from....
read more
CPG Brands Need To Find Their Voice
Why the sound and voice of your brand is the next frontier to explore. What does your consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand look like? No doubt you and your loyal customers could answer that question quickly. Colors, logo, branding, packaging, memorable advertisements...
read more
Set The Table For Strategy And Innovation By Bringing Back Real Brainstorming
Brainstorming too often becomes the narrow view of a few (very) vocal people. Time to switch it up, create some truly effective strategies, and kick start some real thinking time by opening the floor up to everyone. Strategy is definitely not dead, and it also doesn't...
read more
Own The Crowd: Why Collaborative Content Creation Really Wins
CEO of Photofy John Andrews considers how collaboration with your employees could make your digital content sing… Digital marketing today is a crowded arena. It’s become the primary tool for marketers in terms of dollars spent. But as spending has increased,...
read more
Building Better Relationships… Why Saying “No Thank You” is Important
No thank you... is that really so hard to say? I get that people are busy, and that we all get a little overwhelmed sometimes from all the marketing that we see. But if we've got a long-standing relationship and I'm reaching out with an offer, a favor for a friend,...
read more
“It’s All About Relationships!” An Interview with Ted Rubin ~via @mentionlytics
Many people in the social media world know Ted for his enthusiastic, energetic and undeniably personal connection to people. Ted Rubin is the most followed CMO on Twitter according to Social Media Marketing Magazine; one of the most interesting CMOs on...
read more
Hype Meets Reality: Why Programmatic Is Not Ready For Prime Time
My take on the slew of pitfalls presented by programmatic media buying – and why you should go old school and place your own ads. Programmatic media buying, marketing and advertising is the “algorithmic purchase and sale of advertising space in real time”, and it has...
read more
“Unsubscribe” Does NOT Mean Send Me More Emails!
Ever unsubscribe from a mailing list only to keep getting emails from the brand in question? You’re not alone. It’s actually one of my biggest pet peeves, and here’s why. Isn’t it great when you unsubscribe and start getting more emails? Signing up for any type of...
read more