Author Archives: Nick Westergaard

“The tactics have changed but the strategy of owning and building a brand hasn’t.” Laura Ries can share first hand how branding has stood the test of time. “It’s why some rise and others don’t — it’s the brand.” Together … Read More →

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed some new data from Edison Research’s Infinite Dial study showing that Facebook use is down for the first time … Read More →

“You have to find people who like you but aren’t like you.” This is a mistake many brands make. They look for customers just like them — with their specific interests and characteristics — instead of people who like your … Read More →

“A lot of content being produced is not good. That’s because it’s not telling a great story.” As Editor-in-Chief and Director of Content Strategy at Contently, Joe Lazauskas understands the interconnected relationship between content and story. It’s the focus of … Read More →

Communication is an in-demand skill set. It consistently tops lists from employers of skills they desire most in new hires. Ironically, it also tops lists from graduating MBAs of skills they wish they’d had more of in business school. Recently, … Read More →

“Everyone thinks that branding isn’t important today but branding is the new advertising.” Despite media and technology shifts, the brand behind your stories and status updates is more important than ever. We unpacked all of this and more on this … Read More →

We all want to communicate better. Yet we often fail to answer three simple questions that could help even the most basic presentation. 

Stories can be powerful tools for moving people and building brands. This isn’t as easy as it sounds though. Storytelling is both an art and a science. We unpacked all of this and more on this week’s episode of the … Read More →

Your brand is a huge asset. It represents the emotional capital you have with your audience. When brands make mistakes, apologies are key tactics that can be employed to help protect and even restore brand equity. But they aren’t miracle … Read More →

“I love looking at other industries and seeing what they’re doing.” As Director of Agency Marketing at TopRank Marketing, Ashley Zeckman has a lot on her plate working — both agency marketing and client marketing. In some organizations, these two … Read More →