Author Archives: Nick Westergaard

One of my favorite “happy accidents” of my career is the fact that I came up in a direct marketing environment. Specifically it was a direct mail job with an educational publishing company. I’ve often noted the connections one can … Read More →

A word often paired with social media is ‘engagement.’ It’s true. Social media is an engaging medium. While this is exciting for many, some brands see this as a barrier to entry, especially smaller businesses or those in B2B sectors. 

For whatever reason, as a society, we like scary stories. Whether it’s generations-old campfire stories or urban legends about organ thieves, we can’t help ourselves. Like all things, the Internet has been an accelerant to these scary stories, especially when … Read More →

Pssst! I have a secret to tell you about Jay Baer’s new book Youtility. Are you ready? First, as you know I’m a huge fan of Jay’s work including the Social Pros podcast as well as his previous book, The … Read More →

Recently we’ve spent some time exploring what a brand is (and why it matters). We’ve also looked at the spark that gets your brand off the bench and into the game. Today I want to spend some time looking at … Read More →

Each one of us has an artist inside, dying to escape. Recently I found myself using this expression only to have a peer push back a bit, questioning whether or not all of us indeed posses an inner-artist. This caused … Read More →

Blogging for business is both important and challenging. Google’s Zero Moment of Truth data reminds us that people are now consulting twice as many online sources before formally “shopping” online and off. Studies from the Content Marketing Institute and Marketing … Read More →

Note: I first wrote this as an opinion piece for the Iowa City Press-Citizen in March 2013 when the red marriage equality avatars took Facebook by storm. With the fall of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) this week, Facebook … Read More →

Recently the Internet has been abuzz with the announcement that Facebook will soon be adopting Twitter’s signature hashtag feature. Already embraced by networks such as Instagram, Tumblr, and Google+, many see this as a big development and a statement on … Read More →

The labels in our industry suck. There I said it. Those words that sit under your logo – are they your slogan, tagline, or brand promise? How about your logo itself – is it a logo, mark, brand, or a … Read More →