Brad Brenner

Facebook sucks. There, I said it. And if there is anything more troubling than the platform itself, it’s the fact that no one seems to want to talk about how bad it really is. So let me be the first. It is difficult to use, it has severely limited capabilities, it is visually ugly, user options are highly restrictive, its menus are counterintuitive, its structure ignores basic GUI rules of best practices, the terms they use for different components (page, applications etc.) are nonsensical, it has security issues and it smells. Ok, maybe that’s my monitor. But come on! Why doesn’t anyone say anything about it? I must regularly follow a couple dozen online forums about social network marketing and when it comes to Facebook’s adversities, mums the word. I only seem to find cheery posts about one workaround app or another that allows you to do basic stuff without havin... (more)

4 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL PR ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET

 YOU’VE HEARD it over and over again– economic downturns are THE BEST time to invest in marketing. Vendors are charging less for services, publications and broadcast media are slashing advertising rates and most importantly, public relations is more effective than ever. That’s because during downturns, your competition (who isn’t as smart as you) is most likely laying low — and that means it’s a rare opportunity to really stand out. Anything you have to say is more likely heard. New customers are more likely to buy from you because you are visible when your competition is hiding... (more)

PR Is Dead...Long Live PR

“Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated” - a quote attributed to Mark Twain but apropos for today’s PR industry. I’ve seen several pieces of late, written by journalists and bloggers who appear rushed to sound the death knell over public relations. “New media and Web 2.0 changed the game,” they say, “and make public relations obsolete.” Fact is - public relations expertise is more relevant, more important today than ever before. Search engine marketing, social network marketing, Web 2.0 applications and the like have all served to increase - not decrease - the value ... (more)

Fixing Your B2B Website

 As a PR pro, I am often asked to review and comment on existing websites. In many cases, a company has just plunked down thousands of dollars on a website makeover only to find the results disappointing (at best). No wonder. Websites are often designed and created by HTML or PHP experts, not marketing pros. The end result is a site with lots of animation, java-run menus and clickable pages. It may also have a smattering of imbedded SEO code or even an associated blog. Unfortunately however, coding experts rarely have the marketing expertise to ensure the site’s success. With tha... (more)

To Tweet or Not to Tweet

Six Criteria to Help You Decide If Your Business Should Actively Participant On Twitter, Facebook and Other Social Networking Sites Nothing can make you feel more out of touch and irrelevant these days than ignoring the call to tweet. Social networking has become so ubiquitous to the marketing conversation that not including a Facebook or tweeting strategy in your marketing plan seems as faulty as forgetting beer at your Super Bowl party. But I’ll contend that as tempting as it is, social networking may not be appropriate for your business. I think this is particularly true for m... (more)