“SEO” is a term we hear thrown around a lot in the marketing and tech world. It stands for “Search Engine Optimization”. Now that we’ve broken that down for you, it’s crystal clear what SEO is, right? Great! Our work here is done… or maybe not. If you’re anything like Chelsi Hardin, ODEA Project Manager, questions like “What am I optimizing?” and “What does this even have to do with a website?” may cross your mind when it comes to SEO. That’s why she decided to ask ODEA Project Manager (and resident SEO guru), Sue Lattea, to sit down and READ MORE >>
If we are connected on LinkedIn – and if not send me a connection request! – hopefully you’ve noticed I’ve been increasing my activity the last six months or so. I’ve made logging in part of my morning routine to comment, share and like posts from my connections – something our fellow marketer Sima Dahl calls “digital deposits”. I’m posting about three times a week, typically one original content piece from our team, a “curated” post from another source that I want to add my thoughts to, and a third lighter post such as a photo I’ve snapped during my READ MORE >>
We pretend to cringe in disgust when someone talks about it but let’s be real, we’ve all done it. This week’s topic is all about peeing in the pool! Thinking we’ve lost our minds right about now? We’re just kidding about the topic! Well, kind of. ODEA President, Patty Rioux, is a lover of analogies and doesn’t always filter what she says (even though we love her for it). Some of our most insightful ideas come from every day conversations and this week is a great example. This week’s topic was born during a hilarious conversation Patty had with a READ MORE >>
Unless you’ve lived in a cave for your entire existence, you’ve probably collaborated with a person or team at some point in your life. Whether it be at work, at home, in school, or a personal project, collaboration is something that we all experience. But just like everything else in our fast-paced world, collaboration is changing. With more company’s adopting the idea of remote or virtual teams, collaborating among teams becomes a new challenge. We like to think ODEA is made up of 10 brilliant – albeit quirky – individuals. We happen to spread that brilliance across four states with READ MORE >>
If we had a dollar for every time someone asked us “How much should I be spending on marketing?” our own marketing budget would be HUGE! But we totally understand why all the confusion. Just ask Google and you’ll find stats saying anywhere from 7% to 25%. But 7% to 25% of what? Total sales, total revenue, total company yearly budget? What does that budget include? Are salaries included in that number? And if yes, which salaries are considered marketing versus sales? In hopes of giving you an answer that is a bit more specific than a Google search, we’ve READ MORE >>
Ah, the comfort zone. So warm, inviting and comfortable. It’s always there, ready to embrace us with a big hug while it whispers, “Stay a while” in our ear. But cozy as it is, there’s typically not a lot of opportunity in that same familiar place. 2019 is the year to bust out of that comfort zone! ODEA President, Patty Rioux, is sharing why she thinks we learn best when we’re uncomfortable. Learn why you should push yourself out of the comfort zone in this week’s episode of Brain Lava. READ MORE >>
It’s hard to believe that back in 2005, the Oxford Dictionary named “podcast” its word of the year. Fast forward to March of this year and Apple Podcasts announced it passed 50 billion all-time episode downloads and streams. And you know us marketers – any place people are gathering billions of times is someplace we want to be with content! Before you get too excited and order all the equipment and software to start recording your podcast, first ask yourself why you want to create a podcast. What topics can you create content around that showcase your knowledge or point READ MORE >>
At ODEA we live and breathe BOLD. But what does BOLD really mean? We’ve each picked out an example of marketing out in the world that we find to be BOLD. As you’ll see, BOLD can take on many forms. What does BOLD mean to you? JJ’s pick… Fortnite’s NFL Skins Why is it BOLD? “As viewership of TV has decreased, where are those viewers spending their time? Video games. If you know any children who play video games (or adults who are still a child at heart) they have probably mentioned Fortnite, one of the fastest growing video games in the world. READ MORE >>
Are you playing offense or defense when it comes to your marketing? Maybe it’s because we’re in the heart of football season or because we’ve had this topic come up a few times recently, but we feel like you should be thinking about it. Offense marketing means focusing on your company’s strengths as opposed to worrying about what the competition is doing (aka defense marketing). This week on Brain Lava, Patty shares a few examples of why you should be offense-minded when it comes to your marketing. Do you have thoughts about offense versus defense marketing? We would love to READ MORE >>