Recent posts:
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Employer Branding
Capitalism ReImagined - The Great Game of Business Conference 2020
by Kathy Steele
For the last 28 years, a community of “game changers” have gathered together from around the world to learn, share, and celebrate the principles and practices of The Great Game of Business management operating system at the world’s largest conference on open-book management. For the last three years, I have been one of them as a speaker and attendee.
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Brand Awareness
Beyond the Tagline: Living a Brand Promise and Making an Impact
by Kathy Steele
The unique and powerful story of Elk Grove Village and its commitment to being Beyond Business Friendly is well-known on a local, regional, and even global level.
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Employer Branding
C-Suite Exchange: Business Reboot & Your Employment Brand
by Kathy Steele
As you continue to lead your organization through uncertainty, your brand reputation is more important than ever. Customers and employees are searching for stability and hope.
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Lead Generation
INFOGRAPHIC: 5 Tips to Increase Digital Conversions
by Clarissa Johnstone
In today's fast-paced digital landscape, it is more important than ever to be poignant and intentional about drawing your audience's attention. You need to craft your content to drive meaningful and qualified leads and conversions on websites and landing pages. Here are 5 easy steps that we follow to do just this…
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Brand Awareness
Capitalizing On Positive News - Promoting Capabilities During COVID-19
by Lisa Behning
During the COVID-19 pandemic, having test kits available became a critical need so that mass testing could become a reality. With more tests, our country could begin to lift shelter-in-place directives so that businesses could resume and life return to a new “normal.”
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Employer Branding
Will Your Business Hit A Growth Ceiling?
by Janet Viane
Growth is the biggest challenge in any business, regardless of industry, with or without a global pandemic. In a world where external forces are impacting business success like never before, conventional wisdom and experience can no longer guide growth strategies.
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Brand Awareness
“The Customer Is King”, Especially in a Pandemic.
by Amy Anderson
We all remember the adage that it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than retain a current customer. The coronavirus pandemic has put an even greater emphasis on client retention given spending is at an all-time low. Customers are the lifeblood of your company. The following are three ways to support client retention and keep revenue flowing.
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Brand Awareness
Client Spotlight - Municipality Takes Proactive Approach to Supporting Businesses During Pandemic
by Kathy Steele
Red Caffeine worked with the Elk Grove Village economic development team and a steering committee of business leaders to launch a new website that helps local businesses respond to and recover during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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Brand Awareness
Client Spotlight - GiGi's Playhouse
by Janet Viane
GiGi’s Playhouse, headquartered in Hoffman Estates, IL, is the only Down Syndrome Achievement Center dedicated to offering free educational, therapeutic and career-based programming for individuals with Down syndrome.
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Brand Awareness
Business as "Un" usual - Thoughts for Business Leaders
by Kathy Steele
As business leaders, we face many challenges. Still, the recent international health crisis is unprecedented even for those who have weathered other setbacks like recessions, business divorces, or losing significant customers. At first, it seemed like it would be business as usual, but it's not. Over the past few weeks, our company has gone from flex work to entirely remote.
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Employer Branding
A Unique "Grad" School for Entrepreneurs
by Kathy Steele
Where do the business runners of today find ongoing learning options that help them scale their business? Traditional degree programs provide an incredible advantage for aspiring founders, but what about the many people who found a company post-college or need support once past the initial start-up phase?
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Brand Awareness
Networking Advice for Busy Professionals
by rc
Join Red Caffeine for an intimate conversation with Ricky Curry, Director of Human Resources & Organization Development for Blistex, Inc., at The Executives Breakfast Club event on Friday, March 13th from 7-9 am at the Hyatt Lodge in Oakbrook IL.
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Brand Awareness
Working With The Best
by Parker Lee
The Red Caffeine team has the pleasure of working with Bales Metal Surface Solutions and Specialty Manufacturing, Inc. on a daily basis.
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Brand Awareness
Breakfast Just Got Better
by Lisa Behning
The Executives Breakfast Club is more than just a networking group; it's the place for leaders who want to become better versions of themselves by learning with and from each other.
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Employer Branding
Event: How Do They Do That? Companies with High Employee Engagement
by rc
According to the Wall Street Journal, this is the hottest job market in fifty years. What are companies doing to keep employees engaged and happy? Join Kathy Steele for an Educational Seminar on February 27, 2020, as she leads a panel of experts who will share their experiences, challenges, and successes.
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Brand Awareness
Funding Your Employer Brand Plan—A Numbers Game You Need to Win
by Kathy Steele
With unemployment continuing to trend under 4%, and companies' focus on employee recruitment and retention as we all fight in the war for talent, savvy leaders are starting to invest in employer brand strategies as part of their growth plan and competitive advantage.
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Brand Awareness
Succession Planning With Purpose
by rc
Red Caffeine is proud to sponsor Maureen Beal, CEO and Chairman of National Van Lines speaking at The Executives Breakfast Club event on Friday, December 13th from 7-9 am at the Hyatt Lodge in Oakbrook, IL.
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Brand Awareness
Time Is Money
by Heather Carbray
Teaching employees to think and act like owners is a concept pioneered by Jack Stack in his turn-around of SRC Holdings in the 80s that inspired both a book and an open-book business methodology that is now known as The Great Game of Business (GGOB).
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Digital Transformation
Creativity Four Good
by rc
At Red Caffeine, our Purpose is to be entangled with our team, clients, and community to fuel meaningful impact. So how do you make the most significant impact using the skills that you have?
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Digital Transformation
A New Brand Experience
by rc
The Executives Breakfast Club is where business leaders come together to examine the challenges of the day in the context of our greater obligations, beliefs, and values.
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Employer Branding
Red Caffeine Brings Our Flava to Gathering of The Games for a Second Year
by rc
We are thrilled to announce we will be attending the Great Game of Business’ annual Gathering of the Games Conference in Dallas, Texas as both a sponsor and as speakers for the second year in a row. Playing the Great Game of Business has taught us a lot about how open-book management can empower employees to think like owners and we’re excited to share what we’ve learned with a like-hearted audience.
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Employer Branding
New Series: A People+People™ Plan to Accelerate Growth
by Julie Poulos
A People+People™ Plan is a foundation and activation strategy for scaling your organization. Employees and customers are the two critical factors to successfully growing. A People+People Plan™ is your roadmap to keeping a healthy pipeline of both. The Plan empowers your leadership team to align all departments on gaps and areas of improvement by focusing on the five pillars of any successful business.
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Brand Awareness
A competitive edge in municipal marketing: Planning for strategic growth
by Kayla Portillo
Complex municipalities often have well-defined goals. What sets some in the public sector apart is the ability to think and operate in terms of business objectives -- to understand the "why" behind their actions and communicate that to internal and external stakeholders.
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Employer Branding
What is lost talent costing you?
by Heather Carbray
With the unemployment rate being at a record low, finding and retaining top talent is critical. A number of things are affected by a vacant position, and many business owners may be surprised at the cost. The war for talent is in full force, so how can companies prepare themselves for battle?
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Lead Generation
Is Your Business Failing To Scale? Create A People+People™ Plan
by Kathy Steele
No matter the size or industry, most companies need customers, employees and processes to achieve growth goals. Learn how a People+People™ Plan could help your team scale strategically.
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Employer Branding
2019 Office Design Trends That Attract and Retain Top Talent
by Shannon Callarman
Red Caffeine, a growth consultancy in Lombard, recently underwent an office redesign to implement new trends in the workplace. Here are some of the latest office design trends and examples of how we implemented them to promote our own employer brand.
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Employer Branding
Employer Branding for Manufacturers: How to Get Started
by Shannon Callarman
Building a powerful employer brand doesn’t have to be a scary thing. The key is to define your employer brand from the inside out.
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Employer Branding
Top 3 Retention Trends to Watch in 2019
by Jordan Doll
With an unemployment rate below 4%, top talent is ready and eager to leave current positions if they spot a better fit. Here are the top retention trends we're watching in 2019.
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Sales Enablement
Aligning Sales and Marketing Part 3: The Musical Number
by Kayla Portillo
The final part in our Aligning Sales and Marketing series. What's the last step?
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Sales Enablement
Aligning Sales and Marketing Part 2: The Part Where You Help Me Help You
by Kayla Portillo
When aligning sales and marketing, regular conversation is the critical (but attainable) first step. The second step is where you help me help you.
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Sales Enablement
Aligning Sales and Marketing Part 1: The Easy Part
by Kayla Portillo
Aligning the sales and marketing teams is a common pain point in any industry. Gain insight into the tools, processes, and best practices that'll help align your teams.
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Brand Awareness
Brand Awareness Starts With Your Team
by Natalie Dubs
If you rebrand your company the right way, it’s not just reflected in the visuals. Launch your new brand internally to your team first to ensure that your employees are energized, entangled in the brand and enthusiastic about what was happening with the company.
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Sales Enablement
Aligning Sales and Marketing: Introduction to a Three-Part Series
by Kayla Portillo
In a perfect world, the hard work your marketing team is producing should relate back to your sales and annual revenue. But, we all know this is no walk in the park. Learn how to align your sales and marketing teams in this 3-part series.
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Employer Branding
Caffeinated Recruitment: 3 Ways to Improve Your Top Talent Pipeline
by Shannon Callarman
Improve your talent pipeline by networking early on, creating clickable website content, and maintaining an engaging social media strategy.
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Lead Generation
Create an Experience your Prospects Won’t Forget
by rc
Want to turn prospects into clients? Host a memorable event that attendees can connect with, get excited about, and won't forget.
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Sales Enablement
3 Reasons You Should Define Your Exceptional Client Experience
by Amy Anderson
An Exceptional Client Experience (ECE) leads to client retention, growth, and advocacy. Clearly layout and define your ECE to speak to the areas your clients can feel most value from your relationship.
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Employer Branding
Employees: Your Company's Most Powerful Social Advocates
by Lauren Risetter
Are your employees your biggest advocates? They should be! Learn how we encourage our team to engage with our company on social media and how their engagement affects brand awareness and employer branding.
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Lead Generation
The Difference Between Marketing Qualified Leads and Sales Qualified Leads
by Jordan Doll
Intertwine your sales and marketing teams to make processes more efficient and convert more prospects to customers. It all starts with understanding the difference between Marketing Qualified Leads and Sales Qualified Leads.
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Brand Awareness
5 Tips To Promote Your Business Through Digital Marketing
by Dan Mantilla
Ready to realize a meaningful ROI from your online presence? Here are 5 tips to help you focus on building and maintaining a successful and efficient digital marketing strategy.
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Brand Awareness
Don’t Let Your Brand Awareness Campaign Make Prospects Cringe
by Ryan Gartman
Get in front of your audience for all the right reasons. Increase your brand awareness by gaining recognition, advocacy and loyalty. Learn what not to do from these two, note-worthy advertising fails.
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Brand Awareness
9 Video Marketing Statistics
by Michael Bevilacqua
With so much content saturating the internet, it's hard to find a way to stand out and reach your audience. To keep up, use video marketing to win the attention of your customers and clients.
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Sales Enablement
Does Your Sales Team Have the Tools They Need to Close the Deal?
by Kacey Keegan
Follow these five steps to find out if your sales team has the right tools they need to close the deal.
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Employer Branding
Career Pathing Attracts and Retains Employees: Here’s Why
by Heather Carbray
Career pathing can ensure positive employee retention. Here's why.
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Brand Awareness
When RC Turned The Tables On Ourselves
by Julie Poulos
A Case Study of why strategy is the first step before branding, technology, and marketing.
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Lead Generation
Becoming a Growth Consultancy: How Getting Fired Changed Our Company
by Kathy Steele
We have been fired four times in our four-year company history and instead of playing the blame-game we changed the way we run RC.
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Employer Branding
A Client, a Prospect, and a Job Candidate Walk into Your Office…
by Clarissa Johnstone
Does your space truly represent what it’s like to work there, and would a prospective client or employee get a sense of what it would be like to work with you? See how a well-designed space can bring inspiration and collaboration to your office.
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Sales Enablement
LinkedIn Tips to Boost Your Sales and Marketing Efforts in 5 Minutes a Week
by Kayla Portillo
So it’s 2018, and you want to create your LinkedIn profile, or you want to start using the one you created 10 years ago. It’s a lot of pressure, right? We can help!
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Employer Branding
Caffeinated Recruitment: 3 Tips for a Low-Stress Interview
by Shannon Callarman
Today’s top talent are looking for passion, energy, and excitement in companies across all industries. So don’t lose a strong candidate to an inefficient interview process. Show them you’ve got what it takes to be a badass employer.
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Brand Awareness
Three Ways To Overcome Financial Distress While Improving Employee Trust
by Kathy Steele
Business is hard. You win a big account but don’t have the team to service it. You lose a big account and think about how to trim the fat. Your concept gets funded, but you don’t know how to engage your team around a common purpose. Regardless of size, all businesses get stuck. What if there was a way to make running a business easier?
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A Love Letter from Kathy and Julie ❤
by Julie Poulos
November 1st marks the 4th anniversary of Red Caffeine. Each year we celebrate this milestone at our Halloween Party. Our anniversary is a time of reflection and gratitude for those who helped us overcome the challenges as we "re-booted" the business. Three key things that have impacted us most have been: Focus on People - We believe happy people do amazing work.
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Employer Branding
Brand Archetyping Is Not Phony. It's Badass. Here's Why.
by rc
An archetype is a universal pattern of behaviors that, once discovered, helps people better understand themselves and others. BRAND archetyping is the art of personifying a business and/or organization.
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Brand Awareness
Filtering the Brand Experience - Phase 3
by Danny Wyse
The design has been chosen, the brand story is in place, and it’s time to dress up the frame of the brand. There are still several elements that need to be chosen to complete the brand visuals. These items must align with the personality and archetype of the brand.
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Lead Generation
Your Growth Goals Are Unrealistic Unless You Create A Company Growth Engine
by Kathy Steele
What’s the one thing you could do to ensure your company is sustainable? The answer is to create a growth engine for your business, of course. Many organizations neglect to invest in creating a predictable and measurable strategy to accelerate and manage growth. Six key areas can help companies sustain a growth engine.
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Brand Awareness
Key Considerations in Marketing Planning
by Julie Poulos
Let’s assume you have just completed your brand foundation (strategic research, positioning, sales tools, and website). Essentially what you’ve done is built and decorated your new home. Now that everything is in place, it’s time to throw yourself a housewarming party!
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Employer Branding
Let the Games Begin! Playing Mini-Games to Solve Business Challenges
by rc
Red Caffeine plays the Great Game of Business (GGOB). We operate under open book management, train all employees to be financially literate, and strive to leverage the entire team to fuel business growth and operational efficiency.
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Brand Awareness
Nine Factors For Finding The Right Name For Your Business
by Kathy Steele
You've looked over your numbers, and you think you're ready to get your new service off the ground. You know the product is solid, but there's a catch: The project name is just a placeholder.
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Digital Transformation
The Ultimate Website Planning Guide + A Dozen Questions to Consider
by Julie Poulos
Let’s face it – websites are expensive and a huge undertaking. It’s one small step for the internet and one giant leap for the future of your business. If done well, your website will serve as a 24/7 sales rep for your business – attracting and nurturing prospective customers.
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Digital Transformation
What's In Your 'Stack?' It's Not Just MarTech Driving Business Today
by Kathy Steele
The good news is with the increased ease of integrating platforms, Accounting, human resources and ERP software could be connected to your marketing software. At the very least, marketers and business leaders should be aware of the technology systems outside of MarTech and consider what data and processes could aid their business growth strategy.
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Brand Awareness
Competitive Analysis: Know What You're Up Against
by Julie Poulos
One of the first steps in our strategic planning phase is performing a competitive analysis. Why do we do this? Knowledge is power! It’s important to know how you stack up against your competitors.
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Brand Awareness
Filtering the Brand Experience - Phase 2
by Danny Wyse
The FILTERED EXPERIENCE determines design elements such as whether the new brand will have sharp edges, serif or sans-serif font, or if the client is partial to blue. Once all this information is captured, it's time to develop the logo(s).
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Brand Awareness
Filtering the Brand Experience - Phase 1
by Danny Wyse
You know that feeling you get when you purchase new Nike shoes? The one that makes you feel like you can run a Marathon, out work any person on the field or cycle across the country? That is the result of their brand.
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Employer Branding
How to Approach Mentoring as an Established Professional
by rc
At any stage of your career, having a mentor (or mentors) can have a positive impact on your career. Here are a few ways established professionals can leverage mentoring.
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Employer Branding
Wake Up! How to Create a More Engaged Workplace Culture
by Kathy Steele
Investing in your company culture will pay off with a lower turnover rate and a more productive staff in the long run. Wake up! Create a more engaged workplace.
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Brand Awareness
How Can Storytelling Connect You to Your Prospects?
by Julie Poulos
Increase brand awareness and connect with your prospects by knowing your audience, targeting them with content that addresses their needs, and positioning yourself as an expert.
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Employer Branding
Why Time Management Isn’t About Time At All
by rc
The Eisenhower Time Management Matrix is a technique that can help increase productivity in the office. And the best part is that it doesn't even consider time as a factor!
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Employer Branding
What’s Junto You Ask? Here’s Your First Sip of the Culture Kool-Aid
by Julie Poulos
We wanted to make our leaders and overall company stronger and more effective. So what did we do? We joined the Junto Tribe, of course!
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Employer Branding
Developing a #Winning Business Mentality
by rc
Our core value #3: We Play to Win and Win Together is what upholds our win-win mentality. Not only do we want to win as a team, but we want our clients to win too.
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Brand Awareness
The B2C Food Manufacturers’ Guide to Navigating “Hot Food Topics” – Part 2 Content Marketing for Food Manufacturers
by rc
Now that you've discovered the upcoming industry trends, you'll need to market your product. Elevate your content, create clickable content, and promote your content through the best possible outlets.
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Employer Branding
How Power Posing Can Lead to Success
by rc
Your body language can affect your behavior, confidence, and how you handle stress. Strike a power pose to boost your confidence while in the office, at a public speaking event, or just in a new (and slightly) intimidating situation.
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Sales Enablement
The B2C Food Manufacturers’ Guide to Navigating “Hot Food Topics” - Part I
by rc
What trends will dominate your market in the near future? Ask yourself these 3 questions and follow this 4-step research process to get ahead and become a market leader.
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Employer Branding
How Marketing Can Help Bridge the Manufacturing Skills Gap
by rc
Having trouble finding the talent in manufacturing? Close the skills gap by marketing to the younger generation.
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Brand Awareness
How Municipalities Can Make an Impact Through Storytelling
by rc
Even if you don't consider your company as a "typical business", it still has a story to tell. Use storytelling in your marketing efforts to boost brand awareness and show your audience what you have to offer.
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Employer Branding
3 Ways to Turn Your Website into a Powerful Recruiting Tool
by rc
Stand out from your competition to attract top talent. Make your company more desirable by showcasing your culture, employee benefits, and your brand story.
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Employer Branding
What does marketing have to do with attracting and retaining talent?
by Julie Poulos
Attract and retain talent by telling your company's story. It all starts with culture and how you leverage the tools you're given.
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Employer Branding
Cultural fit: the new hire perspective
by Kayla Portillo
Your culture should speak so well for itself that even your new hires know how badass it is.
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Digital Transformation
How to Get Started with Marketing Automation
by Kathy Steele
Marketing automation software can streamline, automate and measure the way we communicate with prospects and customers. Before tackling a program, break down the process with these 5 steps.
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Brand Awareness
Hold the Press (Kit)!
by rc
It's time to forget the ole press kit and create a new, media kit. It's easily updatable and shareable compared to the outdated press kit. Learn how to get started and get creative with your positioning.
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Lead Generation
Social Media Marketing Trends: Pay-to-play to be found online
by Kacey Keegan
Social media is not for the weak company. It's a pay-to-play world out there, so get caught up with past, current and future trends.
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Brand Awareness
3 Untold Rules of Brand Storytelling
by rc
Storytelling in business it hard, especially for leaders. So why is it so hard to do, and how can we make it easier? With these 3 untold rules, of course!
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Employer Branding
Why I Didn’t Show Up to Work Friday (Plus My Idea Worth Spreading)
by rc
At RC, we encourage our employees to focus on personal and professional development. See what our Content Director took from her afternoon at a TED Talks conference.
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Digital Transformation
Mobilegeddon Demands Responsive Web Design
by rc
Mobile devices are now taking priority when it comes to search engines. Do you have a mobile-friendly, responsive web design?
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Employer Branding
The Naked Truth
by Kathy Steele
Do you have a company mission statement, a long-term vision, and a list of values? Defining your mission, vision, and values can put you on the path to success. We speak from experience!
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Brand Awareness
How Marketing Tactics Lead to Successful Recruiting
by Julie Poulos
The way you market your company directly affects your recruiting efforts. Showcase what prospective candidates want to know, like your brand story, company culture, and your mission, vision and values.
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Employer Branding
Choosing to be GREAT instead of BIG – Takeaways from the 2015 Small Giants Summit
by Kathy Steele
The Small Giants Summit never fails to bring about new ideas, new friendships and new memories year after year. Here are our takeaways from the 2015 SMC Summit.
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Brand Awareness
The Social Media Filter Bubble
by Kacey Keegan
Did you know that every click, share, search, upload, download, tweet, and post you make is being monitored? Technology tracks your interests and builds a personalized database known as the filter bubble.
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Lead Generation
The Cobbler’s Children Have No Shoes
by Kathy Steele
You have likely heard the old proverb, “the cobbler’s children have no shoes”, in which the cobbler takes the time to make shoes for the townspeople, yet forgets to focus on making shoes for his own children. Around the time of our one-year anniversary as Red Caffeine, we recognized the unsettling truth—we’ve become the cobbler’s children.
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Brand Awareness
How Paid Search Ads Impact Brand Awareness
by rc
It’s no surprise manufacturers of consumer products use paid search to build brand awareness. But what about the manufacturer that sells technical products to other businesses, whose target audience is narrow? Does it even make sense for them to consider paid search?
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Employer Branding
New Kid on the Block: The Good the Bad and the Hugging
by Heather Carbray
Starting a job anywhere as “the new kid” can be a daunting experience. You never know what to expect or who you will be working with, especially when it’s in a small close-knit group of people.
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Lead Generation
Alphabet Soup: B2B vs B2C in SEM
by rc
Whether B2B or B2C, you better know your ABC’s—Always Be Converting. These could be micro-conversions, such as new subscribers, PDF downloads or regular conversions like lead submissions and online sales.
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Brand Awareness
Mind to Matter: Teaching the Client to Speak Design
by rc
If you were to ask an individual what a brand is, they may only be able to describe it as a logo, when actually, the logo is an emblem that represents one aspect of the brand. The brand overall visually and strategically communicates the personality/culture of the company and its products and services.
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Digital Transformation
The Obstacles in Designing for a Tablet Experience
by Clarissa Johnstone
When designing the UI/UX for a mobile/tablet experience, I believe the number one rule to keep in mind is “keep it simple”. Whether it’s a mobile view on a responsive website or a tablet app, you want the user experience to be as streamlined as possible; however, this doesn’t mean that there is any less work that goes into the planning and design process.
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Handling Change: by a Boomer Entrepreneur
by Tom Walter
It seems like just a few years ago when the great entrepreneur explosion of the late seventies and early eighties took place in the United States. The majority of the entrepreneurs that launched those companies and chose to stay versus sell are realizing the value of the business depends on positive relativity to their market. Are they changing and adapting?
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Brand Awareness
Getting Social in Manufacturing
by Jim Carr
I embraced the social networking phenomenon years ago and have been able to significantly leverage the marketing strategy of my manufacturing company in so many ways. Best of all, it’s free and it really can enhance a traditional marketing program, especially when you look at SEO (search engine optimization).
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Employer Branding
Reinventing Yourself: Breaking Bread, Lots of New and Values
by Kathy Steele
2014 has been a year of an incredible amount of change for us here at Red Caffeine. Our former company split into two and we became Red Caffeine Marketing + Technology.
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Strategy: It All Starts Here
by Jimmy Merritello
We made a valuable choice a long time ago. We decided to NEVER build a logo, website, or any subsequent marketing material based on limited knowledge of a client, the business model, market, and perhaps most importantly, the target audiences. To really do things well, you need to have a plan; what we refer to as a strategy.
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Brand Awareness
Don't Hit Send! Email Mistakes You Can't Take Back
by Kathy Steele
Most professionals understand that there is an email etiquette to follow, but some of us don’t realize that those emails we send out could actually be hurting our reputation and putting our job at risk.
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