Blog

In Customer Experience, Bigger isn’t Better; Better is Better

December 4th, 2017

by AMAWM

For far too long companies have focused on size. More profits. More subscribers. More customers. More leads in the funnel. Bigger, so the establishment believes, is better. I invite you to challenge that thinking for a moment. What if better were truly better? Charles Kuralt famously said, “Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.” He was right about Interstates, and if asked about business today, he might say, “Today, it is now possible to do business end-to-end without seeing or speaking to another human.” In many respects, technology has removed humanity from business and customer experience. I believe the most successful companies are those who embrace technology without losing humanity.... Read More

Marketing That Moves: AMAWM’s Mission for 2017 – 2018

September 7th, 2017

by AMAWM

Welcome back to another great year with the American Marketing Association of West Michigan. Over the summer, the AMAWM board got together, reflected on the previous year, and got to planning. Based on some surveys, general feedback, and conversations from members, it was clear what changes needed to be made and what our audience really wanted. This year, we have made it our mission to engage our audience in luncheons, workshops, networking events, and other resources that provide the education and take-aways they need to get their professional marketing efforts moving in the right direction. We want you to take what you learned and be able to apply it to real life marketing challenges. With that, AMAWM is proud to announce this year’s... Read More

The Role of Typography in Marketing with Terrance Weinzierl

April 4th, 2017

by Dan Gibson

At our most recent luncheon event we were lucky to have Terrance Weinzierl join us to explain the vital role typography plays in marketing. Below are just a few of the top take aways from his insightful talk: Type is everywhere. Every sign, billboard, shirt label, smartphone app, website, restaurant menu. Any one room/location can easily have hundreds of types. Every individual letter was created by someone. There isn’t some magical program that generates the rest of the alphabet, numbers, and symbols after you create the first one or two. Fonts (especially for Terrance) are created using a combination of pen and paper, and electronic tools. Typically starts on paper or bar napkins. Then moves to the computer to elaborate on. Type is... Read More

What 12,480 Hours Taught Me About Digital and Social Media Marketing

April 3rd, 2017

by Clayton Carroll

When I started a sales job in 2011, someone shared with me Alec Baldwin’s “Always be closing” scene from the movie Glengarry Glenn Ross.  12,480 hours worth of sales and marketing experience later, I read that quote now as “Digital marketing leads to always be closing”. Let’s Start at the Beginning I spent the first part of my career in more traditional sales and marketing.  Since I worked at a fast growing small manufacturing company, any day could see me to fill one of 10 different roles but I mainly focused on sales and marketing. Every day I would hustle, make deals and move onto the next one.  The formula was make it and sell it.  I was the “sell it” part of... Read More

Event Preview: Jason Dodge of BlackTruck Media + Marketing

February 29th, 2016

by Felicia Rowley

On Tuesday March 8th, AMA of West Michigan will host an exciting informational luncheon by Jason Dodge, founder of BlackTruck Media + Marketing, featuring a presentation on “digital advertising platforms”. The perfect opportunity to learn how one of our own local ad gurus wins big with digital advertising! The digital advertising industry without a doubt is constantly evolving due to trending technologies that drive our world. One minute email marketing is a thing of the future, the next minute, a thing of the past. So how does BlackTruck Media + Marketing keep up with these trends? For Jason, keeping up with the continuous technological changes has been “the most difficult thing” he’s had to endure while working in the industry. Some of the... Read More