Mediaboss Marketing

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From left, Weber County commissioners Scott Jenkins, Jim Harvey and Gage Froerer are pictured at a Nov. 23, 2021, meeting.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

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From left, Weber County commissioners Scott Jenkins, Jim Harvey and Gage Froerer are pictured at a Nov. 23, 2021, meeting.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

OGDEN In a bid to get the word out to the public about Weber County happenings, the local COVID-19 response, Weber County Sheriffs Office activities and more, county leaders have been contracting with The Dicio Group to aid in the efforts.

The Salt Lake City-based communications and public relations firm first inked an accord with the county in 2017 and has since earned nearly $1 million in county funds $945,165.79, to be exact.

Now, though, commissioners have decided to shift gears and on Tuesday they approved agreements with three firms, including Dicio, to aid the county in marketing and advertising efforts via social media and other means. Instead of marketing decisions coming chiefly from commissioners, individual county departments have their own budgets and will decide which of the three firms services to tap, if and when necessary.

What were going to do is break that contract (with Dicio) up, said County Commissioner Scott Jenkins. At stake for the marketing firms is the county funding earmarked for such services. For the county, its about connecting with the public and touting its services and accomplishments.

Use of private contractors to handle county duties has caused friction among prior slates of county commissioners. Some have argued instead that the county should hire its own staffers, though the issue doesnt seem to generate the public sparks among county officials that it once did. Marketing efforts have also raised eyebrows in the past among some who worry use of public funding in such a manner can have the effect of bolstering the standing of elected officials, perhaps giving them an unfair edge when election time rolls around.

Jenkins, for his part, said the shift is mainly meant to give individual departments leeway in making marketing and advertising decisions. Aside from Dicio, commissioners on Tuesday approved agreements with Heart and Soul Marketing of Lichfield Park, Arizona, and Dragonfli Media Technologies of Salt Lake City.

Jenkins also said that county departments with marketing needs now have funds budgeted for the purpose, giving department heads the power over the funding and marketing decisions. Different departments have distinct marketing needs and now theyll be able to pick which of the three firms best fits them.

The funding scheme for marketing also changes per Tuesdays action. Whereas agreements with Dicio had dollar amounts tied to them the firm could get up to $125,000 a year in past contracts, though amendments could push that figure up the accords with the three companies dont set dollar limits.

Instead, each of the firms spells out an hourly rate for service, $100 for Dicio, $125-$145 for Dragonfli and $125-$150 for Heart and Soul. Individual departments will presumably be bound by the marketing funding each is allotted.

Jason Horne, the countys purchasing agent, said 21 firms responded to the countys initial call for proposals for marketing services.

Commissioner Jim Harvey lauded the countys marketing efforts, saying Weber Countys social media presence is stronger than Salt Lake, Davis and Utah counties. The Weber County Facebook page has around 11,000 followers compared to the 9,000 followers of Salt Lake Countys Facebook page and the 3,600 who follow Utah Countys.

Dicio has aided commissioners and other departments in promotion of county initiatives, efforts and programs. The firm also helps with social media, produces promotional videos and interacts with the media on county issues. Its also aided in county communication efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to transparent.utah.gov, the government website that tracks government spending, Dicio has earned $945,165.79 from Weber County since 2017. That includes $233,198.54 so far for 2021, $391,017.65 in 2020, $168,649.71 in 2019, $94,500 in 2018 and $57,799.89 in 2017.

The firm came under fire in a 2020 state audit stemming from its work with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

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Weber County shifts gears on marketing and PR, contracts with 3 firms - Standard-Examiner

It is no secret that the pandemic has upended lives, forcing many to improvise. As means of survival in the last year-and-a-half, people have turned to social media. It has allowed them to find a thread of normalcy amid all the chaos that has unfurled these past several months.

In that sense, social media has been a boon: from people finding Covid relief support online, to content creators staying relevant by making use of the platform. In fact, many trends have also emerged from different parts of the world beyond Dalgona coffee, strange foods and virtual dates.

The one trend that we are particularly talking about is that of clothing stores and boutiques selling their products online by means of interacting with prospective buyers real-time, through Facebook and Instagram lives.

If you are a social media user, you must have stumbled upon these videos. A presenter comes on screen, then patiently waits for viewers (those that follow their page) to join in, before introducing the product.

From saris, kurtis and other pieces of clothing, to accessories, home-decor pieces and even books the videos get good traction and interaction, piquing peoples interest and allowing them a window with which to peek and select a product, as opposed to actually going to the store and buying them.

What has led to this sudden mushrooming of such videos, and is it some kind of business model? More importantly, is it bringing decent sales? We reached out to some entrepreneurs and proprietors to learn more.

Vichitra, the proprietor for Coimbatore-based Nirjeri Fashions told this outlet that it is a new kind of thing that has popped up during the pandemic. We have a person who does promotions for our page [in the form of these videos]. Ours is essentially a sari brand and we have our own looms of soft/pure silk saris and weightless Kanjivaram silk saris. We make sales all over the world. This platform allows us to connect with people overseas also. That is the main reason [why we are doing this].

For Vichitra, stepping into the social media space was a decision she made when the pandemic hit and people were confined to their homes. Initially, I carried on with my business on a WhatsApp group comprising a few members.

But when she did a live with a fellow entrepreneur and it garnered good views, she decided to open her own store and do more of these social media activities. People living overseas, who have their own boutiques, have seen our lives and connected with us, and it has brought us business, Vichitra said, adding that she intends to continue this, hoping for more engagement.

Most of these brands and businesses, before they go live, let followers know on WhatsApp groups, on Instagram and Facebook. Sometimes, it is an unplanned live session, too.

Debjani Sarkar of Kolkata-based Shree Collection, a womens clothing store, said she got started with her business when she lost her job. Calling this trend a pandemic model, Sarkar said during a telephonic interaction: The pandemic rendered many people jobless, including myself. As such, this has been a win-win situation for everyone, especially for housewives who now have a platform that can help them grow.

According to her, social media is the best platform for budding businesses. Her own store is a little over a year old and she runs it with her husband. There is direct customer interaction. Ever since I started doing the live, the sales have surged. After the first lockdown, people have become digital and prefer it that way.

Sarkars store sells saris, jewelry, etc., and she mostly does the live herself.

While it has been understood that social media interactions have been a great incentive for emerging businesses, it has also catapulted those that were already well-established. Among them is Ethnic Boutique, another Kolkata-based clothing store. Its owner, Gargi Sonkar, told indianexpress.com that they had been doing such live sessions pre-pandemic also, but post-lockdown, it was the only way for them to reach out to customers so they started doing more of it.

Customer interaction increased online and so did their demand for products, because there was no other channel open. Previously, people wanted to visit the shop in person and hold the product in their hand to assess its quality. But now, they buy everything online, including everyday household items. There is a lot of demand for our products; people tell me to send them saris and they check the quality from the comfort of their homes, she said.

Sonkar who conducts live sessions herself said 60 per cent of her Bengal sari collection has takers from different parts of the world.

Beyond apparel

But, these videos and social media interactions encompass many things, not just items of clothing.

Bharat Sharma, the director of Souvenir Publishers, weighed in on this trend, saying, As a continuous part of educational reforms awareness and spreading the importance of fundamental education, we have conducted many workshops online, including various Instagram and Facebook live streams for parents, students and teachers.

According to him, the brand understands and knows the awe-worthy reach of social media. Reaching to a stage where parents and teachers look up to you to provide not only solutions for problems in the education of a young child, but to actively find new and enhanced ways to open their cognitive abilities, is always a humbling experience. When the pandemic hit, this experience became the only source of actually delivering education in its most primal form: ideas. And with over 20K followers on all platforms over social media, Souvenir Publishers has delivered ideas and education in abundance, Sharma said.

While we anticipate more trends in the coming year, it will be interesting to find out if these virtual engagements spill over and continue for some more time before they phase out, which seems unlikely. What do you feel?

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How social media live streaming, videos helped brands stay afloat in the pandemic - The Indian Express

Call tracking is the process of determining how customers found your business by assigning a phone tracking number to your marketing channels. These marketing channels include newsletters, social media ads, and email marketing. Tracking calls is an essential tool for marketing analytics as it determines which channel and, more specifically, which keyword or marketing message drove the customer to make a call.

Small businesses can benefit significantly from call tracking because the call can help them personalize the customer experience. By getting clear visibility of your call, you can know whats working and whats not, allowing you to focus on channels that work and determine the next step to optimize.

Call tracking has been made easy by the availability of call tracking software, which is where you can log a call in salesforce to import conversations and track activities. This ensures that you get accurate data and updated records.

However, to get the best of call tracking, there are things you need to do and some to avoid. This article discusses some of them below.

Monitoring your performance will allow you to know which channel has solid leads. When using call tracking, you should attribute every sale call back to a campaign that inspired customers to buy. You should use advanced technology in call tracking to collect all the marketing data and monitor the marketing performance.

The call-to-action will increase the chances of the prospect going through with the calling action. By integrating call tracking software with the landing page, you can track and analyze the phone calls. Not only does this help get data from phone calls to track performance, but you also get more leads.

Call recordings can also provide insights into the status of your customer service. The information collected, such as customer feedback, can then be a great source of training for your call agents. This will help you provide a seamless experience to your customers.

Here are some practices that should be avoided when call tracking:

Avoid using different numbers, and instead, use dynamic number insertion to assign each caller a unique trackable number while still using the same number in all your listings.

You should set some specific conditions that should be met before counting a call as a conversion. These conditions include the duration of the call or specific actions taken during the call. That way, youll know how many quality calls youve had.

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5 Do's and Don'ts of Call Tracking for Your Small Business - TechDay News

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Decisions, the global automation standard for America's greatest brands, added Michele Cunningham as a new Vice President, leading marketing. Michele will focus on brand, communications, lead generation, and product and industry marketing to broadcast Decisions' thought leadership in the intelligent process automation space.

"We've a people-first, product-centric, straight talk culture at Decisions," said CEO Bob Irwin. "Decisions is built on the strength, character, and commitment of people. Our culture is the foundation of our success. Michele's commitment to leadership, extensive experience, and enthusiasm for people make her a perfect fit."

Michele will focus on driving innovative solutions, creating new revenue streams and enhancing customer experience. "Decisions is blazing a trail in process automation, helping companies to realize the tremendous value to be gained by automating and elevating business processes," Michele said. "I am excited to join the Decisions team and to contribute to their growth and momentum. And the best part is that we are just getting started."

Michele joins Decisions from Catalyte where she led the marketing organization, including brand strategy, digital and social marketing, communications, and demand generation. Prior to Catalyte she was the marketing leader for Element Fleet Management, Williams Scotsman and THINQ. Michele is a proud graduate of The University of Virginia and resides in Baltimore, MD.

About DecisionsDecisions, one complete solution for all your automation needs, is the global automation standard for Fortune 2000 financial services and healthcare companies in America. Customers use our intelligent process automation (IPA) platform to write applications, create automations, and build robots to fix the customer experience, modernize legacy applications, and automate anything and everything in their business. Whether writing your own applications or using ours, creating your own automations or using ours, and whether building your own robots or using ours, Decisions is the global automation standard for America's greatest brands. Visit Decisions.com to learn more.

SOURCE Decisions

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Decisions Expands Executive Team to Drive Growth and Customer Experience - PRNewswire

About the opportunity

The Department of Marketing in the Griffith Business School is a world and nationally recognised leader in marketing research, consumer behaviour, digital marketing, branding, and social marketing. The Department offers internationally recognised degrees that develop and foster a community of forward thinking, progressive and creative leaders in marketing. We bring diverse ideas, backgrounds and mindsets together and embrace collaboration.

We are seeking applications from talented individuals within Australia and abroad with outstanding academic achievement, communication, and leadership skills in order to contribute to the overall culture of excellence in research, learning and teaching, and engagement within the Department.

As Professor, you will be a leading authority in the discipline of Digital Marketing/Consumer Behaviour and will foster excellence in research, teaching, engagement and professional activities. The successful candidate will be expected to provide leadership in policy development in their discipline within the Department of Marketing, the University and within the community. As Professor, you will have achieved international recognition through original, innovative and distinguished contributions to your field of expertise, which is demonstrated by sustained and distinguished performance.

This is a full time, continuing, position based at the Nathan or Gold Coast campus and it is expected that the successful candidate will be available to attend campus in person as a normal requirement of the role. Further, you may be required to work on either a temporary or an indefinite basis at any premises, which the University currently has or may subsequently acquire or at any premises at which it may from time to time provide services.

About you

The successful candidate will possess a doctoral qualification in Marketing or equivalent accreditation and standing. You will have an excellent record of publications that will ensure that Griffith continues our outstanding achievements in research. A high level of industry engagement and demonstrated ability to network effectively will ensure that working relationships are improved both internally and with government, industry and community stakeholders. In addition, you will have demonstrated knowledge, skills and leadership in teaching and curriculum / program development at the tertiary education level, and a proven ability in the administration of University courses and programs.

We stand for making a difference in the world, being innovative and caring about students. If this opportunity resonates with you and your ambitions, we'd love to hear from you.

Salary range

Professor, Level E base salary: $186,531 per annum, plus 17% employer's superannuation.

How to apply

Please submit your application online and ensure your application includes the following:

Obtain the position description by clicking on the Apply button. You will be redirected to the Griffith University job search page where you will be able to access the position description.

What Griffith University offers

Working for one of the most influential universities in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, you will join a University that spans five physical campuses in South East Queensland and all disciplines, while our network of more than 200,000 graduates extends around the world.

At Griffith University, we've worked hard to create a culture that will challenge you to be curious, creative and courageous. We also support the professional and personal development of all our employees and invest in the skills of our people.

Griffith University values diversity, inclusion and flexibility and we encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and people of all backgrounds to apply. Griffith's strategic goals are to also increase the proportion of women in senior academic and administrative roles and in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM).

Further information

For further information about this role, please contact Professor Scott Weaven, Head of Department, Marketing on +61 (0) 7 555 29216 or s.weaven@griffith.edu.au.

For application queries, please contact People Services on +61 (0) 7 373 54011.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply. If you wish to discuss First Peoples Employment further, please contact Joshua Long, Talent Management Partner (First Peoples) on (07) 3735 5403 or joshua.s.long@griffith.edu.au

Closing date: Friday, 29 January 2022 at 5 pm AEST. All applications must be submitted online.

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Professor in Digital Marketing/Consumer Behaviour job with GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY | 275562 - Times Higher Education (THE)