This past Tuesday, another deadly attack struck Europe. Belgium was hit with two horrific explosions at the Brussels Airport and one bomb at the Maalbeek Metro Station, leaving 25 civilians dead and 136 severely injured. Despite the devastating incident that left the entire world shaken once again, the crisis communications effort that was implemented during these terrorist attacks were exceptional. This effort was largely due to the powerful impact of social media. Continue…

Hi there! My name is Kate Gothing, and I am the newest social media and marketing intern at HMG Creative. I am overly thrilled to join such an amazing team and learn from each and every one of the team members. Currently, I am entering my senior year as an advertising student at the University of Texas at Austin (wow–how time flies!). I was born and raised in a small town outside of Boston, Massachusetts, but have always dreamed of moving to Texas. Unfortunately, I have not been in Texas for my entire college career. For my freshman year of college, I attended DePaul University in Chicago, as a marketing student. After the Polar Vortex of 2014, I decided it was time to move down south, and soak up some much needed sun. Since transferring to UT Austin my sophomore year, I have not regretted it. I mean who could, in such a great city with amazing queso, tacos and BBQ?

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The madness of starting another school year is finally starting to slow down. People are beginning to get back into their normal routines, and whether we like it or not, it’s time to accept that summer is coming to a close. We, personally, are looking forward to a breather from the Texas heat! Aside from saying goodbye to summer, it’s also time to prep for a strong finish to the last quarter of 2015. From our experience, digital marketing strategies can and does play a huge role in determining your success from quarter to quarter, so it should not be left on the “back burner.”

To help you in your final push towards the new year, we wanted to offer up some of our insights into building an even stronger digital marketing plan for your business. Regardless of what your company objectives are, each of these can provide a great deal of value in distinguishing yourself from your competition, building relationships with your audience, and increasing your profits.

 1. Publish Content Regularly  

 Your goal should be to develop a content strategy that encompasses the products and services that your  company offers. Not only that, but you want to show your audience that you are the industry leader in the  market. Consider posting content that illustrates your experience on a particular issue for your clients, or  write a feature story on one of your products. Also, don’ t be afraid to recycle older content. Often times, you  can simply repost content that you created years ago. Unless it is irrelevant, this is a great way to generate a  ton of content that is already proven to be successful. For more information about developing quality content, check out our blog post on incorporating appropriate and relevant content.

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We asked for it, and they responded– after more than a year of research, Facebook released a new update today that extends from the simple “like” button. The new reactions allows users to express their emotions by choosing between like, love, haha, wow, sad and angry emojis.

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Hello! My name is Tanner Hertzog and I am the new intern here at HMG Creative. I am about to begin my senior year at The University of Texas at Austin where I am studying Public Relations and Business. I have a huge passion for digital branding, and specifically interested in learning how to handle a crisis via social media. I am so excited to be here at HMG Creative. I think this will be a wonderful opportunity for me to learn even more skills on how to manage a brand online and how to connect with potential new clients. Aside from social media work, this is a great opportunity for me to learn the ins and outs of the marketing/business side of operations in the “real world.” I have learned so much in the classroom, but it’s a completely different situation when you are actually using what you have learned in the workplace.

Prior to beginning this internship, I was running all of the Moody College of Communication’s social media channels. I was responsible for overseeing all the distribution of content, as well as the promotion of our account to current and prospective students as well as alumni. This internship provided me with my first opportunity to manage a brand’s social media network, and I learned a great deal about how to effectively grow a brand online.

When I am not working, I enjoy spending my free time exploring all that Austin has to offer. I am a self-taught guitar player, and was a competitive swimmer for 17 years. I have the competitive attitude in everything that I do, especially in the classroom. I am also an avid fitness guru. I spend a great deal of time working out in the gym, and focusing on a healthy diet.

I am looking forward to providing you guys with some great insight into this industry, and hopefully we both grow together over the next 5-6 months. Please follow me on Twitter @tannerhertzog, and if you have any questions for me please feel free to reach out!

Branding is often discussed everyday by individuals in the marketing, advertising and design industries, but rarely is it defined with a simple answer. In brief, branding is one of the most important tools a company can utilize to reach their target market, build recognition and develop customer relationships. It includes a wide range of factors such as logos, colors, patterns, typefaces, imagery, packaging, taglines, wording and more, all of which combine to create your company’s image.

Why Do Consumers Need Consistency?

In order to build a strong brand, you must stay consistent throughout all of your selected mediums. This strategy creates the opportunity to gain brand recognition among your target audience when done correctly. On top of that, consistency brings clarity and purpose that consumers then buy into. In turn, consumers become loyal to a brand. However, building this kind of trust takes time and effort.

Most consumers have to be exposed to a brand many times before they are loyal to it. So a consistent brand message has to be established so that consumers will immediately distinguish it from a competing brand. This means a business potentially loses customers, and may even help its competitors, if a consistent “look” and tone is not achieved. Continue…

If you haven’t already, please take a minute to read our previous post discussing our current blog series and what all you can expect to read over the next few weeks!

Value of Social Media

Alright, to kick things off, let’s get to talking about the value of social media. Words like “follow us” and “like this” are buzzwords that virtually drive the entire online world these days. If you are redesigning your website, you should highly consider the value of integrating your social media channels with the site. Don’t have social media? While we recommend you reconsider your decision, fear not: you can utilize a blog! We can’t stress enough the importance of connecting with your audience on a personal level, and the best way to do so is through social media and blogging.

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We have some fantastic news to share with you guys! We were recently recognized by Clutch as one of the “Leading Digital Marketing Agencies” in Texas! Simply put, Clutch identifies leading software and professional services firms that deliver results for their clients. These decisions and recognitions are based on a matrix of factors including company experience, client list, industry recognition, market presence, and client reviews.

“The strongest agencies are dedicated to keeping up with the most current trends in the technology industry,” stated Ayrald Hubert, Senior Analyst at Clutch. “These Texas based firms work diligently to provide their clients with the newest and most cutting-edge digital strategies available.”

We are flattered to have been named a leading digital marketing agency, and cannot thank Clutch enough for this honor! Be sure to head over to our profile on Clutch’s website to view our near perfect rating and read some reviews from our past clients!

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As 2015 sets in at full force, it’s vital for brands and marketers to have an active gauge on which demographics are using social media. Depending on the type of content you’re promoting, knowing which social media network to use greatly affects the success of the campaign or post. The reason is simple – we all want the greatest reach possible.

To break it down, Adweek lays out each social media network and interaction in a handy infographic. It highlights exactly what age group is using each social media site – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram – in 2015 and what the percent of growth is for each. This early in the year, getting a jump-start on these numbers could greatly improve your social reach as you began to plan campaigns, content, and leverage.
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Being a team of creatives, it’s probably not surprising that we seek to find inspiration in any medium we can. The Internet and social media make that all too easy, especially with platforms like Instagram that bundle amazing content from all over the world into one place. Here’s the rundown on 10 of our favorite Instagram accounts to follow:

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