How Social Media Marketing Can Improve Brand Reputation

In today’s world, social media remains one of the most dominant digital topics, as leading platforms continue to expand their audiences and account for a growing share of consumers’ time spent on the web.

Considering nearly half of social media users tend to share other people’s content more than their own, the way in which businesses use social media as a marketing tool is highly imperative to their success. Continue…

The Intern’s Farewell

As my final semester of college comes to an end, I’ve had the chance to reflect on all the opportunities I have been given along the way that exceeded just my education. While I have had prior internships, HMG Creative was a unique challenge for me that I will be forever grateful for. Working with HMG, I got exposed to inbound marketing, a topic that I had not yet covered in school or working for other agencies. Not only has HMG connected me with the digital industry, it has motivated me further to pursue a career in this field.

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Super Bowl 2018: The Brands That Will Make Your Next Monday Office Chat Worthwhile

We’ve all been touched by the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales, entranced by superstar endorsers like Britney Spears, and become hooked on brands like Apple through futuristic imagery. The biggest game of the year means the greatest chance to reach millions of viewers between plays. As one of the most important opportunities for marketers to reach large audiences and create buzz about their products, Super Bowl spots have long been an integral institution of the game itself. Super Bowl LII will not disappoint, and we have an early look at some of the most anticipated advertisements to watch out for this Sunday.

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Our Top 5 2018 SXSW Brand & Marketing Panels: What’s Changing the Game?

As we all know, SXSW is just around the corner, which means expansive opportunities for the exchange of new ideas, the introduction of multiple industry advancements and crowds of the biggest and brightest innovators of our day and age. Keeping up with the constant stream of developing media and technology can be a big task. Fear not. This time around, we’re bringing you the top 5 panels that will aid in staying on the cutting edge of branding and marketing. Learn what makes these some of the most instrumental topics for the future of our industry.

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6 Ways to Keep up With Daily Trends

The word “trend” is defined as: “a general direction in which something is developing or changing.” So given that trends are inherently dynamic, the challenge to stay current can be daunting. Industries within the digital sphere require constant adaptation to trends, and identifying them (for which there are many different methods) is always the first step. Keeping up with daily trends is an essential element for creating content that is relevant to your consumers. Diligence here will also better equip you to avoid costly mistakes, through a greater understanding and awareness of social issues and controversy.

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Sports Score on Social Media

To some, sports is a religion. Strangers band together to celebrate wins, or to reck havoc when teams lose.

Before the introduction of social media, sports were only available live either on the TV or radio. Of course there were post game updates on networks like ESPN or articles posted on major internet news sites, but ultimately, there were no live updates a decade ago. Now, social media is playing a huge role in how we view sports. Continue…

Introducing Our New Marketing Intern!

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!

Infographic: Who’s Really Using Social Media in 2015

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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Maintaining an Online Social Media Presence

Maybe you stumbled upon this post because you check the HMG blog regularly (if so, kudos!). But most likely, you saw one of our posts on either our Facebook or our Twitter linking you here directly—the effects of social media are everywhere. A couple of months ago, we posted a blog post about the importance of having a good web presence. To expand on this, having an online presence across a multitude of social media platforms enables us to have greater reach, interaction and overall engagement. Here are a few brief tips to consider when establishing and maintaining your online social media presence:

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Twelve Impressive Twitter Numbers

Trends, Shares, Hashtags and Retweets!  Twitter is social media’s most interactive resource to keep in touch with virtually anything and anyone you so desire, and, in real time. Since Twitter became one of the leading social media sites, I have become curious to know the numbers that make Twitter unique; so I did some research and I came up with a list of my favorite ever-changing Twitter statistics.

124,000,000,000 (Yes, that’s 9 Zero’s!) Tweets worldwide in 2012

500 million Twitter users worldwide

300 thousand NEW Twitter visitors every day

73 percent of Twitter users are between 15 and 25 years old

50 percent of 2013 Super Bowl ads mentioned Twitter

24 million Tweets accounted for during the 2013 Super Bowl (XLVII); up nearly 50 percent from 12 million in 2011 and 15 million in 2012

22 percent of Twitter user accounts are located in the United States (that’s 110 million Americans!)

16 million: the amount of the official Twitter account followers

11 new accounts are created every second

7 years since Twitter’s 2006 launch at SXSW

2nd ranked country for Twitter users is the England, just behind the US

1st Ranked for Twitter followers is Justin Bieber, 34 million and counting

Regardless of what number or metric we measure, it’s clear that social media has taken the world by storm.  Nearly 1.5 billion people engage in one or more social media platform as of December 2012; that’s 30% of adults worldwide.  The numbers for the United States are even more impressive with 69% of Americans ages 15 and up using social media, for a tally of 168 million users.  It’s always been said that “numbers don’t lie”; so my educated guess is that this social media craze will only grow and become more embedded in our culture and economy just as the internet and television did some 20 and 60 years ago. Until next time, happy Tweeting, Liking, Pinning and connecting!