Vision Graphics Inc. Engaging Marketing Minds
Vol. 5, Issue 2, March/April 2015
How to truly make your brand stand out INSIDE Protecting the Brand Trending with branding expert Rodger Roeser Posting up
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publisher ’s letter
Climate change W
hile many people say the recession is over, that doesn’t mean the recovery will be spectacular. In fact, there will be nothing fair about the recovery ahead. To the contrary, it will heartlessly divide those who are prepared for a transformed world and those who are not. While each of us is worried about a host of things, the biggest concerns are normally centered on our ability to increase sales. We wonder where our next sale will come from and whether or not we will have anything of value in the future. The gist is that our economy gained strength in 2014 and is likely to keep that momentum in 2015. But even among the greatest marketers, there is widespread unease that margins for error are wafer-thin. If we take our eye off that key account, even for a moment, it may be gone. Get a little careless with costs, and profitability could take a hit. Think for a minute that you have it all figured out, and you may quickly learn otherwise. In Epicomm’s recent “Printing Business Conditions” survey, marketing services executives say the future of print will be targeted. In other words, they believe that customized content delivers unique value and allows you to connect more deeply with your clients. And the more you connect with them, the more resistance there is to drop you as a provider. So, while the economic climate is in a constant state of change, great marketers understand they must stay remarkably in tune with their communities. They realize that if the rate of change on the outside is greater than the rate of change on the inside, they are in trouble. As we continue to preach about going deeper with clients, we ask you to spend some time with our latest issue. In our cover story, “Corporate Jungle,” entrepreneur and author Dr. Colby Jubenville discusses how to truly stand out as a brand. In our second feature, “Brand Police,” marketing and legal experts weigh in on the disciplines of protecting your brand and its reputation. So, while the recession may be over, the recovery will not be a rising tide that raises all boats. We will need to focus on our clients and remain open to the changes that inevitably lie ahead.
While the economic climate is in a constant state of change, great marketers understand they must stay remarkably in tune with their communities. Respectfully,
Mark Steputis Publisher
CONTENTS
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Publisher’s Letter
04 The Inbox
Climate change
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06
Publisher
Mark Steputis mark.steputis@visiongraphics-inc.com
Corporate jungle How to truly make your brand stand out
Managing Editor
Michele McCreath michele.mccreath@visiongraphics-inc.com
Art Direction
Brand police
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Trending with...
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Why your brand should be your first line of defense
Branding expert Rodger Roeser
The best days and times to share content
Brent Cashman Tyson Polzkill Connect is published bimonthly copyright 2015. All rights reserved
Posting up
For more information contact Michele McCreath at michele.mccreath@visiongraphics-inc.com
Vision Graphics Inc. – connect • March/April 2015
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The
Inbox
Metric
matters How marketers are measuring content marketing
W
hen it comes to content marketing, all sides – B2C, B2B and nonprofit marketers – struggle with measurement issues. Interestingly, only 23 percent of B2C marketers are successful at tracking their ROI, according to the "2015 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends — North America" study by Marketing Profs and the Content Marketing Institute. Additionally, 51 percent say measuring content effectiveness is a challenge. Here are some metrics that marketers are using to assess their content marketing success:
6254 393938 3534 Website traffic
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Sales
Higher conversion rates
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SEO rankings
Time spent on website
Qualitative customer feedback
Subscriber growth
Data dancing More marketers are embracing data-driven marketing practices, but are working hard to find the right technology solutions and staff training to get the most out of big data. According to Bizo’s “Data-Driven Marketer” survey, 68.2 percent of marketers are analyzing customers through data, while 54.8 percent say they are leveraging data to measure marketing performance. CRM systems are being used by 67.7 percent, while 31.3 percent are deploying marketing automation software, the survey found.
Book Rec
Creativity, Inc.:
Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration By Ed Catmull
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arnessing talent. Protecting the creative process. Building organizational structures. Telling good stories. As president of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation, Ed Catmull has been part of some of the most talked-about movies ever (Finding Nemo, Toy Story, etc.). In Creativity, Inc., Catmull gives the inside track on how to inspire creative individuals and their managers – the ultimate playbook, if you will, for anyone who wants to work in an environment that fosters creativity and problem solving. Catmull, who founded Pixar in 1986, takes you through the company's evolution from an unprofitable hardware company to a creative powerhouse. Along the way, he addresses the challenge of building an effective and enduring creative culture. In a marketing lanscape ripe with competition and constant change, Creativity, Inc. is the kind of story that can keep you moving in the right direction.
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The percent of marketing firms that plan to hire employees with digital/social skill sets, according to Mondo's "The Future of Digital Marketing" report. Other skill sets include content creation (44 percent), big data/analytics (33 percent) and mobile strategy (30 percent), the survey found.
Being fearless is the only answer right now, because if you play it right up the middle you really don’t accomplish much. If your message is not good enough to tell somebody, then it’s not good enough for you. – Dana Anderson, senior VP and CMO of Mondelez International, on why brands must not be afraid to take risks in their marketing messages
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CORPORATE JUNGLE How to truly make your brand stand out By Michael J. Pallerino
I
t’s Saturday morning in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and the drive through at the local Chick-fil-A already is 40 cars deep. On this particular Saturday, the rain is pouring down – a very poorly timed present from Mother Nature. It doesn’t matter, really. The customers, as if drawn by some hypnotic force, continue to come in droves. As the line nudges forward, a traffic cop – another Saturday morning staple – kindly keeps order among the masses. On this day, several teenaged employees take turns walking the customers who dared to venture inside back to their cars. Somewhere in the huddled throng of clanging windshield wipers sit Colby Jubenville and his son. The accomplished entrepreneur, inventor, speaker, professor and author marvels at the dedication of the patrons, himself included, to the Chick-fil-A experience.
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Corporate jungle
That’s right – the experience. Sure, there’s the sandwich – that boneless breast of chicken, seasoned to perfection, hand-breaded and pressure-cooked in 100-percent refined peanut oil and served on a toasted, buttered bun with dill pickle chips. And there’s the experience: The plotting, planning and eventual trip to Chick-fil-A, where a host of fast food professionals armed with Southern hospitality and grace provide you with a family experience that’s consistent every time. “You have to know your customers,” Jubenville says. “And Chick-fil-A knows its customers. All those people in that line are going for the experience, not the sandwich. They are one of those brands that know how to combine the brand with the culture. It’s what makes them stand out.” Standing out is the passion that drives Jubenville. You can read all about how and why in his book, “Zebras & Cheetahs: Look Different and Stay Agile to Survive the Business Jungle,” which he co-wrote with business coach Michael Burt. “Zebras & Cheetahs” provides an insightful look at surviving in today’s corporate jungle – a world where the big don’t eat the small, the fast eat the slow. Carefully crafted and delivered in a way that all brands – personal
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“You really have to know your purpose – why do you play the game? Seems like a simple question, but amazing how many brands don’t have an answer.” – Dustin Longstreth, VP of Strategy, Group Director, CBX
March/April 2015 • connect – Vision Graphics Inc.
and business – can follow, the book is a user’s guide to becoming bigger, stronger and faster than your competition, whatever and whoever that competition may be. There are no secrets today,” says Jubenville, who also is principal of Red Herring Innovation and Design. “It starts by knowing who you are. The truth is that you are what your clients and your market say you are. If you want to get better at branding, you have to start by having better conversations with yourself. And you have to focus on that conversation.”
Finding your ‘collective passion’ The exercise of becoming – and delivering on – the perfect brand drills down to asking yourself two simple questions: What is the promise I am offering and how do I deliver it? It’s that simple, Jubenville admits. The strategy that ensues, which involves garnering the buyin from everybody – your organization, your customers and your employees – is a principle he calls “collective passion.” If you’re looking for the simplest explanation of that, the die-hard college football fan will give you his University of Alabama example. Deep in the heart of Tuscaloosa, Ala., Jubenville says that coach Nick Saban is building one of the greatest examples of his
principles. The Crimson Tide is a brand known for its rabid, unwavering fan support. “Nick Saban is building passion on all levels. He is hard on his players and, oftentimes, deemed unfair in how much he demands, but there is a reason behind that. He has created a set of standards that has defined the buy-in. Those standards create the buy-in, which builds chemistry.” There’s a story Jubenville likes to quote about an old Navy captain who once told him that everybody wants to know three things when it comes to the task at hand: Who’s in charge? What are the rules? How are you going to hold me accountable? “Wouldn’t it be great if everybody just asked themselves those questions? In today’s corporate jungle, the biggest challenge we have is finding good people to work better. We have to find them, and then get them to act alive. Those three questions help. Most marketers have the strategy they want to help them stand out, they just have to implement it.” Dustin Longstreth is a big believer in the tribal mentality concept. The VP of strategy and group director for branding agency CBX believes that brand building is a team effort that starts with a mindset of living for your people, not off them. “You have to adopt a tribal mentality. Yet, so many brands today
that with all the mediums available today, still speak in terms of marketing to a ‘target’ brands can and should stand out. You don’t that is completely separate from the people do that by adding to the chaos and noise in they interact with every day. That’s an octhe marketplace by attempting to chase evcupier’s mentality.” ery possible new avenue, but by focusing on As a result, the brand efforts feel like a the key fundamentals.” con game, and eventually, people revolt. It is “Marketers need to get above the noise about being one with your pack in order to in their organizations, as well as in the marbuild the trust, empathy and intuition needed ketplace,” says Popky, who also is president to quickly act and react in ways that add value of Leverage2Market Assoand build loyalty. “Follow us, join us, “Marketers need to get ciates. “They need to work share with us (and eventuabove the noise in their hand-in-hand with the rest of their company, including ally buy from us) are the new organizations, as well sales, product development calls to action in the conas in the marketplace. and, more important, IT. nected age,” Longstreth says. They need to work The days of being driven by “You really have to know hand-in-hand with the creative concepts are over. your purpose – why do you rest of their company.” We need to be part of the play the game? Seems like overall business strategy, a simple question, but it’s – Linda Popky, President, not the execution and deamazing how many brands Leverage2Market Associates ployment team.” don’t have an answer. PosiAt the end of the day, the mark of a brand tioning is a helpful framework to remind you comes down to Jubenville’s two simple queswhat messages your brand needs to repeat, tions: What is the promise I am offering, and but it doesn’t do much to inspire advocacy. how do I deliver it? “Can you make your cusThat’s the job of purpose.” tomers money [and/or] can you save them Linda Popky, strategic marketing expert money? If you can’t do either, they’re moving and author of the upcoming book, “Marketon. You have to know your true value. If you ing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Addon’t, you have to figure it out.” vantage with Marketing that Matters,” says
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Why your brand should be your first line of defense By Charlie Lunan
D
an Antonelli remembers being excited when his New Jersey marketing agency, Graphic D-Signs Inc., received a call from one of the largest service companies in the country. He was exploring rebranding options after learning he could not trademark a logo because it had been created with clip art. They had grown from one van to several hundred, and wanted to expand to new markets. But with so many other competitors using the same art, they found themselves in a quandary. Rebranding would cost more than $1 million. “Ultimately, they decided to keep what they had, due to the cost,” says Antonelli, CEO and creative director of Graphic D-Signs. “It’s unfortunate, because they can’t even own their brand and build a unique corporate identity that delivers a meaningful brand promise, since the art is so generic and diluted.”
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Brand police
“A lot of companies think because they don’t tweet, no one tweets about them. It’s kind of a head-in-thesand approach.” – Greg Mancusi-Ungaro, CMO, BrandProtect
Graphic artists and trademark attorneys say such tales are far from rare and illustrate how entrepreneurs and marketers can fall short when it comes to protecting the brands they work so hard to create. While brand protection is a discipline that should start at the inception of the creative process, it often is neglected in the rush of starting a business. “With so many other things to focus on – from securing equipment to all the logistics of starting their business – the brand is often an afterthought,” Antonelli says.
Knowing the risks Failure to adequately research trademarks can cost time and money and, ultimately, can undermine what investors are willing to pay to buy a business. “The repeated misery I see is the brand team goes out and does all this testing on a name and then goes to legal,” says Andrea Anderson, an intellectual property rights attorney based in the Denver offices of Holland & Hart. “Then, you have to make the tough decision of whether to acquire the trademark or go forward on your own.” Marketers also can err by registering a trademark that is difficult to defend, such as a name that includes a description of a product or
service. “Sometimes, marketing people may not appreciate the risks,” Anderson says. “It’s not whether you win the lawsuit, because less than 1 percent of all trademark cases go to trial. It’s, ‘Am I willing to risk $100,000 in legal fees on this one brand decision?’” Anderson routinely urges companies that source or register relevant trademarks with the Chinese government. Without registration, they won’t be able to work with Chinese authorities to fight counterfeiters and risk being extorted by trademark trolls. Just last summer, Tesla Motors paid an undisclosed sum to an entrepreneur who had trademarked its name in China years before it entered the country. There have been instances when a company lowered its bid to acquire a company, after due diligence revealed it would cost millions to obtain overseas trademark rights and/or rid an overseas market of counterfeit goods. “I’ve seen companies bitten by that more than once,” Anderson says. “It was going to cost them $3,000 to $4,000 to register their trademark in China, and they’d rather spend that going to a trade show.”
Death by a thousand cuts Of course, trademark registration merely is the foundation of a long-term brand protection
T IPS FOR PROTECTING YOUR BRAND A comprehensive brand protection strategy can and should be driven by marketers in close coordination with trademark attorneys. In the first phase, marketers work hand-in-hand with legal counsel to select marks that cannot only be registered, but also defended. In the second phase, they work together to monitor for trademark infringements and other threats, and decide how to respond. After consulting with several sources, we compiled the following checklist.
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RESEARCH
1 2
Online research – Conduct an online search to get a sense of what trademarks already are in use in your target market.
Hire a trademark attorney – At some point, you’ll need to call a trademark attorney to conduct at U.S. Patent and Trademark and common law search, since trademark rights in the United States stem not only from registration, but also from use of a mark. An attorney actually may be able to save you a lot of time, money and frustration by dissuading you from registering a trademark that will be difficult to defend. Tip: Trademark attorneys love made-up words, which are easier to protect than generic words.
3
Conduct a domain name and social media search – If someone already is using your trademark in a URL or as a social media handle, it’s
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better to know before you choose a mark, since you may have to budget for the cost of buying them out.
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Register early – Once you pick a mark you want to protect, register it with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office as soon as possible. Once granted, trademarks are retroactive to the time the application was filed, so you can file the application two to three years before you use it – while your product still is in development. It also puts competitors on notice.
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Consider registering trademarks overseas – This is particularly important for companies that anticipate sourcing from or selling in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), where nearly 70 percent of all counterfeit goods seized by U.S. authorities in fiscal 2013 originated. Moreover, PRC trademark law does not recognize common law usage, which means a trademark troll could trademark your brand before you even enter the market.
strategy. To be effective, a vigilant online monitoring program – regardless of how much online selling and marketing a company does, must accompany registered trademarks. “A lot of companies think because they don’t tweet, no one tweets about them,” says Greg Mancusi-Ungaro, CMO for BrandProtect. “It’s kind of a head-in-the-sand approach.” BrandProtect is one of several subscription-based services that monitor the internet for mentions of a client’s trademarks. Using its own proprietary algorithms and human analysts, the services identify potential threats, such as rogue websites selling counterfeit products, phishing scams, cyber squatters, unauthorized social media sites and even resume fraud. Depending on the client, it may have the authority and the tools to immediately shut down trademark infringers. “The majority of mentions are legitimate,” says Mancusi-Ungaro, noting that BrandProtect’s smallest clients spend about $11,000 a year with the company. “We are throwing away the wheat to find the chaff, so the yield may only be .05 to 3 percent of everything we sift through. But that little pile of threatening activity is, for our customers, extremely relevant, extremely scary and potentially impactful.”
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representative, and end up The more common in“Sometimes, with illegitimate brokers,” jury, however, comes from marketing people allowing dozens of lessmay not appreciate Mancusi-Ungaro says. “That is using the brand to steal.” dramatic threats to go unthe risks. It’s not Thankfully, most local answered. Over time, unauwhether you win businesses don’t have to thorized use of trademarks the lawsuit. It’s, worry about these threats. in a URL, social media han‘Am I willing to risk Criminals tend to gravitate dle or eBay store can dilute $100,000 in legal fees toward the most iconic a brand every bit as much on this one brand brands that will earn them as using clip art in a logo. decision?’” the most money. That does “It’s really more the not excuse small business death by a thousand cuts,” – Attorney Andrea Anderson, marketers from being vigiMancusi-Ungaro says. Holland & Hart lant, whether that’s setting In the summer of 2013, up Google alerts for its trademarks or selecting a major regional bank that was hearing coman artist to design its logo. plaints on social media about what some of its Antonelli warns that many websites mortgage loan officers were doing approached now offer to connect small businesses with BrandProtect. After three or four weeks, offshore graphic designers who regularly enBrandProtect reported back to the bank what gage in trademark infringement. “Often, the it had learned from monitoring 1,000 of its small business owner has no idea their new loan officers. As it turned out, the bank only ‘original’ logo is simply a ripoff of someone’s had 477 mortgage loan officers. Most of the trademark – until he gets a cease and de500-plus others identified by BrandProtect sist letter, or worse, a suit claiming dammerely had failed to update their online inforages. They then not only need to defend mation. A handful was intentionally trading on themselves in a suit, but also deal with the the credibility of the bank. expense of rebranding everything that uses “In a worst-case scenario, people see a this stolen artwork.” legitimate advertisement and look for a local
Register for adjacent uses – Consider future brand extensions into new product categories. For example, if you’re a footwear brand, consider registering your trademark for apparel and accessories as well.
MONITOR & ENFORCE
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Set up alerts – Set up email alerts on your favorite search engine that will notify you every time your trademark appears on the internet. This can act as an early warning signal of trademark infringement. Work with distributors – If you sell through retailers and wholesalers, encourage them to report suspicious activity. Appoint a brand cop – Consider assigning someone in marketing to work part-time, monitoring searches and responding to dealer complaints.
prevent unscrupulous competitors from inadvertently infringing your trademarks, and prove you were actively using and protecting them if you feel compelled to take your claims to court.
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Subscribe to a digital brand protection service – Larger companies may want to consider subscribing to a service such as BrandProtect, ChannelIQ or Corporation Service Co. to set up a custom monitoring and reporting service. Be sure to shop around as these services can cost thousands of dollars per month.
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Conduct regular audits – This is a good practice for grooming a company for an acquisition or takeover. Look at every mark you’re using, and consider whether you want to register it. Audits also should check to make sure the company, rather than the founder or someone in marketing who registered an asset in their own name, owns all trademarks.
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Educate and enlist consumers – If you sell highly counterfeited goods such as handbags, watches, consumer electronics, apparel or footwear, consider setting up a page where consumers can learn how to detect and report counterfeit goods.
Use the ® and ™ symbols – Use these with all registered trademarks, including logos, in all corporate communications, including press releases, logos, signage, advertising and labeling. This will
Vision Graphics Inc. – connect • March/April 2015
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Q&A:
Interview with Rodger Roeser
Trending with ... Branding expert Rodger Roeser
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wards seem to follow Rodger Roeser wherever he goes. Over the years, he has been an award-winning TV anchor/reporter, radio host, journalist and editor. On the business front, the agency he founded, The Eisen Agency, has won a litany of accolades, including a spot on the “Inc. 5000” list as one of the fastest growing small businesses in the country in 2012. Today, Roeser’s Cincinnati-based firm works with small and large businesses alike to help align their communications with their respective audiences. Clients include RE/MAX, Coldwell Banker, White Castle and Roto-Rooter, among others. Here are his insights into why branding is a team game.
What’s the most important aspect of branding today? The single most important thing is to have a clear understanding of the brand and make certain the experience is truly felt throughout the whole organization. This should not only be consistent across the marketing mediums and external expressions, but also permeate throughout the look and feel of your business and employees and how your customers are treated.
How do you continue to keep things consistent? You should have brand “police” that continually work with your organization at all levels. This helps them understand the brand and what it stands for, and how each individual as a part of that organization fits into the brand discussion. It’s more about the professional than the service, so it’s critical everyone understand even the smallest nuance of the brand as a whole.
Why is that important? It allows everyone at every level to share what’s interesting or what makes an organization “tick.” When you have brand ambassadors, you have a better chance of standing out amid a cluttered field.
How critical is the “buy in” at every level?
Branding is a top, down process, permeated throughout the Branding is a top, down whole of the brand entity. It’s an ongoing process that involves process, permeated practice, drills, questions and throughout the whole objectivity. There needs to be a commitment to create, foster of the brand entity. and manage that brand for the good of the whole. Leadership It’s an ongoing because if the folks process that involves isin critical, the corner offices pay “lip practice, drills, questions service” to the brand or brand experience, no one will follow and objectivity. along. The leadership must be the most diligent of brand ambassadors and continually challenge others to more succinctly share in that brand conversation.
What’s the main ingredient in telling your brand’s story? It’s the customer or the client. Without the clear ability to truly understand what the client or customer wants and needs, it’s almost impossible to have an objective brand story to further engage and actually be part of the customer story. As with virtually all products or services, it doesn’t exist if the client isn’t central, which is why saying a business is client-centric is a poor brand pillar to stand on. Understand why your customers love your brand and how you cannot only share that story, but also live that conversation throughout the whole of the operation. Branding isn’t about marketing; it’s about operations.
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March/April 2015 • connect – Vision Graphics Inc.
Before You
Go
Posting up The best days and times to share content
Email Most popular: Thursday between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. Most effective: Thursday between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
So, you have this amazing piece of marketable, insightful content that you can’t wait to share. But when should you post it? You thought you knew. According to a series of reports from TrackMaven, the most popular days and times brands post content aren’t necessarily the most effective. Be forewarned – your timing may have been off. Following are the report’s key findings (all times are EST):
Twitter Most popular: Thursday between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. Most effective: Sunday between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Facebook Most popular: Thursday between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. Most effective: Sunday between 12 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Instagram Most popular: Thursday between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Most effective: Monday between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Blogs Most popular: Tuesday and Wednesday between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. Most effective: Saturday between 12 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Vision Graphics Inc. – connect • March/April 2015
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