ChannelCon 2017 is coming up. Here are 5 networking tips to help you out.

ChannelCon 2017 is coming up, and you know what this means. It’s time to step out of that introverted shell you call home and get to networking. While there is no right way to network, there are a few things that every professional should keep in mind.  

Totes awk … but all attendees are not created equal.

It’s true. You don’t ever want to show up to an event blindly. You should always head into an event with a pre-built list of people you’d like to meet. Whether it’s a vendor, speaker, or MSP, these lists don’t have to be long. In fact, it’s completely fine if you realize you only really want to talk to one person. However, if you do find there are less than three people on your list, throw a few others onto it just for the heck of it. Take a look at the agenda, research the sponsors and vendors, and have something up your sleeve just in case you find yourself meandering the event halls with nothing to do.

Business cards are where it’s at.

You know all those business cards you have? Yup. That’s right. All 600 of those little guys you have stuffed in some box, in some drawer, in some closet somewhere. Welp, their time has come to shine. When it comes to events, business cards are probably one of the most important items to have. You should keep a small stack of at least 10 on you at all times of the day – whether you’re eating breakfast in the morning or taking shots at the afterparty. You never know who you’re going to run into, and plus, if you’re left without a way to “professionally” share your contact information, you’ll regret it. Trust me on this. You don’t want to be stuck writing a number onto someone’s arm or bumping phones with another person at an industry event. That’s weird, man.

Hey bruh, you got a pen?

When you leave an event with 50-plus business cards, things can quickly get confusing. Ever seen that part of American Psycho where the men are comparing quite literally the same business card with different textures? That’s what it’ll be like for you, except they’ll all be teal and use the word IT in some fashion. Which might be worse. This is why you need a pen. With this beautiful pen of yours, you should try your best to write relevant notes on every card you receive. You should also consider a ranking system of some sort. For example, the cards that require immediate attention when you get back to the office (like a vendor, partner, or client that’s ready to sign on the dotted line) should be marked with a yellow highlighter.       via GIPHY

One helluva party.

The after-parties are typically where you’ll have the most opportunity to network with people. And at this point, people are ready to let loose and talk shop. But real shop. Not that filtered shop that exists between keynotes. That’s basically the industry equivalent of going to a PTA meeting. In other words, don’t skip the after-parties. I don’t care how tired you are, or how many angry texts your wife will send you. Go.   

Be real.

You aren’t going to accomplish much in the way of networking if you aren’t honest with people. In other words, don’t resort to PTA talk. Tell it like it is. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a handful of 10-minute, surface-level conversations that will do neither party any good. Think about your end goal and what you’d like to accomplish with each conversation. Keep your conversations targeted and genuine, and you’ll be better off for it.

How Gordon Ramsay’s Career Illustrates The Difference Between Branding & Marketing

From Hell’s Kitchen, to his 20+ active restaurants worldwide – Gordon Ramsay has built his name into a billion dollar brand. His recipe for success? In 2014, he told Variety: “I take nothing for granted. I go into every restaurant, every program, as if it’s the first day. And I give 110%. Because it’s not that money turns me on. I find that side slightly embarrassing. It’s wonderful and it’s nice, but it doesn’t make you a better chef. The fundamental crux of a successful chef is being true to what you do.” IT and managed services have little to do with world class cuisine (unless your clients are within the hospitality industry), nor do I imagine most small or medium business owners would want to work with a MSP who treats them like Gordon Ramsay treats his chefs:
But stay with me for a minute. You see, there’s something oddly endearing about Gordon Ramsay: “He’s at the top of the game. But he balances out that brilliance with human flaws. He swears all the time. He gets into public spats. He wears his heart on his chest. And he’s absolutely fearless.”
Not everyone is impressed by Gordon’s antics, or even his food. There are still a handful of chefs that have accumulated more Michelin stars, more restaurants, and more influence on social media within the food industry. Yet Ramsay’s undeniably close to the top; with his multiple TV shows being some of the longest-running and top-rated, while his hot temper keeps millions of viewers coming back for more.
What’s my point? Every industry is filled with businesses that offer the same products and solutions. In the food industry, there are thousands of 4-5 star restaurants and chefs cooking most of same menu items. The reviews, thus public perception, are/is what entice people to become customers. Then, it’s the dining experience and ambiance that turns customers loyal. The IT industry is no different. For example, just one search for “Managed IT Services Dallas TX” brings up 20 managed service providers on a Google Map – and that’s just the first page of Google My Business search results! (And don’t get me started on the endless search results for “Marketing Agencies Dallas TX”…) Map of Managed IT Services Dallas What differentiates these 20+ MSPs isn’t what they offer or where they’re located. Sure, that’s what they’re found for through organic search. But what convinces a small or medium business to work with one provider over the other is their brand – who they are, how they provide their solutions, and how they manage relationships. Only then is it the quality and consistency of service that keeps clients happy, engaged, and eager to grow in their partnership.
 

The Difference Between Branding & Marketing

Outbrain, one of the leading paid content marketing and discovery platforms, defines the difference between branding and marketing as follows: “Branding is who you are, and marketing is how you build awareness. Branding is your strategy, while marketing encompasses your tactical goals. Marketing refers to the tools you utilize to deliver the message of your brand.” In other words, branding is the process of differentiating your business. Your brand is the soul of your business, and what sets you apart from every other managed service provider. Marketing is how you communicate who you are, and create awareness surrounding your MSP and its solutions. It’s what moves the needle for your business, generating leads and driving you closer to your goals. In the case of Gordon Ramsay, television has been his number one marketing channel. Through television, he’s amplified his brand to millions of active followers on a weekly basis. Without television bringing such heightened awareness to his name, he’d likely only be as well known as Massimo Bottura. Without phenomenal branding, your marketing likely won’t be bold or disruptive enough to permeate highly competitive markets. But without marketing, who cares? Nobody will know about your brand, unless your quality of service is so exceptional it commands attention from the press and a constant stream of referrals. (And if you have that many referrals… why are you reading a blog from a marketing agency?) Furthermore, your brand is your promise to your customers. Your brand sets expectations with your clients, and failing to deliver on your brand’s promise truly is a recipe for lost business.
The key to successful branding is knowing your unique value proposition. The key to successful marketing is knowing how to communicate your value authentically and consistently. There’s poignant synergy between the two, and you need both to achieve long-term growth.

14 social media tips all the posting pros are using

You’re not going to read this part. Instead, you’re going to jump from one headline to the next, so you can quickly decide if this blog is worth your precious, precious time. So yeah, let’s get to it. Social media tips, everyone.

#1. Social media all over that content calendar.

If you’re serious about social media, then you’ll need a content calendar. A content calendar can help you create, organize, and push out content, and typically, they cover 30 days at a time. There are a buttload of sources online where you can find generic templates for content calendars and detailed how-to guides on creating custom calendars. However, if you have Excel and five minutes to spare, then you can easily create a content calendar for your business. Here’s an example of what this might look like: Social media calendar

#2. Even the cavemen had tools.

Don’t you dare dive into social media without a tool. With the right tool, you can schedule out the posts from your content calendar (the fix-it-and-forget-it version of social media), analyze how well your posts are performing, and post content to multiple accounts at the same time. It’s the smarter, more efficient way to stay active on social media. There are a handful of tools you can use to do this, but at the moment, Buffer and Hootsuite are the clear leaders of this pack. via GIPHY

#3. Hey. What do you want?

Seriously. Give it a ponder. What do you want most out of social media? To interact with prospects? To amass a monstrous following worthy of a Gandalf-inspired Lord Voldemort? To improve customer service? To be more active in the community? Whatever it is, figure it out, and figure it out reeeeeal good. It’s best to have a holistic vision in mind (as far as your tone and style are concerned) … this way you aren’t confusing the heck out of your followers (and losing them as a result). via GIPHY

#4. Hey. But what don’t you want?

As you’re deciding what you want your social media presence to be all about, take a little time to decide what you don’t want it to be about. This is especially important if you’re going to have more than one person posting to your social media profiles. If your team has a basic understanding of what to avoid (anything from the tone of your posts to the topics you touch on), then they’ll have an easier time tracking down shareable content that fits within your company’s standards. via GIPHY

#5. The power of the Admin Role

Never take an admin role for granted. This bad boy gives someone the permission to post, delete, and respond to messages … and you don’t want just anyone doing that. It’s important to pick your admins strategically. In other words, don’t hand out an admin role to everyone in the company just because you can (or simply because they ask). Heck, in some cases, the CEO shouldn’t even be part of the admin lineup – especially if he’s hard to control. Admin access should be limited to people who:
  1. Understand the vision
  2. Can handle conversations free of emotion
  3. Know how to use a spellchecker
via GIPHY

#6. Tag. It. Up.

Don’t be shy to tag people in posts, especially when we’re referencing Instagram and Facebook. Tag the right people on Instagram, and they might re-share your posts – which means all of their followers will see your brand. In this situation, you’ll also show up in their “Photos of You” section – which means you have a greater potential of being seen by more people. On the other side of the spectrum, tag a person on Facebook, and (depending on their settings) you’ll automatically show up on the feed their friends see – which is obviously great for expanding your reach.   via GIPHY

#7. Use ‘em like you’re gonna lose ‘em.

Use your coworkers, family, and friends for their followers. That’s right. Use ‘em. Use the whole lot of them.   And don’t feel bad about it either. Ask the people you know to share your posts, tag your company in photos, and mention your company in posts, and you’ll probably be surprised by how many people are more than willing to do it. In fact, ask your employees to do this, and it’ll probably have a positive impact on engagement.   via GIPHY

#8. Okay, man. Respond already.

The point of social media is to be social, right? So … if this is the case, answer me this: Why do you think it’s okay to ignore comments, messages, and tags? Because it’s not. Not even a little bit. You should always respond to every comment. And yes, I do mean Every. Single. Comment. The more you get your followers to engage, the better. Also, think about it … how much better does it look to have a post with six comments as opposed to three comments? Exactly. via GIPHY

#9. For once, act like you don’t know everything.

If you want to start a conversation with your followers, then ask a question. It’s really as simple as that. For example, you can share a blog on something useful, and ask your followers if they have any personal tips they’d like to share. Or post a photo of your team and ask your followers if they have any great ideas on improving collaboration or communication between coworkers. Make them a part of the conversation and let them know that their input matters.

#10. Knock it off with those bots, man.

Don’t use bots to automatically like posts, leave comments, or follow people. DON’T. It’s lazy, against Instagram guidelines, and defeats the whole purpose of social media. via GIPHY

#11. So, there’s this story thing …

I know I’ve been referencing Instagram and Facebook quite a bit, but that’s because those are the two platforms most people are on. Or, at the very least, the two platforms your business will probably have the most luck on. Both platforms rely on algorithms to create individual feeds – which means posts won’t always show up chronologically. On Instagram, for example, you might not see a post on your feed for four days – which can drastically reduce engagement. However, both platforms also have a “stories” feature, and you can use this feature to overcome “feed” issues. Every time you create a new post, add a quick video or Boomerang to your story that lets your followers know you’ve dropped a new post. This will work to increase visibility and lead more people directly to your profiles, thereby eliminating feed issues. via GIPHY

#12. A conversation or a legal document?

In general, social media should be a place where everyone can go and just … you know, socialize. Call me crazy, but I really don’t think the majority of people hop onto their social media profiles to interact with robots and receive canned responses. So what does this mean for your business? Well, for starters, you can start acting like a human and have a real conversation with someone. Don’t be afraid to break that professional glass and give your company a personality. In fact, refer to tip #3, and ask yourself what it is your company wants out of social media. Is it to treat everyone like 50-year-old porcelain dolls or to actually build up your brand?   

#13. Erm … do you even hashtag?

Hashtags are interesting. Use too many of them, and you’ll look like a putz. Use too few of them, and your posts will go absolutely nowhere. While Facebook is slowly getting into the business of tagging, Instagram basically requires them (as does Twitter). The best way to figure out which hashtags you should be using is to do a little research on your direct competition – or at the very least, companies or public figures within the same industry. Check out their posts and try to determine which hashtags they’re using the most. You can also research the “most used” hashtags in general. This will help boost your posts while you’re trying to build up your followers. However, keep in mind that the followers you get using generic hashtags won’t be very engaged and will probably unfollow you just as quickly as they followed you. via GIPHY

#14. Why you tryna’ sell me?

Sometimes business owners and sales professionals struggle to understand the concept of brand-building. And as a result, many of these people automatically assume that social media is just another way to push products. Which is sometimes true. But not always.   If you sell a service, then you need to take another route. Your social media content will be more difficult to develop because you don’t have a pretty product to take photos of. However, this doesn’t mean you resort to non-stop solution drops. No one cares about those, and … they’re annoying (gasp). Instead, push out useful information. Use infographics, videos, how-to guides, and cornerstone content. Do this, and your followers will appreciate you, and you’ll build up your credibility in the process. via GIPHY

The Blood Room: A TRIdigital Murder Mystery

When Giovanni, Adrian, Joseph and Rafael rolled into Denver for DattoCon 2017, they were prepared for a week of family-friendly fun with the nation’s managed service providers. The flight was comfortable (or at least as comfortable as it could be for four large men flying economy together) and Denver itself was lovely, but when the guys arrived at their hotel, something felt off. You know the feeling. You cross some imaginary border in the world and things start to get unsettling. It’s a quality usually reserved for old mansions in the Deep South, dilapidated hotels in the mountains, and West Virginia.

“It was weird, dude. There was only one car in the entire parking lot.”

Adrian picked up on the vibe of the place pretty quickly but our heroes weren’t about to change hotels because the neighborhood gave them goosebumps; they’d stayed in worse places. The red flags kept popping up the further in they went. But, like the foolhardy first victim of every horror movie, they forged ahead. Even when the front desk attendant remarked that the suite they’d reserved wasn’t shown on the map of the building in the lobby. Even when they didn’t see another person in the building besides the staff. Even when they entered the room and it smelled just a little bit… strange. No, the last straw only came when the travelers realized they’d been put in the blood room. Blood Stained Bed    Bullet Holes in Wall

“Man, I’m serious, somebody died in that room.”

Gio’s face grew deathly serious at this particular moment. It was Thursday afternoon and he was back in the office, recapping DattoCon to the team. Normally a jovial and animated storyteller, we could tell from his body language that for once, he wasn’t exaggerating – this was a really bad hotel room. In addition to the smell, the lack of cars in the parking lot and the generally unsettling aura of the place, there were multiple poorly patched bullet holes in the wall and several large bloodstains around the room. “We needed to change for the conference and weren’t sure we were going to stay yet, so I didn’t want to take off my shoes or anything,” Gio recalled, “I wanted to curl up inside my suitcase and change inside it so I wouldn’t touch anything.” After the shock wore off, Joseph called Adrian into the room – he hadn’t immediately come to the room. After inspecting the area, he sunk into the cheap hotel couch, with a bullet hole a few inches over his shoulder, and concurred that the party had rented a murder scene. Joseph, struggling with the intensifying smell, began to search for Airbnb accommodations in the city. While he did the responsible thing, Gio, Rafael and Adrian put on their CSI hats and began theorizing as to how the crime might have been committed.

This Message is Not Paid For by Airbnb

As the guys carried out a forensic investigation, Joseph completed an investigation of his own and found a private home for rent downtown that was both less expensive and less bloodstained than the current hotel. As the crew made the unanimous decision to leave, Rafael scoured the room, removing fingerprints from everything he touched. “When the cops find out there’s a blood room in this hotel I don’t want to receive a phone call about it,” he insisted when asked about his motivations. Bloody Bed Skirt As the guys piled out into the hall, the head of the housekeeping staff approached them and asked if there was a problem. “Yeah!” Gio said, a very slight hint of panic creeping into his voice at this point, “There are bullet holes and blood in there!” They showed the woman around the room and she feigned surprise – but seemed taken aback by a tattered bedskirt. “Then here’s the best part,” Rafael added, “We get to the front desk to check out and tell them that we aren’t going to pay for five minutes in the blood room, and after we explain everything to the attendant she doesn’t even ask questions. She looks down, mutters a knowing, ‘Sorry…’ and gives us a full refund.” The (now thoroughly spooked) travelers proceeded to their Airbnb rental, a lovely four-story townhome with a rooftop deck, and had a fantastic time at the conference, having fun with current clients and meeting many new prospective partners.

But What Really Happened in the Blood Room?

Gio carefully documented the evidence and we already have a handful of leading clubhouse theories, but can’t come to a consensus on how exactly the crime in the blood room played out. Enjoy these photos – and make sure to tell us if we jumped to conclusions and misidentified wine stains and naturally occurring bullet-sized holes in the drywall. Either way, we’ll probably be looking for nicer accommodations on company trips from now on.

6 things we remember the most about Dattocon 2017

So yeah, Dattocon happened. We learned a lot, accomplished a lot, and met a lot of people. Basically, a lot went down. But what about that “a lot” do we remember the most …? Well, for starters…

The cool kids hang out in the basement.

Datto was born in a basement. Back then, there were only two Datto enthusiasts, equipped with big brains and some big ideas. Fast forward 10 years, and there are now 800 Datto employees, creating too-good-to-be-true products and pulling off extraordinary events in a too-cool-for-school fashion. In a way, TRIdigital can relate. Sure, we don’t have 800 employees. And sure, we aren’t hosting industry-wide events. But when we were just a baby, there were only two of us. Working out of a garage. Equipped with some mediocre brains. And sporting some pretty great ideas. Fast forward three years, and there are now 34 of us, building superhero-like marketing collateral and pushing the creative boundaries we all know and trust.

Dolla dolla bills y’all.

Who always be closing? You always be closing. That’s right. You. Or at least that’s Datto’s ultimate goal. They’ve created a comprehensive sales kit that anyone can use and anyone can gain access to simply by emailing abc@datto.com. And yup, you guessed it. The “abc” does in fact stand for “always be closing.” Email abc@datto.com and you’ll receive a complete sales process in return – which includes a resource library, disaster demo, RTO calculator, and BDR assessment tool. Datto basically did your job for you.

Hot and bothered over instant BMR.

New features and products are always exciting, especially when they’re super nerdy like the ones announced during Dattocon. One of our personal favorites would probably have to be the introduction of instant BMR. This bad boy allows your team to copy the backup image in the virtual environment to the restored server (or new production server), all while the virtual environment is still running. It even updates data migration in progress with the newest data from the snapshots it takes every 15 minutes. They demoed this feature live for us during Dattocon, and the only downtime we noticed was the time it took to reboot the server. In other words, no more data migration projects over the weekend. You can head for that cold shower now. We’ll be here when you get back.

The Dattocon afterparties are ree-dic-you-luss.

In a good way.

Market now with … uh … MarketNow.

What’s better than well done marketing content? Well done marketing content that’s created for you. And Datto gets this. This is why they’ve created MarketNow, a centralized marketing platform that’s packed full of templated, Datto-based marketing material. From MarketNow, you can launch, track, and monitor co-branded emails, view leads ranked by activity and engagement level, use custom-built infographics, presentations, and brochures, and syndicate web and social media content. Now, go back and reread that sentence without coming up for air.

Can we be best friends?

Sure, there are industry events all the time. But we’ve never attended an event like Dattocon before. Everyone was so nice, helpful, and considerate. It didn’t matter if you were a sponsor or an attendee; the entire Datto staff provided everyone with the highest degree of care and attention we’ve ever experienced. Maybe we don’t get out enough. Maybe we need to broaden our horizons a bit. Either way, we liked it, and we’re super bummed we have to wait an entire year to attend another Dattocon … which just so happens to be in our backyard. So yeah, we’ll see you there. But if you don’t want to wait that long (because it’s an awkwardly long amount of time), then you can see us earlier. We’d love to show you around the world of IT marketing (mostly because we’re badasses). Seriously. Come see us. We need more friends.   Netrix IT and TRIdigital at Dattocon   TRIdigital booth at Dattocon

The Best 80s Mix & the Secret to Marketing

Before we start, fire up this song in the background. Am I actually suggesting this blog post warrants theme music?! Yes, I actually am.

No one likes Chet.

Do you like 80s music? Of course you do. Everyone likes 80s music. Well, everyone except Chet, but what does Chet know? He thinks Harry Potter is over-rated and Suicide Squad was “a solid film.” Chet doesn’t have many friends. Everyone else likes 80s music. It’s iconic, diverse, and mostly upbeat, even if it’s a little cheesy. Not only that, but there are times when the lyrics are surprisingly deep for a decade that was defined by spandex, big bangs and a whole lotta synthesizer. If you’re on the prowl for the perfect 80s mix, buckle up.

If you build it, they will come.

The perfect 80s mix has just two ingredients. You’re dubious. I can feel it. It’s okay. I had my doubts, too, but I’ll make you a believer. You’ll need Pandora and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” That’s it. Just search for the song and have Pandora fire up a station based on that one tune. Then slip on your parachute pants, tease those bangs, and get ready to rock the Casbah. A note of caution, though. I’ve tried the same trick with other music services with less impressive results. Something about Pandora’s algorithm makes Journey’s anthem the perfect seed song, but it doesn’t work nearly as well with other music services.

What’s the point?

Um, totally bitchin’ 80s music. No duh. But, yes, there’s also a marketing moral. An amazing 80s mix comes down to the right music service and the right starting point. There are more streaming music services out there than you can shake a stick at. And yet, this seemingly simple trick yields some pretty righteous results, if you use Pandora. Regardless of what you’re marketing, success will always depend on pairing the right venue with the right approach.

Big difference.

There’s value in research. It’s helpful to know what works for others. But there’s zero guarantee that what worked for another marketing campaign will work for your marketing campaign. That’s why we do things differently. (You know, things like letting one of our writers crank out an entire blog post with dozens of reckless cultural references that are a few decades old.) We focus on the right venue for your message, and the unique approach that will separate you from your competition. And here’s the beautiful thing about that strategy: it’ll work for any company marketing any product or service.

You’re the best around.

No matter what you’re selling, someone else is selling the same thing. But there’s a way you do it that stands apart. First, make sure you’re marketing in the right venue. We don’t blast Pinterest with information about MSPs because, frankly, that would be horrible. Second, hone in on what makes you unique. That’s the trick to marketing that generates real interest, produces real leads, and delivers real ROI. Oh, and if you need help marketing your MSP, give us a shout.

Email Marketing: 5 magical, must-read tips

Even if you hate email and you despise every second you spend drowning under the weight of your inbox, you can’t deny the overwhelming power of a good marketing email. Something pulls you in, captures your attention, nearly forces you to click, and – BAM – hook, line, and sinker. You’re theirs.   As a business owner, sales professional, or marketer, knowing how to craft a decent marketing email is a talent not to be overlooked. Crafting these emails can seem easy at first, but that’s usually around the time when you feel like you’re wand-less and battling Lord Voldemort riding Smaug the dragon. So, in an effort to make the task of email marketing a tad less frightening, here are some must-read tips to help you out.

Your choice: a long email or death by fire?

What is it about long emails that sort of make you want to invent new cuss words and/or have an impromptu seizure? There’s just something about globs of text inside an inbox that is unnatural to the human brain. So, when you decide to craft your brilliant email marketing campaign with one paragraph too many, the only thing you’re really doing is forcing a premature mental breakdown on a handful of people. In other words, your emails need to be short; they need to be concise, and they need to incorporate Very. Short. Sentences. This doesn’t mean you can’t have fun or be conversational (because you should really do that). It just means you shouldn’t go on and on and on and on and on…

The school of witchcraft and subject lines

Subject lines are tricky little suckers. They must be short, but then again, they must capture someone’s attention. That, in and of itself, is a ridiculous task that only the most masterful of Jedi copywriters can accomplish successfully. What makes this task even more absurd, though, is that subject lines also have to be true and informative. If you don’t speak to what’s actually inside the email and if you mislead the consumer at any point, you risk the chance of being marked as spam or receiving a beautifully wrapped “unsubscribe.” When it comes down to it, if you’ve been hurting your head for hours trying to muster up a subject line, then you may want to rethink the content of the email itself. Ever heard the saying, “It’s like putting lipstick on a pig”? Well…

Hey there, good lookin’.

Plain text emails are so last year. If you want your marketing emails to be noticed, you gotta’ step up your game. We’re talkin’ images, colors, fonts, the whole shebang. You need a layout and a look that complements your content. Do this and people will be more likely to pick up what you’re puttin’ down. The key here, however, is to make sure you don’t go overboard. Keep your emails easy to read, good to look at, and simple to follow. Your emails should also be consistent and tie into your brand nicely. For example, every time MailChimp sends out an email, you automatically know who it’s from without ever seeing their name. This is because they use the same fonts, colors, layout, and characters throughout their emails (hint, hint: brand guidelines), but they still manage to keep things interesting by playing with the content and imagery.

Got a dictionary handy?

Around 500 words ago, we talked about keeping your emails short. HOWEVER! Your emails can be super, duper short but still not make a lick of sense to anyone who happens to open one of them. If you write an email that appears to be an excerpt out of a pre-law textbook, you may as well have never sent it. Not only will your readers not be readers, but they’ll hate you. That is all.  

Let’s CTA all over that CTA.

Right next to subject lines, your CTAs (call-to-actions) are going to be one of the most important elements of your emails. These typically aren’t as difficult to come up with as a subject line, and they can actually be kind of fun to create. This being said, it’s important to think outside the box here. Explore options that don’t look like “Learn More” or “Register Today.” Instead, play with phrases like “Discover Why” or “Explore Options.” If you’re sending someone to a blog, then use pieces of the blog inside your CTA. For example, say your blog is about tips on productivity. Your CTA could say “Get Tips” or “Get Productive.” If you’re trying to register someone for an event, then you can switch things up a bit by using action-oriented, you-centric phrases such as “Claim My Spot” or “Save My Seat.” Think you got this whole email marketing thing down? If so, go forth and email market like you’ve never email marketed before. If not, that’s cool, too. We’ve got plenty of more tips where these came from. Stay tuned for more tips or visit the Tridigital blog for more insight into the world of marketing.

Happy Halloween

At TRIdigital, we know how to engage our team to get into the Halloween spirit…with 3 chances to win something good! The team went all out this year for a battle to win a 1st place prize of $150.00, 2nd place prize of $100.00 Amazon gift card, and 3rd place prize of Brownie Points goodies. We had an array of costumes from Vampires, to Duff Man, and even Darth Vader. Take a look at the photos below.
  • 1st Place – Clint Ford as Darth Vader
  • 2nd Place – Richard Pettis as The Joker
  • 3rd Place – Adrian & Jasmine Cue as Bob Ross and The Happy Mountain painting

We wish you all a Happy Halloween!

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The Intriguing Overlap of Colombian Coffee and IT Marketing

It is amazing how much these two very different elements have in common. In case you don’t know, Colombian coffee is cataloged as the best coffee in the world. How come? Well, Colombia has amazing ground for growing coffee, which gives it incredible value and exquisite taste. Colombia’s dedication to quality requires each bean to go through a rigorous process second to none. Here are a few reasons why, like Colombian coffee, TRIdigital’s marketing process is second to none.

We Prepare You for Growth

Like coffee growers, there are many IT marketing companies out there, but not all products and services are equal. We, as marketers, make sure your ground is ready to sustain the newfound growth you’ll find with TRIdigital. What we do, we do with a focus on excellence. We want our clients to completely enjoy the rich and bold flavors we add to their brands. Our product energizes and revitalizes with creative and compelling copy and design.

Better Taste and Texture Through Roasting and Development

At TRIdigital, we love coffee. We always drink the best – which is why every time I fly home to Colombia, I make sure to bring at least three bags of coffee. We chase quality in everything we do! As marketers, we need to put time into developing and curing our product, so it is as impactful and potent as possible. Our incredible employees and well-defined structure ensure each client’s needs are being fully addressed. Thoughtful copywriting, organic SEO, beautiful design, comprehensive development, and future-minded marketing strategies give TRIdigital clients’ a creative and competitive advantage to help them succeed. We curate, test, edit, rework, and flavor check our product every step of the way to make sure it embodies the unique flavor of TRIdigital.

Packaging and Delivery

Once the coffee has been cured and fully developed, it needs to be packed, polished, and made ready for presentation and brewing in your kitchen, coffee shop, or office. At this point, both the intrinsic flavor character and exterior packaging have been finely tuned and are ready to be sent to the consumer. TRIdigital works in the same way. We make sure the final product is the best it can be, making sure the content and story we create for you is compelling and best represents the unique qualities of your business. We don’t copy and paste. We taste and export! The exportation step is not finalized until you are completely satisfied with the product, making sure whoever visits your pages, watches your videos, or reads your content will find the best and most evocative representation of your brand. With coffee, you are sure to find a bunch of other brands labeled “Colombian Coffee,” but when you taste it… Ehhh. Not so Colombian. As will your marketing content and collateral be 100% you, 100% us, and 100% at its best. See? It’s the best combination! So, are you ready to be number one among your competition? Let us help you best represent the quality, taste, and texture of your unique brand. Reach out to us to learn more about what we can do for your organization.