Nov 092015
 
Forrester Says B2B Marketing is Complicated

Last week I read an interesting post from Laura Ramos, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research. Laura is Forrester’s point person for B2B marketing, and she was sharing her thoughts on how complicated what she refers to as “contextual marketing” has become for B2B companies. The biggest reason she cites is the proliferation […]

Oct 312015
 
Interior Trim Replacement on my E46 M3

Recently I completed a relatively minor but satisfying DIY on my 2006 BMW E46 M3. This one was a cosmetic repair rather than mechanical. I replaced the C-Pillar trim pieces on both sides, the interior trim between the side rear glass and the rear windshield. It’s a known issue on the E46 model 3-Series BMWs, […]

Oct 222015
 
Quality French Fare at Bistro L'Hermitage

Living in Alexandria, VA, my wife and I usually head north when going out to dinner, either Old Town or D.C. Recently we headed the other way and drove down to Woodbridge for a quality French experience at Bistro L’Hermitage. Good friends of ours recommended it, and we’re glad they did. The restaurant is an […]

Sep 222015
 
Content Marketing Includes Many Different Tactics

Content marketing means different things to different clients. There are consistent threads in StoryTech Consulting content marketing campaigns — for example, understanding of the target audience, a commitment to top quality content and integration with the client’s sale process are typical elements. But there are a number of different tactics we can employ, based on […]

Sep 082015
 
E39 M5 Fall Checkup

This Labor Day weekend I devoted some time to my 2002 E39 M5. I changed the oil, the cabin air filters and I gave the car a general checkup. I’m fortunate to have access to a lift, and took advantage of that to inspect the suspension and other areas under the car. Bavarian Auto has […]

Aug 132015
 
A Thank You from Wikipedia

Yesterday I donated a small amount to Wikipedia. Like millions of others I use the site frequently as my online encyclopedia and research tool. Periodically I’d be served messages about how Wikipedia depends on donations to remain  subscription fee and advertising free. Until yesterday I ignored the requests. I didn’t donate that much, less than […]

Jul 272015
 
The Smart Way to Buy a New BMW

  My neighbor Martin just bought a new BMW. He did his research, knew exactly what he wanted, and walked away from an initial poor BMW dealership experience. He went with a custom order, and will be having the aftermarket boost the conservative tune of his stock BMW turbocharged engine. How he went about it […]

Jul 222015
 
A Conversation with Simply Measured

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, most of my clients are running social media advertising campaigns. Major platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook have limited the effectiveness of organic sharing and promotion, making changes clearly intended to steer companies towards paying for reach and exposure. Typically when money is spent companies want to see reporting that […]

Jul 062015
 
BMW Sales Midway Through 2015

BMW has released sales numbers through June of this year. BMW brand sales (not including Mini) are up 7.1 percent over the first six months of 2014. That’s a healthy increase, but a bit off the 9.8 percent growth BMW accomplished in 2014. BMW and Mercedes are again wheel to wheel in the race to […]

Jun 112015
 
Mary Meeker's Internet 2015 Report

Mary Meeker released her annual State of the Internet report at last month’s Re/Code conference. As usual it was chock full of interesting stats, this year expanding to almost 200 slides. I wrote about her previous State of the Internet reports in 2012, 2013 and last year. In addition to the quality of the research, […]

May 262015
 
Primer on Social Media Advertising

Last October I wrote about differing views on how social media advertising should be conducted. My take on the debate between leading social media practitioners Maddie Grant and Jay Baer drew a lot of views and a number of excellent comments on LinkedIn. To some degree Maddie and Jay were talking about B2C brand advertising, […]

May 112015
 
Cosmetic Work on the E46 M3

This past week I took care of some needed items on my 2006 E46 M3. Since I purchased the car late last year, I’ve looked forward to getting the front bumper repainted and a few other cosmetic issues attended to. The front bumper needed to be repainted because it had rock chip pitting, clear coat […]