Passionate about helping organizations and their people achieve peak performance, Kiger’s background includes leadership roles in healthcare/medical devices, retail/eCommerce, and software/tech sectors.

It’s hard to believe that YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were all launched within the last 15 years. As consumers, we’ve quickly become accustomed to social media being the first place we turn to engage with the brands we love. Given how embedded social media is within consumers’ day-to-today lives, these channels have also become one of the best ways for brands to reach their audiences.

It’s no secret that how much a person trusts a brand impacts whether they’ll purchase from it. Sixty-seven percent of respondents to the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer said they’d buy a product from a company with a good reputation, but also said, “unless I come to trust the company behind the product, I will soon stop buying it.”

There’s a delicate balance between progress and perfection in marketing. When businesses strive for perfection, decision-by-consensus slows or stalls efforts. Innovative products, campaigns, and services never make it to market or a competitor launches their offering first, diluting your offering and investments. On the flip side, there’s a risk of moving too quickly and promising something that the business can’t deliver on or launching something that doesn’t meet customers’ needs.

We’re halfway through 2020, one of the most multi-faceted years in our lifetimes. As businesses look to the second half of the year, they’re scrambling to adapt their go-to-market approach to navigate the disruptive economic environment. They’re asking tough questions about their relevance in this new market and whether their product or service needs to change. They’re looking for new opportunities to grow. The lesson that businesses will learn this year is one that has always been true. Focus is critical for sustained growth.

We are quickly approaching mid-year, and business leaders everywhere are thinking about how they move forward in an undefined new world. Whether a business has been booming, shuttered, or stalled, the second half of 2020 is going to be monumental in separating companies that will thrive from those that will merely survive.

Authentic Brand is delighted to announce the addition of Ruth Glaser as Fractional CMO and valuable member of our growing marketing mindshare and team. As Co-Founder & Former Co-CEO of Let’s Dish!, Ruth brings consumer marketing depth and entrepreneurial growth chops to Authentic Brand’s SMB clients.

The rapidly-evolving nature of a crisis requires marketing and communication teams to stay nimble by listening carefully to their key stakeholders, adapting quickly, and leaning more purposefully into the turns. Crises are a time when showing up in the service of your customers, employees, and communities matters. Businesses must consider how they can best serve their stakeholders during these times.

Authentic Brand is pleased to welcome Kelly Klopotek as the newest member of its growing Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) team. For the past 25 years, Klopotek has successfully led both marketing and business development efforts for several prestigious law firms, and has held sales and leadership positions for multiple global companies.

Crises often put businesses in one of two scenarios. They are either suddenly thrust into survival mode or, in some cases, the disruption of the crisis creates a growth opportunity. Regardless of how a crisis impacts a business, marketing and communication teams need to be ready to strategically allocate resources in the right direction, make quick decisions, and communicate clearly and frequently.

When crises hit that disrupt life for businesses and communities, marketing and communication teams must react quickly and strategically to determine the best path forward for the brand. If marketing teams choose the wrong path, they risk coming off as careless, disingenuous, and opportunistic.

Every business, no matter its size, type, or revenue, has limited resources to direct toward marketing. Unlimited marketing budgets don’t exist, and that’s especially the case for the small to midsize businesses we work with at Authentic Brand. When resources are limited, it’s critical that a company invests in creating brand value through its owned marketing assets (e.g., website, blog, content). These assets are essential to building marketing programs that deliver returns.