Is brand design worth the cost? A successfully launched IT company thinks so. Two years ago, Living Stone was selected to develop a brand design and overall strategic rollout for a new technology company created by the merger of Belgian IT consultants Tobius and SAGA Consulting Group. Called Tobania, the merger was finalized in December 2014. Tobania is nowadays recognized as one of the nation’s largest networks of ICT specialists.

Marketing professionals struggle with a heavy workload during the work season. In summer many marketeers finally find a moment to have a break and revitalize their creativity and organizational skills.

To efficiently integrate ‘inbound marketing’ in your marketing strategy, you need to know exactly who your buyer personas are.

The words ‘inbound marketing’ are popping up more and more. But what does inbound marketing mean?

Developing buyer personas takes a bit of work, but it’s worth it. The in-depth customer understanding that you’ll achieve will more than offset the time it will take you to conduct the necessary research, interviews and surveys with a sampling of your customers and prospects.

Understanding exactly who your ideal customers are is critical to many facets of your business. Everything from product development to sales depends on having a solid understanding of your customers’ needs, interests and backgrounds.

Advances in mobile technology, social media and search engines have completely changed consumer behavior. Enabled by these changes, inbound marketing, the latest evolution in marketing, has really only existed for the past couple of years. While it heralds a brand-new way of looking at marketing, it’s easy to incorporate into your marketing plans. Keep these three important elements in mind when developing your inbound strategy.

Marketing used to be about finding customers. In traditional, or outbound marketing, companies use trade shows, TV, direct mail, cold calling and other techniques to find customers and pique their interest. But the marketing world is changing.