Everything’s Atwitter About Social Media
When it comes to digital marketing, the new, bright, shiny object is social media. Social media has been in the business consciousness only since 2009 -- and that's the early adopters. It's still a big of the wild, wild west out there. Michael Cheek explores what's happening, how it works and what's effective.
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A Blog Just Missing the Kitchen Sink
Lady Gaga, Gunslingers, Blake Shelton, the Aflac Duck, Charlie Sheen, GoDaddy Owner Bob Parsons, a Traveling Medicine Show, a UCLA student, Gilbert Gottfried, Can-Can Girls, Diet Coke and a few other oddities. These are just a few of the things I've written about in my blog. Check it out.
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Use All the Weapons in Your Arsenal
Are you investing a lot in search engine optimization and not so much in social media? Keep in mind that more people visit Facebook than Google. Facebook is the #1 destination online. Social media gets more traffic than porn. Isn't time you focus on social media?
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Strategy to Build a Future
Creativity, strategy and thought-leadership needed? Michael Cheek brings that! This case study gives insight into lessening the impact of big-budget advertisers on search engines and spreading the branding word across multiple websites to increase influence.
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Green Light to Hire Michael Cheek
Speed up your digital efforts by integrating it all together! You'll cross the finish line faster with Michael Cheek heading up your digital marketing program. Don't miss these ten compelling reasons to consider Michael Cheek as your next digital marketing executive.
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75% Increase in Web Traffic
Four distinct strategies combined to bring 75 percent more consumers into Mohawk's primary website which resulted in more than 13 million referrals to retailer stores during 2010 alone. Building web traffic requires sophisticated strategies and flexible tactics.
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The Idea Lab Is Always Open
The latest idea popping out: Anti-Product Placement. Instead of putting your product into a television program in a positive light, what if you paid for your competitor's product to appear in a negative one? Not nice, I know. But as the politicians discover, going negative always proves more effective.
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First to Go Mobile, Ready to Keep Going
Michael launched the first a mobile application in the flooring industry almost two years ago. Since then, he's led development teams in building applications for smart phones and tablets including Apple iPhone and iPad, Android and Blackberry. The mobile revolution arrived. Are you ready?
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About Michael Cheek
I tell stories ― sometimes using elaborate marketing campaigns with interweaving components building upon itself to a pinnacle, while others may be a simple, 140-character tweet with the entire plot contained within. The thousand-word photo might provide the tale or perhaps an online video with thousands of spoken words, a crescendo of musical impact and moving images chronicle the beginning, middle and end.
My career is about telling stories. First as a journalist ― the immediate historian ― who spoke to the witnesses, victims, innovators, protectors and characters in the drama of life, commerce and government. As the digital age emerged, those ink-stained words moved to pixel-bright fonts melded in forms and patterns to convey larger accounts of businesses in websites. Momentum propelled me into marketing where the stories grow more complex and simple at the same time, inspiring consumers to buy.
The complexity of marketing often overwhelms what’s very simple — generating a human-to-human connection. At one end, we find the customer; at the other, the people of the company. The connecting string might be high-tech, but the story must be simple and must convey a real humanity to create an ongoing engagement.
At the core, I always tell stories. And now it’s time for me to tell your story.
What People Are Saying About Michael
Michael and I were members of a working group to set up a new website. Michael definitely knows his business, the background and the complex connections behind. Working with him was nice and easy.
He has an understanding for the differences between Europe and America, and he was excellent in trading them off. That is a very valuable skill and makes it a lot easier to get results that work for both sides.
—Helge Marek
Corporate Communications Manager
ELMA Electronic GmbH
Stuttgart, Germany
Michael is a pleasure to work with. His attention to global branding and marketing standards as applied to digital and interactive applications renders tactics which can be actioned on.
In addition to overall strategy, his value is also in the details; being able to constructively and concisely convey the importance of low-level system
settings to his stakeholders ensures that every aspect of the solution is considered and vetted against business requirements.
His value is clear from even cursory conversations and builds as the dialogue deepens.
—Jason Fields
Vice President
Agency Oasis
Boston, MA
My time working with Michael was marked by innovation.
Michael leveraged the brand partnership I shared with Mohawk Industries, maximizing the benefit of our relationship.
His focus was centered on creating forward-thinking, web-based and physical marketing strategies to create tangible benefit to the customer.
—Chip Wade
On-Air Host & Contractor
HGTV
Star of “Elbow Room” and “Curb Appeal: The Block”Learn more about Chip Wade by visiting his blog at ChipWade.com.
This guy gets it.
Michael is a rare breed of client partner – the type of individual one can trust to advocate for the best idea, even if that idea is disruptive to the status quo of an organization.
He has rallied to build internal consensus by presenting information in a manner relevant to the organizational stakeholders.
Michael is a babel fish for agency speak within a client-side organization and is a pleasure to work with.
—Mat Thomas
Creative Director
Agency Oasis
San Francisco, CA
Michael is that rare client and marketing partner who can not only recognize business changing ideas, but loves the process, the adventure, the creativity, the new technology, and the new digital and social media age.
He provides solid direction and makes himself available to provide strategic guidance, yet allows his team to showcase their talents. He is a champion for great creative work across all platforms and understands how to build brands as well as sales….
I can’t speak highly enough of Michael. He’s scary smart, strategic, creative, and a true pleasure to work with on a personal level.
—Larry Tolpin
President and Chief Creative & Innovation Officer
Paradise Communications, Digital and Entertainment Group
St. Petersburg, FL
Michael set a new standard at Mohawk when it comes to technology.
He opened our eyes to a whole new world of an interactive business including websites, mobile apps, and video.
He took our digital footprint and expanded it to the new customer Mohawk is looking for in today’s economies worldwide. I would extend my recommendation for him anytime.
—Eric Ruppert
Product Director, Residential Nylon
Mohawk Industries
Chattanooga, TN
I have huge respect for Michael and cannot recommend him highly enough.
He inspires, pushes, collaborates, motivates, listens, places trust and constantly strives to push the envelope in every aspect of his work.
It’s people like Michael who really make work worthwhile.
—Keith Otter
Executive Creative Director
Intermark Group
Birmingham, AL
Not only has Michael mastered the art of marketing and communication, he knows exactly what his companies needs are and works extremely hard to ensure those needs are met in record time, and beyond expectation.
He is a motivator for those who work with him, and makes it easy on us to perform our jobs at task.
—Chris Mann
Executive Producer
Limerick Studios
Charlotte, NC
I worked with Michael on the international website project as my marketing colleague in America. Due to his extensive experience in handling web projects prior, he provides extraordinary insight into the process. His guidance, feedback and recommendations are always spot-on. He takes very complex technical issues and explains them so everyone can comprehend.
Michael is also very creative in marketing messages and ideas. At a company with diverse products and differing efforts, he often finds a way to blend it all together in a cohesive, logical and compelling way.
I love working with Michael and hope that we’ll have many opportunities to collaborate in the future.
—Kathrin Fessler Carnevale
Marketing Manager
ELMA Electronic AG
Zürich, Switzerland
Michael is a digital visionary.
He has a unique ability to determine great solutions to any business issue. He is able to clearly see the issue, vision and express to the team to implement.
Michael is able to lead any team with proven abilities and motivating cross-functional and multicultural teams with strong communication, presentation, interpersonal and negotiation skills.
—Brandon Holderfield
Account Supervisor
Intermark Group
Birmingham, AL
Michael comes at the world of marketing with two unique skills — strategic thinking and creativity. Both critical to success, they typically don’t reside in the same person. Yet Michael excels in both, making him particularly effective.
I have watched Michael assist a traditional company, just starting to utilize the Internet, to become a leader in their industry. The amazing thing is the budgets they work with are fractional compared to their competition, yet with far better results.
Once you have the opportunity, you will enjoy working with Michael.
—Jake McKenzie
CEO, Intermark Group
Birmingham, AL
Always a pleasure to explore creative challenges with Michael. His vision is clear.
Whether it involves a full storyboard or just a song that he heard… the idea he communicates always works. He goes the extra mile to make it work and appreciates the creative collaboration along the way.
—Tim Kimberling
Post Production Artist
Spot Media Production Group
St. Louis, MO
Michael is a professional in every sense of the word. He has developed and implemented very innovative and exciting marketing campaigns.
In addition to development, Michael has done an exceptional job in presenting the interactive marketing components to the sales force and getting them comfortable with taking them to the field. It has been a pleasure to work with Michael for several years.
—Ty West
Vice President of Sales
Kraus Carpet USA
Orange County, CA
Working with Michael was one of the greatest pleasures of my professional career.
He’s extremely effective with tremendous insight. A true visionary on trends and customer behavior, recognizing and molding that knowledge to benefit the brand he works with to unprecedented levels.
A true team player that inspires, creates and get results, all while having fun in the process.
—Jeff Parson
Senior Art & Digital Design Director
BOHAN
Nashville, TN
Michael’s greatest strength is generating unique, multipurpose ideas that live both in and out of the digital platform.
While at Mohawk, he was able to do this with Ricko, a lovable rhino who lived with the product for weeks. This single event won our retailers over with its clever product demonstration.
The clever use of social media allowed Michael to share the story both internally and externally. Point-of-purchase graphics helped our new retailer fans tell the story to consumers.
Overall, Michael created an engaging experience that increased awareness and sales for the category.
—Lindsey Waldrep
Vice President, Marketing
Crossville Inc.
Chattanooga, TNLindsey is former senior creative director at Mohawk Industries during Michael’s tenure
Michael is truly one of the best colleagues I have ever worked with.
He is passionate about his career and his company, and it shows through his success and also through the relationships he has built.
Michael is very thorough in everything that he does and always follows through with everything he promises.
—
Mark Gibson
Programmer
HCC Life Insurance Co.
Atlanta, GA
We worked with Michael for several years on a variety of projects. He is a very creative marketing professional, and particularly knowledgeable about interactive and social media marketing.
Our relationship was always collaborative and fruitful — resulting in the development of a number of innovative programs.
—Frank Fuerst
President
B2B Technologies
Atlanta, GA
Michael is a very personable, professional, who was a great resource to work with. His knowledge of integrated marketing specifically in the digital and interactive online world was impressive. His forward thinking in those areas was really incredible and way ahead of his time.
—Adam Nonn
GM/Regional Manager
Nonn’s Design Showplace
Madison, WI
As a small independent business owner, I have worked with Michael…
Michael took the time to understand my business and help me navigate the what to me is the perilous waters of maintaining a business website. He encouraged me that I could do it and inspired me to do it.
Michael’s great attitude and enjoyable demeanor has made it a pleasure to do something I am very uncomfortable with but know I needed to do.
Michael positive influence on McCool’s Flooring will last well into the future due to his encouragement and training how important technology is to my business.
—Doug McCool
Owner
McCool’s Flooring
Kokomo, IN
I am a true believer in the idea that most people are good at either executing or creating.
Michael Cheek refutes this theory, as he is excellent at both
—Peter Goldberger
Senior Partner
Incentive Team
Atlanta, GA
