Marketers at Procter & Gamble Tide jumped on the bandwagon with the Discovery Channel this week to celebrate the 26th season of ‘Shark Week’ putting great idea’s into action. The company purchased Promoted Tweets to push its animated Vine clip under the tagline “We get out blood, too.” TWC and Volkswagon have also taken advantage of timely promotions. These are great examples of how companies should seize the moment and stay current in order to capitalize on social media.
Online Video Marketing
It’s a known fact that video has a longer shelf life than static content and its viral capability is more powerful than words or photos. Just spend a few minutes with a media-savvy twelve-year-old and see for yourself! If a person is given the choice between reading content or viewing a video they will undoubtedly choose to click the play button. This accounts for the wild success of mobile apps such as Vine & Instagram that allow users to create and share video clips. With the evolution of the internet, accessibility in the palm of our hand, and the low cost of storage, video is no longer an asset reserved for mega-rich media conglomerates.
Anyone can speak their piece you just need to remember a few simple rules of thumb:
- Show Personality: Don’t be afraid to muck it up. That’s what makes or breaks the success of a video.
- Commit to a Series: Whatever your market, don’t stop with just one video. Set up a schedule and invest the time to promote your brand.
- Make tutorials: Do-it-yourself tutorials are all the rage on the internet. Who needs to take a class when you can find quality online instructions for at no charge.
- Be Relevant: Timeliness is everything.
- Offer Testimonials: Social media is proof that people look to their peers for product & service recommendations. Video testimonials are a great way to capitalize on this opportunity.
Storytelling & Fame
Storytelling is one of the oldest and purest forms of marketing and today’s social media platforms provide brands with the perfect venue to tell their tales. Used properly, companies can boost sales and solidify customer relationships.
It can take time to master the art of storytelling which should be simple, authentic & engaging. New England based Dunkin Donuts has done a bang-up job on social media. The brand’s new FaceBook ‘Fan of the Week’ campaign offers customers the opportunity to get their 15 minutes of fame by beckoning fans to submit photos of themselves enjoying their favorite DD product. Each week the winner will have their name and photo up in lights on a billboard in Times Square. Now there’s a That’s a simple campaign that has created quite a nice of incentive.
The top ten facebook brands are:
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- Coca Cola
- MTV
- Disney
- Red Bull
- Converse
- Starbucks
- Walmart
- McDonald’s
- Blackberry
- Subway
Want your 15 minutes of fame?
Click on the following link and upload your photo. Dunkin Donuts Fan of the Week
The Five Commandments of Social Media
Social media is a great way to connect with potential clients and build relationships, but it can also turn some people off. Abiding by these five commandments will make you a better citizen in the world of social media.
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Thou Shall Make Regular Posts
Failing to respond to messages, including tweets and posts, is rude. It’s also unprofessional to post erratically – try to stick with a regular schedule.
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Thou Shall Not Overshare
Monopolizing the conversation and excessive tagging & private messaging is annoying at best. Be selective and prioritize your posts. If not, your efforts will only serve to drive business away.
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Thou Shall Not Jump on the Social Media Bandwagon
Creating an account on every available social media platform just because you can, isn’t a good idea. Utilize only the sites that you plan to embrace.
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Thou Use Appropriate Profile Photos
Do not use party or family photos on your business page. Be sure your photo is not clear and no blank avatars!
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Thou Shall Not Share Spam
Only value-added content is acceptable – links to silly videos are a no-no.
Pin it to Win it
The rapid growth of Pinterest was one of the big social media stories of the past year and all indications are that it will continue to pick up steam. The learning curve in this industry is steep – I have dabbled on the platform I am still finding my way around this newer platform. After meeting with a Boston architect, who is a member of my business networking group, it became apparent to me exactly what type of business would thrive on Pinterest.
A quick glimpse at my own home feed tells the story … It’s filled with yummy linked images of food, beautiful clothing, hairstyles & home furnishings – all of which are a reflection of me and all of which are promoting a brand. If you are selling a product that has visual appeal such as Real Estate, Interior Design, Architecture, Home Building, or Landscaping (to name a few) then Pinterest might be for you.
WordPress Under Attack
Hackers have been trying to break into websites 24/7 and spammers have been equally busy at their craft.
WP websites are generally hosted in a fairly lavish environment with high amounts of bandwidth. They offer a desirable place for hackers to take up residence and set up a command center from which to launch attacks on visitors and other websites on that server.
LOCK THE ENTRYWAY
Typically hackers work like an amateur burglar who walks down a hallway testing doorknobs until they find one that opens. To avoid this type of break-in be sure that you are not using the default ‘admin’ as the username and come up with a strong password.
UPDATE PLUG-INS & THEMES
Just as it is important to keep your antivirus software up-to-date on your computer, it is important for business owners to protect their CMS platform by regularly updating plug-ins, themes & Word Press when updates are available.
CAPTCHA
As annoying as they are, installing CAPTCHA fields will make it more difficult for spam robots to send and create a traffic jam on the mail server.
DISABLE COMMENTS
In an ideal world, comments would be a welcome addition to a blog. But in the real word comments add little value to the conversation and disabling them will cut back on the time that the blog administrator spends weeding out the spam.
Are you an Email Spammer?
Six Do’s & Don’ts to Email Marketing
By definition, a spammer is someone who sends a large number of unsolicited emails to multiple recipients. When one is on the receiving end of spam it is easy to develop a distaste for email marketing. Email, however, is a wonderful marketing tool when used correctly for both businesses and subscribers alike.
Email provides the potential to build valuable, long-lasting relationships. Through email marketing businesses can educate, share, gather information & encourage discussion with their customers. Good email marketing should bring value to the reader which, after all, is why they signed up to receive the emails in the first place.
Who Qualifies as a Subscriber
Often times the subscriber did not make the conscious decision to receive emails. Just because a customer shared or revealed an email address with you does not mean they agreed to be bombarded with junk mail. Business owners need to be protective and respectful of their clients. Abusing this privilege will only burn bridges.
Notification Abuse
Harassment via notifications is on the rise and has alienated more people than it has captured. The service is marketed under the guise of keeping you informed when in reality it has little to do with giving and more to do with receiving. Do not automatically sign new subscribers up for notifications.
Offer the Opportunity to Unsubscribe
Email subscribers should be able to readily unsubscribe if they wish – omitting this option or obscuring it only worsens the problem and will prompt some users to have your email address permanently banned.
Provide What you Promised
If the reader signed on to receive occasional informative newsletters please offer the same. If instead, the subscriber is spammed with weekly promotions they will opt out, and rightfully so. Email marketing is about more than promoting your own services – it should add interest and value.
Personalize the Message
Be sure that your database is accurate and that your clients are properly addressed. Email recipients want to be treated as people not as click-through statistics.
Proof Read
While HTML based emails are graphically appealing and have a higher rate of effectiveness they are often sabotaged with broken links and blocked images. Test your email before sending it out to be sure that it looks and functions as you intended.
Here’s a great article from Vertical Response on the Anatomy of a Great Email. Enjoy!
Six Ways to add Sex Appeal to Your Website
Does your website have that certain je ne sais quoi that attracts both people and robots alike?
Expectations of your website are steeper today as visitors are demanding a higher level of interactivity in order to keep them coming back for more. Here are SIX ways to add magnetic attraction to your website that will help it to perform as a viable marketing tool:
- NEW CONTENT: Regularly spice up the content on your website with fresh information especially on the home page. Visitors will return to see what you have to say tomorrow or next week, as the case may be.
- ENTER TO WIN: Depending on the nature of your business, feature an ‘Enter to Win’ form on your homepage. This is an opportunity for you to build your email database as well as an indication that you are willing to put something into the relationship. For example, if you own a Yoga Studio you might want to offer the opportunity to enter a drawing for a free week of yoga by collecting a name and email address. It’s a simple lure but effective.
- VIDEO: Stimulate your audience with great images and videos. People love to click on an informative video link – video has the potential to go viral and ranks high in terms of SEO.
- E-NEWSLETTER: Be sure to utilize that growing email list by sharing information with your contacts that go beyond self-promotion. Share tips and tricks of the trade as well as industry updates in an effort to build a long-lasting relationship with your client base.
- BLOGGING: A blog will have a tremendous impact on your website ranking. This is your opportunity to woo your audience as an authority in your field. It’s all about giving and sharing valuable information.
- FOLLOW ME: Invite customers to follow you on social media – sites like Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest open the doors you to build a more intimate relationship with your clients.
The trick is to somehow feature all of these components on the home page of your website which functions much like a magazine cover beckoning passersby to take a peek inside.
What Makes a Great Logo?
The cornerstone of a brand begins with a logo. There are four characteristics that define a great logo.
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Unique
A logo must be memorable. The graphic alone does not necessarily have to project what the company does but it can evoke a feeling which is just as powerful. The Nike logo is one of the most powerful and recognizable logos in the world.
Adaptable
A great logo must carry the same meaning across all mediums – whether it is on a business card, a billboard, or a baseball cap. Target makes great use of its bull’s eye logo using it all by itself.
Appropriate
The designer must consider the nature of the business, the customer, and the culture. The newly designed BP logo brings in energy with the sun as well as the colors of the “Helio’s†suggesting heat, light, and nature.
Timeless
The neutrality in a design makes it timeless. McDonald’s golden arches are an iconic symbol that has defined the company for years.
Marketing with Infographics
What is an infographic?
An infographic is a fun way to share material about a topic without using a ton of content. Infographics creatively transform information in a way that helps people learn and inspires them to share. Here’s an example of an infographic on why WordPress should be the website platform of choice for your business.
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