Archive for the ‘Internet Marketing’ Category
By Paul Dumouchelle, Management Consultant, ADVISA
My company is initiating use of a computerized system for managing email communication with clients and prospects. We’re probably behind the curve in this application but as a small organization (<20 employees) whose core competency is not based in things electronic, I suppose this is fairly normal.
What is exciting to me is that this meshes clearly with a need I have in this area. I’ve got the content and process for prospect and client communication but what’s missing is a method to systematize that knowledge. My current process is based on one-to-one communication with my contacts – which is the ideal approach in my business.
I’m hopeful that the solution we’ve chosen will make my marketing efforts scaleable to ever-larger numbers of contacts. Maintaining a one-to-one “touch” while improving efficiency is the promise. By summer I should know if this promise is realizied.
John B. McConnell, MBA – Two Quills
Working at a nonprofit requires a head that fits quickly and easily into many different hats. Weeks of 501(c)(3) paperwork turns into Facebook page management in the blink of an eye. Soon, if the group successfully generates steam, a mountain of question-laden emails must be climbed. Once all of that is accomplished, life fast forwards to the middle of the night at some point in the future where someone sits bleary-eyed at a computer monitor teaching him or herself Joomla while another board member edits website content in a home office across town or across the Internet, serenaded by Grooveshark and endlessly calculating exactly how much time is left before the baby wakes up for breakfast.
While you are experiencing this progression, a thought often runs through your mind that if you spend every moment jumping from small fire to small fire, the big picture things that pulled you to this project in the first place are not going to be done properly.
That thought worries you.
But you are in luck.
All you need is the perfect marketing strategy. One that gets the most out of your only paid employee, a high school student who works one hour per day, five days each week. An employee, as instructed by your organization’s leader, who is to focus primarily on social networking sites (and other more arcane forms of communication such as iPhones and Gchat windows) and can only meet with you via the Internet.
Gone completely gray yet? Done a bit of stress eating? Do not fear. You now have everything you need to get your organization to the next step. That is, you now have everything you need if you properly constructed your social network while completing IRS paperwork and polishing mission and vision statements.
Interns, mentors, that crucial third board member who will make everything run so smoothly. You’ve reached them and they are ready to help. You have people ready to hit the streets. The community welcomes you. All you have to do is pull off the first few events and then the real marketing can begin.
But you are in luck.
All you need is the perfect strategy and your organization can take the next step.
Andrea Crabtree, MS
Adweek’s Steve McClellan recently wrote an article concerning the decline in Facebook use in the 18-24 year old set.
To be fair, opinions differ on whether the decline in minutes spent on Facebook is a true reflection of user habits. One expert believes that the 18-24 year old age group accesses Facebook primarily through their smartphones and their comScore numbers are not being tabulated.
Others believe the decline is a real phenomenon. They believe Facebook now teeters on the brink of being uncool in an important age demographic.
McClellan points out that once Grandma friends you, the mystique of Facebook evaporates.
What does this mean for us? As a marketing tool, Facebook still has plenty of potential according to McClellan’s article.
The trick will be to know when Facebook is right for a marketing campaign in the 18-24 year old demographic and how to activate customer support for a brand on a social media site that may be waning in popularity for young adults.
Certainly, we need to monitor this age group’s changing relationship with Facebook which McClellan writes may be changing significantly even now.
Finally, we need to ask if our long-term social media marketing strategies are still relevant in this fast-changing Internet landscape.
Andrea Crabtree, MS
Ignore social media at your peril.
Beware pricing your products at a premium.
Pour your marketing budget into television and magazine advertising and you will miss the boat on internet advertising.
How does Apple do it? Jonathan Weber’s article in The Big Money points out how Apple’s marketing decisions break many of today’s “rules” for business. He demonstrates how Apple’s remarkable success rests squarely on their excellent products and their creative, relentless branding.
While Weber points out that Apple ignores many of today’s accepted ideas on social media marketing, internet advertising, etc., he certainly doesn’t suggest we should all ignore these practices. Rather, he argues we shouldn’t forget about the product in all of this.
Which brings me to my own computer-buying decision this past spring.
I decided to switch back to a Macintosh after tiring of paying yearly anti-viral subscriptions for my PC. I had lost all patience with Windows at that point and could not justify the time I spent searching the web trying to decide if my PC was just acting wonky or if it had contracted a virus.
I justified the added cost of buying a Mac based on how easy they are to use and the greatly reduced risk of computer viruses.
That is how one customer decided to purchase a more expensive product in a crowded market. I never consulted Twitter, Facebook or a blog. I didn’t even visit the company website.
And, I felt kind of cool when I bought it.
Paul Dumouchelle, Management Consultant, ADVISA
When I worked in brand management at SC Johnson in the early 1990’s I could only dream of having the tools available to marketers today. 15 years ago, brand managers spoke of creating a “relationship” with consumers but this was entirely one-way, unless you counted the sporadic, limited and often inscrutable feedback we got through our marketing research efforts. With the ever-expanding technologies and exploding bandwidth capabilities of the internet we will soon live with real-time, multi-user, multi-sensory, two-way interactions.
I’ve always been a believer in innovative test-marketing when in comes to business development and the proliferation of tools makes this easier than ever. As a relative late-comer to social media I’ve only been actively developing my LinkedIn network for about 6 months but it has paid bigger dividends, faster, than anything else I’ve invested time and effort into.
I’m in the middle of creating my first video series to be loaded on
YouTube and anyone who isn’t using video in some big way is missing out. Risk taking and experimentation will be rewarded in this environment, especially given the upheaval caused by the recession and resettling of the economy that is taking place. In my own efforts, I’m rapidly learning what does and doesn’t work well. Trial and error, combined with LEARNING, is an effective approach in this market characterized by rapid change and new frontiers.
The report that
unemployment declined in November is another sign that the recession is in the past and we need to be thinking about how to leverage customer engagement to maximize our opportunities. If you aren’t ahead of your competition in using the available tools for customer engagement you’re going to find yourself in a continuing recession for your own business that is of your own making.
“The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds his contribution to the creative act.” Marcel Duchamp
Say what you will about his art, Duchamp was right in his idea of turning spectators into contributors. While this is an important concept in art appreciation, it’s perhaps even more important as a survival philosophy for museums and historical societies.
From the beginning, museum spectators (visitors) have taken a passive stance in their relationship to their museum. This, it goes without saying, needs to change. The continued growth of social media tools can not only be beneficial in enabling museums to start intentional conversations with their visitors but also can be used to turn those visitors into participating contributors. It’s allowing visitors to do everything from helping to shape the direction an exhibit will take to supplying some of the content to be displayed.
The advantages to developing this relationship with the visitor are numerous. At the top of the list though may be the way that this entrenches a visitor within your (or perhaps more accurately their) museum. Additionally, a visitor with items on display is perhaps the strongest advocate a museum could have. With a personal connection to something to talk/tweet/blog about the contributing visitor is now not only part of the curatorial team but also part of the marketing unit as well.
Let’s look at a few examples of this concept. As you consider these remember that there are opportunities to integrate visitors through technology no matter the size of your organization.
One of the best examples can be found at the Ontario Science Centre. In a space that focuses on Toronto, they have an exhibit that explores the city by using a web-enabled kiosk loaded with a map from Yahoo! Maps. The exhibit encourages people to take pictures of themselves around the city, tag the photos, and then upload them to the museum’s Flckr account. These photos are then pulled directly into the exhibit map so that when the visitor tries to learn more about say the local coffee shop, the image that comes up is the one of that visitor at the coffee shop which they took and uploaded before leaving for the museum
In a completely different environment, The US Army created a mobile exhibit trailer for its recruiting efforts. When you enter the trailer, there is a touch screen panel whose initial graphic is a map of the United States. You can use that map to find your region and there watch videos which were created and uploaded to the site by other potential recruits.
At a different level, The Summit County (Ohio) Historical Society (in conjunction with other local organizations) has established the Summit Memory Project. It’s a place that allows people to share everything from postcards to first person accounts of the area’s history. People submit their photos and stories and then members of the Historical Society scan and format the material to maintain a consistency.
These are just three examples of many. While museums continue to work on social media as a method of communicating, there should also be equal time spent on exploring how those tools can be combined with existing exhibits or used separately as a standalone exhibition tool. If the goal is to move visitors from Duchamp’s passive “spectators” to participating contributors, what better way is there to do that then by re-purposing the tools they are already using?
Noell Wolfgram Evans is the Senior Writer/Producer at Mills James. You can follow him on Twitter at Noell_MJ. He can also be reached at nwolfgramevans[at]mjp.com
By Bridget Weizer Granger
According to a recent article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, charities in the U.S. have weathered a significant drop in giving this year. Most nonprofits are hoping for a holiday miracle, but a recent survey cited in the article shows they will probably see a decrease in year-end generosity. In fact, a study conducted by Harris Interactive shows that in light of the downturn in the economy, only 38 percent of Americans say they are more likely to give a charitable gift as a holiday present this year, compared to 49 percent last year.
Given this expected downturn in end of the year donations, which are often a critical source of revenue for nonprofits, these organizations are rethinking their marketing efforts during the holiday season. In fact, some nonprofits have completely changed their traditional advertising and marketing campaigns, and boosted their digital and direct marketing campaigns for the holiday season. One organization that is leading this change is the Salvation Army.
The Salvation Army typically centered a lot of its holiday marketing around radio advertising—but not this year. This budget has been pulled and assigned to online communications, according to George Hood, national community relations and development secretary for the organization. This week, the annual Red Kettle Campaign will launch across the country, as bell-ringing volunteers will hit the streets outside select retail locations for the holiday season. In addition to its traditional Red Kettles, Salvation Army is re-launching an Online Red Kettle. Through this virtual kettle, visitors can set donation goals and encourage their friends and family to make donations.
According to Hood, this is the sixth year the organization is using the virtual kettle; however, this year, the organization is heavily promoting it through online banner ads. The promotions are running through largely trafficked news sites such as CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. The organization also runs ads on portals such as Yahoo and AOL, and through sites that the Salvation Army has corporate partnerships with such as Target, Walmart and JCPenney.
In addition to online ads on JCPenney’s Web site, the organizations teamed up to create an online Angel Giving Tree program. This program is traditionally executed in retail and other business locations, and now Web users now can give an angel — or needy child — a gift virtually. Since the program’s launch on November 3, the Salvation Army has listed 125,000 children’s profiles on JCP.com/angel. Since the launch, more than 19,000 angels have been chosen, according to Hood.
“We’re fascinated that we’ve seen such a great response, even before Thanksgiving,” said Hood. “We’re expecting a heavy onslaught of donations on [cyber] Monday, when there’s typically heavy online shopping.”
A Salvation Army bell-ringing iPhone app is also launching this week. Proceeds from the 99-cent app will go to Salvation Army. Hood explained that when users shake their iPhone, they will hear the familiar sound of a bell used by those in-store ringers. The app also links directly to the Salvation Army’s donation Web page.
Hood claims that for “years and years” the Salvation Army was using direct mail as its primary channel for new donor acquisition, but now online community building has proved more effective. “The ROI is much more superior online than off,” he added. “We see this happening as the general public gets more comfortable making donations online.”
In addition to a strong Web site and app presence, the Salvation Army launched social media initiatives about eight months ago. These initiatives include a strong presence on Facebook, with 7,771 fans to date, and @SalvationArmy has more than 2,000 followers on Twitter.
Hood explained that, like many nonprofits, the Salvation Army’s donor base is “aging out,” which is why it’s so important to target younger audiences through digital channels. “As new generations are coming in, building relationships online is key,” he said. “The challenge is converting new and younger donors through online strategies.”
By Bridget Weizer Granger
New research based on a survey from Robert Half Technology indicates that 54 percent of chief information officers (CIOs) do not allow employees to visit social networking sites for any reason while they’re at work. As social media sites become a popular tool to help leverage business, organizations are hurriedly crafting social media policies for employees.
Many organizations fear that employees will potentially damage a company’s reputation (not to mention their own). The report from Robert Half pointed out, “professionals should let common sense prevail when using Facebook and similar sites, even outside of business hours. Regrettable posts can be a career liability.”
Before your organization creates a formal social media policy giving employees guidelines and telling them how they should not be using social media, try balancing that by giving them some ways that they should use it. Some questions to pose to employees before distrubuting an official policy:
- What is the purpose of social media in relation to our business? Let your employees know what they can do, and how they can positively influence your organization’s business goals through their communications on social mediums. For instance, if one of your sales managers is trying to create more leads for a highly specialized division of business, help him map a plan that can lead back to his goals and point out the appropriate mediums he could leverage to achieve these goals.
- Are you willing to take personal responsibility for what you write? Try to encourage positive communications and using common sense when communicating online. Help employees to understand how to exercise good judgment before they post, as their statements are not just a reflection of them, but they are also a reflection of your company.
- Do you consider your entire audience? While many people are connected to personal contacts and peers online, it is good to remind employees that current (and future clients), business partners, and past, present, and future employees have the potential to read what they are publishing.
- Did you remember to protect confidential and/or proprietary information? While it may seem like common sense to the business owner, employees may need to be reminded that confidentiality agreements and non-disclosure terms carry over to social mediums.
- Have you considered the value that you want to bring through these communications? Clearly talk with your employees about the value that you’re looking to add via social media communications. Whether you are hoping to gain “buzz” about a new product or frame your conversations about the specific point of view that you have about an issue, make sure your employees understand how to add value with their communications.
By Bridget Weizer Granger
If you haven’t heard about viral marketing movie sensation “Paranormal Activity,” take note: the horror movie, which was made for approximately $15,000, “scared up” more than $7.9 million in ticket sales as of last weekend, according to figures from Variety. The unusual roll-out of this movie is one model that studios are intently studying as distribution options for smaller to midsize movies continue to disappear.
The plot of the movie centers on a young day trader and his college student fiancée, who believes she is being haunted by a demon in their San Diego house. “Paranormal Activity” is not a traditional movie, and Paramount chose not to use traditional marketing to get the word out. Instead, Paramount sought to ignite a word-of-mouth campaign on the Web.
According to Advertising Age, the low budget horror hit teaches four valuable marketing lessons:
- Let consumers be your guide. Paramont promised that once “Paranormal Activity” reached one million Demands on its Eventful page, it would release the movie within a reasonable radius of all the fans who demanded the movie by providing their age and zip code. “It totally transforms the brand into a benefactor,” said Eventful CEO Jordan Glazier. “You now have a self-identified list of participants who are passionate about entertainment, and the event brand has even more value to them.”
- Talk directly to your fans. Paramont didn’t waste its marketing money on large-scale TV campaigns. It smartly used social media as the marketing vehicle and market research vehicle for the film.
- Don’t believe the hype. More than a decade ago, “The Blair Witch Project” was viewed as the most successful viral movie marketing strategy to date because it attempted to pass itself off as a documentary rather than a fictional horror film. “Paranormal Activity” didn’t fall into the same trap, as the trailer and TV spots are focused more on marketing the audience’s horrified reactions to the movie.
- Less money, fewer problems, more fun. “Paranormal Activity’s” costs were historically low to produce, with little spent thus far on traditional media. This is a boon for Paramount, as it stands to recoup any overhead costs many times over if the film catches on with a national audience. Despite the film’s phonomenal success, “If it all ended today we’d be very happy,” said Paul Greenstein, the Paramount’s co-president of marketing.
by Kristen L. Phiel, MS, Independent Medical Writer
The use of social media to market—well just about everything—is all the rage. Successful marketing plans now factor in all kinds of social media campaigns, from bulletin boards to blogs and YouTube to Twitter. With one major exception – healthcare marketing, especially for pharmaceutical and medical device prescription products.
Why no product tweets or YouTube videos from the makers of the latest cholesterol-lowering wonder drug or the product with the most staying power for sufferers of erectile dysfunction? Simple – fear.
Pharma and medical device companies have much to be wary of. These companies do not want to risk being caught in the wrong by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or any money-hungry lawyers.
Just how scared are these companies? One recent report stated that only 2 drug and device companies maintain blogs and a handful more tweet, compared to 16% of Fortune 500 companies who maintain public blogs.
But the proverbial social media silence may soon be coming to an end, as the FDA announced its first step to tackle the use of the web and social media to market pharmaceutical and medical device products – two days of public hearings. The hearings to be held Nov. 12-13 are intended to help guide the FDA in making policy decisions on how the Internet and social media tools can be used to promote these products.
The notice on the Federal Register reads, “The continually evolving nature of the internet, including Web 2.0 and social-media tools, as well as their expansion to applications such as mobile technology, have raised questions and concerns over how to apply existing regulations to promotion in these newer media. FDA is evaluating how the statutory provisions, regulations, and policies concerning advertising and promotional labeling should be applied to product-related information on the Internet and newer technologies. Although the agency believes that many issues can be addressed through existing FDA regulations, special characteristics of Web 2.0 and other emerging technologies may require the agency to provide additional guidance to the industry on how the regulations should be applied.”
And more parties than the pharmaceutical and medical device companies are jockeying to be heard. While social media is only one marketing tool, no ad agency or PR firm wants to be caught out. Physicians, consumer groups and search engine operations all have a vested interest as well in the outcome of this debate.
While it may still be some time before the latest and greatest prescription products are tweeting away, you can find out the outcome of this hearing by visiting: http://www.regulations.gov approximately 30 days after the hearing.
