Social Media Expert or snake oil salesman?

image courtesy of Hugh MacLeod

It seems like everyday we’re introduced to at least a half dozen new “Social media experts” who will gladly assist your business with Twitter, Facebook, Blogging and whatever else is popular that day. With unemployment so high right now, a lot of would-be entrepreneurs are diving into social media, simply thinking that just by knowing how to use the tools, they’re capable of overseeing a brand’s image online.

This new sentiment is scary to say the least.

What a lot of businesses fail to understand is the true power of social media and where it is going. Yes kids, social media is the future, and I’ve got news for you, the future has arrived.

There are a few key questions to ask yourself when hiring a self-proclaimed “Social media expert.”

1. Would I hire this person to create and build my brand?

2. Would I put this person in charge of my customer service ?

3. Would I put this person in charge of my advertising campaign?

If you cannot give a solid yes nod to any of these questions, then you might want to think twice.  Social media is about interaction with your customers, future customers, partners and associates. It is about building trust and solid relationships. Social Media is about communication on the most fundamental levels.  These people will all form an opinion about you and your business based upon that social media experience.  Is this something you really want to put in the hands of someone who just knows how to post some pictures, play Farmville and re-tweet a motivational quote?

No matter what you hear, Social Media is marketing, customer service and relationship building all wrapped up in one. When someone walks in for a meeting about building your new blog or managing your tweets, remember, they are the face of your business on the fastest growing form of communication ever. Proceed with caution.

Prius Billboard offers sweet, fun interactivity

The new Prius Billboard in Times Square gives iPhone users the chance to upload their drawings to be displayed on the board. This is a fantastic wave of creative advertising that breaks the boundaries of interactive. Out of the box ideas, like this one, get you noticed, get you viral and build up brand loyalty. This kind of advertising can be done on any level and at any scale.  Just because you’re a small business doesn’t mean you can’t think out of the box.

Word of Mouth Marketing is Built Through Customer Experiences

…And it works both ways: positively or negatively.

Advertising and the way people make purchasing decisions have shifted. This is not new information, yet there are still those clinging to the “way things used to be.” Now more than ever, companies must rely on word of mouth marketing and customer experiences to fuel their brand loyalty.  The modern consumer of today craves brand experiences instead of creative ad campaigns. Digitally and offline, customers want to connect with a brand and once they do, they will talk about it!

In the digital world, everything boils down to the experience. Consumers are interacting and communicating. Brands are being shaped by this interaction.

The statistics speak for themselves:

According to “FEED: The Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Report 2009″, 97% of consumers report having searched for a brand online, 65% of U.S. consumers report a digital experience changing their perception about a brand, 97% report that the experience influenced a purchase and 96% say they may recommend that brand to others.

Whether online or off, customer experiences will continue to be the driving force of purchase decisions and brand loyalty. Talk to you customers… This is the first step in determing the experiences they crave.

The Importance of Customer Experience and Branding

I just finished reading the AdAge Digital article entitled: “Why Search May Not Click for Retailers by Abbey Klaassen.

” According to the article, retailers are inclined to throw lots of money into search for this upcoming holiday season, but the truth is, the search trends are showing this may not be such a great idea.

Less than 10% of online retailers’ web traffic, on average, comes from search engines, according to an analysis by Nielsen Co.’s Online division.Nielsen found the majority of retailers’ web traffic (61%, on average) comes from people going directly to a retail site — consumers typing, say, Amazon.com into a browser address bar.

The article also claims that a bulk of the search traffic is attributed to “navigational searches” i.e. typing the name of the brand in the search bar as opposed to a product category.

So what does this all mean?

First of all, I do not think search engine optimization should be ignored. On the contrary, it is of extreme importance.

However, search is unlikely to be effective without a solid brand. This research and article is a prime example of how past customer experiences and branding are of utmost importance.  As a retailer, if your brand is not solid and your past customer experiences are lacking, your success in outward marketing efforts in general (not just search) will be wasted.

This holiday season, what can retailers (and other businesses that hinge upon customer experiences) do to ensure your brand stays ahead? Check out the following helpful links on branding and customer experience to get started.

• Attention Consumer-Based Businesses: Your Brand Represents 50%-80% of Your Value!
• Better Communication = Satisfied Customers
• Once your Advertising Has Done it’s Job, Positive Customer Experience Must Follow Through
• Sniffing for Market Share
• The Power of Words

Feel free to post other helpful blogs and articles!

How to Effectively Use Twitter for Brand Building

A lot of emphasis is being placed on businesses using social media.  Countless companies are reaping the benefits of participating in these online forums. Likewise, some companies are suffering for their lack of presence. In any case, social media is causing a shift in advertising and the way advertising works. In the midst of it all, however, companies must not forget that brand-building is still extremely important.

Just as traditional advertising methods aim to create familiarity, brand awareness, and build trust,  the same holds true when you transfer your efforts online.

Twitter, specifically, is capable of becoming a very useful branding tool when used properly.

Here are a few tips for building your brand on Twitter:

Determine what feelings you want your audience to associate with your business. Seth Godin describes this as “telling your story.”  Are you a restaurant that offers a fun and relaxed atmosphere for your patrons? Then be sure you are posting tweets that are down-to-earth and friendly. The first step is in knowing exactly what you want to portray.  Need more help with determind your brand? Check out this previous post.

Visually brand your Twitter page. There is nothing worse than an Twitterer who refuses to upload a picture. Your picture and background image is a tool that should be used to your advantage! Visually branding your page reinforces your company image, allows Twitterers to recognize you at a glance and paints a memorable picture. It does not have to be anything over-the-top, but simply branding your page even in  your company colors makes a huge difference.

Be human. The beauty of Twitter is it’s ability to humanize companies that seem “out there.” If you come across as a spammer or a robot, your brand message will instantly be lost. It will appear as if you don’t care about the Twitter community because you are not offering anything of value.  Being sales-y all day is the quickest way to turn off your audience to your message.

Remember branding takes time and repeition. Branding is not about instant gratification. It is about building an image over time. Do not get discouraged if your followers have not jumped into the thousands right away. Keep reinforcing your message to build famliarity and trust. When you are participating in Twitter for branding purposes, you are thinking “long-term” not a quick fix.

Attention Consumer-Based Businesses: Your Brand Represents 50-80% of Your Value! Communicate Wisely!

When asked to identify a brand, many people probably automatically go to a logo or slogan.  Although these are both very important aspects of a brand, the implications go FAR beyond the surface. Your brand is your image, however it is more than visual appeal -  it is deep-rooted thoughts and feelings about the core values of your business. What is the first thing you think of when you hear names like Mcdonalds, Pepsi, Prada, Target? Each brand has a rooted image, which conjors up different feelings and responses.

ALSO, try this on for size… for consumer market companies,  a well-managed brand typically represents about 50 percent to 80 percent of a company’s total value!! Basically, how you manage your brand holds a HUGE impact and is not to be taken lightly!

So what is your brand saying about you? What does your customer FEEL when they think about you? The best marketers and communicators build brands that evoke emotion! In order to build your brand the following steps must be taken.

1. Decide on a target market. If you need help figuring out where to start, this post may be helpful. Targeting is extremely important and must be done FIRST!
2. Determine your unique selling proposition. What are the benefits someone receives from your product or service? What do you want people to think when they think about you? Where do you want to be with your brand?
3. Determine reality. You now know what you WANT people to perceive about you, but what is really happening? Perform market research, ask those in your target market. This means taking a step back and objectively analyzing your business and what you are currently communicating.
4. Determine the differences. After you find out what is really happening, determine if this is matching up with your desired outcomes. What are the differences? What needs to be changed in order to help your target audience break their associations and form new ones?
5. Form a new marketing strategy. Once you know what associations you must tackle, form your message around these attributes. Focus on what you must change and do so in your communication with your customers and target audience.

Building a solid brand now will save you tons of headaches, frustration and money in the future! Once attributes become solidly embedded in people’s minds, it is very hard to break them.

Cartoon courtesy of skydeckcartoons.com

Kleenex kicks it up with summer boxes

Check out these kickin’ summer box designs for Kleenex’s “Perfect Slice of Summer” series. I love them, its great to see a corporation being so creative and fun.

Source: Dieline

Background information: Los Angeles-based Illustrator Hiroko Sanders created the illustrations for the new Kleenex “Perfect Slice of Summer” tissue box series. Since the illustrations are the primary part of each carton, the challenge was to create artwork utilizing a style that embodies the spirit of summer, and that works uniquely with the carton design.  The three boxes are images of different fruits rendered with a stylized realism that unifies the design of the package with the brand and product.

Project credits: Hiroko Sanders, Illustrator
Jennifer Brock, Senior Designer/Brand Design – Kimberly Clark Corp.

Apple mad at Microsoft Ad campaign; I love it

Apple Logo is Tradmarked property of Apple Computer.

Paul McDougall of Information Week wrote an article I found most fascinating.  By now, if you’re watching anything on television, you’ve seen the new wing of Microsoft’s continuing assault on Apple’s “elitist” attitude. The war was started by Apple a few years ago with the iconic “Apple vs. PC” television ads. The world seemed to fall in love with these ads that portrayed the PC (and all PC users) as over-weight, dorky “suits” with no personality
and tons of problems. While the Mac (as you can imagine) was a young, cool, good looking hipster with a witty attitude and charming air of sarcasm.

Microsoft logo is a Trademarked property of Microsoft.

During this onslaught of advertising bombs, it felt like Apple had a new ad bashing the PC directly and poking fun of Microsoft every week. While this was happening, the sleeping dog computer giant Microsoft continued to keep quite, didn’t complain, took the abuse and just kept making and selling product.  Then, suddenly, the one sided fight became war with Microsoft’s famed Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Gates mini-series ad campaign. While many people felt these ads failed miserably, I felt like they were advertising gold. Did the ads make any sense? No! Did they get an enormous amount of attention? Yes! It was the classic bait and switch, once Microsoft had everyone’s eyes, they unleashed the counter attack “I’m a PC” campaign. This showed that PC users were everyone from little kids, to rocket scientists to urban hipsters.

Then, some time later, after Microsoft had established that they and their users were cool, smart and hip, they switched gears again and brought us this:

Whether you’re a fan of Apple or Microsoft, you must admire the brilliance with which Microsoft has fought the war. After combating the initial stereotype and winning fans, Microsoft goes in for the kill with a “real life” series of spots that depict Apple’s biggest problem: Price. Part of Apple’s gig for so long has been the appeal of showing their product as a premium – like BMW, Rolex & American Express. Owning an Apple is a status symbol.

Microsoft pulls back the curtain and reveals Apple’s wizard is merely an over priced machine. From an advertising perspective, Microsoft has snuffed out all the wind in Apple’s mighty advertising sails. Apparently those aren’t the only “sales” Microsoft has affected either. Apple’s attorneys are demanding that Microsoft pulls the campaign. During the initial battle, Microsoft didn’t say a word, they took the beating and pressed forward. Now that Apple is in the cross hairs, they want the war to be over.

Let this be an advertising lesson to you for your business. In some cases (not many) the right call is to directly attack your competition and play a little dirty. However, when you open Pandora’s box, you have to be willing to combat whatever firepower your competitor sends your way.

Stop Wasting Valuable Marketing Dollars and Time – Find your Niche Market

The old adage goes, “If you try to be everything to everyone you end up being nothing to no one.” As harsh as this statement is, there is tremendous truth behind the concept of niche marketing and creating your superiority in the eyes of your niche. A niche market is nothing more than your ideal customers and clients.

When you know your niche market you will be able to:

* Tailor a message that will directly connect with your ideal customer.
* Save money since you will not need to blanket the market with your message.
* Increase the effectiveness of your advertising.
* Allow your ideal customers to have a more personal experience.

There is no doubt, deciding on a target and defining your niche can be a scary task. Especially in a down-turned economy, the thought of becoming too specialized and possibly missing out on every piece of business is daunting. Again, however, I go back to the quote at the beginning of this post. If your messages and branding are vague, they will not make a connection with anyone. Creating an emotional connection and playing upon your targeted customer’s ideals and needs is vital to earning their business!

Defining your target market is easier than you think.

First answer these questions… Who are your current customers and clients? Which customers are your favorites? (These customers are loyal and have built relationships with you and love your products or service.)

Once you have established your “favorite customers”, evaluate the characteristics of these people. What do they look like as far as age, gender, income levels, location, etc.?

Then take it a step further: What does this customer need? How can I fulfill their needs? How am I the BEST choice to fulfill their needs? What media does this customer use? …and so on.

Having this mental picture of your niche market is the first step in creating solid direction in your marketing and branding efforts. Happy targeting!

A Little Tug at Your Heartstrings

One of my favorite new commercials is sweet, simple and fun. A family is celebrating Father’s Day –two young daughters give their dad a new shirt and cologne to make him more fashionable and improve his image. His son comes up and gives him a Hallmark card with the son’s voice saying “I love you just the way you are, Dad!” and then “I Wanna Be Like You” from Disney’s The Jungle Book plays. The whole family laughs and raves about what a great card it is, and everybody’s happy.

It’s more than a little sappy (how many families dance around a table in the middle of the afternoon to a 30 second song clip coming from a card?) – but it showcases everything that Hallmark has to offer.

They have other commercials focusing on how you can give your daughter encouragement for less than a buck, and how you can bring your whole family together with the voice recording cards, even if someone can’t really be at the birthday party.

It’s a fun, positive message and it really appeals to people who want to do something extra for the ones they care about, without having to spend a lot of money. Every company is focusing on value these days, but it’s really nice to see one showing what you easily can do for others.

The main reason for this effectiveness is the emotional connection being created. At their core, people want to be able to feel “warm and fuzzy.” Hallmark knows how to appeal to that desire in a positive way. People buy things from brands that give them those good feelings.  The companies who become associated with positive feelings win.

When creating your next advertising campaign think warm and fuzzy!