The premise is simple: Today’s consumers are "longing" for authenticity because they find so many fakes and phonies in their lives. If people believe a company, product or service is authentic, they will buy and support it. If they think the company, its products and/or services are inauthentic, the firm is labeled a fake and is headed for failure.
That is a scary scenario because it’s tough to be authentic these days. And, as any smart politician will confirm, it’s easy to get caught being inauthentic. Videos, tape recordings, reporters, bloggers, eyewitnesses, emails, websites, archives and whistle blowers expose fakes every day. It happens in government, business, media, education and even non-profits.
Authenticity Has to Be Demonstrated
Strategic management of knowledge, fast change and the increasingly intense competition from global businesses are the major business challenges today.
• The Geek Squad staging computer repairs as theater.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill backing up its "Food With Integrity" slogan by serving only meat from animals that have never received antibiotics.
• REI, promoting its outdoor gear by building a popular climbing wall and walking trail near its Seattle store.
They might have added Dove Soap’s "Self-Esteem Program" for girls and women.
"Stop saying what your offerings are through advertising and start creating places—permanent or temporary, physical or virtual—when people can experience what those offerings, as well as your enterprise, actually are."
Authentic Strategy Carries Risk
Once a company claims authenticity, it risks ruin if it doesn’t live up to that claim. For organizations that do not wish to take that risk, Gilmore and Pine provide another option: "Fake-Real."
Using that strategy, a company acknowledges that it is not entirely authentic, preferably in a humorous manner. As an example, they cite the commercial in which Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey brag extensively about Verizon phones, then turn to the camera and ask: "Can we have our money now?"
The authenticity is not in what is said about the product, but in the company’s acknowledgment that it is trying to sell something. That approach has a good chance of being well received in a society where so many people are in the selling business. The hope is that the company authenticity will carry over to its product.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
6 Benefits of Paid Search for your Small Business
Pay per click advertising is a great form of paid advertising that gives your small business exposure on the web around the clock. Pay per click levels the playing field by giving your business the ability to compete with larger organizations and providing you with an opportunity to purchase keywords that you may not rank for organically. It is important that you maintain a healthy balance when it comes to PPC.
Unlike traditional marketing like postcard mailers where you have to wait weeks before you start to see results, PPC provides you with instant gratification. If you start a campaign today you will potentially see results today. The challenge with PPC is 75% of educated people click on the organic search listings, so it is important that you are working on optimizing your website and its content so that you place organically in the search engine results. With a fully optimized website you are capturing organic (free) traffic and it is the gift that keeps on giving. PPC has its place in your marketing plan and is a great source of leads since 25% of searchers click on pay per click advertisements.
Here are the benefits of PPC for your service business:
1. Capture a captive audience: PPC is a good way to capture a targeted visitor. You have the ability to control the keywords that trigger your advertisement appearing in the search engine results page. You also have the ability to construct a list of negative keywords that provide you the ability to prevent your ad from showing up.
2. Local Exposure: PPC engines like Google Adwords give you the ability to geotarget potential customers in your defined coverage area, so if you are a Boston heating contractor and want to generate leads from folks in Boston you will. You will not receive clicks from folks searching for heating contractors in Wisconsin.
3. National Visibility: If you are looking to attract a national audience and have the budget to do so you will be able to generate leads from folks thousands of miles away from your business.
4. Small initial investment – PPC engines like Google Adwords provide you with an opportunity to get started with a budget that works for your business. You can set daily limits or establish a budget that is spread over the course of the month. You will have control over the knobs and levers you push and pull to increase or decrease the flow of interested prospects.
5. Testing – PPC is a great way to gauge the interest and flow of traffic for a specific set of keywords or for a new product or service. If you find that a certain keyword is pulling in a satisfactory flow of traffic you can prioritize which content you would like to develop so you can start to rank for the keywords organically.
6. Measurable Results – PPC engines like Google Adwords provide you with the tracking tools that give you visibility into which campaigns resulted in a click to your ad. They also provide you with tracking tokens that you can embed on a form submission page that supply you with the measurement of clicks to leads.
Unlike traditional marketing like postcard mailers where you have to wait weeks before you start to see results, PPC provides you with instant gratification. If you start a campaign today you will potentially see results today. The challenge with PPC is 75% of educated people click on the organic search listings, so it is important that you are working on optimizing your website and its content so that you place organically in the search engine results. With a fully optimized website you are capturing organic (free) traffic and it is the gift that keeps on giving. PPC has its place in your marketing plan and is a great source of leads since 25% of searchers click on pay per click advertisements.
Here are the benefits of PPC for your service business:
1. Capture a captive audience: PPC is a good way to capture a targeted visitor. You have the ability to control the keywords that trigger your advertisement appearing in the search engine results page. You also have the ability to construct a list of negative keywords that provide you the ability to prevent your ad from showing up.
2. Local Exposure: PPC engines like Google Adwords give you the ability to geotarget potential customers in your defined coverage area, so if you are a Boston heating contractor and want to generate leads from folks in Boston you will. You will not receive clicks from folks searching for heating contractors in Wisconsin.
3. National Visibility: If you are looking to attract a national audience and have the budget to do so you will be able to generate leads from folks thousands of miles away from your business.
4. Small initial investment – PPC engines like Google Adwords provide you with an opportunity to get started with a budget that works for your business. You can set daily limits or establish a budget that is spread over the course of the month. You will have control over the knobs and levers you push and pull to increase or decrease the flow of interested prospects.
5. Testing – PPC is a great way to gauge the interest and flow of traffic for a specific set of keywords or for a new product or service. If you find that a certain keyword is pulling in a satisfactory flow of traffic you can prioritize which content you would like to develop so you can start to rank for the keywords organically.
6. Measurable Results – PPC engines like Google Adwords provide you with the tracking tools that give you visibility into which campaigns resulted in a click to your ad. They also provide you with tracking tokens that you can embed on a form submission page that supply you with the measurement of clicks to leads.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
7 Life Changing Lessons Learned From Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was a film producer, animator,entrepreneur, entertainer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, international icon, and philanthropist.
Walt is well-known for his influence in the entertainment industry during the twentieth century. Walt co-founded Walt Disney Productions with his brother Roy O. Disney and became one of the most famous motion picture producers of all time.
The company that he co-founded is now known as “The Walt Disney Company” and has annual revenues of approximately $35 Billion (US).
Walt and members of his staff created a number of the world's most famous fictional characters. This includes Mickey Mouse, whose original voice was Walt himself.
Walt has won 26 Academy Awards and he has earned 59 nominations; he has more awards and nominations than any other individual. Additionally, Walt has won seven Emmy Awards, and he is the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, China, Japan, and France.
Clearly there is a ton to learn from Walt Disney. Let's take a look at 7 Life-Changing Lessons from Walt Disney:
- Keep Things in Perspective
“A man should never neglect his family for business.”
Your family is your first business, and they should never be neglected in pursuit of "a dream." Your family must be part of your dream, and should remain within your focus. Never become so consumed in business affairs that you neglect the individuals whom you need most.
- Competition is Good
“I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get along without it.”
Competition makes you stronger, it makes you better, it keeps you on your toes. Never shrink away from competition; never fail to see the value of competition. Your competitors can provide you with more value than your friends. Learn from the competition, and you will grow.
It’s critical that you embrace competition as well as adversity, Walt Disney said, “All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” - Do What You Love
“Disneyland is a work of love. We didn't go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money.”
You must follow your passion, if you’re doing it just for the money, it probably won’t last. Passion is what gives you the strength to overcome the obstacles associated with every dream. Passion is what keeps you going when everyone else is tired…money can't do that for you, only passion; passion is power. - Do the Impossible
“It's kind of fun to do the impossible.”
Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Life is too short to spend it doing the possible. Learn to pursue the impossible, pursue what others say can’t be done, pursue what has never been done before, pursue your dreams, and turn them into a reality.
You must believe in the beauty of your dreams. Walt said, “When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.” If you’re going to believe, you might as well believe all the way. - Action Always Trumps Inaction
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
I always say that “well done” is better than “well said,” so quit talking and start doing! Quit planning and start practicing; a plan is good, a good plan is even better, but if that plan doesn’t get put into action it’s as useless as a four fingered glove. Learn to get into action, start today, whatever you’ve been postponing …just do it. If you wait for the perfect time, you’ll never accomplish anything. - It Takes a Village
“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”
Isaiah wrote, “Without a vision, the people perish.” But I think it’s worth noting that without people, the vision will perish. Never forget that you need people; never forget that your life is about serving others. When you serve others, you serve yourself. - Get Better Daily
“Whenever I go on a ride, I'm always thinking of what's wrong with the thing and how it can be improved.”
Everyday you should become a little better than you were the day before. If you can become one percent better daily, you can recreate your life every 100 days. Learn to get better daily; look for ways to improve, to be kinder, more intelligent, and more helpful.
Let us remember that Walt Disney said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
What Buyers Want from Your Website
We all know our website is a key part of our marketing and lead generation strategy. But when prospects visit your site, what are they looking for? What do they want to see, and what do they consider most important? To find out, RainToday surveyed more than 200 buyers of B2B services -- in companies of all sizes -- to rate the importance of various elements of a service provider's website.
The top 4 elements should come as no surprise:
■ Service descriptions (87%)
■ Description of industries served (78%)
■ Success stories / case studies (73%)
■ Professional website design and presentation (69%)
These elements are the core of most firms' websites. If something is amiss here, it will raise major questions with buyers from the get-go. Getting these elements in place is just the price of entering the game.
However, if you want to win clients, don't overlook the remaining six elements. Even podcasts and audio content, at the bottom of the list, were rated by 40% of decision makers as being "extremely" or "very important" when deciding to make initial contact with a service provider.
Whatever marketing you are doing, the first stop for most buyers is a visit to your website. It can either draw them in further with online resources and content, podcasts, videos, and news, or it can say the same thing as your competitors' sites, providing a laundry list of services and a nice look, but neither helping nor hurting your chances to start or enhance a relationship.
Web Elements Working Together - An Example
Say you are going to run a webinar. You may send an invitation by email (a top way to generate attendance at webinars), directing buyers to register for the event on your website. During the registration process, you can ask them to sign up for your newsletter, allowing you to add them to ongoing marketing communications. And, on the confirmation page, you can direct them to blog posts, case studies, or podcasts on related topics to the event, further engaging them with your brand and thought-leading content.
Pull People to You
You can go a step further and share information about the webinar and the related content items via social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. Doing this allows you to reach your followers and fans, some of whom may not be on your email list, as well as enhancing your Web presence. As more people use the Web to find services, you want to make sure you have compelling content that is findable in search engines and draws people to you.
Buyers may not indicate elements such as blog posts, podcasts, and video as being the most important features of a website, but leveraging content can really help your product or service stand out in a crowded marketspace.
What type of content do you have available on your website?
Monday, January 18, 2010
Authentic Marketing vs. Self Promotion
Many people are turned off by marketing because they see it as self-serving advertising aimed at taking money from people. I’ve seen loads of this type of shameless, self-promotion out there, and it’s a turn off. Of course, you wouldn’t want to be known as that type of self-promoter.
The conundrum is that, as an entrepreneur, you have to get your message out there in a big way and, as a coach, you want to live on purpose. You want to grab attention without being pushy, and make sincere promises to deliver that don’t violate your integrity. Without applying pressure, you want to inspire clients to take the action you know they need to take. And without using a gimmick, you want to appeal to a sense of urgency. You want to attract the attention of the people who need you and let them know that you’re the answer to their prayers. And you need to communicate full-out so that those people can find you! Otherwise, you’re a well-kept secret!
So how do you put it out there in a way that feels aligned with your values–where you feel genuine and filled with integrity?
Authentic Marketing
The answer is to market authentically, to learn how to communicate in a clear, sincere, and compelling way. Marketing shouldn’t be slinging sales talk at someone or getting on a soapbox. Authentic marketing is having a real conversation that speaks to someone’s needs. Its genesis is in uncovering your passion, finding its voice and allowing it to be heard. It’s a dialogue that flows from the inside out.
To uncover your passion, you need to reconnect to your vision—why you started your business in the first place. When you do that, you’ll clear the mental cobwebs and connect back to what has always been there but got mucked over by those voices that play in your head. Tapes like “I’m not a sales type. I don’t have the personality for it.” “I don’t want to be intrusive.” “I don’t like to talk about myself.” “I’m embarrassed that people might think I need money.”
People are attracted when you speak from your passion. When you are in touch with your gift, your energy shifts and a meaningful, natural conversation can open. You speak in ways that illumine opportunities; that make space for transformation. You share your belief in the person’s ability to change and invite that person to try on a new way of thinking and being. When your agenda is pure, others are attracted to your clear and obvious commitment to help them create change.
When you re-connect to your love of facilitating positive change for others, your marketing will be transformed because you have been transformed from salesperson into instrument of change.
You then become fearless about speaking about the solutions you bring forward. You find this space within you where marketing is no longer a drag. It’s exhilarating; in fact, it’s feels a lot like falling in love with your gift, again, and enrolling others in that feeling. Remember the first day of coach training? How in love you felt with this way of being in the world? What could be more powerful and satisfying?
To market authentically to those we want to serve means that we communicate and show up in ways that respect their sensibilities, speak to their intelligence, and honor their ability to discern for themselves what they will buy.
What does your messaging convey?
Does your heart and purpose shine through your words and way of being?
What will it take for you to shift your marketing messages from promotion to authentic contribution?
The conundrum is that, as an entrepreneur, you have to get your message out there in a big way and, as a coach, you want to live on purpose. You want to grab attention without being pushy, and make sincere promises to deliver that don’t violate your integrity. Without applying pressure, you want to inspire clients to take the action you know they need to take. And without using a gimmick, you want to appeal to a sense of urgency. You want to attract the attention of the people who need you and let them know that you’re the answer to their prayers. And you need to communicate full-out so that those people can find you! Otherwise, you’re a well-kept secret!
So how do you put it out there in a way that feels aligned with your values–where you feel genuine and filled with integrity?
Authentic Marketing
The answer is to market authentically, to learn how to communicate in a clear, sincere, and compelling way. Marketing shouldn’t be slinging sales talk at someone or getting on a soapbox. Authentic marketing is having a real conversation that speaks to someone’s needs. Its genesis is in uncovering your passion, finding its voice and allowing it to be heard. It’s a dialogue that flows from the inside out.
To uncover your passion, you need to reconnect to your vision—why you started your business in the first place. When you do that, you’ll clear the mental cobwebs and connect back to what has always been there but got mucked over by those voices that play in your head. Tapes like “I’m not a sales type. I don’t have the personality for it.” “I don’t want to be intrusive.” “I don’t like to talk about myself.” “I’m embarrassed that people might think I need money.”
People are attracted when you speak from your passion. When you are in touch with your gift, your energy shifts and a meaningful, natural conversation can open. You speak in ways that illumine opportunities; that make space for transformation. You share your belief in the person’s ability to change and invite that person to try on a new way of thinking and being. When your agenda is pure, others are attracted to your clear and obvious commitment to help them create change.
When you re-connect to your love of facilitating positive change for others, your marketing will be transformed because you have been transformed from salesperson into instrument of change.
You then become fearless about speaking about the solutions you bring forward. You find this space within you where marketing is no longer a drag. It’s exhilarating; in fact, it’s feels a lot like falling in love with your gift, again, and enrolling others in that feeling. Remember the first day of coach training? How in love you felt with this way of being in the world? What could be more powerful and satisfying?
To market authentically to those we want to serve means that we communicate and show up in ways that respect their sensibilities, speak to their intelligence, and honor their ability to discern for themselves what they will buy.
What does your messaging convey?
Does your heart and purpose shine through your words and way of being?
What will it take for you to shift your marketing messages from promotion to authentic contribution?
What is Direct Marketing?
The traditional definition of Direct Marketing is: a marketing discipline that seeks to elicit an action (such as an order or a request for further information) from a selected group of customers in response to a communication. The communication may be in any of a variety of media and response should be measurable.
The world of the direct marketer has changed with the proliferation of online and digital media, changes in consumer preferences and access to information, and the move towards insights-based marketing. The differentiator that DM once owned – the ability to measure results – is now a requirement for most, if not all, disciplines and media.
Taking all of this into account, BIG drafted a new definition: Direct Marketing is the use of media to directly engage targeted audiences to drive profitable business results.
However, while preparing this blog to invite input from clients & the industry, I realized that the definition needs to go one step further and expand on DM’s measurability factor.
I propose an even more refined definition:
Direct Marketing is the use of media to directly engage targeted audiences to drive profitable business results that can be tracked, recorded, analyzed and stored for future retrieval and use.
So, what do you think?
The world of the direct marketer has changed with the proliferation of online and digital media, changes in consumer preferences and access to information, and the move towards insights-based marketing. The differentiator that DM once owned – the ability to measure results – is now a requirement for most, if not all, disciplines and media.
Taking all of this into account, BIG drafted a new definition: Direct Marketing is the use of media to directly engage targeted audiences to drive profitable business results.
However, while preparing this blog to invite input from clients & the industry, I realized that the definition needs to go one step further and expand on DM’s measurability factor.
I propose an even more refined definition:
Direct Marketing is the use of media to directly engage targeted audiences to drive profitable business results that can be tracked, recorded, analyzed and stored for future retrieval and use.
So, what do you think?
Friday, January 8, 2010
2010 Brings Brands 10 Golden Digital Opportunities
2010 Brings Brands 10 Golden Digital Opportunities
Looking ahead to 2010, marketers will be facing Olympic hurdles that will require steadfast agility just to stay in the game, much less to hit the finish line ahead of the competition. Here are 10 ideas, wrapped in Olympic glory that should deliver the gold.
1. Social Media: A Marathon, Not a Sprint
Hoping to become fast friends with their targets, a lot of brands rushed into Facebook and Twitter in the last 24 months without investing sufficient time or resources. In 2010, savvy marketers will increase their commitment to social media by first listening and then offering up a steady stream of engaging content that their fans actually want. This will be particularly true for B2B brands, only 38% of whom included social media in their 2008 marketing plans (vs. 71% for B2C brands). With one comScore study indicating that branded social media activities can have a multiplier effect on search results, there is even a quantifiable rationale for brands to up the social media ante in 2010.
2. Mash-Ups: Taking Inspiration from Biathlons
A few innovative marketers took a shot at mash-ups in 2009. E.P. Carrillo, a new cigar manufacturer, created a mesmerizing Twitter and Google Maps mash-up for its "coming soon" site that tracks cigar tweets from around the world. In 2010, these kinds of mash-ups will become smoking hot as marketers look to extend the value of their social media activities. Recognizing that tech-savvy consumers glide seamlessly between personal and business, online and offline, mobile and desktop, farsighted marketers will bring together formerly disparate elements into a cohesive and self-perpetuating social media experience.
3. App Happy: On Your Mark, Get Set, Go Crazy
Given the success a handful of marketers enjoyed with their "apps" in 2009, expect a blaze of new entries in 2010. iPhone apps that provide demonstrable utility like Kraft's iFood Assistant recipe finder and Benjamin Moore's color matcher will continue to gain traction. Expect more app's that integrate with other social media like the Gap StyleMixer that allows you to mix and match clothes and share them with friends on Facebook. And don't forget the non-iPhone universe. The steakhouse Maloney and Porcelli cooked up a humorous and somewhat deviant web-based app at Expense A Steak that extrudes faux expense reports with stunning verisimilitude.
4. Measure Up: Track Every Second
With more dollars earmarked for social media, marketers will undoubtedly use new tools to monitor the conversations that are happening with or without them. Radian6 and Scout Labs emerged in 2009 as two of the leading social media monitoring tools. And while these tools are great, each requires a sizeable commitment by the marketer in time of staff, a commitment that can and does pay off. Just ask JetBlue who manages to enhance customer loyalty daily by responding to any and every customer Tweet within minutes, following 117,000 on Twitter, and in the process generating over 1.3 million followers.
5. POV Power: Don't Just Talk the Talk
While lots of brands raced into social media in 2009, few established true connections with their targets. The reality is that consumers engage with brands that they like on a visceral level and that provide a distinct perspective on the world. Aflac's Duck quacks up a gaggle of quirky content, including charitable requests that appeal to over 161,000 fans on Facebook and 3,000+ followers on Twitter. Meanwhile, Geico's Gecko has been left in the social media dust due to its surprisingly dry and unresponsive online voice. Ironically, a brand by definition is a point-of-view that once clearly defined should guide all communications, social or otherwise.
6. Expose Yourself: Win the Crowd With Honesty
The emergence of several "tell all" consumer-created sites signals the arrival of a new era of honesty and transparency - especially for brands targeting those under 35. Sites like fmylife.com, textsfromlastnight.com and MyParentsJoinedFacebook.com reflect a generation willing to bare and share all without the least trepidation. Even the emergence of "Untag Mondays" speaks to the socially acceptable norm of posting embarrassing content that one might not want a parent or employer to see. Marketers that share this sense of honesty, that admit mistakes and address shortcomings in real-time will find a youthful army of comrades willing to do their bidding. As Comcast discovered, this kind of honesty can even transform a PR nightmare into an industry-leading customer service.
7. Hold the Presses: Major Comebacks are Possible
Though a 50% decline in ad pages certifies 2009 as the worst year in its history, don't write off print as a viable media channel just yet. Over 80% of US consumers still subscribe to at least one magazine and 83% believe newspapers are still relevant. Experimenting with video in print pubs like Entertainment Weekly is but one of the ways certain magazine segments will hold onto their targets and satisfy their advertisers. Fashion magazines and enthusiast pubs continue to offer a visual showcase that is far superior to what most e-pubs can serve up. Models, both human and auto, simply look prettier in print. And while P&G shut down its 72-year-old TV soap opera Guiding Light in 2009, they are cranking up the presses with the custom published glossy, Rouge, which expects to reach a whopping 11 million North American households in 2010.
8. Go to the Video: Separate from the Pack
The emergence of viral video rankings in 2009 reflected the mainstreaming of this approach to audience engagement. While everyone and their branded brother aspired to cut through with a viral hit, surprisingly few found an audience. In 2010, marketers will undoubtedly crank out more of the same while a savvy few will worry less about mass reach and focus more on grass roots appeal, providing content that their core target really wants. B2B marketers in particular will find that using informative videos that transform the complicated into the comprehensible, like Commoncraft's Plain English videos, will generate quality leads from grateful prospects.
9. Mobile Media: Catching Up at Last
Despite all the hype by this author and others, less than a third of marketers had a budget for mobile in 2009. In 2010, smart phone penetration should rise to at least 25% (from 17% in Q2 '09) making it a lot easier to deliver a rich mobile experience worthy of consumer attention. The blending of mobile and social apps like Facebook, Loop'd and Twitter has also created a new openness towards this medium. Given the desirable demographics (18-34, HH income $75k+) of smartphone owners, at minimum, marketers should give strong consideration to creating a mobile friendly website, thus allowing prospects to engage whenever and wherever they happen to be.
10. Be Positive: Attitude is Everything
While honesty is a worthy friend to marketers, don't forget that almost no one wants to date a Debbie Downer. A recent poll by Adweek/Harris found "relative little enthusiasm and lots of indifference for ads that refer to the downturn." Even if the economy is slow to recover in 2010, find the silver lining for your customers and prospects with both words and actions. Like the athletes whose positive outlooks and superior skills propel them to victory, so, too, can marketers find success with an upbeat message and an unimpeachable value proposition.
Go for the Gold in 2010!
Looking ahead to 2010, marketers will be facing Olympic hurdles that will require steadfast agility just to stay in the game, much less to hit the finish line ahead of the competition. Here are 10 ideas, wrapped in Olympic glory that should deliver the gold.
1. Social Media: A Marathon, Not a Sprint
Hoping to become fast friends with their targets, a lot of brands rushed into Facebook and Twitter in the last 24 months without investing sufficient time or resources. In 2010, savvy marketers will increase their commitment to social media by first listening and then offering up a steady stream of engaging content that their fans actually want. This will be particularly true for B2B brands, only 38% of whom included social media in their 2008 marketing plans (vs. 71% for B2C brands). With one comScore study indicating that branded social media activities can have a multiplier effect on search results, there is even a quantifiable rationale for brands to up the social media ante in 2010.
2. Mash-Ups: Taking Inspiration from Biathlons
A few innovative marketers took a shot at mash-ups in 2009. E.P. Carrillo, a new cigar manufacturer, created a mesmerizing Twitter and Google Maps mash-up for its "coming soon" site that tracks cigar tweets from around the world. In 2010, these kinds of mash-ups will become smoking hot as marketers look to extend the value of their social media activities. Recognizing that tech-savvy consumers glide seamlessly between personal and business, online and offline, mobile and desktop, farsighted marketers will bring together formerly disparate elements into a cohesive and self-perpetuating social media experience.
3. App Happy: On Your Mark, Get Set, Go Crazy
Given the success a handful of marketers enjoyed with their "apps" in 2009, expect a blaze of new entries in 2010. iPhone apps that provide demonstrable utility like Kraft's iFood Assistant recipe finder and Benjamin Moore's color matcher will continue to gain traction. Expect more app's that integrate with other social media like the Gap StyleMixer that allows you to mix and match clothes and share them with friends on Facebook. And don't forget the non-iPhone universe. The steakhouse Maloney and Porcelli cooked up a humorous and somewhat deviant web-based app at Expense A Steak that extrudes faux expense reports with stunning verisimilitude.
4. Measure Up: Track Every Second
With more dollars earmarked for social media, marketers will undoubtedly use new tools to monitor the conversations that are happening with or without them. Radian6 and Scout Labs emerged in 2009 as two of the leading social media monitoring tools. And while these tools are great, each requires a sizeable commitment by the marketer in time of staff, a commitment that can and does pay off. Just ask JetBlue who manages to enhance customer loyalty daily by responding to any and every customer Tweet within minutes, following 117,000 on Twitter, and in the process generating over 1.3 million followers.
5. POV Power: Don't Just Talk the Talk
While lots of brands raced into social media in 2009, few established true connections with their targets. The reality is that consumers engage with brands that they like on a visceral level and that provide a distinct perspective on the world. Aflac's Duck quacks up a gaggle of quirky content, including charitable requests that appeal to over 161,000 fans on Facebook and 3,000+ followers on Twitter. Meanwhile, Geico's Gecko has been left in the social media dust due to its surprisingly dry and unresponsive online voice. Ironically, a brand by definition is a point-of-view that once clearly defined should guide all communications, social or otherwise.
6. Expose Yourself: Win the Crowd With Honesty
The emergence of several "tell all" consumer-created sites signals the arrival of a new era of honesty and transparency - especially for brands targeting those under 35. Sites like fmylife.com, textsfromlastnight.com and MyParentsJoinedFacebook.com reflect a generation willing to bare and share all without the least trepidation. Even the emergence of "Untag Mondays" speaks to the socially acceptable norm of posting embarrassing content that one might not want a parent or employer to see. Marketers that share this sense of honesty, that admit mistakes and address shortcomings in real-time will find a youthful army of comrades willing to do their bidding. As Comcast discovered, this kind of honesty can even transform a PR nightmare into an industry-leading customer service.
7. Hold the Presses: Major Comebacks are Possible
Though a 50% decline in ad pages certifies 2009 as the worst year in its history, don't write off print as a viable media channel just yet. Over 80% of US consumers still subscribe to at least one magazine and 83% believe newspapers are still relevant. Experimenting with video in print pubs like Entertainment Weekly is but one of the ways certain magazine segments will hold onto their targets and satisfy their advertisers. Fashion magazines and enthusiast pubs continue to offer a visual showcase that is far superior to what most e-pubs can serve up. Models, both human and auto, simply look prettier in print. And while P&G shut down its 72-year-old TV soap opera Guiding Light in 2009, they are cranking up the presses with the custom published glossy, Rouge, which expects to reach a whopping 11 million North American households in 2010.
8. Go to the Video: Separate from the Pack
The emergence of viral video rankings in 2009 reflected the mainstreaming of this approach to audience engagement. While everyone and their branded brother aspired to cut through with a viral hit, surprisingly few found an audience. In 2010, marketers will undoubtedly crank out more of the same while a savvy few will worry less about mass reach and focus more on grass roots appeal, providing content that their core target really wants. B2B marketers in particular will find that using informative videos that transform the complicated into the comprehensible, like Commoncraft's Plain English videos, will generate quality leads from grateful prospects.
9. Mobile Media: Catching Up at Last
Despite all the hype by this author and others, less than a third of marketers had a budget for mobile in 2009. In 2010, smart phone penetration should rise to at least 25% (from 17% in Q2 '09) making it a lot easier to deliver a rich mobile experience worthy of consumer attention. The blending of mobile and social apps like Facebook, Loop'd and Twitter has also created a new openness towards this medium. Given the desirable demographics (18-34, HH income $75k+) of smartphone owners, at minimum, marketers should give strong consideration to creating a mobile friendly website, thus allowing prospects to engage whenever and wherever they happen to be.
10. Be Positive: Attitude is Everything
While honesty is a worthy friend to marketers, don't forget that almost no one wants to date a Debbie Downer. A recent poll by Adweek/Harris found "relative little enthusiasm and lots of indifference for ads that refer to the downturn." Even if the economy is slow to recover in 2010, find the silver lining for your customers and prospects with both words and actions. Like the athletes whose positive outlooks and superior skills propel them to victory, so, too, can marketers find success with an upbeat message and an unimpeachable value proposition.
Go for the Gold in 2010!
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