Alberta Business MarketingSep
1
2010
Aug
26
2010
In my third of four posts about which channels work best to reach and engage influencers, I take a look at the new kid on the block: social media.
Marketers are sometimes torn between doing what has worked most effectively in the past and testing out new technologies and channels that have the potential to be real game-changers in the future.
The bright shiny object of the last few years is, of course, social media, a channel that’s still not completely understood but that has, in theory, the potential to radically change the way we market.
Why? Well, to start with, based on our research, influencers are spending 7 hours per week in the US and 9 in Canada on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and blogs. That’s already impressive but when you add to that the finding that influencers are connected, on average, to 108 (US) and 137 (Canada) people in their own social media network, that’s something that gets the attention of marketers – as it should.
While social media shares ease of use with the email channel, it’s this community or network that may hold the key to the channel’s true potential. These individuals have chosen to be connected based on an affinity for a particular community, and are actively engaged with others in it and outside that community too.
Bill McCloskey at ClickZ offers some fascinating examples about the potential power of social media, including this one:
“…look at Marvel Comics, which is one of the top performing ‘advertisers’ in the Twitter space. As of right now, Marvel has around 44,000 followers [63,000+ as I write this post]. But over the last few weeks, it sent out 151 Twitter offers. But more than that: 246 ‘influencers’ have directly rebroadcast that message to their followers. Add it all up and Marvel has exposed its offer to over 66 million eyeballs over the past few weeks!”
Those are some impressive numbers and just a hint of the potential opportunities social media offers marketers. However we do need to distinguish the difference between influencers: some will talk; others will pass along information (as per above) and of utmost value are those that truly influence others – by eliciting action. So whether on social media sites or via email or on the phone, you must understand what you are trying to achieve and ensure that you have designed appropriately.
One more thing bares repeating from my last two posts: even if some channels are better than others to reach particular consumers in particular ways, the fact is these channels work best for marketers when they work together.
For instance, email messages that offer a social-sharing option (like Twitter and Facebook) generate a 30% higher click-through rate than emails without it, according to a new study by email marketing company Get Response. And if the email includes three or more social-sharing options, that click-through rate jumps to 55%.
The bottom line? Social media offers a unique and advantageous opportunity to find, reach, engage and have a continuous dialogue with individuals – both within their social media communities and in their network at large. Just needs to be done right!
In the fourth and final part of this series, I’ll blog about the true answer to the question – which channel is most effective at finding, reaching, engaging and motivating influencers?
Gillian MacPherson
Aug
2
2010
Referring back to our previous post, we received some interesting comments on what your experiences were like in marketing to Gen Y. With this blog posting, we delve further into the subject and offer some insight as to which events we think have helped to define this generation.
There is a tendency for Gen Y to actively seek out unique businesses, particularly those who produce hand-made items or market themselves as an ethical practice. Think of local boutiques or businesses like Lululemon and the Body Shop. This generation is willing to pay a premium for their products. Why? Perhaps it is that Gen Y is very aware of socially responsible activities and they want to hold companies responsible...by voting with their dollars.
We also stated in our previous post that Gen Y is socially connected all the time - simply because technology enables them to do so. With that social connectedness comes a greater interest in word of mouth peer reviews and viral trends. This generation is exposed to more ads and brands at an ever increasing rate. As a result, Gen Y is extremely media savvy and out of necessity, they have quickly learned to filter out to the content that THEY want to see. This in turn has led to websites focused on content which is customized to what Gen Y wants. Think of personal Facebook newsfeeds where you can control what kinds of stories show up, Twitter streams where you can choose to follow who you want, or blogs that you can decide to subscribe to. As we move to customizable content, the greater the expectations to cater to the individual.
What are your own ideas as to what has helped form the unique characteristics of this generation?
Jul
30
2010
I know I'm aging myself when I say I've been in the business for 16 years. Over this time, I've noticed a slow migration from the importance of an agency's brand and reputation to an individual's personal brand and reputation. I attribute this to social networking.
Before the days of Facebook and LinkedIn, when job hunting, we were most attracted to the agency with the best reputation, who did the best work and who had the best brand in the industry. Now, we put just as much emphasis on the people who work for an agency and what their personal brand represents. This works both ways. Employers also seek employees whose personal brand would be a good fit for their agency.
I can't write a blog about personal branding without giving a shout out to Tony Chapman. Know him? Sure you do. Love him or hate him, in my opinion he is the industry leader in personal branding.
Glenn Swan recently conducted a poll on LinkedIn asking "Do you feel a strong personal brand is important for job seekers?" 86% of those polled said yes. 13% said it depends on the position.
So, how do you create your personal brand? Treat it the same way you would a client's brand. You can start by asking yourself these questions:
What do I want to be known for? What am I good at? Am I uniquely valuable? What can I bring to an employer that other's can't? What are other people doing and how can I do it better? Who do I want to target? How am I going to reach them? What is my "elevator pitch?"
It's also crucial to be transparent. The industry is a small one and by now, you've probably developed a reputation along the way. Be honest and sincere in your abilities and experience.
By the way, this personal brand is for hire.
Jun
18
2010
There is a lot of discussion among marketers about the importance of community in today's networked world. The "quest for community", as Robert Nisbet, American sociologist and Vice-Chancellor at the University of California puts it, is "a nostalgia for a compassable and integral living unit". It has to do with changes in the way we interact and communicate.
The critical question is not whether community is important but how the definition of community has evolved and whether our lives have become more jangled and fragmented which has led to a desire for new connections with strangers. A lot has been written about the trend. But the trend isn’t just restricted to online communities.
The success of Starbucks has been built on the desire of consumers for a "third place”- away from work and home. Ray Oldenburg talked about it in “The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community”.
The success of Credit Unions is also built on this concept. In a recent interview, Ms. Christine Zalzal, AVP, Sales and Marketing, FirstOntario Credit Union, said that the grassroots strategy of a Credit Union is about being part of the community and staying for the long run in those communities.
What does this mean for marketers? They should look at the "quest for community" as an integral part of their marketing plans – at a strategic level. Different age groups and consumer segments have very different definitions of community. Often, “community” is quickly translated into a tactic- a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace in a marketing plan. It is really more about understanding what defines a sense of community for your most profitable consumers and leveraging this insight for a deeper connection with them. The question to ask is what is the "third place" for your brand?
A tapestry segmentation system can help. It combines the “who” of lifestyle demography with the “where” of local neighborhood geography to create a model of various lifestyle classifications or segments of actual neighborhoods with addresses—distinct behavioral market segments. Adding the layer of a deeper understanding of the context of their "quest for community" can open up new opportunities to create a more meaningful dialogue with your brand with or without the constraint of geography.
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