Posts tagged as:

marketing

Toyota’s Tone-Deaf Print Ad

by Daria Steigman on February 22, 2010

Oh really? Glad to know I want brake problems.

This turned up in my mail on Saturday. Inside was a shiny brochure about their hybrid vehicles. Don’t you think Toyota should have put off this print campaign until after they fixed their cars?

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What Marketers Are Saying About Social Media

by Daria Steigman on January 22, 2010

Want to know how communicators are using social media? You could pose a question on Twitter or you could do a deep dive. MarketingProfs did the latter, surveying 4,763 marketers and others managing communications for their organizations. That included 3,285 who specifically said they are responsible for social media.

I don’t have a copy of The State of Social Media Marketing, but I did get a peak at some of the findings. There is some great data here:

  • 48.2 percent said their organizations have a social media presence. They are typically companies that have “very little to hide.” Companies in industries with strict regulations and major repercussions for leaking information (think drug makers, bankers, insurers) are less visible.
  • 60.8 percent who do social media said that it is not part of their job description.
  • Social media isn’t cheap: Most of those doing social media are mid- or senior-level people.
  • 48.8 percent said their company has no official social media policy; 12 percent said they have a restrictive one.
  • There is a correlation between culture and the success of a company’s marketing efforts. Employees who blog (independently) can spark new ideas and increase prestige.
  • All the measurement tools are helpful, but incomplete. For example, 52.8 percent of those surveyed said that paid analytics tools are “helpful but incomplete” (versus 66.1 percent of those using Google and other free tools). And approximately one-third of respondents (33.6 percent) said that the paid tools “enable perfect tracking” (versus 28.1 percent for those using free tools).

There is also a lot of data about the disconnects between the tactics people use a lot (i.e., what’s popular) and the tactics that are most effective. For example, the most used tactics on Twitter are driving traffic (72.1 percent) and driving sales (54.2 percent)—how’s that worked out for you lately? In contract, the most effective Twitter tactics cited involved two-way communications strategies and monitoring for PR problems in real time.

Photo by webtreats (Flickr).

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Insights from Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki

by Daria Steigman on January 8, 2010

As some of you may know, I joined MarketingProfs last fall. There are two great values about the company/online resource: (1) community and (2) professional development. As a pro member, I have access to a vast store of case studies, reports, how-to articles, and live (and playback on-demand) Webinars. Which brings me to the point of this post.

One of my goals for this year is to participate in more Webinars–and then to pass on what I learn to you, my readers. Yesterday’s Webinar featured a conversation with Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki about doing business in 2010. Here are a few takeaways:

  • Everything Is Not Free–Godin pointed out that lots of things (including personal connections) aren’t free. What is free: ideas, because the  middlemen are dying out.
  • Marketing–Kawasaki pointed out that the days of marketing to that one influential voice (think New York Times reviewer) are over. Instead, he stressed the importance of seeding your products as far and wide as possible to “build a critical mass of nobodies.” Godin added that companies must “initiate or die.”
  • Portable Tribes–Godin noted that people are increasingly living their lives in public, and that true communities “will follow us in our digital world.” Kawasaki countered that he really wasn’t that interested or influenced by what his friends were buying or liked. (I tend to agree with Kawasaki, but one participant raised a good point, as a marketer, about the value of that awareness.)
  • Customer Service–Godin called customer service “a form of marketing far more powerful than advertising.” He added that, if you can delight someone, they’ll tell others. Referring to Comcast and Best Buy’s Twitter strategies, Kawasaki suggested that “customer service is a weapon, and the social aspect of customer service is the leading edge of the weapon.”
  • Passion–Godin pointed out that people are now both workers and owners (i.e., we can create and build), and he suggested that this would be the dividing line between what was and what will be. Kawasaki added that “the time to start innovating is before the recession ends.”

As a labor relations specialist before I was a business owner and communications strategist, I’m fascinated by this concept that we are both workers and owners. Chris Anderson used a similar analogy in remarks a few months ago, and I’m still trying to figure out how I can apply this concept better in my business.

Godin and Kawasaki offered some really good food for thought. Anything here inspire you?

Photo by billjacobus1 (Flickr).

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1 Simple Tip to Launch Your Business into 2010

by Daria Steigman on December 3, 2009

We’re getting to that time of year when holiday cards start rolling in. And every year I notice the same thing: lots of cards, very little personalization. Sometimes it’s a generic “Seasons Greetings” e-mail blind copied to who knows how many people (no effort); others send paper cards with no note and often not even a signature (marginal time expenditure in running off address labels). If you’re thinking about doing this: DON’T.

The holiday season offers an amazing opportunity to put yourself top of mind with your colleagues, clients, and prospects. It takes time to do it right, but I want the people in my community to know that I care about each and every one (and I do value you).

Why would you want to send the message that you’re too lazy and we’re not important enough for you to expend the effort? My message to you: customize, or don’t bother.

Photo by Richard Moross (Flickr).

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“All About Me” Is No Marketing Strategy

by Daria Steigman on November 16, 2009

AllAboutMe_bixentro

DC Web Women, which runs a listserv designed primarily to enable peer-to-peer support and education in technology and new media, has been in the midst of a brouhaha lately about marketing. Or, more accurately, a few people seem very upset that the listserv guidelines prohibit marketing.

Yes, there are guidelines–and they seem pretty straightforward:

Many of us would like to market to this great target audience, but we can’t allow it because of the size of our membership. Marketing includes postings that ask for a job or job leads, present your resume, promote your company, or doing any of these items for friends, sisters, or boyfriends.

And DC Web Women doesn’t stop there:

However, there are some ways you CAN market to DCWW:

  • Attend a meeting, workshop, or social event and pass out your business cards.
  • Send your resume to the resume wrangler to be included in our biweekly resume posting.
  • When you post a question, comment, or response, include your URL or a one-line description of your services beneath your signature.

In other words: be present, be helpful, and add value.

I really don’t understand why anyone would think that shouting “Me. Me. Me. Look at Me.” is a better way to build a community and a business. What do you think?

Photo by bixentro (Flickr).

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