Marketing via Social Media: What Professional Firms Should Know

SAN FRANCISCO - NOVEMBER 15: Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during a special event announcing a new Facebook email messaging system at the St. Regis Hotel on November 15, 2010 in San Francisco, California. Facebook will launch a new messaging system aimed at enhancing it's social media product to its 500 million users. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

The recent explosion of Social Media - Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, in particular - has probably caused enough head scratching and unease among marketing directors to last them a lifetime. How does Social Media actually work? Who does it reach? How influential is it? What happens if you ignore it? How should it be used? And how much time should be devoted to feeding it? Nobody seems to have clear answers to these questions, and the few that do, speak a language that most ordinary human beings struggle to understand.

Marketing heads at large professional organisations, by which I mean commercial law firms, accountancy firms and financial services companies, are as concerned about Social Media as anyone else - which, on the face of it, is surprising, because traditionally these outfits have relied upon a relatively discreet universe of mainly corporate clients. Their business relationships are built on face-to-face contact (not Facebook to Facebook contact) and often long histories of proven service. Nevertheless, the perception exists that Social Media is an arena in which every serious player has to be visible, as if to be invisible there would mean being invisible everywhere - an unforgivable capitulation in this age of mass communication. Just such preoccupations drive much of the current interest in Social Media: a fear of missing out, of seeming out-of-touch, rather than excitement at the arrival of a new marketing opportunity. So is the promise really there? And are the fears justified?

The first thing to remember about Social Media is its name: not Marketing Media, but Social Media. The reason sites like Facebook caught on in the first place was not because people saw an interesting new opportunity to go shopping. They saw it as a way to keep in touch with friends old and new, and to reach out to people with similar interests. Though discrete retailing of one kind or another has crept on board, most users says they don't like it. The exception here is cultural product: music, films, books and (to a lesser extent) video games. But even here - very much at the mass consumer end of things - the amount of promotion users will tolerate is limited. Any marketing that firms do attempt must be discreet, as well as useful, readable and current. Achieving all this is easier said than done.

Celebrity Seeding - Seven Marketing Tips

English: Reese Witherspoon at the premiere for Water for Elephants in May 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Did you know that after Reese Witherspoon received an Oscar nomination for best actress for her work in Walk the Line, she also received hundreds of gifts from brands trying to capitalize on her Oscar buzz? According to news stories, one of the gifts Witherspoon received was a Nokia 8801, then valued at $900.

In a brilliant fashion, the phone came with a note that congratulated her on the nomination and asked her who she was going to call about her exciting news.

Nice gesture? Of course. Selfless? Hardly. What Nokia executives did is called celebrity seeding, and you can do it, too, even if you are a small business owner and your brand is currently small. Companies have been sending celebrities products in the hopes of associating their merchandise with the names of Hollywood's best and brightest. How do you jump on to the celebrity seeding bandwagon?

Here are a few tips:

1. Do your research beforehand and make sure the product you send is something the star would want to use. If you specialize in sports and workout wear, do not send products to fashionistas like Sarah Jessica Parker and Leighton Meester. On the other hand, you may do well to send items to stars like Jessica Biel, Fergie and Cameron Diaz, who are often photographed working out.
2. Make sure your packaging is memorable, professional, and neat.
3. Customize your letter. If you can, be witty, like Nokia was with their "Who are you going to call about the exciting news?" Catchy, creative lines can merit a chuckle or an approving grin or two. If you cannot think of anything witty, though, don't. Simply be polite and direct to the point. Strike the right balance between warm and courteous.
4. Include some information about your service or product. You can include a single-page info sheet or FAQ. You may also include your most recent catalog or brochure.
5. Make it easy for them to get in touch with you. Some celebrities write to say thank you. Don't make them jump through hoops to send you a note. Include two business cards in your package - one for the celebrity and the other for their representative.
6. Use professional cards and letterhead. This will ensure your notes inspire confidence that you are a reputable company to deal with.
7. Mention the reason you gave the present. Have you noticed how much Paris Hilton loves pink? This is a thoughtful detail that can strike the right level of connection in the stars you are sending products to, provided of course that you do it right.

Celebrity seeding is a long and involved process that will not yield results overnight. Sometimes, you will have to wait for a few weeks before you receive any type of feedback. Other times, you won't receive feedback at all. But, do not give up your marketing efforts just because you are not seeing immediate rewards. Done correctly, celebrity seeding can give your sales a dramatic boost!


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Pay Per Click Marketing - Does It Work For Industrial Companies?

Image via CrunchBase

I discovered pay per click marketing in late 2001, launching my first campaign with Google Adwords. At the time, I was managing a search engine optimization (SEO) project for an industrial controls manufacturer and immediately recognized the potential of this new channel.

I opened a Google AdWords account, compiled a list of keywords, and developed a small group of text ads. Within five minutes of my campaign going live, the four lines of text that I had crafted into an advertisement were appearing on the right side of Google's search results. More importantly, targeted visitors began trickling into my client's website; the power of this marketing platform really struck a chord with me. I had achieved visibility on Google's highly coveted first page using the same keywords being optimized through my "natural search" project.

Let me distinguish between paid listings and natural search listings - I am not suggesting that they are equal in value, but rather competitive in value. Natural listings enjoy a higher perceived relevancy in the eyes of search users; however pay per click advertising, when managed properly, affords businesses immediate penetration into desirable search engine result pages (SERPS). Additionally, paid search marketing is much more flexible in its approach to targeting markets and budgeting for return on investment.

Search engine optimization is a valuable strategy that can deliver a strong return on investment when properly managed. Businesses can cultivate a web presence that organically ranks high in the search engine results pages, delivering requests for quote and product sales. By the same token, the effective implementation of SEO is a long term strategy, often requiring months of development and significant project costs before a return on investment is realized.

Pay Per Click marketing on the other hand is completely measurable, making it possible to monitor profitability on a real time basis. Furthermore, the pay per click model enables marketers to revise their advertisements, budgets, and target audience(s) on a real time basis. This flexibility, when properly harnessed, is the key to an industrial manufacturer's success in the world of Internet marketing.

How Google AdWords Can Help Your Business Grow With Pay Per Click Marketing

English: licence google adwords Français : licence google adwords (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Internet marketing continues to climb in worldwide popularity. For modest to existing businesses, it is a vital method in securing internet attention and sustainability. Online marketing is additionally meant to successfully advertise your services and products to mass audiences. Although it might expand your organization's online reach, it may also help create brand name credibility and customer patronage. As a result, a small company may create prospects sales, and actually raise revenue. As a form of Search Engine Marketing, pay-per-click marketing is widely utilized and incredibly well-known. This form of online advertising focuses on potential prospects via a set of strategically placed business advertisements. Such as article marketing and keywords, these ads also show up on a variety of search engines. When clicked on, they're able to improve your web page rankings and achieve increased visibility for your business. They can also generate revenue for your company, in addition to link online searchers to your specified website, blog, or online store.

As an industry innovator in pay-per-click internet marketing, Google AdWords provides a selection of internet marketing tools for clients and customers. This progressive and cutting-edge marketing system is simply intended to help your small or current company grow. With AdWords, business people may generate advertising to showcase a variety of services and products. These ads can also be custom-made to target local, state, regional, national, as well as global customer bases. The good thing is that these advertisements can also be positioned together with keyword and links, which attach internet customers and shoppers right to your website. Not only does this boost web traffic to your websites, additionally, it generates a buzz which can secure profitable and timely results. Google AdWords will also be compatible with social networking platforms, which instantly promote your products and services and brand names to wider audiences.

Other benefits of pay-per-click marketing and advertising include posting numerous ads at cost-affordable prices. This lets you promote numerous advertising campaigns, which offers your small business increased coverage within this demanding market place. In contrast to expensive traditional marketing, Google AdWords additionally allows you to create as many ads as needed within time and price range. Additionally, you have the versatility to set your own spending plan, as well as place a bid on high-placement advertisements and key words. Business owners may also update their ads on a daily and weekly basis. This enables your content to stay fresh and recent, along with showing all your latest services and products. From promotional advertisements to specially marked discounts, Google AdWords can promote all your product sales with sustained outcomes.

So whether or not you own an existing online business, or are planning to launch a new one, Google AdWords truly offers a wealth of advantages and benefits. To learn more about how Google AdWords can boost your active marketing campaign, just check out the Web to access more information today.


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