Putting a post on your company social media page or tweeting something on twitter is the same as putting a news release on the wires. Just because there are no editors following you on facebook doesn’t mean that they won’t find out what was there. Be smart – approach everything with the thought that it will be on the 6pm news that night.
As your company grows, so does the marketing required to keep that expansion growing.
Management, particularly your C-level management, most likely thinks that they know what is required and needed for the growth to continue (even though they probably have only done sales for 30 years or been an engineer).
Usually, they call you into the office and say “we need to do a press release” or “we need to go to this trade show next week” and sometimes, in fact, it makes no sense to do this. In fact, that “press release” will confuse the message of the company or dilute your brand. Putting out a news release about your address changing or the movement of your office from one location to another will cause much more damage then you can possible think of.
Why would an editor or analyst want to be “spammed” with an email about your company opening up a new office in Moscow (of course, if you are Cisco or Microsoft, then, yes, you would want to do this, but, 99% of companies should not do this (and I hope 99% of those wouldn’t do this))? Emails that waste an editors/analysts time are remembered and your company is flagged as a non-entity.
To the point – you, as the experienced marketer in your company, must stand up to your management and inform them of the pro’s and con’s of doing something that they ask for. Of course, if only good things come of it, you wouldn’t need to do this (like announcing a new product); but, if you are putting out a news release about your headquarters moving from one location to another, you must stop it before it goes on the wires. Put the “release” on your website and leave it at that.
Think about what the benefit is when you are approached by upper management to do “some marketing”. Usually it is wanted because of some other reason (like wanting to tell investors the move of HQ, for example) – get to that reason and “reason” with the boss before damage occurs.
Just a quick thought on Social Media and how “important” it really is.
It isn’t. It is just another piece of the marketing mix that is important to build your brand and message.
What do I mean? I mean this: you still have to convince the market to buy your product, use your services, accept your brand and statement, etc.
An advertisement in a magazine has to drive your customer to “want to do” something – buy, accept, understand, whatever. The same is with your facebook page, or your blog, or a tweet.
Don’t lose sight of the big picture – yes, it’s important to be a part of the “new” (or social) media today – but, don’t have a blog if you aren’t following your marketing plan. Updating your followers with relevant info on Twitter is just as important as making sure that your “buy” of ad time during the World Series hits your target market. If the message is different in a tweet then in an advertisement, review your strategy – everything should point to a single message that you want to put out.
Don’t get caught up in the hype and only do social media – there is more to your marketing mix then just that. Facebook or Twitter or whatever new media you choose is another tool, nothing more or less then that.
Over 50% of consumers in a recent survey (Ipsos Observer) said “they expect companies to ask for the public’s input before making a major change to its logo, packaging or product.”
Does this make sense?
You are Nike – 20 years ago – do you ask consumers what they “want” as a logo? Or do you just go with the swoosh and hope it sticks? Of course, you hope and it works.
Now, you are Gap and just changed your logo and designers say “you should have asked the public what they want” and because you didn’t, you pull your new logo. Is that right?
As a professional marketer, do you want to “ask” the puplic what they think of your new packaging?
OR DO YOU DO A FOCUS GROUP?! Of course you do a focus group; based on that feedback, you then change your design/logo/brand/packaging/etc. to meet their needs. I have to tell you, their needs are NOT “you should have used Times New Roman font” – it is “I can’t see the benefit list, it is too small” or “Where is the pricing?”
What do you think? Should every change that you make in your brand be “approved” by the public?
Ahh, Social Media, so refreshing to have this game changing marketing opportunity happening during our lifetime.
These opportunities come around every 30 or 40 years. Jump on and ride the wave – if you can.
From billboards to advertising on cars (or being a car – Oscar Meyer WeinerMobile), we haven’t seen changes like this in some time.
Will social media advertising replace TV? Will mobile promotions replace direct mail?
Of course not. Well, not yet. Technology keeps changing and for us to stay on top, we have to change with it.
With this quick history in recap being said, be sure to go back to my earlier posts – about you, the young new company on the block (the start-up). You don’t have to spend a million dollars on facebook ads, or targeted efforts with Verizon users. You can get away with spending $1,000 on a direct mail campaign or the same on a targeted email campaign.
To play with the big boys, you have to market to their categories (as it is the same as yours), but, you don’t have to spend like them or play like them. Use your social media platforms effectively – you will save money and be more focused on your market.
Starting a new company is not just advertising or putting up a page on Facebook.
As social media continues to grow by leaps and bounds, everyone thinks that they can pursue the American Dream of starting and owning a business by simply putting up a Facebook page and running some cheap ads.
Sadly, this doesn’t work. It takes a little bit more effort and planning.
I can not stress it enough – spend two hours (at least!) writing down a business plan. There are numerous business plan templates that can be downloaded from the web, from ones that take days and days to ones that take less then an hour.
It IS important to know your pricing, your sales strategy, and even your marketing plans. Each step is a requirement (it cannot be skipped) and it is better to have this planned in advance rather then after it is needed.
Spend some time and plan – it will pay off in the long run.
When did Twitter and the number of followers determine the “success” or “failure” of a brand?
So many brands, companies, and products are now being “spot branded” with the number of Twitter followers that are listed. Why?
Because Coca-Cola only has 46,000 followers, they are a failure? That Nike, with less then a million, is a success (or is it a failure also)?
The pendulum is swinging again and frustratingly it is going to the next extreme – how many Twitter followers do we have – which will determine budgets and strategies for far to many companies.
As marketing executives, the temptation to make Twitter and Facebook followers “set” your budget is great, but, it WILL set a precedent that will cause far greater damage then originally believed.
Was reading how Pepsi Max is going to rebrand/reposition itself again and how important the word “diet” is in either mentioning or not mentioning it in advertising (especially to men).
It got me to thinking – in today’s economy how much disposable income is out there? When or where is the tipping point for individuals, the world over, to say “You know, maybe I shouldn’t buy that Pepsi Max this week and pay my water bill instead?” (Or baby formula or rice or whatever.)
NOTE: There is a whole public relations conversation on how well the American Political Machine spins the “Recovery” on a weekly basis – reminds me of the sales manager saying to the CEO every week “Even though we haven’t sold anything this year, we are doing great!”
We see Wal-Mart and Target marketing to the masses saying “Lowest Prices” and “Affordable” and so on. They’re trying to get those people that are watching their budget to save more money by shopping at their location.
Prices are rising all over the world ($3.00 for a bottle of water, $5.00 for a can of Red Bull, $2.00 for a “snack” bag of chips, etc. All these prices having doubled in the past year.)
Some stores may offer a can of Red Bull for $.25 less then another, but, still, because of the economic times, pricing has risen.
Eventually, market segments are going to start to decline, small or large, but, declination will start to occur more rapidly as jobs become more scare and cost of living rises while salaries remain the same.
Someone will step into this market and capture a huge percentage. Someone will offer a very low cost solution to the many high-cost offerings that are out there.
How much longer can a world sustain a water bottling company at $3.00 a bottle when the cost is less then $.10? It can’t. Whomever offers the pricing back at $1.00 is going to own the market. Yes, margins will go from 40% to 10%, but, look at the soda business where margins are less then 1%.
The world has reached a tipping point where unsustainablity of market prices cannot continue. Either companies will go under or they will have to reduce pricing to meet the needs of the worlds individuals as they tighten their belts.
Remember the movie “Mr. Mom”? Where the real mom advertises the drop in pricing for tuna so that the people can afford the product?
I believe that this will be occurring soon.
A lot of news out there that print advertising can be improved upon, that it isn’t dead, that all it needs is creative or a message or a brand.
I fall on one side of this argument and that is that Print Advertising is dead (okay, on life-support which it is hard to see a recovery from anytime soon – maybe a better description would be a Coma).
We all agree that the internet has done considerable damage (or impact) to print advertising. Why should I wait for my daily or monthlies of magazines or newspapers when I can find out what was written 24 hours or 30 days in advance?
Okay, I’ll give you the argument that you need a magazine on the beach or possibly on a plane (if you can’t afford or connect to their WiFi) or even the subway. But, what percentage of the market is that – 2%, maybe 3%?
Even if the creative were outstanding and the brand was incredible and the ad said “If you can read this, you get a free car in the next hour”, the market penetration would still be minimal at best – even with email, text, twitter, and phone. The individual still has to “get to the location” of the free car so the damage would not be that great (don’t get me wrong, you would still have a riot at the location – but that’s the point, the brand would be built because of the riots, not because of the free car giveaway).
Print advertising will never be the same, because the market will never be the same. The market is the internet and mobile, not paper and rags. Sadly, we continue to see magazines and papers try and stay alive by believing that the people want this. They don’t.
In closing, it is going to be the countries that have never invested in magazine/print (like China, Eastern Asia, Africa, South America), where many lessons are going to be taught on how to gain the biggest bang for the buck – again, specifically in mobile.
Good luck.
This has to be the best story yet on why email marketing is destroying this incredible viable tool.
