LinkedIn Marketing – Thinking Beyond the Resume

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Ana
Many of us have LinkedIn profiles displaying our work histories and employer endorsements, but let’s be honest – many of those profiles lay dormant while the more visually engaging social media networks hold our attention for the largest part of our days.
 
But LinkedIn is a powerful medium right at our fingertips to connect with like-minded professionals, especially via business or product recommendations. Granted, you have to pour in a little effort to garner attention from the community; but we all know how far a personal recommendation goes in communicating trust and value.
 
There are a few avenues to explore if you’re thinking about branching your advertising efforts into a purely professional sphere. 
 
 
LinkedIn Ads
 
Begin with LinkedIn Ads that let you define your scope by geography, industry, career and decision makers. LinkedIn Ads also let you control how much you spend on your advertising budget. You can pay through either cost per clicks (CPC) or cost per impressions (CPM).
 
Blog Feed 
 
If you’re looking for your target market to get a better understanding of your products and services at a glance, you may want to embed your blog feed into your LinkedIn profile. WordPress offers an application that streams in your updates – which translates to easy access to build personal, human connections. 
 
 
Page Upgrades
 
If you have an existing business profile, consider adding a few upgrades to your company page, which can include a company overview tab, products and services tab, analytics and in case you’re looking to recruit quality talent, a career page where you can feature videos and employee profiles.
 
You can even expand your presence through custom groups, direct ad campaigns and utilizing events to feed the event planner in you.
 
 
Let us know in the comments how you’ve used LinkedIn to boost your online presence!
 

 

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The Superbowl Ad

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Ana
Sure, the game’s big. Who doesn’t love the final word in a season fraught with partisan fan-fever? But let’s face it – the most watched televised event in the country brings the lure of shiny advertising with it. And that’s what makes people linger during commercial breaks. With 111 million viewers who tuned in for 2011, and a hefty $3.5 million dollar price tag for a 30 second spot, Superbowl advertising is officially at its priciest high. 
 
 
But how does it all come together? The price tag barely scratches the surface of all the work that gets poured into developing an ad scheduled to run during the Superbowl. For starters, the price is determined by where the ad runs during the game (halftime or not) or whether the marketers have bought a single media spot or purchased a package deal, to name a few.
 
Ad Creation
 
The process of creating a Superbowl ad begins, in some cases, right after the game ends. Once a spot for airing has been bought, the process of conceptualization to story writing to shooting and edits is put immediately into place. The word on the street is that Superbowl ads need to be culled together for a final drafting by early to mid Fall. 
Some advertisers tend to fall back on the success of their last venture. Volkswagen, for instance, seems to be the favorite of the masses this year because they’ve brought back The Force for 2012. The video has garnered over 10 million views (+2 from this writer!) so far and the game is still 5 days away.
 
The next step in the process is trying to woo the network slated to host the game. Too strong? We’ll call it “approaching” instead. Honestly though, because of all the hoops and jumps in place leading up to network acceptance (script approval, credit checks and Standards & Practices clearance), “wooing” does seem to be more apropos.
 
Justifying the Expense
 
Why do it? Because the Superbowl is still the only televised event that attracts and holds the attention of nearly the entire nation. It’s a great time for marketers to launch a new product with almost guaranteed exposure and viewership. Obviously, the wittier the ad, the more it speaks for the company. It’s difficult to fight with nearly 50 million views of a single ad after almost 111 million people watched it on air.
 
We think it’s a great investment. What has been your favorite Superbowl ad? Let us know in the comments!
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The Art of Rebranding – What You Need to Get Started

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Ana
The art of rebranding is very much like storytelling, where you’re your own protagonist. The story will need to be tailored for a newer audience every once in a while but the message contained within it remains the same.
 
Perhaps you’re in the need of a snazzier logo. Perhaps you’re trying to change your image. Perhaps it’s just time to start over with a clean slate. Either ways, you’ll need to be prepared and you’ll need a few of the following. 
 
1. A clear mission Why are you rebranding? Do you need a partial tweaking of your brand or do you want to lure in an entirely new demographic? Have you been out of touch with the needs of your customer base? Or could the extensive rebranding be completely avoided with different tactical changes? Know thyself is a really good place to begin.
 
2. A healthy dose of patience When Weight Watchers’ tried to rebrand and reposition themselves with different food options and a newer point system, it took them a good two years to begin to see any results. In the meantime, they enlisted the support of industry experts – influential dietitians – and over 19000 group leaders across the country. It took time for the profits to begin trickling in, but they ended 3rd quarter for 2011 with a 30% bang.
 
3. Begin Listening Sometimes, in their infinite wisdom, organizations forget to listen to their customer base. For instance, with the case of PepsiCo trying to rebrand the nation’s first breakfast love: OJ. With new product packaging that incited significant customer backlash, PepsiCo decided to pull back the new packaging on their old orange juice after learning their lesson the hard way. Our recommendations? Focus groups, sample testing and plain old research.
 
We’d love for you to share your wisdom with us. Have you made any rebranding attempts? How did you fare? What did you learn from them? Let us know in the comments!

 

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Advertising Frequency – Finding the Magic Number

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Ana
Is there a magic number that brings in customers after your message has been repeated a certain number of times? In an ideal world, yes. Sometimes, marketing experts claim that 3 exposures can do the trick; i.e., your ad begins to get noticed once an individual has been exposed to it three times or more. 
 
That sounds almost too good to be true, and perhaps it is. A closer look might reveal that the “3+” formula may not work for all media. Really, what platform would have the maximum impact with 3 exposures? Billboards? Newspaper ads? Online placements? 
 
 
Perhaps a combination of all of the above. 
 
Timing, of course, is extremely important. Between peak season campaigns (holidays, seasonal products), a steady stream of advertisements or timed blitzes (once a quarter), what proves to be the best approach for your business may depend on your target audience, the products you sell and of course, your marketing budget.
 
Peak Season Campaigns involve pouring most advertising dollars into one big campaign. The idea makes perfect sense for organizations that offer a seasonal and/or geographically based product line. For instance, alpaca wool sweaters are probably not going to get too much attention in a Floridian summer.
 
On the other hand, perhaps a Quarterly Advertising Blitzmay help your business more. Depending upon the timing of these campaigns, they can help move your business from your customer’s peripheral vision and into constant focus. In return, you’re also able to allocate funds in a more effective way for specific times.
 
The fact is, a magic number of exposures to gain a dedicated audience probably does not exist; but if understanding a target market combined with the right timing are  anything to go by, chances are that being prepared will certainly boost the ROI numbers.

 

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Media Planning Strategies: Capturing Market Share

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Ana
Last week, we wrote about the first steps involved with developing a media plan. To recap quickly, the basics – after identifying your audience – involve determining the reach, frequency and a vision of the impact you’d like to make with your campaign. Understanding the purpose behind a campaign is very important because your goals provide you with direction.
 
The underlying essence behind media planning is the connection created between people and companies. It’s no secret that in a highly competitive market where multiple suppliers are constantly trying to build a loyal customer base for similar products and service, sometimes we all just have to accept our existing portion of the market share.
 
Expanding market share involves establishing a constant presence. As we mentioned last week, on average, a consumer is exposed to a message three times before she takes notice. To stay visible within the “Goldilocks” range – neither overexposed nor underexposed – requires trial and error tweaking, but the masses can still be drawn in.
 
 
Since not all of us offer tangible goods and a successful business requires a web presence, we’re going to offer a few insights on capturing market share via a manipulation of web presence. If the product is accessible – i.e. priced fairly – visible and sold with clear communication of the differentiating features, it will do its job in creating a wider customer base.
 
With web-centric commerce, take advantage of the host of analytical tools available to design your strategy.
 
1. Site analytics – CMS platforms like Drupal and WordPress, and now Facebook and Twitter, come built-in with reports of daily analytics of interaction and visibility within your audience. As does Google.
 
2. Contextual Advertising – Contextual advertising is built around communicating your message on an online medium based on the content being displayed.
 
3. Press Releases and Search Engine Marketing – Strategically placed product reviews (paid), press releases of new products and ventures and constant tweaking of SEM keywords help increase and keep visibility stable. They move you beyond specific searches and bring your services up at the forefront for generic queries as well. 
 
 
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First Steps to Media Planning

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Ana
Planning a media campaign can be tricky business, mainly because of all the steps that need to be integrated into the process before releasing it into the midst of an environment with seemingly uncontrolled factors. For all the focus groups and pre-launch testing, sometimes investing money in media campaigns can be a very risky venture.
 
However, well-planned efforts can mitigate some of this risk. A media plan requires setting objectives, developing an implementation strategy, identifying channels for implementation, and finally, evaluation of these strategies.
 
 
 
Each of these four steps can develop into a separate discussion, but for now, we’d like to leave you with the basics to consider when you start out with your own media campaign.
 
For smaller businesses, employing a media channel with a larger reach may not always be economically feasible. For example, 30-second prime time TV spots typically run into millions of dollars, which may be a lot more money than most organizations have set aside for their entire marketing budget.
 
To make your decision and spending a little easier, consider the following before investing in a media channel.
 
1. Reach The Reach of your campaign is the number of people who will be exposed to your message and to your product. Before you make the time and monetary investment, consider which channel will give you the most exposure with the highest cost effectiveness.
 
2. Frequency How often do you want your customers to see your message? It takes an average of three repetitions before consumers choose to make a purchase or take an action. 
 
3. Impact Does the medium you’ve chosen fully engage your customers? Does it offer an involvement of the senses or prove to be evocative of them? For example, a TV or YouTube ad can offer visual and sensory appeal, but those stimulations can also evoke other senses via engagement. The key is to offer your customers a positive sensory experience.
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Mobile Advertising Trends to Come

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Ana

Remember the 3 L’s of marketing? The most important tenet of them all? “Location, location, location!” There was a time we heard that phrase being chanted from the rooftops of all the skyscrapers in New York City. Then came the advent of the digital age and Web 2.0, and suddenly we were swept over by banner ads, click-throughs, digital ROI’s, SEO and Google rankings.             

 

Just when we were getting used to the new lingo, we began dancing with business in the Social Media arena (read: Foursquare check-ins). Now, a business isn’t complete if it doesn’t come with a Social Media and mobile advertising strategy. And funnily enough, the new marketing wheel is turning back around to making “Location!” it’s foremost strategy.
 
 
                                   
 
According to Gartner, mobile-ad spending in the U.S. will rise over $3 billion dollars in 2011. eMarketer’s projections are on the more generous side – around $31.3 billion. Despite the disparity in figures, given the number of smart phones out there, clearly, the trend is here to stay.
 
Top 3 Trends to Come
 
1. For the future – 5 years from now – we can expect to see quite a few new developments in Geo-based advertising. Companies that are still targeting consumers by traditional methods, including demographics, will likely begin targeting ads relevant to purchases and mobile locations. (If you feel like you’re being followed, it’s probably true!)
 
2. Expect to see greater interactivity and a richer experience from your mobile ads. Although very appealing, interactive ads are still not the norm in mobile advertising. However, a few years down the road are likely to bring ad narratives that not only elicit a response but also engage people at an emotional level. Let’s just say things are only bound to get much “cooler” from here!
 
3. SMS – Ubiquitously known as text messaging in our corner of the world, advertising by Short Message Service (SMS) will see an increase of dollars being dedicated for its specific use. Why?
 
Immediacy, for one. Customer drive opt-ins for another. And not to forget the fact that text messaging is a low-cost, high-result medium, showing Click-Through Rates (CTR’s) in the mid-teens – approximately 14%, with a conversion rate of 8.22%. 
 
All around, good numbers and good news for the industry. Which trends have you been watching lately? Let us know in the comments!

 

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