Posts Tagged ‘advertising’
Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
For those who didn’t know, I teach at the University of SC in the Journalism School; Mass Communications and Information Studies to be “proper.” But being a graduate of the “Journalism School,” back in the day when that word was still used in the name, it will always be the “J-School” to me.
I teach Advertising Campaign Strategy to graduating seniors. (at least they think they are graduating. They have to pass this class first.) And it’s the time in the course calendar where we discuss “communication tactics” as part of the strategy. In the lecture portion of my class last week here were a few general points I made about communication tactics that sometimes get overlooked: (more…)
Tags: advertising, advertising failures, brand equity, brand loyalty, Branding, business barriers, business gains, creative marketing strategy, Creativity, marketing, marketing performance, social media marketing
Posted in Branding, Creativity, email marketing, Great Ideas, Highly Recommended, internet marketing, New Ideas, Research, Social Media, Traditional Media, twitter, What we're working on now | 2 Comments »
Monday, October 25th, 2010
Are you in retail? Social media will drive more holiday purchase decisions this year than ever. In fact, 27 percent of last year’s holiday shoppers were influenced in some way by social media; 59 percent used search engines as their first choice for gift finding. Plus, keep in mind that 47 percent of consumers will have already started their holiday shopping by the end of October!
How can you as a local retailer engage shoppers using social media to drive revenue this holiday season? Let’s start with several low-cost and creative ideas that you can put in place this week to start off the holiday shopping season with a social media kick.
- Start now with social media. Building a following on Facebook and Twitter, or through some simple product videos or blog posts can pay dividends as we near the holiday season, especially when last-minute shoppers are seeking local options.
- Get reviewed online. Like signage in a retail store, customer reviews on Google and Facebook draw attention and help differentiate between similar retailers. More than 70 percent of consumers trust recommendations from reviewers and recent studies show 83 percent of all holiday shoppers this year will be influenced by customer reviews.
- Be helpful with your holiday messaging. Social media is really about sharing useful content with your audience. Make their gift-finding easier by offering helpful ideas and information, and you’ll be rewarded with increased loyalty, recognition, store traffic and online “word of mouth.” Think about the gift-giving challenges of your customers, and speak to those needs with your Facebook posts or Twitter tweets.
- Use social media with traditional marketing. If you distribute flyers, postcards or do any form of advertising, include your social-media links everywhere your customers see your name. Don’t forget the in-store applications, where something as simple as sticking a printed “Follow us on Facebook” card in each shopping bag can help boost followers and online word-of-mouth marketing.
- Use pictures and videos where possible. Whether you sell hand soap, jewelry or pheasant hunting trips, research shows that people respond to posts with photos and video much more favorably than to simple text postings. Remember, you’re trying to tell your story, and any imagery you can use to help tell that story will bring in more holiday business.
Need help? We’re good. Ask anybody. Give us a call!
Tags: advertising, brand loyalty, business barriers, marketing, marketing performance, relationship marketing, social marketing, social media marketing
Posted in Branding, Creativity, Great Ideas, Highly Recommended, internet marketing, New Ideas, Social Media, Traditional Media | No Comments »
Thursday, September 30th, 2010
This is my “just back from vacation” article. You remember vacations, right? The place you go to relax and forget about “real life,” the place you go to re-think and clear your head. That place. My place this year was Edisto Island, S.C. pictured here by my friend John Sinclair and taken from the deck of the house a bunch of friends shared for a week. Just look at that moonlit horizon. You remember horizons, right? The imaginary line that recedes as you approach it. Happiness is like that for some people. Are you one of them? Do you think of happiness as being out there for you “someday, maybe, as soon as…? Just like those horizons?
Now before you get offended and write me a snippy little email, consider the words of a man who lived 2,000 years ago. “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn…‘” Evidently people two thousand years ago – just like people today – believed moods were the result of circumstances and environment. But unless you suffer from a chemical imbalance, I believe your mood is the result of where you’ve chosen to focus your attention.
While I didn’t really want to come back to work, from vacation (sorry clients- like you but didn’t really miss you), it made me able to re-think what I’m doing and how I do it. Here is my thought: (more…)
Tags: advertising, advertising failures, brand loyalty, Branding, business barriers, business gains, call to action, Catapult Effect, change your business, changing your life, creative ideas, creative marketing strategy, Creativity, marketing, Social Media
Posted in About Us | No Comments »
Thursday, September 9th, 2010
In my previous entry I wrote about Nordstrom and their commitment to the customer “over” social media marketing. I’ll let you read it to catch up. But to continue the conversation, the differences are vast. It’s the difference between using social media tools and adopting social media philosophy; the difference between sparking posts about your marketing and posts about your product or service; the difference between marketers who focus externally on how the brand is broadcast versus internally on how the brand is realized.
Several years ago I woke up one morning and had a voicemail message; no missed calls, just a message. I clicked my voicemail and listened intently and then humorously as Samuel L. Jackson called me by name, called out a friend’s name and told me some wild story—all while issuing a tirade of expletives. It was a computer generated promotion for the yet to be released movie, “Snakes on a Plane.”
(more…)
Tags: advertising, brand equity, Branding, business gains, creative marketing strategy, Creativity, marketing, marketing performance, relationship marketing, Social Media, social media marketing
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Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
There is a BIG difference.
As a lot of my friends know that several weeks ago I was in a shoe shopping mood. I put it out on Facebook for some suggestions of where to go, knowing all along where I was most likely to go, but still wanted to see what people would suggest. Here’s how it went:
Retailer #1- I spent 15 minutes trying to find someone to offer assistance. The only employees to be found were behind checkout counter with a long line. I left frustrated.
Retailer #2- I walked into a store that looked like hell’s storage room (or my teenage son’s bedroom) with deep piles of shoes that hadn’t been restocked, used footies, etc. I left disgusted.
Retailer #3- I finally went to Nordstrom at SouthPark Mall. As always, the store was clean and well staffed. I got attention and helpful assistance from a sales associate and guess what— I bought shoes.
(more…)
Tags: advertising, advertising failures, brand loyalty, Branding, creative marketing strategy, marketing, social marketing, Social Media, social media marketing
Posted in About Us | No Comments »
