Bedtime for marketing principles…

Anton J van Rensburg ~ 29 October 2010 

Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever. 

The most common problem I see in companies is the inability to describe what they do in simple language; the second biggest problem is bringing that description to life with stories. 

I’m sometimes surprised at the great stories I hear from companies that aren’t being told in their marketing materials.  Sometimes I think it’s because companies are afraid that storytelling will come across as unprofessional or they don’t think that it’s appropriate to tell them in anything other than a face to face meeting.  

Hogwash! Or like the outspoken Chris Moerdyk would say in his regular feature in Advantage, “Jou moer!” 

Then there is Seth Godin who said, “The market for something to believe in is infinite”. 

The world has always been organised into tribes, groups of people who want to – need to – connect with each other, with a leader and with a movement. The products, services and ideas that are gaining currency faster than ever are the ones that are built for and on a tribe philosophy. 

Harley Davidson and Apple are titanic brands for this very reason. They sell a chance to join a group that matters. They tell their stories and people repeat what they’ve heard and experienced. 

The punch line though is that the only way to lead a tribe is to lead it. And that means that marketing is now about leadership, about challenging the status quo and about connecting people who can actually make a difference. If you can’t do that, don’t launch your site, your product, your non-profit or your career. Not everyone is going to be a leader. But everyone isn’t going to be successful, either.

Success is now the domain of people who lead. That doesn’t mean they’re in charge, it doesn’t mean they are the CEO, it merely means that for a group, even a small group, they show the way, they spread ideas, they make the change.

How to get fans and evolve your social media strategy

http://www.themediaonline.co.za/themedia/view/themedia/en/page1353?oid=50475&sn=Detail&pid=1221

 

 

If you tweet, will they come? Not if your brand doesn’t have something really great on offer, writes Chris Botha

 

Social media is like teen sex. Everyone wants to do it. Nobody knows how. When it’s finally done there is surprise it’s not better Avinash Kaushik, Analytics Evangelist, Google

 

Social Media has been one of the hottest, most discussed topics on advertising forums for the past few years. Every strategy that leaves a planner’s desk is expected to have some form of social media element to it. It is Facebook this, Twitter that, and MySpace everywhere.

The reason for these platforms being so popular is because they attract massive numbers (Facebook has an estimated 2,5-million SA users) and the fact that consumers lovingly interact with the medium for hours on end (ask any employer who allows his staff access to the site).

But in my opinion brands are doing… well… a really crap job of it so far. Too many brands are jumping in feet first into this new space without doing the “back end” due diligence. They expect that if you merely create a Facebook site, or Twitter account, every single person that has ever bought from you will want to interact with your brand on a very personal level.

Example – the other day I heard an ad on radio for a travel agent, advertising the fact that you can follow their brand on Twitter and on Facebook. Here is the catch though – if you follow the brand, you stand a chance of winning an I-pod. So basically- it is bribery. They are saying that if you make as if you are a fan of ours, we might give you something.

I am on Twitter and follow Lance Armstrong, Victor Matfield, John Smit and Bill Gates because I am interested in what they have to say (or their PR Agents at least). On Facebook I am a fan of the Free State Cheetahs and Will Ferrell – because these are two of my favourite things! If this travel agent wants me to put them up as high as Lance, the Cheetahs and Will Ferrell, they are going to have to do a hell of a lot more than give me a 1 in 10 000 chance of winning an I-Pod.

Here is where the brand’s value becomes critical. Which brands have such inherent values that their users will follow them on Twitter and Facebook, and not miss a beat of what they have to say – without being bribed, simply because they love the brand so much?

Well, Apple for starters has done an amazing job. The brand is loved by its users, and in Steve Jobs they have an icon who has people hanging on his lips. Apple realised that they need to first build the brand value, and “fans” will come.

MINI is another. In 2009, at the height of the recession, they celebrated their 50^th birthday in Clarens in the Free State. Thousands of MINI drivers drove down to this little town to celebrate the birthday of the brand. They have tons of fan pages on Facebook, most of which were created by the fans – and not by the brand. There is even an unofficial fan club called “MINI-acs” that adopt social causes, and socialise together. The one thing they have in common is their love for the brand.

Again, not created by the brand, but because of the brand.

But some brands just aren’t sexy I hear you say? I mean, how do you make a product like insurance or banking sexy and “worthy” of following.

I think there is a space for any brand on social media, as long as you do it exceptionally well. Virgin Money created a “beat your bank manager” social media online game that was very successful. Users could go online, and play a game where you beat your bank manager with a hammer. All built around the simple promise that useless creatures like bank managers are removed when you bank with them. Fantastic, entertaining, engaging! And from a bank. What a great way of interacting with users in an online space, without expecting them to receive Tweets from you on what their current interest rate is that they offer.

So where am I going with all of this? I guess my message is to ensure that you develop and build your brand, and then try and develop a social media strategy, and not try and develop your brand by having a social media strategy. Create fans like Lance Armstrong and MINI did. By doing amazing things, by creating amazing products, by investing in what matters. Then you get fans.

Maximise your online presence by choosing the right supplier

http://www.themediaonline.co.za/themedia/view/themedia/en/page1353?oid=50053&sn=Detail&pid=1221

 

With over 1.8-billion internet users worldwide, having a strong online presence is fundamental to a successful PR and marketing strategy, but for those companies who do not have the internal capabilities, how do you choose the correct supplier?

Trusted supplier The online space is extremely competitive. When choosing a supplier, go with one that has a track record and will still be in business in a year’s time. To ensure this happens speak to people in the relevant industry, so that when you do make a decision you already have a solid base to work from.

Pitch Once you have chosen two or three suppliers to pitch, ask them to provide your company with an analysis of your website, online presence and a strategy on how best to proceed.  This will showcase whether they understand your business and more importantly if they can deliver on what they say.

To ensure this happens, ask the right questions to the potential suppliers:

• What online services do you offer that will make a difference to my business and how?
• Can you give examples of similar businesses where you have made a difference?

Once you have a better understanding of what they can deliver, test their online knowledge by asking things like; why is the current website ranked so low, what do you think of the content and how would you change it? By having a detailed list of questions you can separate the good old techi from the experienced business enabler, helping you make an informed decision.

Advertising platforms A good supplier should have a detailed knowledge of online advertising platforms and be able to translate the strategic value for your business. If you are looking for a cost effective, measurable platform, that can build both brand awareness and drive sales, then online advertising is an ideal tool.

The success of online advertising is based on constant research and analysis. In order to be truly successful, you need to tweak both your web content and that of your adverts on a regular basis. Your online service partner should therefore provide you with weekly or monthly reports detailing the click throughs to your site as well as what can be done to improve on the number and quality of leads.

Be careful of being tied into contracts that don’t deliver results, avoid advertising where you are paying for impressions. Pay per click is cost effective and most importantly measurable as you can see exactly how many people have clicked on your advert.

Online advertising has evolved, with Google Adwords now reigning supreme. This doesn’t however mean it is the only option; Facebook is becoming highly effective as is Microsoft advertising. There are also various other options including banner advertising, which will continue to evolve. Depending on the sector you operate in this can be effective, but once again be careful of paying for impressions, a good supplier will warn you against this.

To ensure a successful long term relationship with your online supplier ask them to conduct a test phase, this will share the risk for both parties and create realistic expectations going forward.

Ongoing Analysis When a supplier sends you a monthly analytics report, make sure it is not just a generic report. Reports should be strategic, providing insight and suggested actions. An online expert is meant to save time, not waste it. If you are operating a business focusing solely on South Africa, seeing a geographic breakdown of your traffic offers no value, it might look nice, but that’s probably about it. Reports should be tailored to your exact needs and your company should expect no less.

Analysis is fundamental to a sustainable online presence, you need a research minded supplier who is constantly looking at ways to improve you positioning and drive high quality leads to your site.

If 90% of your browsers are being sent to your contact us page, you need to know why and what action needs to be taken to change this. Unless you are Google and ranked number one for web traffic, you should always look at ways to improve your online presence.

Social Media If your supplier talks about the rapid growth of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Digg, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is suited to your business. Before you get tied into a social media contract ask the supplier to provide you with a detailed strategy, including objectives and if possible expected results. Facebook may have 400 million users, but unless there is value behind using it, it’s probably best to stay clear.

With more and more people across various age groups interacting with social media it will continue to grow as a business tool, but before embarking on a strategy, make sure it is strategic and most importantly suited to your businesses needs.

Holistic  The online space is all about integration, whether its website development, PR and marketing or SEO. To ensure a strong online presence, all these parties need to work closely together.  These responsibilities need to be made clear upfront to ensure you don’t pay twice for the same service. If there are any issues about who does what, make sure it is clear, to ensure that you don’t spend your time managing your suppliers.

If you don’t have the capabilities in-house, look for trusted supplier who can deliver on their promises to further enhance your traditional marketing and communications efforts.

DUO specialises in strategic marketing + communications to the South African information and communications technologies (ICT) industry. We market our clients locally and globally and service global clients operating in the local market.