MondayMorningMarketeer, Traditional vs. Social Media or New Media Advertisement

Listen to original broadcast from September 27, 2010 here:  http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=33960&cmd=tc

What do these diverse businesses have in common?

• ·         Ben and Jerry’s,
• ·         Pizza Hut
• ·         Victoria’s Secret
• ·         Itunes
• ·         Starbucks
• ·         Pringles
• ·         Red Bull
• ·         Coca Cola

·         

Found these sites in August of 2009 to be the most successful of business Facebook Fan Pages.

From Coca Cola to Causes, From Red Bull to Reactions, From Starbucks to Sales, From I Tunes to Industry, social media and new media advertisement is catching on!

According to Mashable:  In the U.S., about 100 million unique visitors flock to the social network every month. Many business owners are among them, using Facebook profiles to promote their companies and create customer communities.   http://mashable.com/2009/09/22/facebook-pages-guide/

Advantages of Facebook Fan Pages.  You can use creativity, it’s interactive.  You can ask questions of your patrons and fans.  This is interactive advertisement at it’s best.  And if it works it’s a living testimony on the net to what worked and the results will now come up in search engines.   And for now other than designing your Fanpage, it’s still free.

You can Niche and Target  If you choose to do ads with Facebook which are going to cost you, you can chose who you target.  People who use social networks often divulge a plethora of personal information in their profiles, which can prove useful to advertisers.   Facebook lets you pick and choose which groups you would like your ads to reach. Companies can target ads based on a user's profile information, such as age, gender, location, college, relationship status, and interests. You can choose to target people who are fans of your company's Facebook page or friends of your fans.  Or avoid your fans altogether, if your goal is to broaden your pool of customers.

Can’t do this with TV, radio and print, you are just out there and sometimes it’s equivalent to pissing in the wind.

With Traditional you are stuck, with New Media you can Test, test -- and test some more

Ad prices on Facebook are determined by auction, as they are on Google AdWords. So you can get some good deals.  You can pay based on either the number of times people see the ad or the number of times people actually click on it. Imagine however spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on traditional print or broadcasting ads with no conversions and you are stuck with the contract.  Online media is much more flexible.  If you test it and it is not working then do something else and test it again.

One of my personal favorites is LinkedIn.  Join a bunch of groups and put up useful, thoughtful discussions.  As Dan Kennedy, Marketing Guru says, it pays to be out there but the operative phrase here is “you are not paying. “ Additionally I prefer the organic way of doing business and Twitter is also one of them.

Twitter has come a long way from just, “Let’s follow each other on twitter.”  You can’t possibly follow all those people’s tweets.  So I use twitter Lists.  Here’s what Mashable, the premier online marketing site says:   “… you can create a list that groups together people for whatever reason (the members of your family, for example), and then you can get a snapshot of the things those users are saying by viewing that list’s page, which includes a complete tweet stream for everyone on the list. Lists allow you to organize the people you’re following into groups, and they even allow you to include people you’re not following.”

For instance publicity hound that I am, I have media lists and follow others media lists. I also follow lists of marketing people!  Why you ask?  Because marketing people are the biggest supporters and purchasers of marketing tools, webinars and seminars.  Cross learning is rampant in the business. I am sorry but Nielsen ratings are not as real time as “trending topics” are fickle and change from day to day.

I also suggest Google Trending Topics.  You can find out what people are talking about and link it to your advertisement campaign.

But we are talking about advertisement.  Tim Kendall, Facebook's director of monetization says it's worth testing both payment types on Facebook ads to see which is more cost effective.   David Berkowitz, senior director of emerging media and innovation for 360i, a digital marketing agency suggests spending about $20 or so for a small ad buy using both methods. "It's incredibly cheap to run tests," says Berkowitz. Look at your click throughs and also analyze your conversion rates.

Track your ROI

On anything that you do you should be able to track your ROI.  Online advertising allows you to use many tracking tools.  For the sake of this broadcast we like Google Analytics.  With traditional advertisement on TV and Radio and in print, you have to use a complicated promo code which buyers may or may not use and let’s face it, it’s one more deterrent to purchase because it requires another step.

If it’s broke, fix it

Many companies write their own ads, which may include a short headline, ad copy of 135 characters or fewer, and a small image. Careful crafting and recrafting of your short messages whether they are ad words, tweets, linked in or Facebook updates can be changed easily if you are not getting response.  If a contracted ad is not working, you are paying to get it redone.

For Facebook's list of common advertiser mistakes, go to facebook.com/ads/mistakes.php.

Finally what about advertising on archived podcasts and Talkcasts.  When you advertise on terrestrial radio or network or cable television, once your spots are over, they are over.   But if you advertise on a Talkcast or podcast, it’s normally archived ad infinitum.  Traditionally listeners listen to Talkcasts, podcasts and webinars through archives long after the fact.

As a matter of fact for a little shameless self promotion, I have four niche Talkcasts where you can advertise, depending on your niche and the price is right!

MondayMorningMarketeer™

TechnoGrannyShow™

PositivelyPittsburghLive™

ProfessionalswithImpact™

TEchnoGrannyMeetsTravelinGranny™

For additional information you can email me at:  info@mondaymorningmarketeer or call me by the Google Phone on the side of my blog.  It’s free to call.

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Joanne Quinn-Smith 2011, Monday Morning Marketeer™ 412-628-5048

Listen at:  http://tinyurl.com/MondayMorningMarketeer

Blog:  www.marketingmondaymorning.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

www.positivelypittsburghlivemgazine.com

Joanne Quinn-Smith is the Creative Energy Officer of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and an expert on Web 2.0 Branding.

Joanne has also been designated by the 2009 U.S. Small Business Administration as the Small Business Journalist of the Year for her work with information relevant to and advocacy of small businesses.

Follow at:  https://twitter.com/monmornmarketer

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/joannequinnsmith

412-628-5048

Legendary Santa Claus Type Customer Service

. Listen to the original fifteen minute webinar from December, 2009 here.  http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=33960&pageNumber=1&pageSize=15

Christmas has come and gone and if your kids are like my younger grandchild, the Santa Claus thing is not quite scaring them anymore and they are back to being unruly and you have got to think of something new to challenge them to behave.  It's just not close enough to Christmas and they are still enjoying their haul from this visit from Santa Claus.  But as an "adult" business owner, even if you are still enjoying your "haul" from Christmas, what are you doing to make the rest of the year, "just like Christmas" for your customers. Santa Claus is coming to town at the end of this year, will you be ready?  If he checks off the list for your customer service, will you be listed naughty or nice?


Here are some tips that spell out Christmas and could help you to give Customer Service like Santa Claus all year long.




C    Christmas Attitude all year round:  At Christmas people are giving and warm and polite, they smile a lot and wish you all types of good will.  Here’s a novel idea.  Create a Christmas climate in your business all year long.  Think it’s hard for you to do this and how will you have the time?  Imagine Santa in his sleigh visiting all those people around the world in one night.  Wow, sort of puts things in perspective doesn’t it.
Simple thins to put into effect, how about warm wishes and smiles.  Santa Claus was a jolly fellow and as a child I wondered where he was the rest of the year and what he did in the heat of the summer.  Well, wherever he summered I am sure that he did not put his “good will” in the closet.  Find ways to create good will in your business all year long.  It may be as simple as a thank you e-mail, a thank you card or calling once in a while to keep in touch.




H   Heart:  Reading a book called Cash in a Flash and it talks about Wowing yourself.   Your goal should be to put so much heart into your Customer service that as a customer,  YOU would not go anywhere else but to YOU.  Little things count as well as big.  A little extra, the huge red bow on top of the car when it’s delivered.  A new shop in the West End, Zoe’s Herbs and Teas has honey sticks for customers teas—no more sticky fingers.  Nakama Japanese Restaurant and Sushi bars adds  lighted ice cubes to cocktails.  Other bars add an inexpensive umbrella.  Would you feel special as your client?  Remember the Santa Claus experience is filled with a child’s eyes going, “Wow, “ how exciting, how special!”




R—Repeat Customers are a great source of income much easier to keep an old customer and cheaper 
than to attract a new one.  Do you have a relationship with your customer?  Do they feel like they are part of your family, your business family.  Special events and special deals are not just for the outside world.  I just heard of a Pet Salon who had a customer appreciation Day for the owners of the pets.  She brought in chair massages and wax hand treatments for the owners of the pets.  She traded out with pet owners who had the services she needed.  Who is in your network that can make this happen?  Take note:  Santa is a guy that kids wait for all year.  Do your customers wait on you because you have a relationship with them or will they bolt at the first sign of a better price?




I   Individuality is important.  I recently had a friend who told me that her husband came home one day and said that he was leaving because he needed his individuality.  Aside from my compassion for my friend I thought, what if your customers felt the same way.  Are you constantly trying to force a product down their throat that they may or may not need.  Have you thought about doing an in person survey with your best customers to find out what new product or service would excite them?  The best businesses are adapted to the customer’s needs.  Remember when you spend your ill gotten or hard earned profits, you are spending your customers money?  Santa would never bring you a toy jeep when you really wanted a fire truck.




S--- Service, service, service!  Find extra ways to go above and beyond.  One of my clients is a dry cleaner and wanted to figure out a way to help others and his customers too.  We found a program called Dress for Success which takes in business clothing for women getting back into the workplace after unfortunate circumstances.  He served his clients by becoming a drop off center for the clothing so that his ladies could clean out their closets and he served the community also. What can you do extra for your clients and for your community.  I am reminded of Santa’s knee where you can leave other concerns besides what you want for Christmas.




T   Time:  Give your customers your time.  Find out about their families and their goals and dreams.  It may be just a way to get to know them but it will give you that special edges.  Relate to your customers on a personal level, using phone calls, thank-you notes, personally selected items and in-store conversations that show you care. Santa visits each house himself.




M   Memories—make memories with your family of clients.  Be the one who showed up when someone was sick or helped during a family crisis.  Some times just the offer of help is a great thing.  Here’s where those customer service parties help.  I will bet you that a free networking event of all of your clients where they can meet each other would inspire some cross marketing, some friendships.  I have an attorney client who has a Christmas party every year.  His clients not only come to seek him out but he makes sure to introduce everyone and next year the people who met because of him look for each other.  Ever met someone in the Santa line that you bumped into the following year and it was pleasant to run into them, wasn’t it???




A   “A” rate your customers and your prospects.  They need to feel like they are the finest people in the world.  Santa is of course always in a rush but even in the busy department stores the good “Santas” find out something special about each child.  What do you know about your clients that makes them special.  How do you make each one of them feel special?




S  Say it loud, say it clear 365 days a year, the people who do business with you are the finest people in the world.  JoAnn Forrester of SI Business Associates sends out an e-mail.  Has been doing it for years.  It’s called Weekly Biz Thoughts.  Since most of her clients are business owners these are daily tips to help business owners and entrepreneurs get through their week.  This keeps her in their thoughts every day of the week and for 30 years plus people have been coming back to her and referring customers to her.  What do kids do when Christmas Day has come and gone, they are counting the days until NEXT Christmas.  You should be counting the days of the year and every day finding a new way to keep in touch with your clients to provide valuable information to them.




D  Doing is better than talking about it.  If you promise to find some information even about a product that you don’t provide or a service or make a contact, be sure to do that for your prospects and clients.  Good will always comes back to you.  How do you think that so many people knew about Santa or some legendary gift and merriment giver long before books?  Because someone passed the word along about this jolly fellow.  No good deed remains unrewarded either by the recipient or someone who hears about it.




A  Always put your customer first.  Make sure that you listen to their wants and needs.  Anticipate their latest and newest concern.  Remember Santa makes a list and checks it twice.  Are you continually gauging your customer’s satisfaction with your product and service?  You should be!




Y  Yesterday is gone and you can continue to live on it for some time.  But just like the Janet Jackson Song your Customers will want to know, “What Have You Done for Me Lately?”  How about cross promotions for non competitive businesses that help both your customer base and another business.  A newsletter with good tips related to your services but not selling anything.  Start making a list.  Those kiddies are already thinking about What Santa Will be bringing them next year.




E  Extras.  Always give something to your clients, a free report, online free seminars, gift wrapping.  If you are on a budget how about a call or e-mail on holidays they might like to remember.  Ask them for birthday and anniversaries not just for themselves but for family members so if you have gifts items for sale they will not only get a reminder to buy the gift but they might buy it from you.  Use your imagination.
So it’s 331 days until Christmas and as the Santa Claus to your customers what are you doing to help them to be GOOD Customers and hang with you until Christmas and beyond?

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Joanne Quinn-Smith 2011, Monday Morning Marketeer™ 412-628-5048

Listen at:  http://tinyurl.com/MondayMorningMarketeer

Blog:  www.marketingmondaymorning.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

www.positivelypittsburghlivemgazine.com

Joanne Quinn-Smith is the Creative Energy Officer of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and an expert on Web 2.0 Branding.

Joanne has also been designated by the 2009 U.S. Small Business Administration as the Small Business Journalist of the Year for her work with information relevant to and advocacy of small businesses.

Follow at:  https://twitter.com/monmornmarketer

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/joannequinnsmith

Phone:  412-628-5048