Achieve the best impact using Video within your Digital Marketing?

If you don’t currently use video, then you won’t be getting traffic from the next most powerful search engine after Google. Here are 5 top tips to make sure that you benefit from the power of moving media.

Video is an incredibly popular Media; the stats show phenomenal growth.

For example, You Tube has over 48 hours of content uploaded every minute and 2 billion viewers daily. And video sharing sites such as Blip and Vimeo are growing exponentially as well, such is the hunger for new video content.

That’s the background, so the question to ask is, “How can I benefit from video and this high level of interest”?

These 5 top tips will make sure you get a great start.

1. How do you best present what you do? You need a strategy, one which you can develop and grow. Videos tend to be instructional, informative or entertaining – so think about how to communicate what you do in a way that catches the viewer’s interest. Blendtec Blenders provides a great example. In their “Will it Blend, that is the question?” series, they blend a whole series of seemingly ‘Unblendable’ items, to demonstrate the strength and durability of their product in a humorous and light hearted way. Their Blend an iPad video has had nearly 13.5M You Tube hits, creating a phenomenal sales success for them.
2. Establish how best to share it. Make sure that your video is syndicated across the appropriate sites and embed links in your other Social Media activities. Sites such as Vimeo, Blip.tv etc should have uploaded video in a format that allows the viewer easy access and the appropriate quality.
3. Make it snappy. Video is a fast moving medium. Viewers can quickly get bored if the video isn’t to the point and the pace is too slow. So start with something simple and to the point. If you need longer, then split it up into chapters.
4. Make it professional. We are all professional TV viewers, because most of us watch high quality productions on the TV every day! That’s the bench mark to achieve and ‘Home Movies’ rarely cut it. If the production qualities of your video are poor, then that is how your viewers will perceive your business, service or product  to be, so leave ‘Home Movies’ for friends and family.
5. Include a call to action. Whether that’s to sign up as a friend, a request to follow a blog or Twitter handle, or a call to purchase, give the viewer clear instructions as to what to do next, otherwise you will lose them forever.

I have project managed several TV campaigns and used video extensively within Social Media. So when you are considering this area, I would be happy to share my knowledge with you.

Jonathan Wainwright enables organisations to create commercial success through digital marketing, traditional communications and team development.

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What is Social Media Optimisation?

It’s quite clear what Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is all about, but what is SMO?

Now that Social Media is here to stay, the question that arises is, “How can we use it effectively to create customer loyalty and communicate messages to potential customers that will eventually increase sales?” The answer is SMO, as it overlays method and discipline onto Social Media in a way that allows activities to be assessed for ROI.

Because this is new, measurement criteria are not well established. So the challenge is to choose relevant metrics to make the whole area more meaningful and less ‘Wishy-Washy’. To those new to Social Media, it will create confidence as taking this approach means effort and investment can be compared with results.

To start the process I suggest making the following five areas the priority.

1. Measure how interested your audience is in what you are saying. One measure of their interest will be their willingness to share. If you are not achieving this, stop and rethink your activity as this is right at the heart of Social Media. As well as content, think about ways to integrate and measure sharing through different social platforms; web, mobile and email channels etc.
2. Reward activity. Rewarding ‘Liking’ or ‘Tweeting’ information, by an audience, is becoming more common because it can easily be measured.  Essential if you are using Social Media to launch a loyalty or referral programme. Photobox, a company who turn digital media into printed material, provide an excellent example of this. They have a first class referral scheme promoted via both their Website and through Social Media.
3. Know what makes it easier to share. ‘One Click’ makes it easy for viewers to get to the information they want. It also encourages sharing, recommending or bookmarking. Use buttons and other widgets and don’t make your audience jump through hoops or put barriers in their way, as you will considerably reduce the click through rate. Analyse the page positions, media and formats that you use to establish where you get the best results.
4. Measure over the long term. This will help you establish which sharing activities, platforms and types of promotion lead to the best business results; leads, sales or changes in brand preference. It may take many months for a viewer to purchase from you, so don’t expect instant sales. The metrics around the first part of the campaign will most likely be around building critical mass with conversion coming later.
5. Share your expertise and content. Guest Blogging with strategic partners or perhaps creating widgets for embedding or sharing on other sites is a great way to achieve this. Inevitably, as you are appearing within someone else’s media, you are automatically receiving their endorsement. Links between sites like this will also improve search engine rankings. Again, simple metrics enable the impact to be measured.

None of this has to be complicated. Keep it very simple and you will soon get into the habit of checking the figures. That way you will start to quickly get a feel of what works and what doesn’t.

When you are designing your campaigns and planning your activity, think of ways to measure the impact you wish to achieve from the very beginning. It’s a discipline I can help with and one which, when you get right, will have a positive impact on the way you approach digital marketing.

Jonathan Wainwright enables organisations to create commercial success through digital marketing, traditional communications and team development.

Join me on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Digital marketing adds an exciting new dimension to communications

Traditional marketing was all about the product, the 4 P’s; product, price, place and promotion. Digital marketing has radically changed this, as the marketing focus has now become far more customer centric.

The emphasis has moved towards creating ongoing two way dialogue. It’s about creating new ways to purchase too. A good example being the option to buy online and then collect at the store, the customer chooses what’s most convenient for them. And most powerful of all, a brand new dimension enabling customers to communicate directly with each other, which was impossible before social media.

For most Companies, this means re-thinking their marketing and customer communication strategy and those that don’t are unlikely to survive. The impact Digital has is becoming clear. Statistics are available to demonstrate that it isn’t a fad or fashion, it’s now main stream. Last month according to the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor, internet, mail order and telephone sales lifted by 18.5%, when compared with December 2010.

That’s the strongest gain reported by the BRC monitor since December 2010 when non-food, non-store sales rose by 18%. And this has happened during a time of financial uncertainty, squeezed transport costs, job cuts, pay freezes and general high street trauma.

And as Smartphone sales grow, it will continue to gain importance as the digital age places more power in the consumer’s hands than ever before; via both landline and mobile. They have the ability to check prices, assess quality, check availability and understand what other users think, before any contact at all with the seller.

However, it isn’t all one-sided. There are considerable benefits for sellers too. They have the ability to forge stronger customer relationships than before – the Apple syndrome. They can gain new customers through pier group comment, gain valuable feedback for product development and achieve a lower cost per sale by combining high street and mail order distribution.

Inevitably Digital will impact upon every business or organisation. If you are assessing how to respond, then let me explain the relevant pressure points and how digital marketing can have the same positive impact on your business that high retailers enjoyed in December 2011.

Jonathan Wainwright

enables organisations to create commercial success through digital marketing, traditional communications and team development.

Join me on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

 

 

Digital marketing removes the guesswork

The basis is very simple. Unlike the scatter gun approach of traditional media, digital enables you to reach the very heart of the people likely to become your customers. It’s measureable, precise and very effective.

It’s all about two words, ‘Precision targeting’.

And that means very little waste when compared with traditional media.

Google AdWords is a great place to start. AdWords helps you to connect with potential customers in the right place and at the right time, by placing relevant messages on Google search results pages.

The impact can be phenomenal. For example a campaign by Nationwide Insurance had three objectives. Acquire new customers, direct users to agent locations and reinforce their brand. They achieved a 73% increase in their click through rate and a 60% increase in conversions on their branded campaigns.

As a result they now know precisely which branded keywords work best and now have a better understanding of what users were seeking when they searched for the brand.

So, ask yourself these two questions:

1. Why do customers make contact with my business?
2. Do I know the cost per enquiry and conversion for each customer?

And should there be any doubt in your mind, whatsoever, about arriving at an answer then let me explain and show you the positive impact that digital marketing will have upon your business.

Jonathan Wainwright – enables organisations to create commercial success through digital marketing, traditional communications and team development.

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Harnessing the Marketing power of Smartphones

Smartphone’s are fast becoming the phone to have in the UK.

For 2011’s first quarter they represented nearly 50% of all handset sales. And with the peak Christmas period just around the corner, combined with free handset deals, sales will soar.

Through the brand new world of Applications and Widgets, this rise in sales will then have a massive impact on the way products and services are promoted.

It’s creating a whole new way to communicate with prospects, customers and stakeholders.

Let me give you an example. Formula1 racing fans can now get exactly the data the teams’ get in real time. The Formula1 Widget streams race data, direct from Formula One Management’s Technical Centre, to any Smartphone.

Can you imagine the impact of having such an intense dialogue with the people you would like to influence or do business with?

Another example is the use of QR codes. These are now being flashed on TV screens during programmes, included on POS, used at exhibitions and even being used within Newspaper advertising features.

In a matter of seconds the Smartphone captures information embedded within QR Codes, such as promotional URL’s, without the need for any typing. With just one ‘click’ you can communicate stock, offers, special deals etc.

Smartphones offer a fresh, exciting way to communicate. And with this comes a greater opportunity to make your business message stand out.

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Three great ways to make Social Media work harder for you

Social media has changed the way businesses engage with customers. No longer can you ‘Tell’ a customer. They want to ‘Discover’ and be ‘Intrigued’. They want to feel a part of your organisation.

So giving followers or fans links to product information or new services is the quickest way to dampen interest and turn them off. To build a relevant and useful following, you must be more creative and intrigue them.

Here are three ideas to inspire your customers:

1. Ask fans or followers what they want from you. How can you improve your service? What ‘add-ons’ can you
   provide? What would help them make the buying experience more convenient? Make it a 360 degree conversation. Starbucks do this brilliantly with, ‘My Starbucks Idea’. It works because they introduce many of the ideas and give their audiencefeedback, which builds inclusivity.
2. Run a Social Media Promotion. These are techniques that will build following, create interest and gain feedback that you can act upon. Many of Ice Cream maker, Ben & Jerry’s best-selling flavours come from customer suggestions. They ran a ‘Do the World a Flavor’ competition where fans, via a fun online ‘Creation Station’, invented their own variety. Finalists won prizes and the winning flavour became an official Ben & Jerry’s product. Over 100,000 entries achieved!
3. Use Polls or Surveys. Consumers love to share their ideas. So ask them for their opinions and benefit from this knowledge.  Security firm ADT, posted a question on Facebook asking, “We’re curious….what do you think burglars are most afraid of?” Fans gave their answers and discussed opinions via the comments section. The following styles of questions work: The next product or service they would like to see, topical and relevant and tied to the brand, where the answer is clearly of interest, controversial topics,but being careful to avoid associating your organisation with the topic.

Use these techniques to get your Social media followers involved. Don’t ‘Sell’, aim to keep them interested in what you have to say.

That way they will remain or become your best advocates.

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How can you use Social Media to influence customers?

Back in the 90’s, a study of supermarket marketing established that 70% of Brand decisions are made in-store.

Well it wasn’t quite that simple; what they found out was that 70% of shoppers might arrive wanting a jar of coffee, but they only decided which Brand to buy when they were in-store.

And this has long been held as the holy grail of retailing, but things have changed.

Today, over 80% of shoppers claim to make their buying decision before they get to the store.

Everything has turned on its head as a consequence of factors, such as:

1. Greater awareness, to have an emotional control on costs in lean times
2. With less time, knowing exactly what you want makes shopping more efficient
3. Familiarity with check-lists as a consequence of on-line grocery shopping
4. Price comparisons and an upsurge in the use of coupons and multiple offers
5. Unprecedented choice; more Brands, more products
6. Decreasing brand loyalty – supermarkets marketing is designed to encourage shoppers to buy, they really don’t mind which brand
7. The web makes searching for best products and best price, with customer testimonials, easy to find that confirm quality

This means that retailers and manufacturers now need, more than ever before, to establish relationships and awareness with the group of people who may potentially buy their products at a very early stage, well before they are about to buy.

They need to seduce potential customers into thinking about their products, possibly talking about them or maybe trying them. It is a gentle and subtle conversation a million miles away from the aggressive, ‘Buy one, get one free’ approach. It should inspire and
cultivate them, not bash them over the head with special offers. It’s simply a different style of conversation.

This is the perfect hunting ground for effective use of Social media; to charm, delight, tease and generally create a feeling within potential customers that they actually ‘know’ you. In the same way that we feel we know the newscasters and broadcasters we see every day on the television or listen to on the radio.

That’s why social media simply doesn’t work as a separate ‘Channel’. It must be fully integrated with everything that you do, across all the media channels you use, to build different types of dialogue.

And once you understand how this applies to your business or organisation, it will revolutionise the way that you approach Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Blogs and the like. Take a look at this promotion featuring Shrek the Musical and you will see immediately the opportunities they are missing to promote this endearing character.

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Why do some customers fail to buy; even when you sell the benefits?

It’s probably because some of the basic criteria, communicated by your organisation, have been overlooked.

Frederick Herzberg was an American psychologist, one of the most influential names in business management.

He is most famous for introducing ‘Job Enrichment’ and the ‘Motivator – Hygiene theory’. His 1968 publication, ‘One More Time-How Do You Motivate Employees?’ sold 1.2 million reprints and was the most requested article from the Harvard Business Review at the time.

Although his work mainly relates to employees and staff motivation, the same principals can still be successfully applied today, to customers and suppliers.

Herzberg believed that businesses had to meet a series of fundamentals in order for customers to do business with them. He called these Hygiene factors and examples might be; location, brand, size, accreditations, telephone handling, customer contact, delivery trust, turnover, track record of success, financial reserves.

Meeting these criteria, which are specific to each customer, gets you an invitation to the party. However you still have to compete to win the business, regardless of how good your product or service is.

Simply put, fail to meet these Hygiene factors, and no amount of product benefits will work to convert these prospects to customers. A good example of how a Hygiene factor influences customers, was the effect upon financial institutions when they moved towards cheaper offshore call centres; they lost customers in droves.

Have a think about organisations that you know, yet wouldn’t dream of working with. You will inevitably unearth the Hygiene factors that they are failing to meet, when you think about why you feel that way.

That’s why it’s essential when you are exploring your organisation’s ‘Unique Selling Proposition’ (USP), that you make sure possible Hygiene factors are met first. Otherwise it doesn’t matter what the benefits of your service or product are, you will never, according to Herzberg’s theory, attract customers to buy.

And that means you are wasting marketing budget and effort and letting your competitors erode your market.

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How will QR Codes help your organisation?

Short for ‘Quick Response’ codes, these symbols are the next generation bar code. They can store far more information, are quickly and easily generated and can be read by SMART phones.

They are used to provide a way of taking information from transitory media such as POS, brochures, web pages, posters, tickets and putting it onto a SMART phone, so that the user can access the information later – ideal for people on the move.

And for the marketing savvy, they are more useful than barcodes because they can store (and digitally present) much more data, including URL links, GPS coordinates, text, key product features. Instead of requiring a chunky hand-held bar code scanner, they can be read, in the blink of an eye, by modern SMART phones using either iPhone or Android apps.

The SMART phone market in increasing exponentially and as it does the use of these clever symbols will increase too as consumers want a quick and easy way to store information important to them.

How can they be used?

Here are a few examples:

- To create a new dimension to your Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube presence etc.
- Promote product details at shows, exhibitions and retailers POS
- Another channel for communicating contact details, adding them directly into a prospects contact list
- Personalising Special offers, promotions, coupons
- Creating links to other information.

Worldwide, 172 million SMART phones were sold last year, up 24 percent. In contrast, total mobile phone sales were flat at 1.2 billion (Source Gartner 2010).

So early adopters will benefit from this growing opportunity – the only constraint is your creativity.

If you want to decode the QR on this page, save the image and go to this web site.

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With Digital marketing comes accountability

Direct mail and Direct response advertising are very blunt tools compared with the way that modern Digital marketing is now driving sales and completely changing the role of Marketing Directors.

It’s about one word, ‘accountability’.

Digital marketing enables communication, promotion and measurement through multiple channels, enabling the creation of balance between branding, customer retention and sales; something that has never been possible before.

Today’s customers are more demanding and hungry for dialogue. Creativity is essential, the last thing they want is a ‘sales pitch’, the downfall of many a ‘Twitter’ strategy.

Digital marketing enables interactive communication across multiple platforms simultaneously, for example Smartphone, TV, Tablet and Computer. So it’s essential that the creativity and promotional mechanism is appropriate to the channel. Whilst a tablet user might be drawn to an ‘interactive game style’ promotion, a PC user will inevitably respond to a more ‘drill down’ information approach.

The major impact this all has, is that marketing now has a dual role. It can generate well qualified leads and also fill a Company’s sales pipeline.

So, assuming that the appropriate Web Content Management system is in place, organisations can take a critical look at achievement of marketing goals vs. spend vs. revenue generation. For the first time the direct correlation between the three can be measured.

And with this new accountability comes power. The skilled Marketing Director now has the ability to drive revenue for their Company, something that traditionally was once the domain of the Sales Director and previously often a source of conflict and frustration.

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