Social Media Here to Stay Or?

Social Media: Waste of Time or Next Revolution

Almost every day there is a buzz in the media regarding social media and its effect on our pop culture. Weird names like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook continue to be shuffled in front of us and it’s sometimes hard to make heads or tails of it all.

As a non-techy type of guy, I can relate to the confusion. However, I have been an avid user of social media for the past year and it has dramatically altered my life and business for the better. For many newcomers, it’s important to take the first step and learn the basics in order to understand its relevance to you.

In order to effectively utilize social media, it is important to recognize what you want social media to do. Are you looking to increase sales, develop a cult following, or brand your product or service? If you can answer that question first, it will be much easier to begin and not waste valuable time using an ineffective social media forum.

There are literally hundreds of choices out there and it can be very confusing to know which way to go. Let’s start with the two best: LinkedIn and Twitter.

Let’s say for example that you are interested in developing more sales. The first place to start would be with LinkedIn. Next to the advent of the cell phone, I have never been witness to a stronger sales tool than LinkedIn.

In a nutshell, LinkedIn allows you to link together with your connections, thereby creating a virtual universe of your best business advocates which allows you to develop quality introductions through these connections. This is the circus equivalent of a mind reader looking into a crystal ball.

Imagine being able to look at your client’s list of friends and associates prior to asking for a referral. In addition, you can search through LinkedIn’s 40 million users to find inside connections which are generated through your connections in the system. Powerful!

To make this simple, there are three keys to being effective on LinkedIn; create a complete profile, develop your LinkedIn universe, and move forward to create the best connections. If you have no idea where to begin, try finding a local LinkedIn seminar or online Webinar that can get you started. My firm regularly runs events called, “Tekworking” which assists many beginners to effectively utilize these tools. Lastly, there are tutorials directly on the site that might be helpful.

Another name that may have been driving you crazy lately is Twitter. You hear people talking about tweeting and twittering and think to yourself, “Are you kidding me?” Believe it or not, there is a silver lining in the gray cloudy mass called Twitter.

As you may or may not know, marketing and branding is about how you control the message to your prospective clients or audience. Today, your company or personal brand may actually be controlled by the millions of people chatting on Facebook and Twitter every day. If you’re not there to defend and drive your brand, it is very possible that others will. And they may not be so kind.

In addition, many people are using Twitter to drive their brand and get “famous” in their field. A close friend of mine used this strategy on Twitter and became known as the foremost expert in his field. By routinely chatting on Twitter and intelligently answering questions for people in his industry, he developed a cult-like following. Less than one year after building his own personal brand, he was aggressively sought after for his expertise and experience in his field.

Whether you are looking for a new job, attempting to drive your brand, or want to find people that share the same affinities as you, Twitter is a fantastic social media tool.

Once you learn the basics of social media, you will soon find how easy and effective these new business platforms are to use. Invest some time to educate yourself on what’s out there and decide which will produce the best return for your investment of time.

Saludos:
Jerry

Social Media and your Brand

How can social media help your brand?


As part of an integrated marketing plan, social media is the online marketing element that can best be described as the new word-of-mouth marketing. In the past consumers didn't have any control over marketing messages but new technology gives consumers power by allowing them to decide which brands they want to engage with.

This shift in power makes it vitally important for brands to entice consumers to want to engage with them. Social media present brands with the opportunity to engage with consumers and get them to spread the brand message. When this is done correctly, social media can turn brand ambassadors into brand evangelists.

With so many platforms available anyone with Internet access can become a publisher through networks like Facebook, Twitter and so many others. Consumers can publish their opinions, experiences and thoughts whilst choosing who they want to interact with. Thus, social media gives consumers the power to have their voice heard.

Social media ties in with other online marketing elements like search engine optimisation (SEO) and online reputation management (ORM) as part of an online marketing strategy. It’s a mistake to think that social media and search are mutually exclusive. Twitter or Facebook profiles and blogs are showing up more frequently on the first page of search engine results, whether the group, fan page or blog is owned by the brand or not. In terms of your “Google CV� it looks good if the group or blog post is of a positive nature, praising the service of a brand, but it is a completely different story when it is negative. For instance on the first page of Google’s search results for “SAA� the blog “SAA Sucks� is listed. This of course is where Online Reputation Management (ORM) is all too important to include as part of your social media campaign strategy.

Unfortunately, social media is not as easy as setting up a Twitter account, creating a Facebook fan page and ticking social media off on your marketing to-do list. Social media requires continuous activity and engagement. Amongst other things, social media platforms can be utilised to execute ORM. For instance, by using search.twitter.com… brands can see what is being said about them in the Twittersphere. Vida e Caffé is one of the South African brands using Twitter to their benefit. Others include Virgin Active South Africa, First National Bank and iBurst. These brands use Twitter to respond to questions, complaints, compliments and offer advice.

You don't have to be everywhere, but it is important to have a presence on the more mainstream social networks like Twitter and Facebook. When a brand decides to engage with its consumers through social media there are a few generally accepted conventions to which one should adhere, for instance:

- Do not spam your readers and followers with marketing messages and promotional offers - Encourage dialogue and be interactive, remember it is a conversation! - Always respond to questions, queries and comments, whether it is good, bad or ugly

When a brand offers valuable content it is sure to see ROI from social media. Social media marketing can be complicated to execute, especially when it comes to closing the loop, maintaining consistency and starting a viral effect. If you would like to know how social media can enhance awareness for your brand as part of an online marketing strategy, contact CMT Creative Marketing for a consultation.

Smart Growth Is Creative Pearls of Wisdom

From our Silver Fox Round Table: Ideas from Len Fuchs

• Leaders build confidence in the future.
• Being a leader requires constant effort that is never completed
• Clarity by leaders builds confidence in an organizations ability to face the future
• When leaders believe that things are good enough, mediocrity begins to set in
• Successful leaders make time in their schedule to do two daily exercises- schedule time to think and do physical exercise

That's enough for today!
SALUDOS..

Simple Tactics That Drive Website Traffic

Luckily, over the last 2 months I’ve helped launch over 10 sites and quickly drive them to large amounts of relevant traffic and lots of feed subscribers. With this in mind, I wanted to put together a selection of what I’ve learned; this isn’t going to be ground-breaking and you might know some of it, but putting them all in one place should make for this useful resource.


1. Utilize MyBlogLog
If you’ve never heard of MyBlogLog (where have you been?) then I’ll give you a quick run down. Basically, MyBlogLog is a Yahoo owned community based around your blog and its readers. When you sign-up you get to fill out your profile1 and even register your community2 which is for readers of your blog to show support. You’ll notice that any fans of your blog who are already on MBL are likely to register as part of your community. MBL also offer blog statistics, I used to use them a while ago but because of a few issues in the service i.e. some people could appear as Shoemoney when visiting sites, so I lost a bit of trust in them. My favourite part of MyBlogLog is that whenever you visit a site with their ‘visitors’ widget’, your profile is going to be shown3. Therefore, it is important to pick a relevant username and a memorable avatar. This is excellent for branding and you’ll also notice a few people checking out your profile on the site.


2. Register on Twitter- make sure everything is linked to your url and blog.
3. Sign-Up to Gravatar-This one is relatively simple but it is definitely effective for branding and comment traffic. Gravatars are the avatars that show up next to comments on many blogs (this is increasing all the time) and is built by the same team that builds Wordpress.
4. Register on StumbleUpon-
5. Start Leaving Comments-Last but definitely not least in the list is to start leaving comments on other blogs. Your digital footprint allows you to build community, create links, develop your voice and see what others are reading and commenting on.


Stayed Tuned:
Saludos

Social Media What It Means to You and Your Business

This is a good example on the growing trend and or the importance of how social media has and will continue to evolve. I am looking at different perspectives which include the good, the bad and the ugly which helps us speak to our clients on how, where and when to jump in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8&feature=player_embedded

It's Friday, some thoughts on people we spoke with this week about how they grew their business:

1. Our screen printer started in their garage now owns a commercial building, husband and wife. Yes, they disagree but the bottom line they made their business work because they built relationships. I was impressed to learn they do all the screen printing for several major Houston universities. Congratulations!
2. My mechanic 28 years in business I asked him his secret, he said LUCK...but as we spoke, I found he really loved cars not people that drove them but cars. He took his passion for cars and became a people person and 28 years later his business is like a Maserati cruising along.

Enjoy your weekend continue to read, explore and think around the issues!

Saludos:
Jerry/CMT

Smart Growth Is Creative Marketing Results

How long will it take to get marketing results?

We get asked this question all the time. Prospects and clients alike want to know when they can expect to see results from their marketing efforts. Ah, if only it were that cut and dried.

There are many factors that influence reaction time to a marketing tactic.  Let’s take a look at a few of them and you’ll begin to see that this is not an exact science but there are things you can do to impact your effectiveness.

How often do people need/want it? If you run a restaurant or sell ice cream – you’re in luck. Mail a coupon on Tuesday and you might see the family, coupon in hand, by Saturday. But on average, someone buys a car every 3-5 years.  Own a car dealership and you might wait 18+ months after your first ad or tweet to see that person in your door.

Who the heck are you? Does the consumer recognize your brand?  Do they know what you are all about?  Do they know what makes you different from your competitors?

Who else is talking? Just like at a party, if you are the only voice talking, it’s a lot easier to be heard.  But, if you are one of many and others are talking louder and faster – you can easily get lost in the din.

Where are you talking? What would happen if you stood up right in the middle of a church service and started talking?  You’d get noticed, wouldn’t you?  That’s because you are doing something unexpected in an unexpected place.

What are you saying? The most important factor of all. Are you talking about what the consumer cares about or are you talking about you?

How are you poised to influence any or all of these factors? What are your thoughts?

Saludos!

Branding Organically

                                                               
           This week we're highlighting several branding trends that have proved successful for important brands. The focus is on creating brand image, brand recognition and top of mind in world full of instant messages. Brands are an economic asset nurture your brand, cultivate your brand asset never believe it's "hands off" and final thought continue to monitor the conversation around your brand.
We believe its not what you say it is ...It's what they say it is! 

                                   Green is the new Black

Organic apparel is all the rage. Here are four case studies showing how using green items can help boost a company’s brand.

It wasn’t long ago – really, just a few years – that eco-friendly apparel seemed like one of those nice ideas whose time was far into the future. It was akin to such fascinations as plug-in cars and wind-generated power plants. However, much like these other “green” trends, the demand for such products has finally begun to take hold today.
To the surprise of some distributors, suppliers offering shirts, jackets and hats made from recycled plastic, coconut fiber, bamboo and organic cotton are quickly becoming plentiful. The trend is so front and center that Coca-Cola, one of the best-known brands in the world, has even begun selling branded T-shirts at Wal-Mart made from recycled plastic bottles.
Whereas the ad specialty industry is usually a step behind fashion trends, eco-apparel is the exception to the rule. Companies that want to be portrayed as eco-friendly have quickly realized that the ad specialties they use in promotional efforts are equally reflective of their commitment to the environment as the amount of energy their manufacturing plants use or the volume of carbon emissions they release into the environment.
The OTA estimates organic apparel sales will increase by 40% by 2011 compared to last year. In 2006, the last time it tracked purchases, sales were $203 million. Many distributors agree that last year clients began asking about “green” apparel, but it wasn’t until this year that the tipping point occurred, where actual demand for the products began to pick up. “Every industry seems to be asking for it,” says Scott Alterman, co-owner of The Icebox (asi/229395). “There is a lot of attention around these issues, and all of these companies are starting to get involved.”
Honest Foods, Honest Promos
Having already helped create the successful Kashi line of organic foods (which was purchased by Kellogg in 2000), Andrew Aussie set out to see if he could make lightning strike twice. As cofounder of Honest Foods, Aussie is looking to build a brand like Kashi where he worked for 11 years, serving most recently as the vice president of marketing.
Understanding that image is extremely important when laying the foundation for a natural foods brand, Aussie asked consumers to help come up with some unique looks for the year-and-a-half-old brand of snack bars and cereals.
Honest Foods posted a contest on Brickfish.com, from February 26 to May 30, asking consumers to submit designs for its organic cotton T-shirts. Through April, the contest received 1.4 million engagements (defined as entries, votes, views and reviews). More than 1,700 design entries had been submitted.
“We chose an organic cotton T-shirt because it is in line with our company values,” Aussie says. “We’re not advertising that the shirt is organic on the site. When they get it, they will see it’s organic and they will appreciate the sentiment. They will let us into their circle of trust.”
Honest Foods, which uses the mantra “a darn good line of all-natural whole foods,” loaded up its brand design elements at Brickfish.com and let consumers go nuts. Some of Aussie’s favorites include a design where one half of the shirt is entirely covered in granola, and one that has a happy tractor driver basking in rays of yellow sunlight. The winner will receive a $500 prize, $100 Whole Foods Market gift certificate and an Honest Foods goodie basket. “No one is going to retire on this,” he says – although they might be slightly less hungry: Everyone who entered got a free granola bar.
He expects to print up about 10,000 shirts this year to be used at trade shows, sampling events and distributed to Whole Foods Market employees (they are allowed to wear such promotional items while working).
The shirts cost 40% more than do typical shirts, but he says the trade-off is worth it. “It would be easy to sneak these things through if you choose to, but it all comes down to who you want to be as a company,” he says. “There are some things we do that aren’t so great, like the fuel associated with shipping the product from place to place, but this is one place we can make a difference.”

Blue Cross Tries A Different Color
Health care provider Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is not only concerned about the health of the thousands of people covered under its plan; it is concerned about the health of the planet. To drive home the fact that it is serious about sustainability and environmental consciousness, it handed out a series of green promotional products during its yearly sales summit last fall. One of the items was an organic long-sleeve T-shirt.
“We have seen a lot of interest in green marketing solutions from the health care space,” says Ben Grossman, director of green marketing and sustainability practice for Grossman Marketing Group (asi/215205). “A number of different surveys have shown that Americans want to purchase from and work for companies that are socially responsible. It is increasingly important that they take the environment into account.”
This spring, Grossman put together its first catalog of green products, and the company has received a string of orders from clients like Team Darfur and Washington, DC-based public relations firm the Glover Park Group – both of which ordered shirts that were a blend of organic cotton and recycled polyester and rayon.
For Blue Cross Blue Shield, it was about showing its sales force that the organization wasn’t just paying lip service to the environment. The 400 shirts and 100% post-consumer recycled padfolio showed they were serious, says Grossman. “They told me it was a priority. They wanted to drive home the message that they are on top of the green movement and are working to reduce their carbon footprint.”
Even though it can cost “several thousand dollars difference going green,” Grossman says it was worth it for Blue Cross Blue Shield. “It needed to send a value-laden message to its constituents. By following through with the message with its apparel, it was able to underscore the environment.”

Kleber & Associates Cleans Up Its Act
Eco-friendly home building items are a burgeoning market. Kleber & Associates, in Atlanta, has recognized and embraced this niche of manufacturers who produce more efficient plumbing hardware, recycled countertops made from wood previously used in barns and pickle barrels, and other such products.
However, when working with clients like Nichiha, a fiber cement manufacturer that was recognized by Georgia’s Governor Sonny Perdue for the amount of water it recycles through its manufacturing process, there is more than a little pressure to make sure that this integrated marketing communications firm is equally as eco-friendly.
This year the company was planning on planting trees, but the drought in the Atlanta area caused executives to rethink this strategy. It opted instead to help clean up local parks in suburban Sandy Springs. The company’s 20 employees plus friends and family members formed a community action team. Their uniform was an organic shirt that read: “Turning over a new leaf. Green Team member 2008.”
“We try to be as paperless as possible, so turning over a new leaf demonstrates that,” says owner Steve Kleber. “We live, breathe and teach this kind of thinking. We’re not just preaching it, we’re living it ourselves.” For New Year’s, the agency gave out aluminum water bottles that read: “Drink all you want without getting trashed.”
The Icebox is the distributor for Kleber’s programs. Alterman notes that clients and companies from all sectors of the economy are now looking to promote themselves as green organizations. The Icebox recently signed on The Varsity, a local drive-in restaurant, which created organic shirts as well as recycled cinch sacks and pens to promote its frosted orange beverage that tastes like a Creamsicle. “It was cool to see a fast-food restaurant known for their hot dogs and French fries get into the green trend,” Alterman says. “Sometimes it is more about having environmentally responsible traits rather than being a brand known for its green practices.”
Kleber notes that because the green trend has become so prevalent, companies need to be cautious of appearing as if they are “greenwashing.” “There are companies out there,” he says, “that promote themselves in a way that is not representative of what they are actually doing.”
He says companies need to work hard to not have “listener fatigue come into play.” Using green promotional products helps, Kleber says, because they prove to consumers that your interest in the environment extends to everything you do – even down to the items you use to promote and market your company.

Organic Food Promoted With Green Shirts
At the 33rd Winter Fancy Food Show in San Diego, tens of thousands of people descended upon the show floor to see the profusion of new foods and beverages on display. Blue Horizon Organic Seafood Company was only too proud to be there to show off its latest offering – organic spring rolls. The nation’s largest supplier of organically raised shrimp introduced four new SKUs prepared for consumers who want clean, hormone-free and antibiotic-free seafood.
Picking the right product to promote the three-year-old company was essential. Blue Horizon looked to organic cotton shirts. “For us it was an obvious choice. We’ve always made our T-shirts with organic cotton,” says Markham McGill, director of brand marketing for Blue Horizon Organic. “The reason we need to do this is because cotton is the most heavily sprayed crop in terms of pesticides and chemicals. It is, without a doubt, a crop worth supporting organic practices for. You could say it ranks right up there with organic seafood.”
Organic apparel is becoming more commonplace at trade shows for exhibit booth uniforms. Bill Litton, owner of Independent Ad Specialties (asi/230891), also recently fulfilled an order for an association that was undergoing an eco-conscious rebranding initiative. “They outfitted all of their employees and support staff at their conferences and trade shows in apparel made from bamboo fibers,” says Litton. One of the items was an OuterBanks (asi/59528), ladies’ eco-fiber jersey-knit golf shirt with bold stripes and three pearl buttons.
Blue Horizon ordered American Apparel (asi/35297) shirts for the Fancy Food Show as well as Expo West. The shirts read “Blue Horizon Organic” and “Sustainable Seafood for Our Little Blue Planet.”
John Battendieri and Tim Redmond, the founders of Blue Horizon, were pioneers of the green movement in the sixties, says McGill. “They launched brands such as Eden Foods and Santa Cruz Organics before it became au courant. This could explain why they always make sure every part of their company is green and environmentally friendly. They give away 100% organic T-shirts and even serve samples on biodegradable cups and forks made of corn at trade shows.”

 Article by:

Kenneth Hein is a freelance writer based in West Islip, NY.

Smart Growth Is Creative with some Humor

Promotional products have proved to be a very effective "branding" medium that can keep you in front of your clients practically all year round. We attend the major shows and the excitement around new and creative branding concepts is fantastic. We have developed deep industry contacts with suppliers that are on the cutting edge of design, development and customer service.
The take away: It's not just a pen or a calendar it's your brand working all the time just like your business card and your website match that with creative ideas and business expertise and you have a winning marketing strategy.


http://gotomarketblog.blogspot.com/

Smart Tools for Creative Growth

"http://www.soovle.com/
This tool helps you see how your keywords perform on up to 15 search engines at a time. It's fast, it's visual, it's infinitely useful and customizable, and it's addicting. If you're more visually oriented than word oriented, this site is for you.

http://mobiready.com/launch.jsp?locale=en_EN
The free report provides both a score (from 1 to 5) and in-depth analysis of pages to determine how well your site performs on a mobile device.

http://www.twitvid.com/
Video is a key element for your digital marketing program because consumers respond to it and search engines love it. Putting it on your Website and getting it noticed take time. When you need a fast start, upload your video to TwitVid, send it out via Twitter, and start the ball rolling.

Saludos!

Are you concerned with recent "privacy" and system breakdowns in the social media arena?
Share your thoughts.

CMT Articles and Updates

CMT Articles and Updates

This week I was reminded how important "branding" your business can be and should be to everyone in the world of business.  I was remembered by someone by a collateral piece we created who then referred CMT to a new client.
Take Away: Look at all your offline and online material make sure its message is consistent, relevant and in "internet time" speaks to your customer. Think keywords, think time investment, think from the outside in.

CMT will feature relevant, rich content articles that should make you think!

Saludos: