At our Interactive Ad Agency we continually help our clients make good decisions regarding their online media usage. Social Media, eMail Marketing, PPC/Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Display, Mobile and Video are just the headers of the variety of options available to us. But recently Twitter has been owning the headlines.

 

David Martin, vice president, primary research, Nielsen Online, wrote in a blog post: "People are signing up in droves, and Twitter's unique audience is up over 100% in March."

 

But today I was sent a great article from MediaPost about an online / microblogging / SMS option to reach the masses that might not be the techno elite, but make up the mainstay of consumer America. More spending power and more of the participants in creating UGC for all our social media sites. The company is called Predicto and it is very focused on the celebrity world, think People, US, The View, TMZ, etc. http://www.predicto.com/

 

Between October and December 2008, Twitter had approximately 812,000 unique SMS users, but Predicto Mobile interacted with more than 2.3 million unique users. "We have a mainstream audience, which can help us grow faster," Kathein said. "Our members aren't necessarily the early adopters. Our customer base isn't made up of heavy iPhone users."  The full article can be found at http://bit.ly/M1QQy

 

I think this a great example of how Interactive Marketing is very niche and how you shouldn't fall in love with one channel, because your users might be better served with another channel.

The easy place to start is by analyzing your current position in the social landscape - and chances are, someone's already talking about you online. Take a look at what's being said, and analyze the impact of those conversations.

You also need to understand your motivation for using social media. Rather than taking an ‘everyone is doing it' approach, you'll need to clearly define your goals and outline what you believe social media will help your organization achieve.  All social tools are not created equal, and some work better than others depending on the desired outcomes and target audiences. There are numerous inexpensive tools that can help you create a launching pad for a social media presence that will, over time, be effective.

Lately I've been reading articles related to the Hispanic consumers.  I think most of us have read or heard about how the Hispanic population is growing so much in the U.S.  It seems to me companies that have products or services to sell should be paying more attention to this and shifting some (or a lot) of their marketing efforts toward the Hispanic consumer.

In an article on MediaPost by Jose Villa (http://www.mediapost.com/publications/index.cfm?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=98883#comments), he talks about a very good reason to shift some focus to the Hispanic community.  Put plainly, they may be in better shape after the recession than any other ethnic sector.  In his article, he points out that unlike the previous recession, most consumers will not be able to go back to their old spending habits because they won't be able to get the same credit that they received before.  And we all know how our society loved to spend money on credit.  In the article, this is referred to as the "deleveraged consumer".  The Hispanic community, on the other hand, typically stayed away from spending on credit.  So when the economy recovers, they'll be more likely to continue their same spending habits they had before the recession while others will have to learn to cut back on their excessive spending.  Their lack of debt means that "the Hispanic market represents a beacon of opportunity as a truly deleveraged consumer" according to Jose.

I really like the idea of spending some marketing focus on the Hispanic community because I think there are a lot of potential buyers in that group that are untapped.  The three top ideas I can think of would be:

1. update your websites to offer a spanish version.  Although many of today's Hispanics that are online speak both English and Spanish, it is a welcoming gesture to let them choose their language of choice.  But don't forget to update imagery and styles of the Spanish website and not just the text (Jose has another article that addresses that: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/index.cfm?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=103345)

2. allow your users to decide which language to receive their emails in.  You'll want to be sure you have proper tracking tools in place so that you can see how well your Spanish emails work and compare that to your English emails.

3. advertise in places where Hispanics spend more of their time.  In a previous blog post I discuss what some of those websites are.

Definition 6 is an interactive marketing agency that can help you analyze and plan a course of action to market to this untapped group.  As an application development company and online marketing company we can also implement your web applications and email marketing campaigns as well as provide analytics of both.  So take advantage now and don't leave out this important ethnic group.

Sales Marketing Specialist, Dana Long, shares an article on how QSR's and fast-casual restaurants have adopted their own social media strategies...

Giving away freebies in today's economic climate resonates well with consumers -- and huge gains are being made within the restuarant industry by brands who are reaching out to consumers through the use of social media marketing.

There is a recent article on Media Post explaining how restaurant brands can benefit from a social media strategy by incorporating freebies, surveys, polling and even a restaurant locator.  And with the right tools, franchisees can tap into their online social circles in order to market local events through email marketing and other search engine optimization solutions.  Bottom line, online tactics employed at minimal expense lead to massive revenue gains and brand awareness.

Contact online ad agency Definition 6 today to learn how we can help you implement your next social media, SEO or email marketing campaign.
 

There is a quote in the book The Truth about Email Marketing:
"Email marketing has been called the original social networking tool..."

Social media does not replace emails.  The advantage continues to be that not everyone has a Facebook or LinkedIn profile, but everyone has an email address.

You can capitalize on your social media campaigns by integrating email marketing:
Capture email addresses on your Facebook page.
Promote your email services on your LinkedIn profile.
Test marketing messages and creative elements on social networking sites.
Use email to drive traffic to your social media initiatives.

Recent stats from EmailStatCenter.com you might find helpful in convincing your management team to continue to invest in email marketing in order to reap the benefits:

"50% of consumers surveyed said they're more likely to buy products from companies who send them email, whether their purchases are online or at a place of business."
- Epsilon "Branding Survey" (Feb 2009)

"80.4% of marketing executives surveyed say email performs strongly as an advertising channel for their companies."
- Datran Media "3rd Annual Marketing & Media Survey Results" (2008)

"While 60% of marketers plan to cut their traditional marketing budgets this year, 47% of marketers plan to boost their email marketing budgets."
- Aberdeen Group, "Recessionary Marketing: How Best-in-Class Companies Are Weathering the Storm," (Jan 2009)

Has social media replaced email marketing?  Hardly!  Has it changed it?  Sure.  It offers a new way to use email marketing.  Email marketing continues to drive relationships, retention, and revenue.

Definition 6 sends out almost 300 million emails on behalf of clients.  We also specialize in social media.  We can help you integrate your interactive marketing initiatives to maximize the benefit.

Definition 6 Business Development Exec, Ken Brantley, points out what search engine marketers should know about sorting through social media strategy fads and laying the groundwork for leveraging media and advertisting in the interactive space...

Jennifer Winners, Chief Operating Officer and Social Media Specialist of DISC, Inc., sums it up well in a recent article on VisibilityMagazine.com.  She explains that, up until the era of Social Media,” the internet was largely impersonal, random, and largely intimidating.   It was difficult to know which businesses were legitimate, which sources of information were accurate, and generally who could be trusted.”

There were some key points that I took from the article:
1. Social Media offers tools for people to behave online much as they do offline
2. It’s important to understand which social media tools are the best fit for communicating with your customers
3. Social Media is a loose term for all things “social” on the internet for example: blogs, wikis, video sharing, podcasts, social networking sites, picture sharing, social bookmarking. Social refers to the ability to interact, and Media refers to the tools.
4. Behave with your customers online as you would offline

At Definition 6 we certainly understand that in today’s world, marketing and technology strategies are interconnected.  We leverage expertise in all interactive areas including social media marketing and strategy.  Contact us today or check out some of our additional blog posts on social media to find out how we can help implement and manage your next digital business solution.

As the CEO of a traditional Atlanta Interactive Agency I find the evolution of Socail Media Marketing to be a great emerging domain for our consultants and our customers. I am attending Socon 09' and will be bloging a few times today.
The breadth of this conference is pretty wide and it appears taht the use of eMail Marketing, Web Site Design, Search Engine Optimzation have evolved as teh buidling blocks of a digtial stragey but the newest engagment tool has truly become the social network. That community of on-line users who connect to share, colloboarte, publish, listen, learn and grow, all digitally and all the time. This makes the job of a marketer harder than ever because the messages crafted to describe why to use our customers products or services is now being absorbed and maniupulated by the end users and then enforced by feedback from others. Like an echo chamber the expereince, good - bad - or avearge is amplified, repeated, and heard hundreds or thousdands of times over.

It should be an interesting day, I imagine a few new thoughts will emerge and couple of old ones will die and mostly more details will emerge as the conversation continues.

Lisa Seals, Definition 6 Project Manager on earning consumer trust through the use of blogging…

Blogs are one of the most cost-effective mediums available for building relationships with your customers, and driving traffic to your website.  But, according to Forrester’s North American Technographics Media and Marketing Online Survey, corporate blogs rate very low on the scale for consumer trust.  Don’t swear off blogging quite yet - rather, use blogging as an addition to your marketing mix and overtime customers will value your openness and candor.  Here are some interesting suggestions from an article I recently read which were key take-aways for me…
 
1. Come up with a well-thought-out blogging policy to institute credibility into your company blog
2. Instill reader value – think about your customer's perspective before you blog
3. Foster transparency - be up front with your readers about who you are as the author.  Include your background, role within the company, if you have vested interests in the topic of discussion and whether they're writing from an insider-expert or end-user perspective
4. Set the tone - abstain from taking on a formal tone, talk to your readers like you would talk to real people in professional situations. Bring in your own personality and say what's on your mind
5. Allow readers to participate in the conversation -  your blog can provide an effective vehicle for gathering and understanding your customer’s perspectives

Check out the full article by logging into MarketingProfs.com and visit our blog to find out how online ad agency, Definition 6, leverages our website integration expertise in providing the right tools necessary to create your own corporate blog.
 

Account Coordinator Jeremy Bromwell speaks out about Social Media:

As we settle into 2009 it is extremely important to stay in tune with market conditions.  Social media is expected to see significant growth as an interactive channel largely as a result of our economic reality.  Earlier this week Erik Qualman at Search Engine Watch published an article with his predictions for social media in 2009.  Here are a few highlights from the article:

1. Social Media will continue growing, Business Networks will surge, Free Services will become defunct, Traditional broadcast television moves online, Social Media will change real world behavior, More Social Media searches for Products and Services, and Marketing Budgets will Continue Shrinking
2. If your business or service does not currently have a presence in the social media space, now is the time.
3. When considering your social media presence, consider the goals.  Many times the success metrics for social media are different than other channels.  The focus for most brands should be brand engagement and awareness.  The primary goals of social media, in my opinion, are viral distribution of your marketing message and to remain top of mind for your audience.  If you can achieve this you will ensure that your brand stays in the buyers evoked set and has a higher propensity to purchase YOUR product/service.
4. Mobile devices will be the primary way people access social networks and tools. 

In summary, companies that are not leveraging this relatively low cost channel will be left behind as more and more users adopt social media.  Developing a solid social media plan is a great place to start and is something that can be accomplished in a relatively short period of time for a low cost this quarter and can then be executed for the rest of 2009.  Additionally, a study conducted by the Kelsey Group and ConStat shows that the percentage of mobile phone users who said they accessed social network sites from their handsets jumped 182% from September 2007 to October 2008 (see graph below).  Check out our Social Networking Quickstart blog to learn how leading interactive agency, Definition 6, can help maximize all of your social media efforts.

 

 

The best part of having an Interactive Advertising Agency is seeing how leading edge thinking evolves and grows. Years ago we would just talk about eMail Marketing, Search Engine Optimization Consulting, Website Development and hosting services. That was it and then the crash of 2001 came along and Interactive Advertising Agency life became harder and many companies went out of business. If the last two days are any indication of things to come, interactive advertising is going to only become stronger in the next 18 months. Take a look at this chart from Media Daily News:

ZenithOptimedia, GroupM Forecast U.S., Worldwide Ad Recession In 2009
	2008	2009	2010	2011
ZenithOptimedia
U.S.	-3.8%	-6.2%	+2.1%	+2.8%
Worldwide	+1.3%	-0.2%	+5.5%	+5.8%
GroupM
U.S.	+0.3%	-3.2%	NA	NA
Worldwide	+2.6%	-0.2%	NA	NA

Who would want to be in the traditional adverting and media business next year?  Not me, and not because traditional isn't important and can't help brands, but compared to Interactive Advertising - look at this chart from Online Media Daily:

Share Of Worldwide Ad Spending By Medium
	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Newspapers	27.1	25.4	23.8	22.3	21.2
Magazines	12.0	11.5	11.2	10.7	10.4
Television	37.3	38.0	38.3	38.5	38.5
Radio	8.0	7.6	7.1	6.9	6.7
Cinema	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.6	0.6
Outdoor	6.5	6.7	6.9	7.0	7.1
Internet	8.6	10.3	12.1	13.9	15.6
Source: ZenithOptimedia

Next year Interactive Adversing will exceed Outdoor, Radio, Magazine and I personally believe by 2011 will be equal to newspaper even if  others don't yet. Look for our upcoming posts on some rapid start programs on how to get involved in Interactive Advertising solutions for 2009.

Cecilia Barella, a Definition 6 Account Coordinator, recently discussed an article she read on Marketing Sherpa...

Landing page rules typically say that ad-response forms should be as short as possible and require the least amount of information because extra clicks lower conversions. But what was found is that if you create a process that’s user-friendly and that’s tailored to the customer, they’re actually willing to provide you more information. One example of a company using web search engine optimization is Continental Warranty, an insurance company.  The article says they went from using a one page- one step process to a three page process. Using better real time analytics tools incorporated on their advertising they were able to serve their customer tailored landing pages. 

Cecilia focused on a few key points in the article:

1. Before users get to a landing page you can capture the following information:
- Search keywords that drove them to click on an ad and land on the page
- Time of day they arrived
- Day of the week
- Web browser they were running
  
 
2. Determine the first step’s creative: Keywords show what customers are really interested in, so you know which questions to ask on the first page or which creative and graphics to use. (Make the content relevant to the search that got them there.) Time of day and day of the week can dictate how much information you can serve on your landing page, if it is during the weekend, the user might have more time and be more interested in reading detailed content. Second Step creative will be based on the information provided on the first form and third form is optional.  

3. It is important to keep testing the landing pages, this is where your interactive media agency can make a big difference.  Continental Warranty uses a system that automatically tests landing pages based on different user profiles. Pages that are not performing are removed from the rotation; high-performers are used more frequently. They are also constantly pushing new pages or tweaking existing pages based on targeted consumer information that they gather.

Cecilia's concluding thoughts were that search and website integration of both content and creative can enhance the customer experience.  By investing in your online campaign you can not only improve customer experience but also increase ROI and company revenue.
 
The full article can be viewed at: http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=30758&pop=no#

Today’s Client Services meeting led into a discussion about how economic forces affect our clients’ media planning and budgeting.  Jeremy Bromwell, a Definition 6 Account Coordinator, shared some of his thoughts from an article he recently read on Marketing Sherpa…

Cuts for offline media and brand tactics are taking the biggest hits.  As an interactive advertising agency, we are uniquely positioned to help our clients divert offline dollars to the interactive channel and use superior analytics tools to increase both ROI and ROAS.  Jeremy’s key points included:

1. Over 50% of brand advertising is projected to have some to significant reductions in 2009.  Brand advertising would consist of both online display ads and print ads.
2. 68% of direct advertising budgets are projected to have no change or to increase.  Direct advertising includes tactics like direct mail and email campaigns.
3. When you split the same tactics between online and offline budgets, 12% of traditional media budgets are expected to increase while 31% expect increases in online budgets.

Brand efforts support direct tactics which can be especially important during an economic downturn, when brand advertising can underscore an organization’s strength.  Further, a downturn creates a buyer’s market for brand impressions offline and online which can give opportunistic companies a chance to enhance their market position.  As your overall marketing budget gets cut, evaluate the proportions like you would an investment and look for areas to reaportion funds to yield the most fruitful return.  As consumer preferences evolve away from traditional channels, money can easily be diverted to a variety of interactive techniques to keep brand engagement high.
You can read the article in its entirety at: http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.html?id=30914