The Engaging Brand

SMS Marketing in Business Statistics

Marketing in business has grown in complexity - not in terms of the aim but in the array of choices of how we reach the customer.

Digital marketing has grown from blogging to social networking to many more social media marketing tools and of course with the rise of the tablet or smartphone, mobile marketing is becoming another area to consider....

I have been researching mobile for business over the last few years and wanted to share with you this infographic from Slicktext which looks at specifically SMS marketing.

I will ask the guys to come on The Engaging Brand podcast to explain in more depth so any questions let me know!

How to Launch a Product - Successfully

Any company that has tried to launch a new product will know just how difficult the process can be, and just how many pitfalls there are. For the inexperienced, opportunities to make mistakes are limitless and once you have cleared one hurdle, you can be sure there will be another around the corner that you can trip over if you take your eye off the ball. In certain situations you only get the one business opportunity, and if you don't get the marketing message right then you'll have wasted it.

Know your target audience

If you invite the wrong people to your product launch then regardless of whether they love your product, they're unlikely to want to sign a deal with you. They might be more than happy to come along and have a glass or two of champagne, but they're not going to help your company's bottom line. Making sure you're talking to the right people is essential. 

Research

The importance of market research cannot be underestimated. If you do your homework then the chances of being in a position to launch a successful product are far higher. That's not to say you'll definitely be on to a winner, but you'll give yourself a fighting chance. Make sure you know your target market, know who your competitors are likely to be and what similar products are already on the shelves. You also need to know what's going to make your brand stand out from the crowd, because if you don't then no one else will.

Get the tone right

Don't try to launch a new type of business stationery by bringing on a troop of scantily-clad dancers and don't try to launch a new type of beer with a PowerPoint presentation. Understanding your target market and getting the tone right is essential and can have a massive impact on the people you're talking to right from the get-go. Again, market research is the key here and will serve you well.

Sloppy spelling

No matter whether we're talking about a leaflet, a business card, a presentation or a banner, making spelling mistakes is unforgivable. Take the time to check all your promotional products and don't make the simple mistake of losing business because of a spelling error. It screams that you've failed to be thorough and that's not a trait experienced business people will admire. Make sure you personally check spellings, and then check them again.

Wow people

Fluffing a product launch could be as simple as boring your audience to death. No one wants to sit in a room for two hours to be bored. A product launch is your one chance to share your passion for your product or idea and so make sure that you grab people's attention, get them by the scruff of the neck and then ensure they're on-board with the idea. Most of the time, passion alone will not win you business, but even if you are somewhat deficient in other areas, if you clearly believe in your brand then it might just make some other failings seem insignificant.

Today is a guest blog post as my way of supporting students who are trying to forge a successful freelance career

Lauren Belfield is a 26 year old graduate from the University of Manchester. Lauren is a freelance writer with a love of Online Marketing & Recruitment. Lauren also works part time for Owl Live Events.

Facebook vs Twitter Advertising

Advertising on social media can be difficult to assess in what is right for your business. Search Mojo have just put together an infographic which I wanted to share with you all as it helps to distinguish between advertising on Twitter and Facebook - you can download the advertising graphic here

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Advertising or Social Media...Both!

Why simulate emotion in advertising when you can express it in social media?

Now of course advertising is an important tool for brand awareness, I don't mean to say that all advertising is bad...it isn't and it plays an important role in advertising business. 

The problem is often about the truth. Advertising in general is about translating emotion and to do that emotion has to be simulated in words, in speech or visually.

Simulated emotion can be difficult and that is where social media marketing has a role to play. Social media in business if enacted by people who are passionate about the brand, can remove the simulation and replace it with a true expression of the brand.

Social media marketing therefore should always be authentic, it's role is to express not simulate the brand. 

In this sense advertising and social media work hand in hand when done correctly. One simulates and the other backs up that simulation through expression on a day to day basis.

Marketing strategy is at it's core about two things

• Understanding your brand values and your brand personality. 
• Understanding the emotion in purchase and consumer behaviour. Connecting those two through great advertising to display it...and social media to demonstrate it on a day to day basis.

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Marketing to Man - The Solitary and The Social Being

Einstein in his Essays on Humanism talked about man being a combination of two characteristics.

"Man is...a solitary being and a social being.

As a solitary being, he attempts to protect his own existence and that of those closest to him...

As a social being he seeks to gain recognition and affection"

I mention this because people can see social media in business as a new phenomena. Yet when quotation from Einstein was written, the Internet was not prevalent....man has always had these two facets to their personality.

Social media tools just give business a further ability to link into this personal need.

Business social networking feeds the social element. It allows business to recognise customer loyalty, to 'show affection' to customers who share ideas and who help you market your business.

Other social media tools like blogging, Skype, cloud computing, surfing the Internet feed the need to learn, to protect their memories, to connect with loved ones. It feeds the solitary need.

In coaching sessions I always start with Why Use Social Media NOT how.....because once you understand the why.....it makes the how easier if you understand your business.

 

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The 3 Dimension's of Great Business Ideas

Too often people feel as though they need to protect ideas. They feel those ideas give them control.

As I always say it is not the idea's that give you control, it is the sharing of idea's that give you control.

Imagine if Einstein had kept all his ideas to himself? He is considered a genius because of sharing his idea's and allowing others to benefit, add and evolve his idea's into different products.

So if it is good enough for Einstein, isn't sharing a great brand management strategy?

BUT people say....if I share ideas on social media then they won't want to use me....well if you only know enough for a 140 characters on Twitter or a couple of paragraphs in a starting a blog and blog posting consistently..then you are in trouble!!

It is the sharing that brings the ideas to life. Bob and Babs in their little cartoon, show a 3 Dimensional IDEA.....that is because sharing in social media marketing is about taking that idea and allowing it to grow in breadth, depth and length. It creates and demonstrates thought leadership.

Breadth is created by allowing that idea to be seen by more people, more potential consumers.

Depth is created by comments and futher sharing that give you concepts of how that idea can work better, can evolve, can be amended etc

Length is created by online publishing which means that the idea is always there...ready for anyone to use..today or in a decade.

Ideas which are contained to a few people are flat, one dimensional. Ideas which are allowed to come alive through social media are your taster's to your main course of what you offer...

The question is...will people want to eat your main course of website content, without a taster?

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...about each person's individual contribution, it is the sum of everyone's contribution.

I feel strongly that your experience of the web should never be restricted...you need to keep reaching beyond your natural social circles. You need to keep reaching beyond your markets. You need to keep looking across borders, across opinions.

Social media marketing has to have a 3 Dimensional feel. When it works well it has a mix of breadth, depth and length. 

It covers all angles of what is important to your customers.

It emotionally connects with heart, mind or soul of the customers.

It choosing the right style for the tool you use.....short snippets - Twitter, more in depth - Blogging, real insights - white papers to share etc

When you see social media as the domain of one department remember not to lose the idea that your brand is better as a sum of parts rather than an individual's voice. It is the sum of input from the company in total, the consumer AND marketing. Too many see it as pure marketing. It is not pure marketing...it is the voice of all in the company combined with consumers.

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Living on a tight budget is the reality for many at the moment, both for businesses and individuals.

It can seem that no matter what you want to do...there isn't the money to do it. Therefore business managers feel the marketing budget is too small to make a difference. 

Marketing for a small business can seem a nightmare as well - but don't despair because what has always been true is this...money doesn't create success or happiness!

I believe large budgets can be negative....it can make you lazy, it can encourage you to talk to people, to do what you did last year, to stay within your comfort zone. Of course money can help but you don't need money to be creative.

And remember if you HAVE to be creative....that can differentiate you with your customers!

When you are marketing on a tight budget or in charge of marketing for a small business then remember 

"You have a salesforce ready to sell for you, free of charge if you engage them and give them the tools to sell for you"

 

Social media marketing is a process AND a resource.

A process of building relationships with your people in your core target markets.

A resource if you create build in a shareability factor

• Does your content marketing encourage sharing? 
• Does your website make it easy to share? 
• Is your content either educational, informative or entertaining...to make people want to share it?
• Do you recognise and value the customers who do share?
• Do you know what kind of content works for your target market?
• Do you know the key influencers in your target market?

 If you can't pay to get your message out......don't panic.....invest time instead in creating shareability in your content.

Marketing in Business - Conceal and Reveal

Marketing in business can be tricky...how much do you say, how to market your business in a social way....

But then if you see social marketing and sales as less of a business function and more of a human interaction - then I think it helps.

I wrote about the Little Black Dress Marketing Plan a while ago and I think it is a great analogy. In both traditonal and social media management it is about concealing and revealing....

The problem is that many business ideas are based around the concealing and not the revealing. Controlling is seen as power....when as I always say....it is the sharing of knowledge that creates power.

Social marketing allows you to reveal slowly your brand personality, with the right emotive words. Brands who use emotional intelligence to understand and show empathy with customers, increase the chance of brand loyalty....as long as delivery meets expectations.

Just like the little black dress....reveal enough of your understanding on social sites to show it isworth creating a relationship.....reveal enough to show your empathy. Once they click through to your website, once they ask for a "second date" via a demo, a conversation or a meeting....then you can reveal more.....to create trust we live in a connected economy that means concealment is not an option.

Conceal is only knowing what are the total solutions.....and drip feeding the consumer through social marketing, face to face and supplier management to reveal all...

So the concept is -  Marketing in business is like a little black dress...conceal enough to make the reveal worthwhile!

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How Local Can Be Even More Powerful that Global

Speak to many people and the Internet has changed the business landscape - many speak of the
global economy, a global village and how globalisation has widened the market for small business as well as large  corporations.

This is all true but I think it tricks us into thinking too globally. Actually another powerful internet tool is the ability to localise, the ability to find and grow niches.

With search tools in all of the social networking sites, with target markets easily available when advertising on the internet....don't forget that this global tool called the Internet.....is also a powerful local search engine.

And local can be defined in a few ways

• As in a person's locality.
• As in a person's shared interest.
• As in a specific demographic.

The overall power of the web may lie in the global network but for business - and especially small business - the power of local has never been stronger.

So instead of thinking you can sell to the world, understand your target customer and use the web to localise your efforts.

Business is about finding your niche....local search is about helping you reach your niche audience.

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