katherineohara.com

Sharing tips, news and opinion on the ethical practice of advertising, public relations and social media. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-25820215-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[katherineohara]

2012 Marketer Resolution: Commit to Social Media

A post by Tanya Irwin in yesterday’s MediaPost shares the findings from the CMO Council’s study of Marketers investing in social media. 

The study reports that while 52% of marketers believe that their brands yield benefits from their social media presence, only 17% say that social media is a fully aligned part of their marketing strategy 

While their findings leave social media professionals shaking their heads, there is no surprise here. Many marketers identify the need to ‘be’ on social networks but few grasp the difference between being ‘on’ vs being ‘engaged’. Committing to social media requires far more than creating a brand page and hoping people give it a ‘like’. It is a resource to fuel brand and/or corporate efforts such as customer service, hr, new business and marketing.

Social media is a direct link to your consumer. Repeatedly companies look to interns and administrative assistants to manage these accounts. It is only when a social media blunder occurs that a brand questions the level of grooming and tactic sophistication they’ve dedicated to this very visible effort. 

The article shares the following eye-opening stats:

33% of consumers say that great online customer support keeps them loyal. The top expectation that comes with a “like” is to be eligible for exclusive offers (67%)

The opportunity to interact with other customers who share a consumer’s own experiences (60%).

Games and contests are also a big draw, with 65% of people wanting to find them when making online brand connections

People say they engage with brands through channels like Facebook and other social networks largely to learn about new products (55%)

If a marketer’s 2012 initiatives include making marketing channels work harder, creating a segment advantage or increasing brand loyalty, rethinking one’s approach to social media should be the first step. Read more about the CMO Council’s findings at: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/164017/marketers-struggle-with-social-media.html?edition=41195#ixzz1gQFW4BuJ

[katherineohara]

Tips for Cyber Monday Online Safety

Cyber Monday. The busiest Internet shopping day of the year is set to break last year’s record of $1 billion. The increase of online purchases means it is easier to fall victim to an online scam. The following tips can help protect you as you take part in today’s Internet hunt: 

1: Make sure the website you’re purchasing from is secure. Check that the website status shows “https:” in the URL before placing your order.

2. Watch what you post on social networking sites. Many times personal information also serves as hints to passwords. Avoid posting information that could assist in theft such as date of birth, city of birth, mother’s maiden name, phone number or address.

3. Strengthen your passwords.

4. Avoid phishing scams such as false UPS or FEDEX notifications.

5. Block pop-up windows as they can lead you to insecure portals.

6. Use credit cards instead of debit cards as they offer better fraud protection.

7. Keep backup of all transactions.

8. Tap social opinion sites such as Epinions.com or BizRate to see what other shoppers have had to say about an online provider.

9. Look for trusted seals of approval such as BBB or TRUSTe

10. Make sure your computer’s virus protection is updated.

[katherineohara]

Tis The Season for the Holiday PR Battle

As the holiday season approaches and consumer wallets are about to open, brands are anxious to get awareness.  This makes the flood of holiday pitches in editor inboxes more crowded than your local mall.  

The following tips can help your release stand out among major retailer efforts. 

Be timely: Make the release more than just a ‘holiday theme’. Tap current trends or social conversation to achieve a release that would be of interest

More help than pitch: Editors will be swamped by releases that are rich in sales pitch speak. Offer information that will help an editor’s angle stand out and information consumers will be thankful for.

SEO: A pitch with professional search engine optimization techniques will help your product rank high in search results.

Social Media: This is a perfect time to tap those social networks you’ve worked hard to build.

Use images: Spicing up your release with the inclusion of images helps bring interest.

 Remember, the journalist you are trying to reach is just as busy as you are. Doing some of the busy work for them, including shortened links and 140 character captions, increases the odds of your story getting picked. 

[katherineohara]

This article made me smile. Love watching David outdo Goliath in what really is a must-do for any marketer. Still, the impact of social platforms is questioned by many. Whether it be a fear of the unknown, internal resistance, concerns on control, legal preference to not take part...the excuses are as great as the missed opportunities. Understanding how Nonprofits use social media to stretch their reach and dollars offers valuable insights to all marketers.

[katherineohara]

Maximizing marketing reach and budget

Marketing options over the past three years have evolved quicker than the previous ten. The lines between their functions continues to blur as each tactic looks to the other for support.

Today’s social landscape is a conduit. It offers reach, levels budget playing fields and rewards the innovative. When embarking on marketing efforts, one must examine a proposed strategy’s ability to offer levels of impact.

How far reaching are your current efforts? Examine them by asking the following:

How many marketing audiences can this effort impact (sales, retailers, distributors, consumers, customer service?)

Can the effort offer a marketing voice that supports collateral, ads, PR, social media and digital efforts?

Will the effort allow for brand ambassador involvement?

Does the effort offer a foundation that can grow in phases?

How does the effort support not only current year efforts, but aid in reaching future year brand goals?

Does the effort offer critical measurement points to allow for key audience learnings and campaign refinement?

-        This process should not be the exception, but the rule to developing marketing plans. Applying these questions to one’s review of marketing initiatives will result in solutions with far reaching rewards.

[katherineohara]

What to do if your audience goes silent

I’m based in NJ. You have likely read about the weather related issues we’ve experienced up here. Being cut off from heat, running water, electric, cable and internet sort of shocks the system. That silence was further echoed by the quiet phone – no Facebook or Twitter pings. While a rare scenario in my personal world, this ‘silence’ happens daily to brands. What does a brand do if their audience sees them as disappeared and suddenly stops engaging?

The following tips offer ways get back on their radar and jumpstart the chatter.

PR: Let it be known that you are alive and well. Third party testimonials and coverage sends the message that you are indeed relevant and of interest

Social Media: Jump back into social media armed with buckets of conversation starters. By connecting with them where they engage sets the tone for building, or repairing, relationships.

Website Audit: Have you looked at your web stats to see if it pulls visitors in? Is it current? Dated? How is your SEO? If your web persona isn’t keeping audience attention, it’s a sign that your message may no longer resonate.

Offer incentives/trials: If you’re really that great, remind them why. Creating an opportunity to generate positive chatter and rekindle fan excitement will translate into renewed awareness.

Be accessible. Engage customers in convenient ways such as news, special offers, social media, video, RSS feeds; being found and accessible is key to keeping interest

It is important to realize that silence actually says a lot. It is a loud message that marketing and sales messaging have likely stopped resonating. The following tips can help bring insights that will help redefine one’s brand efforts.

[katherineohara]

Social media's role in the 2012 election

President Obama set the bar with his 2008 social media efforts. His recent introduction of Tumblr to his portfolio of resources is an example of how new strategies will be incorporated into the 2012 race. With social media efforts fueling recent headlines like Egypt and Occupy Wall Street, it will no doubt be a game-changer in 2012.

Facebook, Twitter and blogs will clearly be at the core of any campaign. Most consider the use of sharable content as a critical tactic for success. Offering video, geographic check-in alerts and rewards, donation announcements/badges and surveys offer high visibility to what otherwise would have been a private exchange.  

Ad Age's SocialVibe study found that 94% of social-media users of voting age watched an entire political message. 39% of these viewers went on to share the message withan average of 130 friends. Campaign efforts offer connections with monumental reach when sharing vehicles are offered. 

Beyond the viral ability, social networks offer a deep understanding of one's audience along with the popularity of tactics. Campaigns will obtain real-time understanding of messaging and audience by tracking followers, hashtags, trending topics, comments and engagement.

While 140 characters may limit the length of a tweet, but not the potential impact a misguided post can bring. Candidates must remain mindful of message content and be quick to acknowledge and respond to messaging met with negative reaction. 

[katherineohara]

Almost don't want to share this link. With a bit of trade show and conference experience under my belt, this is an area where many companies and brands fall short. Those that appreciate the perks of incorporating social media techniques to their event experience are poised to outshine their competition. This article offers the minimum of what one should consider when taking part in, or organizing, an offline event.

http://tinyurl.com/3kvamcd

[katherineohara]

Understanding the roles of Paid, Owned and Earned Media (POEM)

Though companies are placing a growing attention on the benefits of social media, few understand how to integrate its three key forms. Even in this attempt to shed light on the roles, you’ll note the lines become blurred. Paid, owned and media, when used correctly, offer a powerful formula that succeeds even when budgets are tight. 

Paid Media

Put simply, if dollars are spent to earn awareness, that’s paid media. This includes advertising, PR, paid search, sponsorship, paid ads, blogs and even a brand’s own Facebook page. This is a critical first step in social media. It offers the foundation that owned and earned play off of and sets the tone for creating needed connections with customers. 

Owned Media

Owned Media consists of vehicles that allow a company or brand to control their voice. Websites, newsrooms, twitter accounts, speeches, photos, video, brochures and blogs offer that ability. These vehicles do not rely out outside assistance to generate content. Companies and brands should use these platforms to position themselves as thought leaders.

Earned Media

Earned media = word-of-mouth. This is probably the first category most think of when they think ‘social media’. Sharing, RTs, Likes, +1,+K are all terms in the earned media vocabulary. This effort feeds off of owned and paid media by tapping consumers as key players in elevating a brand’s voice. It borrows from traditional and social marketing efforts to generate conversation and advocates.

To be truly engaged in social media, companies and brands need incorporate the benefits of paid, owned and earned media. It allows advertising, marketing and PR to work together with the added benefit of consumer involvement. While spend will of course extend potential reach, this three-part process allows even the smallest of players to have a large voice.

[katherineohara]

Radio: Listener growth snapshot [stats]

Who does radio reach? A report just released by Arbitron offers the following findings…nearly everyone. 

In its September 2011 National Radio Listening Report, they find that an additional 1.7 million listeners (aged 12 and older) are tuning in on an average week.  The total now reaches an estimated 241.1 million listeners, which represents 93% of listeners twelve and older.

·  95% of listeners have a HHI of over $75K

·  Nearly 96% of adults ages 18 – 49 have a college education

The bulk of the growth is attributed to young listeners, Blacks (non-Hispanic) and Hispanics. Radio now reaches:

·  91.9% of teens aged 12 to 17 and 93.4% of adults aged 18 to 34. 

·  93% of Black (non-Hispanic) aged 12 and older (29.8 million)

·  95% of Hispanics aged 12 and older (36.5 million) with the largest spike between ages 18 and 49

What the report doesn’t share are the possible causes for the uptick. Jim Kerr of Radio-Info.com suggests a likely reason: smartphones. Mobile use is increasing. An estimated 38% of Americans will own smartphones by the end of 2011. Smartphone sales are anticipated to pass computers in 2012. Apps like ‘I Heart Radio’ allow local stations to have national reach. Mobile’s ability to boost radio will certainly add to the increasing growth.

[katherineohara]

YouTube Marketing: A Big Brand Wake Up Call

Online videos, in the U.S. alone, are being viewed at a rate of 6.9 million videos a month. YouTube has 48 hours of video uploaded every minute. Viewers have turned their attention away from TV giving video viewership a 50% yearly increase.

With such powerful stats, one would think marketers would be running to hit the upload button. Think again. Large corporate brands represent only 7% of the YouTube Top 100 list. According to Hearable.com, 84% of the most popular brands on YouTube are simply uploads by independent talent with the remaining 9% of the Top 100 brands being musical recording artists such as Katy Perry.

YouTube's recently released marketing advice for retailers stresses one key point. Brands must embrace the ‘now’ branding model of developing a content strategy over an advertising strategy. Content generates conversation that triggers an emotional connection between the brand and its consumer. When brands use videos to tell stories, they give consumers something to talk about. By encouraging their audience to engage with their brand, your audience becomes a powerful promotion vehicle. Brands like Volkswagon, Old Spice, Home Depot and Nike have proven the success that comes with adopting a content strategy.

Videos invite people to be social. 30% of people share videos they like and over 400 videos are shared on twitter every minute. Brands are turning to video to test concepts and messaging using viewer feedback to identify ideas to build on.

To succeed with video, marketers need to embrace a social strategy. Create content that gets people talking and ultimately offers a next step. Brands that include their audience to help cultivate their image and messaging will quickly jump to the top of the leaderboard. 

[katherineohara]

While many brands look to put content on YouTube, they fail at placing true 'content'. Rehashing tv ads or Facebook videos leaves your audience with no sense of discovery or uniqueness. Here is how Zyrtec used YouTube's platform to create a unique consumer experience. 

[katherineohara]

9 Tips for Naming Your Business

Naming a company is an important first step. It's name will be a customer’s first impression. It will offer inspiration for the logo and will offer introductions through your business card, website, PR and promotion materials. An effective and unique name can help set a company up for success. When beginning a naming brainstorm, consider the following tips:

Make your name match your identity. Artsy? Corporate? Mom & Pop? Corporate? Your name should reflect who you are.

Will the name work as a URL? Make sure you consider a domain’s length and availability.

Test the name on search engines. It is important to consider the other companies and/or industries that you’d share a results page with.

Phonetics shouldn’t be needed to read your name. If people can’t say your name, people will likely have trouble remembering it as well.

Beware of the possible negative acronyms or initialisms The best of names can sometimes become less than desirable when shortened. How? Consider Worcester Tools and Fixings (WTF) and Bay Area Riders Forum (BARF).

Can the name grow with you? Northern Chicago Tech Systems has its limitations should you decide to expand to California. On the flip side, a name like 'New York Pizza Co.' can become an authenticity strength.

Tap multiple minds. Having diversity within your naming pool will generate different ways of thinking and possibly help identify quality names you may have overlooked.

Just start writing. Letting ideas flood onto paper allows a chance of finding possible compound name options. Sometimes a passing thought can yield a true gem. Documenting your thoughts helps preserve true contenders. 

Do your homework. Obtain detailed insights brief to assist in understanding the environment a company must compete in. Are there taboo industry terms? Be sure to define a company’s competitive advantage and target market.

[katherineohara]

Advertisers’ newest option for local businesses: HopStop.com

Local businesses have watched advertising options evolve over the past 10 years. A market that was once limited to mailed flyer, town newspapers or yellow pages, now have a menu of online services that offer localized advertising opportunities. HopStop.com, an online service providing door-to-door urban focused directions, joins popular sites like Google, Facebook, Yelp, YouTube and Foursquare in offering a local focus. (hopstop.com/localads)

The ads that appear within direction search results are available with a 30-day free trial. The paid options offer a one day for $250, one week for $500 or one month for $1,000.

HopStop recently launched a partnership with Hertz, Yelp, Groupon, Limos.com and Zvents to give users additional information about the area. The site currently has 4 million monthly visitors along with one of the most popular map apps. 

The popularity of online ads is driven by habit and cost. Online search is the top method for people discovering local businesses. Print advertising is an expensive commitment. Targeting local audiences via social and online platforms allows businesses to reach exactly who they are looking for through services that are easy to set up and low cost. 

[katherineohara]

Great insights from our friends across the pond.

[katherineohara]

How Yelp helps serve restaurant success

Yelp.com is an online/social media platform that allows businesses a free local directory where consumers can offer reviews. These reviews influence local users, act as a powerful lead generator and provide a huge SEO boost. At just 5 years old, Yelp.com has grown to 25 million visitors a month. 

How do positive reviews influence local food lovers?

Harvard Business Review’s Michael Luca recently released a study, in Reviews, Reputation and Revenue: The Case Of Yelp.com, that combined restaurant data from Yelp and the Washington State Department of revenue.  He found that a one-star increase in Yelp rating leads to a 5-9% increase in revenue. Luca notes that Yelp has successfully created a social network that encourages people to post informative reviews rather than simply vent.

Reviews generate muscle. Social Media has changed the marketing toolbox. It allows local businesses to compete on the same level, if not better, than larger entities or chains. Those that take Yelp reviews seriously can take advantage of the following:

89 percent of consumers find online channels trustworthy sources for product and service reviews*

87 percent of consumers said a favorable review has confirmed their decision to purchase a product*

85 percent likely to open their wallets when they can find online recommendations to support offline advice*

 * Cone Inc.’s 2011 Cone Online Influence Trend Tracker 

With 70% of restaurants in many urban areas covered by Yelp, this free platform is a must-do for any local business.  

[katherineohara]

Is Dr. Pepper 10 a moustache disguised stunt?

Dr. Pepper 10. Really? A beat your chest sort of low-calorie (don’t dare say diet) man-soda. 

I’ve got to scratch my head on this one. Having worked for years on CPG brands, I understand the challenges of a competitive grocery aisle. Someone, somewhere, convinced the Pepper crew that another Dr. Pepper form would capture viable market share? A manly-man form, with 10 more calories than it’s powder puff 'diet' version, is what this crowded me-too aisle needed? Crazy. Impossible. Who got paid for this knucklehead idea?  

People that boast about money, really aren’t all that rich.

People that brag about their amazing looks, usually have a very ugly side.

A soda that spends hefty ad budget to declare its man-only status...really isn’t for men? A-ha! Wait…we're on to something here.

The TV spot works suspiciously hard to annoy the dickens out of anyone with a pulse. Something that obnoxious will clearly have people running to Facebook, Twitter and blogs (like mine) to shout their disapproval. Wait. Wait. 

Could this actually be a clever brand awareness PR stunt? Is this a strategic and relatively painless investment to repackage the product in return for millions of impressions?

Think about it. When is the last time MSNBC, Vanity Fair, CBS News, Business Week, Ad Age or Yahoo! Finance wrote about Dr. Pepper?  This ‘what the heck’ press coverage and water-cooler chat worthy TV spot has catapulted Dr. Pepper into ‘now’ conversation. This brand that spent millions to declare that I’m a Pepper, you’re a Pepper, he’s a Pepper, she’s a Pepper…now expects us to believe that the same product, with the same taste, now has a men-only focus?

Even if their ‘10’ SKU gets pulled after a few weeks due to low sales, they've already secured highly sought after PR hits and rejuvenated brand conversation. Whether or not “10” can survive as the newest Pepper option is almost irrelevant at this point.

Few genuinely believe this brand is for men only.  It is hard to imagine men were less likely to drink their ‘diet’ option due to the can color and 10 fewer calories. Much like the GAP logo redesign, this buzz has secured renewed brand awareness and delicious SEO. As most brands would consider that the ultimate measurement of success, Dr. Pepper’s bold move has succeeded in what may have actually been a thirst for awareness.