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Recently, Social Media has been on a lot of people's minds. Companies are trying to figure out the best Social Media sites to use. In this edition of the Claymanite, we'll discuss how different Social Media sites can help companies achieve their goals.
As promised in the past few e-newsletters, we'll also discuss how to tie Social Media and traditional media into an integrated marketing plan. And we haven't forgotten about Public Relations. This time we'll talk about the power of White Papers. |
It's ... Alive! But What Does It Do?
For the last year or so, Social Media has been on everyone's minds. It's the hip new thing. It's a marketing revolution. It's Armageddon for traditional marketing channels. It's not just for tweeners. But through all of the hype, there hasn't been a lot of focus on exactly how different Social Media sites can help a company achieve major goals. There hasn't been a lot of emphasis on why exactly these new sites and channels are creating a marketing revolution. Have no fear. The Claymanite is here.
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File This Under Food For Thought
 In our last few issues of The Claymanite, we've defined integrated marketing, we've talked about what integrated marketing was like before the onslaught of Social Media, and we've talked about how an entire integrated marketing campaign can be conducted using solely Social Media channels. In this issue, we'll tie it all together and show how traditional media and Social Media can work together rather than against each other. As we know here at The Claymanite, it's never too early to think about marketing ideas for the future. File this under "food for thought."
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The Power of White Papers
 In the last few editions of the Claymanite we've discussed Public Relations and the fact that PR doesn't just mean "Product Release." In this current edition, we'll talk about White Papers and the advantages of implementing them into a Public Relations plan.
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Continuing Blogs from a Mad Man
Larry has updated the look of his blog. His newest post reflects on how businesses have to deal with so many things that are out of their control. |
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Five More Reasons Why 2000 is already "the old days"
In our last issue few issues we noted why 2000 is already "the old days." Here are 5 more reasons. By the way, if you have a Facebook account, you can find these reasons and more. Just look for Thinking of the year 2000 as the "old days."
1. In the year 2000, Amazon.com was "just" a book store.
2. Stamps were just 39 cents. And sadly, we might be reminiscing soon about how we had mail delivery on Saturdays back in the "good ole days" too.
3. Believe it or not, it was ten years ago that little Elian Gonzalez became the center of a huge international uproar. He's a teenager now!
4. GPS was just getting started. Everyone had to carry around one of those big, non-refoldable paper maps. Woe to you if you left it at a rest stop!
5. As it became 2000, we were worried all of our banks were going to fail because the computers would go bonkers. Little did we know it would be something totally different that would make our banks fail!
Stay tuned for five more reasons in our next issue, and don't be shy to share your own. We'll publish your ideas, too! |
It's ... Alive! But What Does It Do?
For the last year or so, Social Media has been on everyone's minds. It's the hip new thing. It's a marketing revolution. It's Armageddon for traditional marketing channels. It's not just for tweeners. But through all of the hype, there hasn't been a lot of focus on exactly how different Social Media sites can help a company achieve major goals. There hasn't been a lot of emphasis on why exactly these new sites and channels are creating a marketing revolution. Have no fear. The Claymanite is here.
While reviewing a chart from Omniture, the leading provider of online business optimization, we discovered how major Social Media sites perform in terms of four key marketing tactics. These tactics include: communicating with customers, brand building, driving traffic to the company website, and Search Engine Optimization.
Communicating With Customers.
Despite the name "Social Media," the chart only ranks three sites highly for communicating with customers. Those sites are Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. LinkedIn is rated as "ok." We agree with the ratings for Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Twitter is completely built upon communicating with others and networking through site features like the "retweet" (see our review of Twitter here). Facebook fan pages are powerful tools for communicating, especially because images, videos, and other rich media can be used to liven up the page. YouTube, of course, is interactive not only because the video itself communicates with customers, but also because the feedback aspect allows you to hear from your customers as well.
We disagree with the evaluation of LinkedIn, however. LinkedIn status updates can be responded to through the commenting feature, but most important, the "testimonial" feature of LinkedIn is an invaluable way to receive feedback from customers and to return the favor. This single factor, in our opinion, raises LinkedIn as a communication tool to the same level as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Brand Building.
The chart from Omniture is more generous to Social Media sites when discussing brand building. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Digg all receive the highest ranking of "good" for brand building and brand exposure. We would caution that brand building on any Social Media site can be a bit challenging because of the fine line that must be walked between branding and spamming - and the perception of your customers may muddy the waters between those two actions.
Tweeting information that may be relevant to your brand can certainly help spread the word, but an account that has nothing but promotional tweets is going to be talking to the internet ether and nothing more. The same holds true for a Facebook fan page. If every post is a reason why a company's brand should be adored, the page is simply not going to work.
Digg may be the most challenging site, although a successful campaign on Digg can be very effective for brand building. Getting a social community to "Digg" something you've posted depends upon the item being of general interest. Again, a blurb that reads like an ad is simply going to be marked as spam. This can be deadly, rather than helpful, for your brand in the Social Media world.
Driving Traffic to the Website.
Interestingly, when it comes to driving traffic to your site, Omniture is lean on compliments for Social Media. The only two sites to get very positive reviews are StumbleUpon and Digg.
We haven't talked about StumbleUpon a great deal, and we question whether StumbleUpon truly fits into the Social Media "ecosystem." Basically StumbleUpon is kind of like an Amazon.com or Pandora.com selecting device. A user picks some areas of interest, hits the "stumble" button, and the site will recommend different sites to visit. Based on the user's "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" reaction, the site will alter the recommendations to create a more customized experience for the user. The potential benefit is that someone could "stumble" upon your company's website after filtering through a lot of sites that they were not interested in. We feel that this has its benefits, but unless a program like Google Analytics is monitoring your site's traffic very carefully, it's probably going to be difficult to tell how well your StumbleUpon campaign is doing.
As far as Digg.com, traffic to your company's website can certainly spike if you appear on the front page, but that requires a lot of time and a lot of user "Diggs."
If used correctly and effectively, Facebook and YouTube in particular can drive traffic to a company's website. As we cover elsewhere in this issue, a lot of the success will depend on how well your marketing campaign is integrated. Twitter can also be used effectively by posting a "teaser" that would entice people to visit your site to learn more. We do agree with the chart's rating of LinkedIn as a weaker source of traffic to your company's website, but that speaks more to the fact that a customer could learn a great deal about your company simply through visiting a LinkedIn profile.
SEO. Finally, Omniture's chart rates Social Media sites for performance in relation to SEO. Interestingly, the only site that receives a bad rating in this category is Facebook. Unlike Twitter or LinkedIn, which appear in search engine feeds, Facebook is what some experts call a "walled garden." Although some content is visible without logging in, most of the content can only be seen by those with a Facebook account. This means that Facebook, as far as Google or Bing are concerned, is irrelevant. It just matters how your company page can be found within the site.
Most other Social Media sites do not have this protective barrier, which can be simultaneously frightening and highly beneficial. YouTube videos, LinkedIn profiles, and Flickr images appear on search engine results pages, intermingled with traditional web page results. Sites like Digg and StumbleUpon can be beneficial because they are large, trusted, and use a lot of valuable keywords in tags. If someone clicks to your website from any of these sources, it will help boost SEO.
Final Analysis. Most Social Media sites have their evangelists and their detractors. A site like YouTube can be positive for SEO, but a negative comment or a video portraying your company in a bad light can be deadly. Facebook can have immense power among Facebook users but might not extend much beyond that community. Of course, the four issues we discussed here, and the four marketing tactics the chart analyzes, are just a few of the actions one needs to consider when marketing a product. Still, it is good to know that there might be at least a little solid ground under all of those claims that Social Media can be a marketing power tool.
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File This Under Food For Thought
In our last few issues of The Claymanite, we've defined integrated marketing, we've talked about what integrated marketing was like before the onslaught of Social Media, and we've talked about how an entire integrated marketing campaign can be conducted using solely Social Media channels. In this issue, we'll tie it all together and show how traditional media and Social Media can work together rather than against each other. As we know here at The Claymanite, it's never too early to think about marketing ideas for the future. File this under "food for thought."
We know your time is limited, so instead of talking about the fact that tons of experts are expressing how important it is to integrate Social Media and traditional media efforts, we're going to get right down to brass tacks. How could this kind of integrated marketing work for you? Here are four "scenarios" to ponder.
1. The New Product Launch Scenario
A new product launch is one of the most exciting times a company can experience, especially if the launch goes well. In the "old" model of integrated marketing, there was still quite a lot that could be done to promote a new product. A news release was often the starting point. From there, the new product would weave its way into an ad, the company website, booth graphics, and literature pieces. With a fully integrated plan that incorporates traditional media as well as Social Media, a product launch can be far more interactive and measurable. Imagine a campaign that rolls out like this:
- A news release is produced to promote the product
- That same release is posted to the company Facebook page and/or a company blog. In both instances, the release would include a link that would drive traffic to the company website
- A YouTube video promoting the new product could be developed. A link to the new video could be posted to the Facebook page and/or a blog and could also be posted as a link through the Twitter account
- Photography of the new product could be used not only for literature and website updates but also for posting to an image hosting site like Flickr, where the images can also be tagged
- New product images could also be posted to Facebook, Twitter, or a company blog
- The Twitter feed can filter into a LinkedIn account, simultaneously announcing and promoting the new product to the LinkedIn Network
If you want to be very adventurous, a print or online ad promoting the new product could drive traffic to a Facebook fan page. The ad could ask people to give feedback on the new product or how they feel the new product will assist them in their jobs. A small incentive could be offered to help you attract traffic to your fan page, and to also give you immediate access to market research and advertising ROI.
2. The Trade Show Scenario
As we've discussed in previous issues of The Claymanite, promotion before and after trade shows is a key step that often is overlooked in the rush to prepare for the show itself and to get caught up on work that might be missed while at the trade show. In the past, updates to the website, sell sheets to distribute at the show, and other materials could be used to drive traffic to the booth and make sure there was a good response. Now that Social Media sites are available to supplement traditional media, exhibiting at a trade show can become a real opportunity to communicate with customers and prospects over a longer period of time both before and after the show. Consider this:
- A month or so before the show, post to Facebook and Twitter that your company will be exhibiting
- Announce that "fans" and "followers" will receive a special prize if they visit the booth
- While at the show, ask visitors to pose in front of your product or with personnel in the booth. These kinds of pictures can be posted to your Facebook page as well as to an image hosting site like Picasa or Flickr. People love to see themselves online, and this will be a great way to carry the buzz from the show into the days after the show
- Post to Facebook and/or Twitter live from the show. What's traffic like? Did you attend an interesting seminar? Did you see a lot of your fans at your booth? Don't be afraid to mention people that took the time to visit you!
- At the booth, make sure you have ways for people to sign up not only for your e-communications but also for your Facebook and Twitter pages. Offer your LinkedIn profile information to prospects so that you can keep in touch with them. Personal "touches" through Social Media, supplemented with a classy literature package or a customized follow-up mailing, can make a very strong impression and can convert an interested prospect into a paying customer.
3. The "Your Company as Knowledge Center" Scenario
A lot of the Facebook pages and Twitter accounts that receive positive responses do well because they offer valuable information. Often, as we mentioned in our last issue, Facebook and Twitter pages can drive traffic back to a company blog, where the topic can be described in much more detail. This kind of informational Social Media campaign can be enriched by supporting it with traditional media tactics. Consider the following as a possible way to illustrate or demonstrate your company's expertise.
- A case study or testimonial is developed for a print publication
- An ad and a news release promote the same success story
- A link through Twitter and Facebook can drive traffic to the link on the company site where a PDF of the case study is accessible
- In the company blog, one of the posts can give more detail about the testimonial. Is this kind of success typical for your company? How can it be extrapolated to a general story for the industry as a whole?
- A case study or testimonial is great fodder for a ranking system like Digg.com or for LinkedIn, where you can network with the customer on a continual basis
4. The "Feel-Good" Scenario
Credibility among businesses is not at an all-time high right now. From huge corporations like AIG to individual symbols of wholesomeness like Tiger Woods, people are generally getting the idea that there aren't a whole lot of trustworthy entities left in the world. It can be difficult for a company to increase trust and credibility online if the company is simply promoting itself.
Similarly, advertisements may not be the most effective way to show the industry that your company is good enough, smart enough, and "gosh darnit" people like you. With some innovation and integration, however, the message can get through. The specifics will depend on exactly what you are trying to prove. If your company's leading product has a strong competitor, use a combination of Social Media and traditional media tactics to ascertain market share, to learn what people may or may not like about the competitive product, and to learn what people may or may not like about your product. Show that you care what customers think and that you will respond accordingly. There are numerous ways this can be accomplished through a cohesive, integrated campaign. For example:
- A customer satisfaction survey emailed to customers along with a link to the survey posted to Facebook and Twitter
- A YouTube video promoting differentiating features of your product. Comments and rankings of the video will indicate if your message is being heard and believed. Links to the video can be accessible through Twitter and Facebook. Even more feedback can be gathered there.
- An invitation to your customers that asks them to post pictures of themselves with your product to your Facebook page. Ask them to give feedback regarding how the product helped them with their jobs or helped them achieve specific goals. People are beginning to trust "word-of-mouth" testimonials a great deal, and a picture really can be worth 1,000 words.
- Responding to "fans" or "followers" who give you positive feedback. Are they willing to work with you to develop a testimonial? This kind of material could begin again the cycle we mentioned above regarding a case study which then can be further promoted through traditional and Social Media channels.
These are just a few of the ways that Social Media and traditional media can work together. These kinds of campaigns will assist in measuring ROI, they will drive traffic to your company website, they will promote your products, and they will help to build a positive and credible image for your company. What could be better than that? Something to think about since, believe it or not, planning season for 2011 is just around the corner. |
The Power of White Papers
In the last few editions of the Claymanite we've discussed Public Relations and the fact that PR doesn't just mean "Product Release." In this current edition, we'll talk about White Papers and the advantages of implementing them into a Public Relations plan.
White Papers can be used in any industry ranging from politics, business, technical fields, and how to gourmet cooking. In politics, "White Paper" is an informal name for a parliamentary paper explaining government policy or a proposed action on a topic of current concern. For our purposes, a White Paper is a marketing communications document that provides useful information about a particular business problem and potential solutions. They offer meaningful and unique value by giving objective and supportive information and analysis to existing customers as well as potential customers. White Papers also help distribute a great deal of information and are often considered the "re-invented" brochure. Eccola Media, a content strategy firm, conducted a study among business technology decision makers. The firm found that 77% of respondents said they had read at least one White Paper in the last six months and 84% of them rated White Papers as moderately to extremely influential when making technology-purchasing decisions. According to Manoj Aravindakshan, Marketing Director at a Singapore-based marketing company, there are many advantages to implementing White Papers into a Public Relations plan. 1. Additional content on a company's website. Keeping a site fresh with new content on a regular basis is a constant challenge for businesses. White Papers can add a bit of depth and variety to a company's website content. Click here to see how Clayman's website uses White Papers. 2. Ease of distribution. White Papers can easily be distributed by employees and salespeople. Readers of White Papers are also more likely to pass along the document to their colleagues or friends. 3. Format. Formatting a White Paper is fairly simple, and therefore, turnaround time can be much faster. 4. Perception. There is a perception that White Papers are absolutely objective and factual, almost like scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals. A certain academic weight is placed on a White Paper, and for that reason, White Papers should be used intelligently. 5. PR value. A White Paper is treated as content and not advertising. Editors are likely to include quotes from White Papers. They almost never write about ads. White Papers are an extremely important and cost-effective strategy in a Public Relations plan. They let businesses inform their customers in a way that is educational, which makes them more credible. In our next e-newsletter, we'll discuss the benefits of webinars.
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Sincerely,
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