Posts Tagged ‘Marketing and Advertising’

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Jul
10

It’s just media; get over it.

Friday, July 10th, 2009

I’m starting to find certain folks are pains in the ass. They’re the ones with their arms folded across their chests in a defiant posture, telling me why social media is a waste of time .

When I’m on the road for my speaking engagements, I actually enjoy the tough questions from skeptics. It’s the everyday conversations that are starting to wear on me.

Social media is a new form of media, but it is still media.  Online networking is a new form of networking, but it is still networking.

The argument still stands: for thousands of years we have looked for better ways to communicate with our clients and prospects.  We have a new way. It’s here. Many of the skeptics are making the case for their side of the argument by watching the wrong people.

Business people have gathered in groups to network for a long time.  The more successful networkers listen well, strive to connect people, share quality information, and teach others how to refer them.  This is common knowledge.

Unfortunately, we still see people at business networking events passing out cards like free samples to everyone who will look at them.  They show little regard or care for you or your business.  They don’t get it.

The same is true with social media.  Some people don’t get it and never will get it.  Their concern is for themselves and a quick buck.  Social media will never work for the selfish, show-me-the money people.

Social media works in partnership with your full marketing plan. Using media to build trust, credibility and communicate is an effective method of sharing your story.  So ignore the term social networking. Networking is social. It’s just networking. Forget about broadcast media, print media or social media.  It is just media.

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Jun
17

Your opinion is costing you money

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

I tend to focus on social media.  It’s a natural fit for me.  But, once in a while it is important to point out social media doesn’t replace your other marketing efforts.  It’s an extension of them.

I refer to by-the-numbers advertising as hard marketing.  This type of marketing is just as important as any of your other methods.  AdWords, direct mail, e-mail campaigns, print, radio or TV advertising all can play a role in the growth of your business.

But, if you don’t test and track your campaigns, you are wasting money and opportunity.  The ability to test headlines with Google AdWords or on Twitter is very easy and inexpensive.

The reality is that when you create hard marketing messages you have no idea what will work.  Your opinion doesn’t count.

Today you can test just about anything.  My sales representative told me she saw an airplane flying an advertising banner over a busy thoroughfare the other day. My first thought:  Is this an effective advertising method?

A few other folks I talked to that day also saw the aerial ad for the local car dealership. I’m assuming the campaign is working. After all, everyone in this town knows the name of that car dealership.

Ultimately, I don’t know if the campaign is effective to the company’s bottom line.  But, today’s testing methods could help the car dealership find out.

How is this done? Ideas include creating a Web page, or a contest with prizes based on viewing the banner’s message, and testing different banner colors and messages. Response rates could be tested using unique landing pages, phone numbers or polls.

The point is not for you to hire a plane with a banner to get your message across. The point is you really can test almost everything.  Your marketing opinions could be losing you money.  Take the time to test.  Use the readily available tools on the Internet to support your efforts and maximize your marketing dollars.

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Mar
10

You marketing vs. them marketing

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

As a photographer you have a number of choices to make when planning your social marketing.  The first thing every photographer should ask is: Are my marketing efforts going to focus on me or them?

Displaying the portfolio is a major part of marketing for a photographer. Often a photographer’s first instinct is to create a blog about who he is and his work.   This effort is often rewarded with clients gaining a deeper insight, understanding and loyalty toward the photographer.

Although rewards may be found with the more common “you marketing,” the more powerful form of marketing is “them marketing,” which offers information and guidance to prospects and clients.  This is an effective public relations marketing application. This sets you up as the expert. 

This doesn’t mean you can’t use your images as examples. Actually, it is highly encouraged. But, the focus is not on the photographer.  The goal is to champion others and build a reputation as a quality resource for knowledge and inspiration.

First you need to develop a niche.  Find out what is working on a national level or in other regions and localize it. 

For example, a photographer could offer a resource for local models, create a community for designers, architects or small business people.  Whatever you do, make sure photography is part of the solution.

Remember, prospects are more concerned about looking good, selling more products and services than your service.  Your photographs may be appealing to them, but if they don’t understand the benefits of using quality imagery over “good enough” digital files than your beautiful portfolio is wasted.  Educating future photography buyers on the merits of quality photography will offer new opportunity for more business.

Rosh

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Feb
5

Show me the money

Thursday, February 5th, 2009
photo by Rosh Sillars

photo by Rosh Sillars

I’ve observed a pervasive theme in the social media realm: People interested in easy money.

These people have come to the wrong place. Whether it’s online or offline,  there are two types of marketing.  I call them “hard marketing” and “soft marketing.”

Online hard marketing is paid advertising, such as banner ads, Google’s adsense and sponsorships. Soft marketing has its roots in public relations. It’s about content and becoming an expert in your field. People are attracted to experts and seek them out for their knowledge. Most of social marketing is based on this model.

Those looking for a quick buck really need to stick to hard marketing. They should spend time writing e-mail campaigns, creating engaging ads and using analytics programs to improve returns. Soft marketing means offering quality content to the people who care, building a following, and rewarding those who refer work.

Hard marketing will always have its place. But, it’s becoming harder to do well because the world and its people are moving toward niche activities and communities. Hard marketing will continue to offer value on the front page of  Yahoo, popular videos and games. But, as consumers are offered more choices, it will take trust, expertise and service to build brand loyalty.

Building friends and followers is important. In the world of soft marketing, quality is much more powerful than quantity. In the world of hard marketing, quantity is the key. Send your message to as many people as possible and hope your message sticks to enough people to turn a profit. Again, a good media platform and the right message can be very profitable. In social marketing, having 100 people who do care is better than a 1,000 people who might care.

Companies with popular brands and established followings will have an easier time using social marketing to quickly create hard marketing results. Starbucks is a good example.

There are only a few photographers with such a powerful brand. Most photographers need to build a community from scratch. Hard marketing can help attract people to a community, but soft marketing keeps valued clients loyal with the ammunition to refer new business over the longterm.

The biggest marketing failures often come from mixing the two styles. Examples of this are implementing mass-marketing techniques on Twitter or using niche-topic lingo with mass-marketing advertising.

Hard marketing is short-term and often targeted to the masses. Soft marketing is long- term and well-suited to niche targets.

Both are valuable.  One takes more money and the other takes more time. Which do you have?

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