Archive for the ‘Marketing’ Category

Stake Your Claim

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

The digital land rush. Remember that?

It was like The Wild West as brand names and keywords were snatched-up. Many brands were caught with their pants down.

Then came usernames. Similar story.

Now, it’s locations. While admittedly different, you still need to act.

Have you claimed your business location pages? If you haven’t you need to.

Why?

So you have control.
Opportunity for further interaction with your customers.
Optimize, customize and augment your listings or location pages.

Here Are 4 Ways to Take Control

Facebook Places:
On a personal level, I don’t like Facebook Places. Why? It seems very poorly planned, as if it was rolled out as a band-aid to take advantage of the increasing popularity of other check-in based services.

Also, there isn’t much in the form of quality control. If a user is impatient, as many of us are, it’s easy (too easy) to add another location. The result? The constant chasing, by business owners, of rogue locations.

Never the less, you can claim and brand your places pages. You will need to ensure that an email address associated with the business is also included as part of your personal profile. Then simply locate the “Is this your business?” link in the left and follow the bouncing ball.

Foursquare:
One of the geo-location leaders, the growth of Foursquare continues at a rapid pace. Finding fresh check-in data on usage isn’t easy. However, if the number of photos posted via Foursquare is any indication , you need to wrap your arms around it.

Claiming your location can be done quite easily, allowing you to add more information to the profile (“Venue”) and create check-in based offers.

To begin the process, simply find your business location and click the “Do you manage this venue? Claim here”.

Gowalla
Very similar to Foursquare, users check-in, can post photos, leave tips and more. By claiming your business location, you can build out the profile and create check-in messages which you can use to provide offers or a simple “thanks for checking in”.

The Gowalla claim process is quick and easy (perhaps too easy!). Simply locate your business, or add it, and click the “Do you run this place? Claim it now”, then once again follow the bouncing ball.

Yelp
By claiming your business on Yelp! you give yourself the opportunity to optimize the profile, add a great deal of information and respond to those leaving reviews.

It’s a bit more involved to claim, as you have to create a business account, however it’s worth the extra effort.

You can start by finding your location, then clicking the “Work Here…” link. Once claimed, add photos, and as much detailed information as you can.

What do you think are some other benefits to claiming your locations?

Tags: facebook, foursquare, geolocation, gowalla
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

Is Google Your Lebron James?

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

In case you didn’t know. Tonight, Lebron James returns to Cleveland.

Remember him? Mr. “I’m taking my talents to South Beach”. Suffice to say, things are not exactly going as planned in Miami. Clevelanders rejoice.

Tonight is sure to be a media spectacle. Be prepared for plenty of images of burning jerseys and signs ranging from gut-busting humor to unbeguiled hatred.

While I am a sports nut, the NBA is something I couldn’t care less about. However, the situation does present compelling drama, and an interesting parallel.

Is Google your Lebron? What happens when something you rely on is removed?

The Aftermath
Many downtown Cleveland bar and restaurant owners attribute the bulk of business to sporting events. Some citing as much as 70% of their revenue as a result. The reign of Lebron in Cleveland, meant sell-out games and plenty of foot traffic downtown. That ship, sailed.

This morning, ESPN aired a segment interviewing a local bar owner. The feedback on the current state of business, post-Lebron, was grim.

Businesses had become reliant upon the trickle-down impact of one entity. Lebron. He left. Now what?

Is Google Your Lebron?
Take a look at your analytics. Drill down a bit. What do you notice about your sources of traffic?

If you’re like many other businesses, Google is going to represent a significant portion of your top traffic sources.

Makes sense, right? When the name of a search engine has become a verb meaning “do an internet search”, it is telling.

What happens if Google were to disappear after tonight’s game? Say for example, Google decides to take their talents to, oh…I dunno, TV. Or selling books.

It’s hard to fathom (is it?), but it’s worth taking the time to ponder.

How would your business fare in a Google-less world?

Photo By: Keith Allison

Tags: google
Posted in Marketing, SEO | 2 Comments »

Improve Your Marketing…And Your Fitness?

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Want to improve your online marketing? Of course you do. Who doesn’t?

Thing is, that is where most people get stuck. They want (need) to, but just don’t know how to get started.

Beware the Quick Fix
Pressure from a multitude of things from poor financials, to the boss breathing down their neck often leads to reactive decision making. Something needs done…yesterday.

Quick fixes never work for me, digitally or otherwise. I don’t think I am alone in admitting I have certainly tried my fair share, despite being told time and time again, ‘if it looks too good to be true, it probably is’. Yet we often try to find ways to justify going against our better judgment in hopes of a fast solution. Why? Only Dr. Phil and the producers of fad diets know.

Ever notice that there are far more success stories which begin with “I worked hard” vs. “It was easy!”. It’s not a coincidence.

Indulge me for a moment with this metaphor. Think of your digital marketing, like fitness.

Who wouldn’t like to be fit? Or have a very strong web presence? How many times do you overhear conversations about either subject that contain statements including, “I wish I could”, “If I only had time”. I am personally on a mission to get back into shape. Am I there yet? No. But I have learned a lot to this point about diligence and effort.

Fact is, people don’t suddenly become fit, and brands don’t suddenly find themselves with a rock-solid online presence. Both are the result of proper planning, execution and hard work.

Make a Decision
It’s one thing to talk about wanting to do something. It’s something entirely different to make the firm decision to do it. Committing time, resources and creating the proper mindset are all necessary steps to achieve success.

Create a Plan
Walking into the gym without an idea of what you are wanting to do is never a good idea. It’s the same with your digital marketing. Simply showing up on Facebook is not a plan.

Think about goals, time-frames, and realistically evaluate the time which can be devoted to working towards those goals.

Lay the Foundation
Out of the gate you will not be able to simply tie on your shoes and complete a long, difficult workout. Think you can ride your mountain bike for 50 miles without some prep-work? You might be able to, but without some foundation, it will hurt. A lot.

Digital efforts are no different. You will not become a thought leader in your field, nor earn the trust of your audience with just one tweet. Crafting a nice page title tag isn’t going to instantly send you to a number 1 ranking.

Work on the foundation. It will give you the opportunity to build and grow.

Work Smart
It takes effort. No way around it.

You can find tools to make yourself more efficient. Be it running shoes, a smooth shifting mountain bike or hootsuite and tweet deck, there are tools to help you. However, those tools are no substitute for effort.

Blood, sweat and tears is a tired euphemism, yet it is applicable. Be prepared to work if you would like to reap the rewards.

Measure & Track
There is no way to know how well you are performing, if you don’t know where you started. Measure everything you can and then determine which things really matter. Your key performance indicators (KPI’s) are going to be determined by your goals, not someone else’s.

If you are wanting to lose weight, step on the scale and keep note of your diet and exercise and compare. If you are wanting to build muscle would you worry so much about your weight? Probably not.

Be careful of chasing false-positives, or perceived positives. If you have 10,000 fans on Facebook, yet none of them are buying your product, does it really matter how many fans you have?

Don’t Overdo It
The first hints of success are sweet. They provide much needed encouragement and help us to keep moving down the path towards our goal. However, it is important to remember that it is a process, not an event, that will lead you to long-term success.

Going to the digital well too often, can stagnate a campaign, boring both yourself and your audience. Much the same with fitness, overtraining can cause setbacks and frustration.

While you may think that doing more is always better, it is the quality that matters.

Push Your Limits
If you continue to do the same things, you will continue to realize the same results.

Pushing your limits helps you grow, expand and improve. Stepping outside your comfort zone can create unique opportunities and help you achieve successes that you might not have dreamed possible. Take calculated risks and lead.

What do you think?

Posted in Digital Marketing, Marketing | 1 Comment »

3 Simple Ways to Track Offline Marketing

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

Often, while discussing digital marketing, the conversation turns to tracking and conversions. As it should. After all, tracking is very important and the inherent ability to track digital is part of the reason so many are shifting their marketing efforts.

What is not often discussed, and more often a complaint, is how to track offline marketing. Fact is, it’s not easy. It’s downright difficult. However, that difficulty doesn’t change that your marketing budget is shrinking, and the need for accountability is more important than ever.

Some businesses have completely shifted from print to digital, many adamantly because, “it doesn’t work”. While I am a digital-guy at heart, I feel that traditional/print is still relevant, and often wonder, “does it not work? Or do we simply not know how to track it?”

For many small businesses, the primary form of tracking consists of asking people how they found them when they call or visit. Using anecdotal data such as this to make decisions on marketing spend is dangerous, yet is a practice that is in wide-use.

This doesn’t have to be the case. There are some simple, effective ways of tracking your offline marketing, which will enable you to make better decisions when planning time rolls around.

Unique Website Addresses
By using unique website addresses for every ad, with an accompanying landing page, you give yourself great opportunity to not only track the ad, but create a quicker initial conversion. Something as simple as yourdomain.com/adname with a call to action that is supported by the ad can work very well.

Pros:
Very easy to implement, ability to create a target landing page instead of simply sending them to your homepage. Low cost.

Cons:
It has to be memorable. If you have a long domain name, or one with tricky spelling, dashes or a .net instead of a .com the odds begin stacking against you. What are the chances of someone viewing your ad, remembering the url, and then subsequently typing in the address?

QR Codes
Simple 2D barcodes, which allow you to embed all different types of data making your offline placements interactive. Spec sheets, maps, web address, video, photo gallery, Text messages all can be sent to a viewer once they use their phone to “scan” the code.

Pros:
Great flexibility in what you can have the code “do” once it is scanned. Relatively inexpensive to get started, some additional resources are required for higher end versions that come with tracking data, and analytics. Also, in a print piece, it takes up less than a square inch of space.

Cons:
The use of QR Code readers is growing, but has yet to reach a tipping point here in the U.S. Requires an area of the ad be dedicated strictly to the code.

Call Tracking
The sophistication of call tracking has reached impressive levels. There were times in which businesses would buy banks of 800 numbers, and then move them around from ad to ad, and sift through call logs to glean tracking information.

We now have the ability to create temporary toll-free (and non) numbers which provide data about call duration, call origination and much more. By including these within your ads, you significantly increase the odds of successful attribution.

Not only is this one of the best options for offline, it also offers great value online. Your web developer can embed javascript which will detect the referring source of the visit and display tracking numbers accordingly.

Pros:
Inexpensive, easy to implement and provides a great deal of data. Can be used as “throw-aways” for radio, tv or other short-run spots which decreases the costs incurred.

Cons:
The longevity of print publications is widely debated. For example, how long to keep a magazine tracking ad live? Some (not I) feel you lose some of the branding imparted by using your standard vanity numbers.

What are some ways you track your offline marketing?

Tags: conversion, offline marketing, QR Codes, tracking
Posted in Marketing | No Comments »

What Social Media Can Learn from One of Baseball’s Biggest Blunders

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Baseball fan or not, you have likely heard about the blown call heard ’round the world.

Another painful recap, in case you haven’t: On June 2nd Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga pitched baseball’s 21st perfect game. Almost. Due to a blown call at first base, on the last batter of the game, he will never receive credit for it.

For those of you who care little about baseball, pitching a perfect game means no hits, no walks, no one on base. Since 1876 there have been 392,358 Major League Baseball games played, this would have been just the 21st game that was perfect. Think about that.

This may be a reach (ok, it is), but I believe there are some parallels here for social media marketing. The events of the game and subsequent actions of those involved is a modern parable for anyone using social media and business.

The Setting
Galarraga had retired 26 batters in a row. The 27th batter had hit a groundball to the gap between first and second base. Not quite routine, but not out of the everyday for a major league first-baseman. The throw, to Galarraga covering the base, beat the runner by a step. It was not a close play.

The Action
First-base umpire Jim Joyce, inexplicably called the runner safe. This split-second decision-making is a cornerstone of umpiring baseball. Watch a play, process it, quickly make a call. With no instant replay capability, like the NFL for example. Outside of homeruns, the call stands. No amount of arguing or post-call reflection could change the call.

As is common in baseball, on questionable calls, players and coaches will argue with the umpire over the call. Oftentimes vehemently, oftentimes with the umpires giving nearly as much as they get. In this instance, Joyce aggressively defended his call, arguing and swearing just as much as Tigers manager Jim Leyland. You could tell Joyce felt he had made the correct call.

Meanwhile, Galarraga acted with complete class. Shaking off the nearly incomprehensible call to toe the rubber and retire the final batter of the game. He did not argue, he did not pout.

The jawing with umpire Joyce, Tigers coaches and players continued after the game. Again, it was obvious that Joyce felt he had made the correct call.

The Post-Game Review
Within minutes Joyce had watched a replay and determined he had blown the call. He immediately took full responsibility, and went as far as apologizing face-to-face to Galarrage outside the team clubhouse. Something unheard of being done by Major League Umpires.

“I just cost that kid a perfect game,” said Joyce, who became a full-time major league umpire in 1989 “I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay.”

The Review from “Above”
Many immediately began clamoring for Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to overturn the call, and award Galarraga his perfect game. Going to the highest power in the game for a do-over of sorts, created a scenario for opening a HUGE can of worms. While it would not have set precedent, the infamous George Brett pine-tar incident was reversed, it would have added a twist of epic proportions.

What is the Parallel?
Despite all the training, experience and acquired knowledge, those participating in social media on behalf of their business are going to make mistakes.

It’s not so much the mistake that is made, but the subsequent actions that define the ultimate outcome. In some cases, effectively addressing a mistake can create positive feelings. Case-in-point, Joyce was voted as the game’s best umpire, less than two weeks after the infamous call.

When you make a mistake, own up to it. Acknowledge it. Apologize if you need to. Don’t run and hide, don’t blame others, and don’t be afraid to show your emotions.

As a boss (in this case Selig), don’t make your team feel gun-shy about participating. Is every move going to be right? No, but by not micro-managing, you give them freedom to participate. Provide training, and set guidelines if necessary to work towards preventing a gaff and support your team.

How do you handle mistakes?

parallel

Tags: baseball, social media mistakes, social media policy
Posted in Digital Marketing, Inspiration, Marketing | 2 Comments »

Three Very Simple Fanpage Tips

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

The Facebook Fanpage. It’s everywhere!

After some time of groping in the dark, and some functionality changes to groups and pages, marketers have now turned in force toward the fanpage.

Why? It’s another platform for interacting with your audience and expanding brand recognition.

Need more? Here are some lovely statistics from Morpace, Inc…

Facebook has more than 400,000,000 registered users.
68% of consumers with Facebook accounts say a positive referral from a Facebook friend would make them more likely to buy from or visit a retailer.
36% say Facebook is a good tool for researching products.

Here are a few very simple tips, which can greatly improve the quality of your Facebook marketing…

Give your fans a voice
Interaction with your fans is a goal, so allow it to happen and allow it to be easily found.

I often see businesses that have made it hard for fans to be visible based upon the wall settings. Allow your fans to post to your wall, post photos, and post videos. Real people posting photos of themselves using your products, well, that’s gold, especially if you are in the travel and tourism business.

Within your admin section, under wall settings, ensure you are allowing your fans to interact.

Ask A Question
How many times have you carefully crafted a wall post, only to have no comments or response? When you make statements, you automatically preclude interaction.

Ask people questions. For example, if you were going to post about an event happening this coming weekend, don’t stop with just the basic “This weekend be sure to visit blah blah for event XYZ.” Finish with an open-ended question, “What are your plans for the weekend?”.

Try it. Yes, social media is about connections. But people really (really) want to talk about themselves. Are you inviting them to do that?

Post Photos in Threes
Many small businesses are digital asset-poor not having vast library’s of photos and videos. Because of this you have to maximize your assets and try to receive the greatest amount of interaction.

So, when posting photos to your fan page, post in groups of three. You can continue to add to existing albums, and maximize the opportunity for interaction.

Why three? Simply because three photos are all that will show on the page when you post. Post three, then when it is time to post again, the freshest three will display on the page.

A side benefit is that it will display any previous interaction with the album, allowing you to leverage social proof to keep fans posting and interacting with your content.

Those are just three simple tips for fanpage optimization. There are tons more. What are your favorites?

Tags: facebook, fanpage marketing, getting started in social media, marketing strategy, Pat Strader
Posted in Digital Marketing, Marketing, Social Media | 1 Comment »

3 Things Folks Can Learn From Salt Lick BBQ

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

It’s the last day for us here at South by South West in Austin.

Last night we made the trek for some real Texas Barbecue. Choices, choices. Stubb’s, Iron Works or Salt Lick? Damn!

As Ben mentioned:

Yes, you can have a burrito where ever you live. But Austin is a food town. And people, no matter who they are, love food. LOVE IT! You know what makes them love it even more? An invitation. Go to Champions on 4th and talk to Jason the bartender. He’ll tell you where the best BBQ in the state is (hint: it’s Salt Lick).

We had an incredible meal of brisket, sausage, and ribs. NOTE: this is real Texas-style barbecue, in the Texas hill county.

So what does BBQ have to do with marketing? It is not so much barbecue, as it is how Salt Lick has created a business of simplicity, quality service, and cultivated relationships built around a quality product.

3 Things You Can Learn From Salt Lick:
1. Keep it Simple:
The paradox of choice is not an issue at Salt Lick. You have a handful of choices for your meal and one no-brainer, “family style”. It is B.Y.O.B., cash-only, and you sit at a picnic table.

Beautifully simple. For the customer, choosing a meal is painless, and there’s no sense of buyers-remorse.

Can you simplify your product offerings? Do you have so many products, bundles, packages and variations that you are making choosing your product stressful for your customers?

2. Make Service Personable:
Our server Ian was nice, funny, and damn good at his job. He even educated us barbecue noobs on the different types of brisket. Lean, deckle, burnt….3 distinct choices which he tried to find which might be a best fit for our taste. Who knew?

He sat down to talk to us, he talked about his kids and asked about ours.

He gave us perfect directions to a diner where we could pick up a piece of pie, as they had sold out of their legendary cobbler that evening. He made sure we had a great experience and provided a great service… and we tipped him well.

Do you have any Ian-types working in your customer service department? If not, find them.

3. Cultivate Your Evangelists
Ask folks around Austin where to go for the best barbecue and it is a nearly unanimous response. In fact, if you ask, don’t be surprised if you get a look like you just stepped out of a vehicle equipped with a flux capacitor. “Seriously? It’s Salt Lick, get there!”

Before deciding to head to Salt Lick, we stopped in one of the watering holes and asked a couple members of their staff. They recommended Salt Lick, described the setting, made sure we knew it was B.Y.O.B and cash-only. Then they helped us with detailed directions to get there.

If you’re in travel and tourism, are you building relationships with the “front-line” folks in your area? Bartenders, gas station workers, toll booth workers….anyone that has contact with the public that may be interested in you.

Reach out, cultivate those relationships, offer them FAM-trips so they know what you do, how you do it, and most importantly, so they know you.

How to get people to your door?

Tags: barbecue, food, Marketing, Pat Strader, sxsw
Posted in Inspiration, Marketing | No Comments »

Why I Go to Conferences

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Sitting here at the Austin Convention Center, catching up on emails and projects before things officially get started at South By South West (SXSW). Another conference on the calendar, another opportunity to learn.

I have had the privilege of attending a wide-variety of conferences over the years, and from each gained something to help with my everyday tasks. From learning more about CSS and Design at Web Design World and An Event Apart, to search, social and analytics at Search Engine Strategies and SMX. I always enjoy hearing how others are working in the digital space, and sometimes, I even get to share my experience as well. Sometimes you give, sometimes you get.

Creative people sharing ideas, successes and failures = the opportunity to learn. I enter every conference in hopes of walking away with one nugget of information that can help move the needle for our partners.

Which brings us here, to SXSW, one of the largest, most diverse technology conferences in the world. People from all angles of digital: Video, bloggers, app developers and much more here to connect, and share ideas.

I am looking forward to meeting some new folks, even though I generally consider myself a terrible networker, I try. More importantly, re-connecting with some great folks that I have had the opportunity to meet at some point in the past, or some folks that I have come to know digitally.

Stay tuned, if you like for some un-edited, ramblings…

Tags: conferences, sxsw
Posted in Inspiration, Marketing | No Comments »

Can the NHL Leverage the Olympics?

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

No denying that in recent weeks more people have paid attention to hockey then ever before; The Olympics have a tendency to make folks wax patriotic about things they may otherwise not pay attention to. Curling, skating….hockey.

What I am interested in watching is the ability of the N.H.L. (National Hockey League) to leverage the Olympic-fueled interest in hockey. Without recounting last Sunday’s game, it goes without saying that hockey is on the minds of more (Americans) than ever before. The Olympic hockey Gold Medal game match-up could not have been planned any better.

Last weekend people were watching, and caring about hockey that had no prior interest in the sport. I come from a family of sports-fans, however none of us closely watch hockey. Last Sunday, that changed.

My wife, my children, my father, my friends all sent me text messages akin to “are you watching this?!”. Hockey has an opportunity to gain fans.

Low Hanging Fruit
I visited the NHL website, and a number of team sites, as I wrote this post. I have to say, I was disappointed.

Not because the websites were bad, they are very well designed. However, they precluded me, a non-hockey knowledgeable person, from better understanding their sport.

It is easier for me to find an “official” bar to watch a Chicago Blackhawks game, than it is for me to learn what icing is, or for that matter just general rules.

Un-Solicited Advice for the NHL
Leverage the Olympic experience. (duh). Opportunities for “welcome to hockey” packages exist. Introduce people to a sport in a friendly, non-elitist way, and you could gain fans for life.

Player videos (Olympic participants if possible) explaining the basics (icing, power plays)
Create a “Newbie” section on your team websites that has simple Q & A’s for newbies like me. I went to several websites and found nothing about understanding the game. The NHL is not alone in missing this, however, they have the greatest barrier to entry, so far as becoming a spectator sport.

It is great to see the NHL making use of some social media channels like Twitter, and responding to people. The more interaction, and introduction, the greater chance of creating life-long fans, and enthusiasts for the game.

Tags: Marketing, Social Media, sports marketing
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

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