What is a brand?

4 Things Marketers May Not Know About Social Media Marketing

---

Steve Olenski 

 

I know, I know, there is no shortage of social media experts, gurus and bhagwans and many marketers themselves now believe they know all there is to know about social media marketing. Yeah and I’m Donald Duck. Translation: Don’t believe anyone who says they know everything about social media. Ever.

Why? For the simple reason it’s still growing and may never stop so how can you know all there is to know about something that has not stopped evolving yet?

The explosion that is mobile marketing alone and the way consumers are using their mobile devices for any and all social media related activities alone is cause to sit up and take notice when someone tells you they know everything about social media.

Instagram and other Social Media Apps (Photo credit: Jason A. Howie)

To those who claim to know everything and to all others among you, here are 4 things marketers may not know about social media marketing

1. Use brain science to ‘make’ people trust your brand
Don’t just rely on knowing or anticipating what the customer wants. Srini Pillay, M.D. and CEO of NueroBusiness Group did a study that shows the brain has a ‘trust hormone’ oxytocin; which does in fact enhance trust, possibly because it enhances the distinction between self and others and increases the positive evaluation of others. Thus, a trust hormone actually changes how the brain perceives people and situations.

The greater the trust you can build between your customer and your brand, the greater the chance of marketing success (which I define by amount of deals closed or leads generated).

What are some of these trust building activities? Clear communication, being on time, delivering on promises, and fulfilling contractual obligations are good ways to create a climate of trust when things are unfamiliar.

2. Do your homework
Rather than cold calls, use social media to develop the relationship to a warm point before an initial call. Target someone through LinkedIn LNKD -2.22% that fits your buyer profile through an advanced search. With Google GOOGL -0.63% Analytics, there are certain metrics that can measure how long visitors from LinkedIn stay on your web page. More time spent on the web page means that you have engaging and meaningful content. Using this information, you can target your customers easier through social media.

Once you have identified them, do research on them through reading their profiles using a CRM such as Nimble to aggregate all of their public information. Then find their email address or send them a direct message on Twitter TWTR -2.59% to start a conversation.
This works best for people who have retweeted or favorited something you have said on Twitter or LinkedIn.

3. Use your resources
The number of social media followers you have has little to do with how many people will see any social media posts you make. Since most adults don’t live on social media 24/7, only those who are checking the network at that moment (or whom you tag by name) will see the post. Tools like HootSuite and Hiplogiq’s SociaCentiv allow you to set up repeated or rephrased posts later.

According to Social Media Examiner it’s important to have three or more posts in between repeats so your profile stays interesting.

4. Offline presence
Many offline tactics still have better conversion rates than online techniques. But, a recent study by Search Engine Land found that 85% of consumers have used the Internet to find a local business. Integrating TV, radio and print into your digital marketing efforts helps differentiate your brand and target a new and profitable audience. Scott Langdon of Highervisibility.com said, “we’re living in a very digital world, but people still like to have something tangible to hold or feel when making a purchasing decicision.”

Social media marketing takes consistent effort and attention to detail. Businesses that use social media outlets to build relationships of trust, combined with an offline presence,  and diligent consumer data gathering will drive awareness and profitability for the long term.

Understand The Interaction Between New And Traditional Media

Ideally marketers need to influence the shoppers’ mindset before they set foot in a store. Brand Spark International’s Canadian Shopper Study, tracks shopper trends and how they embrace multi-media. Although this is a Canadian study, trends parallel those in the US. 

2011 Canadian Shopper Study Highlights:

• 37 percent of shoppers have a standard shopping list they refer to each week
• Only 15 percent make their purchasing decisions in-store
• Planning begins at home where 96 percent of shoppers read supermarket flyers and 93 percent read drug store flyers. (US statistics)
• 90 percent of shoppers are looking for low priced specials and more than 7 in 10 compare prices between stores.
• 25 percent of in-store shoppers rush to get the items on their list and then exit the store, while 66 percent indicated that they walk all of the aisles so they don’t miss anything
• Shopping for multiple categories is common: 62 percent of shoppers shop for food, 48 percent shop for personal care products and 37 percent shop for household care products. Shoppers buy most of these products on dedicated shopping trips
• A small segment of shoppers agree that they often make impulse purchases. 23 percent make impulse food purchases.

What Shopping Habits Reveal: 

Shoppers are interested in new products:  

68 percent say they are willing to pay more for new products that are an improvement over products they currently buy.  Consumers believe that research and development leads to better products. 71 percent believe that this is the case for health products, 67 percent for household care, 61 percent for personal care and 56 percent for food products. 

Leverage Social Media and Out-Of-Home Ads: 

In the Canadian Shopper Study, shoppers indicated that TV ads are the most successful at capturing their attention. 92 percent said they always/sometimes pay attention to TV ads, followed by 87 percent for out-of-home ads, 85 percent for magazines and 79 percent for Internet ads.

Product samples, retail flyers, TV ads, direct mail coupons, and magazines advertisements are considered the most convenient and useful channels for learning about new products. 

The survey also revealed that patterns of coupon usage are shifting. Paper coupons remain popular at 70 percent and newspaper coupons currently account for 70 percent of coupons used. Although magazines account for 50 percent of coupon usage, the data revealed that 50 percent of consumers use retail and brand websites or digital coupons. 

Optimizing Social Networks: 

Facebook dominates the social media universe and is currently the premiere social media starting point for any brand. 76 percent of retail and food service shoppers are on Facebook.  Among grocery shoppers, 21 percent and 17 percent respectively are Twitter and LinkedIn members.  54 percent  of shoppers have viewed ads on social networks and this figure increases to 67 percent among Early Adopters, defined as those who initially embraced, and continue to use, social media. 

Peer Recommendation:

Peer recommendation has a significant impact on consumer habits.  80 percent of respondents agree with the following statement: “If I find a product that I like, I will encourage friends and family to purchase it.”

Almost 90 percent agree with the following statement: “ If I get a deal on something, I love to tell my friends and family about it.”  70 percent say they are likely to choose a product based on the recommendation of others.

Posted by Bruce MacDonald

From his new book
 

Who are the 10 Most Generous Marketing Geniuses?

The 10 Most Generous Marketing Geniuses 

Posted on Challenges In Agri-Food & Supply Chain 

Instead of just selling us more useless things, these advertisers and marketers are helping to package and make popular the idea of doing good and responsible business.

This past fall, a group of marketers, led by the 92nd Street Y and the UN Foundation, created the first annual day of giving: Giving Tuesday. No single person owned the day and more than 2,500 corporations, non-profits, small businesses and consultancies participated to celebrate helping others. What launched as a small grassroots effort soon took on a life of its own and is now poised to grow far beyond U.S. borders.

Every day, we are seeing more and more innovative organizations and companies forming to help give back and marketers are using their skills to drive social change, change behaviors and raise awareness. Enlightened companies are no longer reticent to frame their corporate responsibility as part of their core mission, delivered to customers via products and marketing channels. Additionally, they are not shy to say it is beneficial for their business. A recent study by the Marketing Science Institute revealed that investing in socially responsible causes not only creates goodwill towards a company but also bolsters consumer perceptions of the performance of company products. In other words, doing good can actually translate into doing well.

It’s easy for me to say that giving and social good have gone mainstream. In my life, it has. I work at Fenton, a communications agency that has been dedicated to social good since its inception in 1982. Outside of work, I sit on several nonprofit boards and advise multiple others. My romantic partner Fabien, the first grandson of Jacques Cousteau,has dedicated his life to educating others about the importance of our water world and environment. Both my parents were stewards of good, as my father was a professor for more than 35 years and my mother toiled for public television.

But it’s not just me. Giving is truly becoming the new “getting.” At what other time have we seen the New York Times Magazine dedicate six pages to a professor who prides himself on sharing his time to help others?

The trend includes both global names such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, Nike and Toyota as well as smaller, cutting-edge stalwarts like Warby Parker, Panera Bread and Runa Tea. Panera Bread, for example, recently opened several Panera Cares Cafes at which customers pay according to their financial means. Profits from the ventures will be used to fund job-training programs to help elevate the disadvantaged in the area.

These companies are finding new and innovative ways to connect with their core customers and prospects—and using social good as the means of connection. In an era when listening and interacting trumps old school broadcast messaging, social tools allow companies to be authentic and transparent, and to form a 360-degree relationship with their customers.

Further, businesses are committing to longer social good programs. Given the need to partner with customers for success, a longer trajectory gives a campaign or program more time to grow and prosper. Since 2006, Bono and Bobby Shriver have been engaging private sector companies to create a licensed product with the (RED) Product logo with the purpose of raising awareness and funds to fight AIDS in Africa. More recently, when Warner Bros. wanted to fund famine victims in the Horn of Africa, its “We Can Be Heroes” program was launched as a two-year project rather than a limited one-off promotion.

One thing is clear: the social good and marketing worlds are intersecting in a powerful way. Brands, nonprofits, and social businesses have an incredible opportunity to tap into the public’s increasingly visible affinity for social good and transparency.  In the pages that follow, you’ll meet some of the spectacular marketers and communicators who are doing just that.

Every Monday and Wednesday over the next five weeks, read about a new honoree who is using his or her creative smarts to effect positive change. We’ve gathered in-depth profiles that get to the heart of who these visionaries are and how they are using their time and talents for good.

STEPHEN FRIEDMAN

President of MTV

As the president of MTV, Stephen Friedman is the barometer of what’s hip with the young demographic. He transformed the network into the cultural home of the Millennials with over 100 million Facebook fans and 9 million Twitter followers. As founder of MTV’s first pro social department, Friedman remains committed to merging business and social responsibility, a passion he shares with his audience.

ALEX BOGUSKY

Former head of Crispin Porter + Bogusky

After being crowned the “Creative Director of the Decade” by Adweek in 2010, Alex Bogusky surprised the advertising industry by leaving Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the agency he joined in 1989 and helped grow to more than 1,000 employees around the world. Always drawn to a cause, he has since turned his attention towards the social good sectorthrough The FearLess Revolution (a nonprofit consultancy), COMMON (a collaborative network for accelerating social ventures) and MadeMovement (a new agency dedicated to the resurgence in American manufacturing).

DAVID DROGA

Founder and creative chairman, Droga5

David Droga, founder and creative chairman of Droga5, has proven repeatedly that the power of imagination is the ultimate power. After earning his stripes at top advertising agencies around the globe, Droga ventured out on his own with Droga5. Since opening in New York in 2005, this independent agency has topped just about every creative awards list. When Droga5 focused on solving social issues for organizations like UNICEF and the New York City Department of Education, the impact was worthy of a Titanium Award at Cannes.

CATHY RIGG MONETTI

Founder and partner of Riggs Partners           
            
Even with a successful 30-year career as a writer, creative director and brand strategist, Cathy Rigg Monetti considers herself a work in progress. At 26, she started her own agency and at 36 cofounded a network that has donated over $15 million in marketing and creative services to nonprofits. She’s a voracious student of all things next and since 2009 has focused her efforts on socially conscious companies and nonprofit organizations.

LANE WOOD

Founder of Woodwork

After schlepping Apple computers, becoming an ordained minister, and pinning microphones on celebrities, Lane Wood finally found his true calling. From establishing charity: water (an NGO fighting to end the global water crisis) to overseeing social innovation at Warby Parker (the successful buy-a-pair, give-a-pair enterprise), Wood works with people who want to change the world. A pioneer in societal innovation, Wood recently started Woodwork, a "legacy lab" which helps build epic brands through meaningful and impactful stories.

DAVID JONES

Global CEO of Havas and Havas Worldwide

Honored by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, David Jones excels at using creativity to change people’s behavior and address some of the bigger issues facing the world. The youngest global CEO in the history of advertising, Jones was the driving force behind Kofi Annan’s TckTckTck Campaign for Climate Justice. Ever the industry visionary, Jones is giving voice to the next generation through One Young World, a nonprofit he co-founded to provide young people with a global platform through which to effect positive change.

DAN WIEDEN

Co-founder and chairman ofWieden+Kennedy

Dan Wieden doesn’t just think about helping others, he just does it. As co-founder and chairman of Wieden+Kennedy, an independent agency that started with Nike, $500, and a lot of determination, Wieden grew the organization from 5 to nearly 1,200 employees by putting work and the best idea first. Wieden’s greatest talent may be empowering his fellow dreamers to find their voice, allowing employees and clients alike to flourish and create campaigns with global impact.

DAVID SABLE

Global CEO of Y&R

“Do it big, or stay in bed,” believes David Sable, Global CEO of Y&R since February 2011 after 35 years in the advertising business. Sable strikes a balance between creativity and innovation, advancing clients’ stories through the right channels to create new consumer experiences and have greater impact. He also serves on numerous educational and other charitable boards and committees including UNICEF’s New York Board and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

JENIFER WILLIG

Co-founder Motive and Whole World Water

Raising over $185 million and attracting a social following of over 2.5 million advocates for (RED), the organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver to fight AIDS in Africa, just wasn’t enough for Jenifer Willig, who started her career in advertising. She has since co-founded Motive, a social innovation consultancy driving social and economic progress, and Whole World Water, a social enterprise that united the hospitality and tourism industries to raise money for clean and safe water initiatives.

SUSAN SMITH ELLIS

Former CEO of Product (RED)

Susan Smith Ellis is the former CEO of Product (RED), a global marketing company founded by Bono whose partnerships help combat the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Known as a risk-taker, brand strategist and builder of strategic partnerships, she left a top position at Omnicom to scale up the startup (RED) from $18 to $180 million. She continues to put her exceptional talents to work for various projects and organizations as a consultant and board member.