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December 1st, 2008
Living in the 21st Century and all its modern conveniences, including technology and its unlimited capabilities still haven’t changed the very essence of marketing: knowing and communicating to your key audience. There are very few - if any – products or services that actually can or should be marketed to “the general population.”
But yet, we see on an ongoing basis the advertisements and other marketing mechanisms, now including email blasts, that we are bombarded with about companies and/or products we have no interest in. That equals considerable wasted effort of dollars and resources by your business.
If your business has infinite amount of dollars or time to utilize, then worrying about the bottom line and how those resources are spent is a mute point.
But, taking the time to identify your customers (and potential customers) remains one of the most essential components of any business’ activity. Most companies began their business with a clearly identified demographic of its consumer: age range, ethnicity, geographic location, disposable income, family status, etc. Businesses that market to only other businesses also have a range of identifiable buyers as well.
If you feel your organization’s marketing efforts are less than stellar, take another look at “who” you are marketing to before digging into the “how” you are communicating to them. This will save considerable time and people resources and better manage the way you are managing your bottom line.
In the upcoming blogs, I’ll share some ideas with you on how you can best identify your audience and activities to better market to them.
November 26th, 2008
In March, Dr. Pepper promised a free soda to every person in the U.S. if the new Guns ‘N Roses album “Chinese Democracy” was ever released. The album, which was in the works since 1994, was unlikely to be released due to the band’s notorious changing lineup and dysfunctional relationship. Dr. Pepper was then able to capitalize on positive media attention surrounding the free soda offer. Then the unthinkable happened; on Sunday, November 23, 2008, “Chinese Democracy” was released.
Dr. Pepper made good on its promise to provide free soda, but they weren’t about to make the process easy. The first step in claiming the free soda was to visit the Dr. Pepper Web site and register, which is strategic from a marketing standpoint. This process allows Dr. Pepper to build a database for future promotions and provides an opportunity to educate customers about products and offers while they are visiting the site. However, once registration was completed, customers were told they would receive their coupon for a free soda via snail mail as opposed to an electronic coupon. Also, this offer was only available the day of the album’s release and due to high traffic on the Web site, many people were unable to log on to receive the coupon.
The flubbed execution of this promotion will probably not cause significant brand damage, but customers who aren’t loyal to Dr. Pepper will remember this experience during their next shopping trip. I think one of the greatest lessons here is to leave aged rock stars out of your promotional strategies.
November 24th, 2008
Most organizations spend a majority of their time focused on marketing and communicating to external audiences – customers, vendors, media. But just as critical to any business – profit or non-profit – is the need to effectively communicate internally as well.
As we’ve talked about before, staff can, and should, be the number one marketer of your organization. If they clearly understand the vision and goals and recognize their vested interest in the success of the company and its products and services, the better your business will do. And, even more importantly, if you can fully engage your front-line employees, they will come up with some incredible ideas and marketing opportunities the company can implement that enhance your bottom line.
But employee communications will take time and resources previously allocated to external communications. Here are some initial tips:
* Start by conducting a communications audit within each department. This can be done through a focus group, email or written survey or departmental meeting. The goal of the audit is to understand what employees see as the company’s objectives and vision.
* Offer brainstorming session to allow your staff to promote their ideas and offer suggestions to make the company run more efficiently. Because not every employee likes to discuss ideas publicly or may want to remain anonymous, also offer a written brainstorming session in which departments give their staff one hour on a chosen day to throw their ideas on paper and send them in with or without their name disclosed.
*Follow through with communications and ideas. Take the time to set up an internal communications vehicle to ensure your team knows what is going on and if/when some of their ideas are being utilized by the organization. Credit and recognition will go a long way in inspiring others to get involved.
November 20th, 2008
On Nov. 15, the makers of Motrin put on their website a 50-second ad offering the drug as a remedy to moms whose bodies ache from carrying their kids around in front-packs, wraps, slings and such. Not more than 20 hours later, after a very vocal online outcry — largely from moms who were offended by the spot’s implications and took to Twitter to voice their displeasure — the ad was yanked from the company’s website.
Nearly a week later, the hubbub is still brewing, and “Motrin Moms,” a term that previously didn’t exist, is now an interest group.
Times are indeed changing for companies. Those who were previously skeptical of just how influential and powerful social media is saw with the Motrin spectacle how quickly word spreads over connected networks of passionate people.
Media and marketing analysts are having a field day with the fallout surrounding the Motrin ad and have been offering up plenty of tips for other companies who may be considering a viral marketing campaign or reaching out to customers via social media.
#1. Get to know the social media community and think like them. Find the bloggers/online personalities in your target market and reach out to them. Ask them what they think of your campaign messaging before you put it out there for everyone.
#2. Reach out to the community when warranted. Motrin moved quickly once they determined its ad wasn’t being well-received, removing the spot and reaching out to offended customers.
#3. Have a response strategy in place. Companies should be prepared for a negative reaction. Besides smoothing things over with the offended, having a strategy that will influence search results — like Google — and the digital trail will help make sure your organization is well-presented.
Motrin can take some measure of solace in knowing that, in a crowded over-the-counter drug field dominated by Advil and generics, it has now gotten free publicity in scores of major media. But by understanding how powerful social media is today and by stopping to consider how their message will be received in that arena, companies can avoid the pitfalls that Motrin is currently experiencing and ensure their marketing experience is much more pleasant.
November 19th, 2008
‘Diversity’ shouldn’t just be used as a buzz word; it should be part of your corporate reputation and business strategy. According to a Washington Post report published earlier this year found that diversity training in many American companies is ineffective and even counterproductive. The report reviewed 31 years of data from 830 midsize to large U.S. workplaces and found that diversity training programs were often followed by declines in the number of women and minorities in management positions. In most of these instances, the study found that most of the organizations forced employees into the diversity training which created a backlash. Diversity training should not implemented just for the sake of avoiding liability and discrimination lawsuits, but should encourage employees to recognize the positive results of having a heterogeneous workplace.
Keep in mind that diversity includes more than just race and gender. Age, background and skill sets are some other factors that should be recognized with diversity. Proctor & Gamble Co. and Google Inc. have gone as far as temporarily swapping employees to spur innovation. The employees who come from vastly different corporate cultures are able to provide their fresh insight to the development of business strategies for these companies who are undergoing rapid changes.
Some great advice I heard concerning diversity was from Karen Wells, VP of strategy and menu for McDonald’s, who was the featured speaker at the Chamber’s Minority Enterprise Luncheon this month. Her message was that diversity doesn’t just happen on its own; it has to be something that you are committed to and willing to work toward.
November 18th, 2008
Organizations today are spending significant dollars to develop or update their web sites. Most of this money is used to make the home page flashier, or host more whiz-bang buttons. But have you thought about the ease of navigation for the media to find relevant information?
Each organization should develop and clearly identify a “Media Room” page and provide contact information for media to communicate with you via email and voicemail. If feasible, also provide an after-hours phone number in case a reporter has questions after you’ve left the office.
Look at your web site objectively to determine if finding your organization’s press releases are easy to locate. Additionally, post an online media kit that includes a company overview, management bios, FAQs (frequently asked questions), and fact sheet. This type of information assists reporters to gain specific information about your company without having to follow up with you each time.
Also, consider how to utilize your web site for crisis communications. Will the media know where to find the latest facts and updates in regard to your crisis?
Remember, the harder it is for reporters to access the information, the more likely they are to give up the search and choose not to utilize your organization as a resource.
November 14th, 2008
The recent election had us all examining that fine line between truth and spin. We all received those emails from our far left or far right friends who passed on the garbage-filled propaganda that eventually became rumors, then became passed on as fact. So how do you find out if what you’re reading is really true?
Digging back through my memories from days in journalism school and communications law class, I remember all of the repercussions of a printed lie. Libel and defamation suits are serious and detrimental to a journalist’s career, so why would he or she take the risk of printing something that wasn’t fact-checked over and over again? Newspapers are required to provide truthful information to their readers.
So remember this when you’re looking for your most factual-based information – if it comes from a trusted news source, whether it be TV or print or radio, it is the journalist’s job to report the truth. It’s not necessarily the case with email chains and Wikipedia. In this day and age the lies spread quickly, but think about who told you that information before you spread it on.
November 12th, 2008
There is little that can jeopardize a deadline as much as a dysfunctional approval process. In a profession that emphasizes the importance of timeliness and accuracy, there is an essential need to make sure that those approving our work understand this.
After the copy or graphic design makes its way through the company’s executives and lawyers, your carefully crafted project may come back in a different form. Set clear expectations with policies and guidelines for the approval process, and reduce the number of reviewers. After a press release circulates through multiple people who are adding their suggestions and edits, it is possible that errors can make their way into the copy.
Make sure your client understands the cost of a flawed approval process. Your time and their dollars will be wasted if an article or press release misses a deadline or story opportunity because it is stalled on someone’s desk waiting to be approved. As you send projects for approval, also give a deadline. Include a memo that states when the project needs to be sent to the media or printer and give a date to submit any corrections or edits. Make sure to also confirm your client has received the item they need to approve; as these things sometimes have a tendency to magically disappear from desks and inboxes.
November 10th, 2008
Members of your organization’s management team may be excellent at what they do, but do they have the necessary knowledge or skill set to appropriately interact with the media on an ongoing basis? Mentoring members of your management in public relations may seem a far-fetched idea at first, but if they are open to the process, it can make an immense difference in their ability to feel comfortable in this role, get their messages across and enhance their – and your organization’s – credibility.
The dictionary defines a “mentor” as someone who serves as a trusted coach or advisor. In most business circumstances, we consider mentors as those in a higher management level. But mentoring can work effectively as long as the ‘mentorer’ has specific key skill sets and knowledge in a particular area that the ‘mentoree’ needs to learn. This can be especially true as it relates to sharing your public relations insight with your management team.
Of course, senior management must be open to the opportunity to learn and grow in this area. To make them feel most comfortable with the opportunity, don’t focus on only one manager, but rather gather three or four managers on a monthly or quarterly basis and outline an agenda of the goal or insight to be learned during each session. This will allow the managers to learn from you, but also from each other, about public relations which can be an incredibly confusing or intimidating area.
Session topics can focus on such areas as developing talking points for interviews, learning how to give effective sound bites, managing body behavior, or implementing mock interviews.
Although it may seem somewhat unconventional to mentor ‘up’, the overall goal for both you and your management is the same: making all feel more comfortable with the media and enhancing your organization’s credibility and interactions with the press.
November 7th, 2008
In a study released by the Pew Research Center last Tuesday, it was announced that the number of people who got their election news from the Internet has tripled since the last election in 2004. TV remains the dominant source for election news, but it just goes to show that the Internet is not to be missed when disseminating your message.
So how should you reach online viewers? Here are some easy suggestions:
- Using a wire service that specializes in sending information to internet sites, bloggers and social media sites is a sure fire way to get some online pick-up on your news.
- Choose keywords that people are going to search for in your online press releases – how would people Google you?
- Provide links to your website in your press releases to make it easy for people to click through.
- Have an updated website with your latest news. Supplying new content to your website boosts your search engine optimization, so be sure to upload that latest release to your website.
Using these easy tools will make reaching out to cyberspace a breeze.
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