by Matina Singh | Feb 1, 2013 | Branding, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
It wasn’t so long ago that when you ran a contest the only way people could enter the contest was to take the time to fill out an entry form and then whether mail it in or drop it off in a ballot box. The Internet has made things easier, but still, the consumer has to find their way to your website. Social Media properties such as Facebook has added a layer of ease to the process: Consumers are already on Facebook engaging and talking to their communities. More importantly, consumers have join in and subscribed to contest and promotional sites such as Red Flag Deals or Contest Forums. If the promotion looks interesting enough, clicking on a link that takes the consumer to a contest landing page and asks them to fill out an online form, isn’t that big a deal.
It doesn’t make any difference what type of business you have; running a contest on Facebook is a powerful and effective approach in building awareness, and engagement as well as generating more followers. As appealing as it may seem, Facebook contests can only be effective if it is properly promoted.
Here are 5 simple ways to get the best out of your Facebook contest:
1. Timeline photo
Your timeline photo can be used to tell people about your contest. Not only is this a ‘premium’ advertising space for your contest, there will also be an update to your fans about the changes of your timeline photo. A well-designed timeline cover is a good alternative to promote your contest.
2. Promoted post
In general, only 16% of your Facebook fans see your wall posts. Facebook enrolled the Promoted Post option, where a specific post can be promoted to reach a higher audience. If you recall that caused quite a stir in the business and corporate communities. However, it is here and the fact is that it can cost as little as $5 to reach your community target to get them engaged.
3. Advocate engagement
Have you noticed a particularly engaging fan that frequently shows support for your brand? Engaging with these fans to participate and promote your contest is an effective way to instantly build buzz. It is a form of word-of-mouth marketing that we all know can be influential.
4. Cross promote
Broadcast your contest on Twitter, Youtube, Pinterest, Linkedin and any other Social Media. Your audience is everywhere, so if you do not promote everywhere else, then your contest is probably not reaching its maximum potential.
5. Choose the prize that fits
Instead of offering some big-ticket prize that doesn’t relate to our business, how about giving away one of your own products? If your business is sevice-based rather than product-based, offer the winner a free month of service. The goal of a contest is to find more people who are interested in your business, not just a prize.
That said, here is a very good examples of a Facebook contest…and how you can leverage the impact and reach of Facebook.
Being Human: The Salman Khan Foundation is a registered charitable trust set up by Salman Khan (famous actor in India) for helping the cause of the underprivileged in two main areas: education and healthcare.
The timeline photo changed before the launch of the contest:
The Teaser Campaign Approach: Get your audience curious by adding some pre-promotion. Here we can clearly see the brand is trying to get engagement from their fans by asking and not telling their consumers what the was coming. They have to wait 4 days to find out….
Build and Leverage the Momentum.
In this case, each day a new count down image was posted. The Foundation got their consumers intrigued and made them come back to see the comment, what was new and that all leads to greater engagement.
The Grand Finalé… The Day of the Draw….
Finally here! A total of 31,416 likes, 1,124 shares and 6,170 comments were received! Fans were encouraged to create an outfit for the celebrity and from those comments a 3 random people would win.
Everyday another Timeline photo was posted promoting the new clothing line of Being Human.
Closing the loop… showcasing the winners:
A perfect end to show that this was not only a promotion stunt but the winners actually got to meet the celebrity.
Do you have a favourite contest that ran or is being run right now? Share with us any other great contests that you have seen on Facebook here. We’d love to know!
by Matina Singh | Jan 23, 2013 | Branding, Design, Latest, Marketing
So your business made it off the ground, you’re generating revenue, but you’ve hit a roadblock with your growth and revenue. Perhaps it’s too niche or misleading, or tied to a geographic location – what to do? Re-branding your company requires careful consideration and planning in order to achieve a successful outcome and take your business to the next level. But this also involves a lot of risks.
Be aware of all the risks of re-branding before you start the process. As a marketer I know how quickly you can get caught up in design and other issues, just don’t let it get you! Re-branding is more than changing a logo or adding bolder images. It is also about researching and understanding the consumer, analyzing changes in target markets when exploring opportunities for brand expansion and repositioning.
Yet, even when forewarned, many still make some common mistakes. Here are the top 5 mistakes to avoid:
- Re-branding without research
Put money and time into researching the consumer’s perspective on the product or service. What do (don’t) they like, what attracts them etc.
- Wrong assumption “A brand is just a logo”
Your brand is more that just a logo. A brand integrates all aspects of your business; everything from look, feel, culture, tone, voice, product quality, customer care… leading to consumer perception.
- Getting started without a plan
Make sure you have a plan from start to finish. From research and analysis to setting up time frames, to identifying metrics for assessing results (ROI).
- Not leveraging existing brand equity
A company with high brand equity may not need to undergo a big transformation… or rather, shouldn’t need to go through a huge transformation. When you have a strong brand equity… tread softly and lightly. However you do it, make sure the current brand equity stays strong!
- Getting buy in internally prior to external.
Getting employees to understand the reason and goal of re-branding is very important because they will have to sell it to the consumers. This is equally more important in lieu of social media. Internal branding is increasingly important as each employee is a brand ambassador. In short, if they don’t believe it, neither will the consumer.
Going through a re-branding is and can be very challenging. It’s not so much setting the goal, but reaching it successfully. Having gone through a major re-branding I can only say that walking the talk is monumentally important. The re-branding that I was involved in failed miserably on convincing internal people that the change was necessary. The bigger the company, the more time is needed to make sure everyone is informed and all understand why there needs to be a change. If they understand, they will be able to explain it to the consumer. If you believe it, you will show it!
A successful re-branding requires a vision that inspires consumers, investors and others to see the company in a new light. We can learn from other companies who have gone through re-branding. This could be a successful re-brand or even a failure, if we learn from them we will not make the same mistake. Check out the 10 most successful re-branding campaigns ever. This article not only shows how they did it, it also let us know the lesson to be learned. Very interesting!
by Matina Singh | Dec 28, 2012 | Branding, Business Success, Latest
When we go shopping for anything from food, clothes or cars, we have a lot of choices, at times too many choices. Do we choose a brand that’s familiar to us or do we take a chance with a new one? How do we choose from all these different brands on the retail shelf… and what do they do to set themselves a part from the rest?
With the many choices we have as consumers it’s easy to be overwhelmed – throw in the towel on our decision making process and buy the already known rather than trying something new! But even if we want to try a new product, there are so many out there, we often don’t even know where to begin. Too many of POP materials and communications at the retail level put out by brand makers talk about the feature of their product and totally forget to talk to the benefits – in short, what’s in it for the consumer. Benefit-driven communications is the best way to speak to consumers. Is the brand more efficient? Provide time-saving or cost-saving?
In-store retail merchandising and retail point-of-sale (POS) mechanisms are crucial to make a connection with the consumer to drive both impulse and trial sales. To capture the consumer’s wandering eye, brands and retailers need to constant create new and innovative point-of-purchase (POP) to grab attention where and when in counts the most: in-store. Without these attention-getting on-shelf or in-store communication pieces, many consumers often overlook new products or specials and consequently buy familiar and already trusted brands.
Brand Marketers want to make sure that their brand doesn’t get lost in all the in-store option available to consumers. Here’s a quick check list to do just that:
- Packaging: This is the most important brand POP. It is the piece that will keep on working where ever it is: on-shelf, in-store, in the pantry, in the home. It is all about originality! The brand package needs to carry the brand character, personality and voice and more importantly speak to its benefits.
- POP: Using unique visual elements and colours that speak to the brand in order to draw attention to the product provides at the retail level the necessary impact. Creating effective POP on-shelf that speaks to consumers will entice them to make the change. Using mobiles, shelf-talkers, on-shelf coupon generators, on-shelf digital messaging are only a few tactics that are available.
- End Aisle Displays/ Check Out Displays: Using these in-store tactics are an effective way of making brands stand out. While consumers wait in line or turn the aisle, the “one brand” shelving strategy definitely gets the desired effect. Couple this impact with the right benefit-driven message and brands will be sure to generate the much sought after impulse purchase.
- Floor Graphics and Floor Stands: An effective and creative way to drive consumers right to products on-shelf is using floor graphics leading the way! Of course colourful floor stands filled with products are also effective and provide a solid “real-estate” space, often away from the competitive products.
Effective POP helps snap consumers out of their routine. It engages them at the most critical purchasing moment and affects behavior to drive sales. All brand marketers must be sure to get this part right. It doesn’t matter how great an advertising campaign is… if consumers don’t find the brand on the shelf, the sale is lost. After all isn’t that what it’s all about?
by Matina Singh | Dec 21, 2012 | Branding, Business Success, Interactive
In the age of technology one really must question the effectiveness of in-store POP. In the recent POPAI’s 2012 Shopper Engagement Study, it states that the in-store decision rate has climbed from 70% in 1995 to 76% in 2012. Can’t believe it right? Although initially I had my doubts, the more I thought about it the more I got to thinking that it’s just about right. It’s not that POP is no longer valid, it’s that POP has had to evolve and keep up with technology.
First let’s take a look at your shopping habits, do you use online flyers or read online reviews before you head to the store to make a purchase? The consumer is changing, with the stores right there at their fingertips on mobile paired with in-store efforts, it gives your brand a leg up with consumers. This allows them to see, read and understand the item they want first, before making a purchase.
Is your brand focused on just in-store efforts or do you use social media, mobile shopping apps, mobile coupons and “red flag deals” type-sites to boost your consumer/product relationship.
What else is your brand focusing on? I mentioned before in-store and mobile incentives and I believe these new techniques, along with the ability to flip through an online flyer, helps a consumer make a decision on your brand. It’s quick, and with the world becoming more fast pace and people always on the go, this is a great strategy to tap into. But what if your consumer just pops into the store without that online flyer, will they simply make a decision in-store based solely on the attractiveness, clarity of a product or in-store coupons? Needless to say… when all else fails, packaging plays a huge role.
So let’s talk packaging. In order to get your product off the shelf and into their shopping cart your product packaging needs to speak to the consumer’s needs. The product package itself needs to be appealing; this is the first important feature. Ultimately it’s the only POP space a brand really owns. Read more about packaging here. Use your empathy here and put yourself in your consumer’s shoes; what kind of keywords, design, in-store and mobile incentives would grab your attention? You will need to make your brand stand out from the rest by appeal and the call-to-action. Not only does your brand need to be unique, but it must stand out from all of your competitors.
With all this said don’t forget to use social media to get customer feedback about what they like about your brand, packaging, use of color, basically what makes your brand standout from the rest because this can be a great benefit to your brand and improve ROI.
Your brand needs to be adaptable to this ever-changing world and so does your in-store, on-shelf strategy. Customers love discounts, contests and being interactive. Create in-store buzz by having an event. One that comes to mind is Oreo cookies. They gave children the chance to stack as many Oreo’s in 30s to win a prize and parents received an in-store coupon.
Ultimately, in the end what it takes is to be unique, creative with the technology that is available. Couple that with the understanding of your consumer and you’ll have a solid in-store presence to generate those consumer pick-ups… and sales!
The Teaser Campaign Approach: Get your audience curious by adding some pre-promotion. Here we can clearly see the brand is trying to get engagement from their fans by asking and not telling their consumers what the was coming. They have to wait 4 days to find out….
In this case, each day a new count down image was posted. The Foundation got their consumers intrigued and made them come back to see the comment, what was new and that all leads to greater engagement.
