by Miriam Hara | Dec 23, 2013 | Latest, Social Media
2013 was a big year for anything and everything that was content, social and digital. There was much talk about responsive websites; on how Google changed its algorithms to include phrasing structure; and what I feel is the most important, is how keywords (SEO) have become a topic of marketing discussions.
All this leads me to believe that there will be more integrated social landscapes that encompass content creation, web design, SEO and marketing… all in the hope of “getting found” and the right time and place: getting found on Google searches, getting noticed on networking sites, and accumulating a following through lead generation, e-newsletters, e-zines, subscriptions to blogs or forums.
As we speed towards 2014, businesses should stop and take note of the year that has just passed.
Here are some of the major takeaways that businesses should ponder about in terms of content:
The Blog: To resist is futile.
The blog is now a viable channel… the social media channel is merging with, or has been taken over by content marketing. The blog started out as the writing of random thoughts or musings in the hopes of connecting with like-minded individuals. What was once perceived as a forum of self-expression has now become an important part of business marketing communications and yes, even sales! The blog: it’s out there! Professionals and laymen alike are all talking about it. They are now getting the point: development of content, whether it’s case studies, editorial or news – fresh content is a necessity. Many don’t know how to go about it. And many are fearful. They shouldn’t be.
Communities mean something and have value.
So this isn’t exactly new… and it isn’t only about Facebook. Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn are just a few of the popular ones. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll just address this statement in the context of Facebook. Social Media (Facebook) is now a marketing itemized line in most marketing plans. Should every business have a Facebook Page? Or is it only brands that should invest? Facebook is a mass universe, so it’s most likely that you will find like minded individuals when they are on Facebook…. just like advertising in a print magazine…and reaching your audience while they are in relaxing reading mode. Building communities and constantly engaging them and keeping them engaged are important for brand awareness. There’s always an angle to employ Facebook for your business…suffice it to say, only to educate and to spread the good words of the fresh content your business is creating.
Work your Websites harder.
Out with the old brochure stagnant site, in with the new responsive, engaging site. Get rid of the flash and noise level. Business websites need to involve and embrace social media and content creation. They need to allocate time, effort and “space” towards creating a site that speaks to their brand. This is of paramount importance to increase your business performance on search engines. The website should be SEO primed and it definitely needs to be responsive! It’s about getting found… and about engagement.
So how important is it for businesses to have a content strategy in place? I’d like to hear your thoughts.
by Miriam Hara | Dec 16, 2013 | Advertising, Latest
It really goes without saying that star power builds awareness. However, utilizing celebrities as part of a brand’s advertising campaign can be a double-edged sword. The more obvious reason is that stars themselves, especially in today’s landscape, are brands in their own right. They aren’t just actors or athletes, they too are responsible for their own brands and propelling it forward. As such, it is difficult for a brand not be eclipsed by the star’s own brand… and to stand apart from the star’s own persona. But it can be done:
No brand utilizes star power as well as Chanel No 5.
Chanel No 5 has always used star power to propel its brand forward; to constantly reinvent itself and to evolve with the times. In fact, star power is at the cornerstone of Chanel No 5’s brand persona. The 2013 ads for Chanel No 5 featuring Brad Pitt were very well thought out. It was a novel approach featuring a man’s perspective on Chanel No 5. With Brad Pitt, Chanel No 5 spoke to women on a totally different level than the ads that featured Nicole Kidman and yes, even Catherine Deneuve (1979 Chanel No 5 ad). Brad Pitt spoke to Chanel No 5’s target – women on a purely fantasy level.
Now, one year later, Chanel No 5 advertising, just in time for the holiday season, features the legendary star Marilyn Monroe. What a beautifully executed, thought-provoking and emotive concept. It speaks to women on so many levels — although I would say with confidence, it equally speaks to men!
From a design and purely conceptual level, the current Marilyn Monroe is no trend, embracing the retro trend. The film footage in black and white is beautiful to look at and the audio track adds nostalgia to the sexy persona that is synonymous with Marilyn Monroe. Highly emotive, the ad playing on every woman’s sexiness. With that one simple testimonial, “I wear Chanel No 5 to bed” unlocks the inner woman in every woman. What woman can’t relate to the idea of this self-indulgent concept, celebrating her independence and self-love!
So kudos to Chanel No 5… Much to my chagrin, I must say, “step aside Brad Pitt!”… after all, Marilyn Monroe provides to women something that Brad can’t offer: a feeling that is easily attainable. All they need to do is wear Chanel No 5 to bed!
by Miriam Hara | Dec 15, 2013 | Interactive, Latest
Over the last 4 years, at Christmas time, retail gurus have been stating that online retail shopping has been increasing exponentially. The fact is, we all do it. At the speed of life and the demands of maintaining that speed, what’s easy and quick is what we gravitate to. Last year during the Christmas season, retail online shopping increased by 14% from 2011 in the U.S. alone. This year the predictions have obviously been higher. I have always wondered what will be done with all these gigantic shopping malls once the trend goes completely towards online. Can the premium that real estate demands for retail store frontage be a thing of the past?
Who says that retail online shopping has be to done on a computer?
This Christmas season, retail online shopping has taken a new perspective and a very interesting one, thanks to Walmart and Mattel. In Toronto, while many commuters were waiting for their train to get back home, Union station converted its enormous concrete poles into mini shopping areas. All it took was some high quality printing showcasing high quality pictures and a QR code that led the shoppers to the online shopping site. Commuters were able to browse the photos, identify the toys that they wanted and point and scan. The gift was then delivered to a shopper’s home. Not bad! Multitasking has never been easier…. nor has Christmas shopping!
This year, the Toronto Go-train, with the help of Walmart and Mattel, took it one step further. It has converted 2 of its train cars into “virtual mini shopping destinations”. Commuters may now browse and shop in the luxury of their commute time! All this is still well within the definition of retail online shopping…. but it’s still a retail online shopping experience.
As Toby Desforges so eloquently stated, “Online sales are replacing retail sales. Consumer goods companies invest massively in sales and distribution via traditional retail. The continued growth of these channels is no longer universally assured. New online channels and indeed retailers are likely to grow rapidly in the coming years. This will put sales teams under extreme pressure, not just as they struggle to create new skills but also as they wrestle with the demands of bricks and mortar retailers in decline.”
This has led me to think about the new retail shopping destinations. All that will be needed is concrete… converting concrete poles into vritual shopping areas! How cool is that…or is it?! I have visions of a Shopping Park. We will all be casually walking through nature, with all the tree trunks being hosts to retail goods and QR codes….yikes…I’m shuddering!! Think about it… taking a walk through nature will never be the same.
by Miriam Hara | Nov 26, 2013 | Latest, Marketing
Who would have thought? The year 2013 and holiday greeting cards are a thing of the past. Or are they? I believe that sending out holiday greeting cards may be perceived as a blast from the past: I refer to it as retro marketing. I also happen to believe it’s a good thing… on many levels.
We all know that retro is running with a “1960”s style and design and making it contemporary. I like being thought of as retro.
At the risk of being obvious, retro marketing takes that idea and applies it the the principles of marketing.
Making a way of communicating or reaching out to business partners that is so “60’s, and making it contemporary and hip…again! An old fashioned way of saying” hey remember us….see what we can do”.
For as long as I have been in business, this time of year, I have always looked forward to receiving holiday greeting cards. Those of us in the creative, marketing and advertising fields, have always gone the extra mile to show how creative we can be. I always thought that our clients – existing and potential – business partners and contacts enjoyed seeing what we could come up with…. year after year.
A few years ago, we had this great internal debate on whether we should go the digital route, to showcase our digital savvy-ness… Some felt that sending a traditional paper greeting card made us look passé and not keeping up with the times. Others felt that a card went so much further in establishing our relationship with the recipient and showcased our creativity for all to see… There were good points made on both sides.
So what did we do? We did what we do best…we pondered the challenge creatively…. and brainstormed. Why does this have to be an either or scenario? Why couldn’t we do both? So, we sent out our creative Holiday Greeting card… and added a digital components, which was beautifully designed and executed for people to register online… and for each registration received, we donated funds to the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation… another retro marketing initiative!
I believe that this time of year is personal… and having a card to open with a personalized message in that card says a great deal to the person on the receiving end. Let’s admit this…most of us get so many emails that sometimes we miss a few… rushing about to get through them all. Business, in spite of its speed and ever increasing demands, is still very much about the personal. Taking the time of the hectic, and making the time to be personal… is well, retro marketing at it’s best, don’t you think?
Will you go retro marketing or not this holiday season? Do you dare? Let me know!
by Miriam Hara | Nov 22, 2013 | Latest, Social Media
Content creation is used by businesses to showcase their expertise, know-how and provide useful information to their potential target. Many businesses have had to play catch up and in order to “get into social media” have hired an in-house content marketing specialist… and let them go at it…with a huge sigh of relief. Finally, their business is on the platform that so many are talking about, and more importantly, engaging with. But is that really the solution or only part of the solution?
This reactive strategy, I believe, stems from a lack of understanding about social media on a conceptual level.How can you actively participate and showcase your entire service offerings with just one head count allocation? Afterall, social media isn’t only part of the marketing equation, today it’s a big part of the sales equation too. Integrating social media in overall marketing initiatives is now pretty common practice…well, more so than just a year ago. Whether you run a small business, medium business, big business… today, you just can’t ignore the call of social media, especially for sales.
By now we all understand that the thrust to many social media initiatives is mostly about content creation. We’ve all been hearing about content marketing or what many refer to as blogging. Well, it is true and it does work.
Social media and content creation go hand in hand.
In truth, many businesses who have been slightly ahead of the curve also create content for SEO, but that’s a topic for another post. The need for generating compelling content with a wide scope is key to establishing your parameters within the social media environment. This should include as many facets of your business as possible. Customer service, sales, marketing, product development, design, etc…. This allows viewers to see the total perspective of your business. That is why content generation must be part of company culture. So how does one go about promoting and integrating social media in their business culture. Here’s a few tips:
- Define your goal of success in the social media context and develop a plan.
- Identify the qualities of your personnel and make sure to take advantage of their strengths. Not everyone has to write. Content creation largely includes visual content link videos (youtubes, webinars) and photos (Pinterest, Instagrams, info graphics). Embrace the differences.
- Build a team within your organization that will be the social media ambassadors… and be sure to integrate as many of your staff members as possible to provide a depth of content creation.
- Establish a measurement criteria that shows progress and aligns all the efforts. Social media isn’t about hoping for the best. Make sure key strategic players are at the table participating and contributing, if only directionally, to the content that will appear in social media.
- Celebrate the milestones… big and small. The first comment from a post, the number of subscribers on a business blog, the first contact from a potential customer coming from your social media initiatives. Yes it does happen!
It doesn’t matter if your business is b2b or consumer based…whether your business is local, regional, national or international…content creation is playing an increasingly important role in the sales context of any business. If your business hasn’t ventured in social media yet and want to get started, click here to access our ebook. At the speed of business, it’s best to start now. 😉
