by Miriam Hara | May 29, 2015 | Business Success, Communications, Latest, Marketing, Social Media
Earned media isn’t new. It’s been around for a very long time, under the umbrella of PR. As with everything in marketing and communications, technology has widened the spectrum for PR to include much more than traditional, editorialized media. When it comes to earned media today, many relevant, niche blogs have opened up the traditional PR channel standbys of newspapers, magazines, e-magazines, broadcast and, yes, web sites.
Earned media has always been the coveted prize in marketing and branding. Suffice it to say, 92% of consumers say they trust earned media, such as word-of-mouth from friends, above all other forms of advertising.* That also isn’t new. What’s new is the accessibility to tap into this space. But it isn’t for the feint of heart!
Unlike traditional PR, social media has enabled the earned media channel to open up, allowing many businesses to establish themselves within this context.
No longer is the proverbial water cooler the only place people gather to talk about their experiences with products, their likes in advertising and their opinions. Social media properties; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Personal and niche blogs (to name only a fraction), are all out there providing thirsty information seekers with what they crave. They are reaching hundreds if not thousands of people who are listening and making buying decisions based on the information provided. According to inPowered and Nielsen, 85% of consumers regularly or occasionally seek out trusted expert content (credible, third-party articles, and reviews) when considering a purchase.
So what is required for business and brands to successfully harness this channel?
Let go: That is, let go of control! Understand that this communications environment cannot be controlled: Brand or business will not control the messaging, communities or influencers – consumers will.
Plan on it: Just because it’s social media and accessible, doesn’t mean that clear, concise objectives shouldn’t be established. Once objectives are set, create short and long-term strategies. Be sure to also create a content plan, editorial calendar, key communications topics and a concise SEO plan of action.
Be found creatively: One of the most important elements of earned media is to be interesting. Only content that resonates with your target audience will get shared. And of course all your creatively awesome content needs to be backed up with SEO. Whether it’s funny or useful, in written form, video or infographic; it must be shareworthy. But it doesn’t end there. Once it’s shareworthy, you need to make it easy to share!
It’s about time: Just because it’s free doesn’t mean it’s cheap. Earned media takes time to develop, initiate and nurture. We all know that time is at a premium. So before you embark in the earned media channel journey, know that both time and patience are required to garner results.
Be present: Yes, responsiveness and follow-up are key. This is not a one-way channel. It’s not just about putting the message out there. You also need to monitor it. You need to respond to comments, answer questions, offer opinions and reach out to influencers. There are many monitoring software programs out there to make that job easier but you really need to be present. It demonstrates that you care enough about your potential audience and what they have to say about your business. If done properly, over time this will garner the much coveted earned media result: Positivity towards your brand or business. It will have become worthy of chatting about, posting about and writing about over social media networks – ultimately developing grass roots brand ambassadors.
I hope this post was relevant and share worthy for you! You can subscribe to our blog here, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Or you can contact me. Share this post by clicking on the buttons found on the sidebar. Thanks in advance!
*Nielson Research Global consumers trust in earned advertising grows.
by Miriam Hara | May 28, 2015 | Advertising, Agency, Branding, Business Success, Creative, Latest
What makes branded creative concepts magical? In a recent LinkedIn discussion, someone commented that the reason why creative agencies were no longer relevant was because computer software (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator) had replaced what was once reserved for creative directors, illustrators and designers. As a result, it removed the magic that was once part of the creative agency positioning for their clients.
I do agree that computer software has provided access for everyone to exercise his or her creative ability – and that’s just awesome. However, to equate creative exploration with on point, branded creative concepts may be a little bit over the top. I don’t think it’s fair to say that the creative of branded creative concepts no longer provides that magical moment.
It’s a little simplistic to believe that creative concepts are all about design and only design.
To say that creative is all about software is quite naive. Consider the implications of what makes for a good solid creative concept. Branded creative concepts take time to develop in order to deliver that ‘ahh’ reaction. And trust me, it has nothing to do with software. Many clients know their business better than any agency will – as they should. Likewise, creative professionals and designers know how to develop good creative concepts – actually outstanding creative concepts.
I have run a boutique agency for over 25 years. I’ve seen the transition from the drafting table to the computer screen. From that experience, I can say that the creative magic is still there. Many of the mandates our teams have worked on through the years have involved various pieces of a puzzle. We’ve had to take those pieces and make them fit into one coherent, succinct creative concept that told a story. Other mandates involved taking dry, complex material and communicating it in a lighter, friendlier tonality. There’s nothing better than a beautiful piece of creative that is branded and on point. It’s simply a thing of beauty and joy!
Those of us who live and breathe creative think differently. Thinking differently is what makes for awesome creative. If software has taken away the magic of creative, then the same would be true of TV ads, music, promotional contests, PR campaigns, music which still stand apart from the norm of mediocre. Time and time again we see “creative” that when properly conceptualize, executed, timed, and delivered get a reaction – a good reaction.
Creative concepts when properly developed, designed and executed for a brand piece are magical. I could go as far as saying that the reason some feel that creative has lost its magic may be that too many are not approaching branded creative the right way. Many are only producing mediocre creative concepts that don’t deliver the desired results. All of this, in the business of marketing and branding, is not magical.
What are your thoughts on the subject? I’d like to hear them here.
by Miriam Hara | May 25, 2015 | Advertising, Agency, Business Success, Creative, Latest
In my last post I stated why I feel that there is a big disconnect between creative agencies and clients. You can read that article here. Below is a short recap.
It is my belief that the single-focused creative agencies continuing to work in the same way they did over the past decade, can no longer provide clients with the relevancy and efficiency that is demanded in today’s marketplace.
So what do creative agencies need to be in order to deliver to clients and become a valued partner?
1) Technology channel savvy: The increasing number of communications channels that are available to reach consumers requires an understanding of these channels in order to produce creative that will not only resonate but garner the expected ROI. The difference in creating “creative” for a traditional channel versus a digital channel is the same as creating creative for a print ad versus a billboard ad. It’s just not the same.
2) Marketing knowledge for immediacy: Advertising is becoming more targeted and niche. Generating creative that will be relevant, branded and incite a reaction is a must. This can only be attained through understanding the market in which the brand lives.
3) Creatively smart: A counter part to point 1, this is the ability to foresee possible issues that are related to the creative presented. It is not only a nice to have but a need to have. Delivering on smart creative also means being production savvy. Knowing where and how the creative will live is a must.
4) Embrace change: Change is essential to any creative house. It’s as essential as breathing. Reluctance to move forward, explore and understand new technologies and channels will only meet with failure. It will result in the failure to offer clients what is required for them to succeed. There’s no win-win. Creative agencies need to be experts in communications channels. How else can they meet the required ROI? Without embracing change, creative agencies will become stagnate.
5) The “we” mentality: This really pertains to any business. In the creative world, nothing is more important than having a good connection with clients. It’s not the client and the agency. It’s us. Understanding that distinction is paramount in order to develop a strong relationship that will lead to awesome creative!
There are many more attributes creative agencies need in order to effect change and promote solid, relevant relationships with clients. Can you think of any you would like to add to this list?
by Miriam Hara | May 20, 2015 | Advertising, Agency, Business Success, Creative, Latest
Change is due for the creative agency. In the year 2015 and beyond creative agencies must learn relevancy. A recent article I came across stated that clients are increasingly going directly to production houses for their creative – bypassing the creative agency altogether. That is no surprise. The client/agency relationship has been fraught with exponential frustration.
I was prompted to write this post out of my frustration in hearing and seeing many clients suffer at the hands of inefficient creative agencies. In short, I generally find myself having to convince clients that there are creative agencies that are not rigid in their stance or positioning – they just ‘get it’.
Rewind to a little over a decade ago and creative agencies were just that: Creative. However, many were not generally concerned with production implications and the costs of their creative. Creative awards were all the rage and were ultimately most creative agencies’ end goal. It is my belief that the pursuit of awards, qualifies as a conflict of interest. Perhaps we’ve reach the point where those days are gone?
Advertising agencies used to silo their team of creative people and their team of production artists so that the two never mixed. This was a recipe that usually lead to added costs and time delays. And it was the client who was always on the paying end.
Unfortunate but true: The creative agency has taken many hits in the last decade. This is due in part to a niche mentality and an inability to embrace change.
The introduction of the computer (or more specifically Apple), in effect monumentally changed the creative advertising industry. The computer enabled creative output at speeds that were unheard of back in the early 1990s. Add the speed of creative output to the facility to create in software that ensures production outcome values and you have a major shift in creative dynamics. Unfortunately, the typical advertising and creative agency hasn’t moved forward on that front. Many still keep their teams siloed – thereby maintaining the frustration within the client/agency relationship.
Today a creative agency should be holistic, nimble, well-rounded and product savvy on multi-platforms and channels. That means all team members should be creative and should have a solid understanding of the production implications for their creative. That way, whether a client mandate is for a logo design, TV ad or multimedia and multichannel campaign, the creative team fully understands the potential pitfalls or issues that could arise. The team also works towards resolving those problems before they become an issue.
A creative agency must be relevant and provide value in marketing, creative and execution. One might have the best creative in the world or the most beautiful logo on a presentation screen, but if can’t be reproduced in the real world and with an acceptable budget, what value is that to the client? Ultimately success lies not only in the creative, but in its execution. If the execution and creative work is understood, the end result will be a creative solution of beauty and joy.
Do you agree?
by Miriam Hara | May 18, 2015 | Branding, Business Success, Interactive, Latest
There’s a lot of hype in today’s marketing world about owning the customer journey. With the proliferation of so many communication venues (both established and personalized), it’s a challenge for brands to be everywhere.
A mere five years ago marketers were touting the tune that brands had to be at every touch point of the customer journey. The claim was that the customer journey was no longer linear and clearly established. It had become freewheeling with a plethora of points of contact where a brand could “engage” with its customer.
Today, five years later, it seems every month (sometimes every week), there’s a new way of communicating in order to prompt the customer to ‘own’ a brand – to become an ambassador. The customer journey has evolved yet again. Reaching the tech savvy customer is not that easy, not because you can’t place brand in front of them but because the power to reach them is in the palm of their hands.
Since it’s inception, the evolution of the customer journey has morphed into being individualistic, selective and skeptical.
Customers’ paths to brand retention, consideration and selection have become increasingly disjointed and extended. More and more, companies must cast a wider net to reach as many potential customers as they can, yet they have do it in a very ‘niche’ way. Customer touch points such as websites, mobile apps, the social media sphere and customer service need to be executed in synergy and be reflective of customer expectations. Although truth be told, often they don’t accomplish this. As Gen Y’s discretional income and demographic segment become more powerful, reaching them requires originality and total engagement. It must be fluid, participatory and authentic.
Mapping out the customer journey as we all know is crucial. Brands fight to establish and maintain relationships with their customers starting from the initial connection and continuing throughout the interaction process. It’s the interaction process that is in constant evolution. Now digital ads, reminders and, dare I say, “conventional” social media channel touch points are no longer enough. The customer journey is fraught with shorter attention spans, situational delays and a lack of “pressure” to purchase. Storytelling, content creation, content marketing and advertising must be constant. With the right mix of exposure brand will be “picked up” by customers along their path, put down and and hopefully picked up again.
Managing a designed customer journey is critical to achieving results, but owning it and staying on point in today’s digital environment may very well be a myth. What are your thoughts on the ownership of customer journey? Can it be owned or only managed?
by Miriam Hara | May 15, 2015 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Latest, Miriamisms
A mere decade ago, brand building was essentially created on the pillars of packaging and advertising. It involved one-way dialogues and communications. Many feel that those were simpler and easier days. However, some brands were launched only to be left winking in the dark. The company, marketing department and employees who launched the brand were the only ones who knew about it. Having a business, product or brand means having to build brand awareness. If not, it’s like you’re winking in the dark. You know you’re doing it, but no one else does!
It used to be that ”working it” meant advertising and gaining “share of voice”. But times have changed and now share of voice is only one aspect of the fragmented yet cohesive puzzle of brand building. It’s never been more important for brands to excel in the new and exciting environments we have today. Although, it doesn’t mean that there is no longer a need for traditional media advertising, quite the contrary. Traditional media is still a staple for brand building. However, integrating traditional advertising and making those “channels” work seamlessly together with the new channels calls for specific marketing intent and brand effort. In other words, step out of the cave!
Brand building today requires integration and volume of exposure.
Needless to say, brand building in today’s marketplace is as important as ever, but it’s a tad more complex. It takes time and effort of a different sort. The introduction of the digital environment and the variety of channels now available has created an explosion of brand building possibilities – desktop and mobile platforms for Google adwords and YouTube campaigns, app advertising to social media properties (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.). Amidst all that is new (which changes almost weekly), basic marketing protocols still remain. The message must still be clear but also emotive enough to resonate with the target; the audience must be identified with greater dimension and now defined by the rigidness of demographics; the strategies must be focused but multiple, to cover a wider range of niches and technologies; and the objectives have to be defined and measured for each and every variable.
Brand building has evolved dimensionally to allow for the ability to dialogue in order to build a community. The brand not only calls this community home, but also allows consumers, viewers and connections to come over and stay for a visit. They will possibly share a story or two. This provides the opportunity to convert potential consumers to the elusive brand ambassador status – that really should be the goal. An evolving relationship based on the understanding of expectation and yes – love and possibly trust! To not engage, converse, or reach out to consumers all leads to one result: Not being found. This means your brand or business is in the dark somewhere, winking madly where no one can see!
Websites, social media, content marketing and search optimization, mobile accessibility and proliferation have opened up a dynamic that brand building must live and excel in. Brand building involves creating the stage to spotlight brand in a forum for discussion, for sharing and for consumers to participate. Only then can brand building in today’s marketplace lead to brand trust and yes, brand love.
How are your brand building efforts going? Any challenges you need assistance with?
