by Justin James | Jul 12, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
If you read my last blog, you would know that I am not a fan of video ads on YouTube. Not only are they irksome to the viewer, but they may actually hurt the company’s reputation and cause ill will.
Luckily, Google ads allow advertisers to reach their audience through YouTube without disturbing the video viewers. The two preferred alternatives to YouTube commercials are:
Post original content – Creative YouTube Videos
Companies can post as many commercials as they want, as long as they’re on their own channel. For example, Pepsi has a four-minute long commercial with over 130,000 likes and 37 million views! The reason this commercial is so much more successful than other paid commercials on YouTube is (1) because the video is humorous and (2) they invite you to come see it, rather than hunting you down.
The point of using social media is to have people share and discuss things that interest them. Offering a more entertaining option instead of a ‘hard sell’ video on a social site can lead to greater success when people share the video with friends.
The alternative method would be…
Pay for static ads –
To reference my last blog post again, the door-to-door salesman is back, but he hasn’t rung your doorbell. You can see him through the window, sitting outside your house with his big sign and briefcase, but at least he’s not harassing you while you eat. This salesman is still making you feel slightly annoyed, especially when he begins to dance around or tries to make you play a game (gif ads), but at least he’s willing to be courteous enough to let you choose if you want to hear what he has to say.
Alternatively, if you have a static ad, perhaps in a sidebar or underneath the video, it will not directly interfere with the video the viewer is trying to watch. Even a pop-up ad on the video is acceptable, since a viewer can just click the “x” in the top right corner to close it.
Static ads are less engaging than videos with original content. However, they are also less expensive. If the tag lines of the ad are interesting enough, a few people may actually click through and read what you have to say about your product.
If you feel compelled to make YouTube commercials anyways, I will offer some tips in my next blog post on making your video ads as palatable as possible.
by Justin James | Jul 11, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
If your company is trying to market in this digital age, you have likely heard of social media marketing. Using social media to reach out and connect to your audience is wonderful —it can turn a boring ad into an amazing interactive experience! Engaging an audience with Facebook and Twitter is something anyone can do, but you need to be careful when trying to sell your product through YouTube —or you might be spending your budget on ineffective infomercials!
Defenders may argue that “YouTube is the second largest search engine. Of course having ads on here would benefit my company!” Although Mr. Advertiser is right to think that YouTube has a lot of marketing potential, he’s is probably using the wrong type of advertising.
Yes, YouTube has more than one billion unique visitors a month. Yes, YouTube reaches more adults ages 18-34 than any cable network. Of course, more than a million advertisers use Google ad platforms. However, if you are trying to reach the young demographic with windy infomercials, you may end up driving them away instead.
Why YouTube Ads are Less Effective Than you Think
Think of how you use YouTube. You’re relaxing in the comfort of your home and need something to do. You don’t want to commit to watching an entire movie, so you log onto YouTube and see that one of your favorite YouTubers has uploaded a new video.
5 minutes! Wow, perfect! You’re excited now—the video’s title promises a cute cat doing funny things! You hover your mouse over the title and click the video and then…
“Hi. I’m Doug from x company, and we want to sell you y.” Your muscles tense as a large man in a suit bombards you with special offers for a product that cleans goldfish bowls. You’re growing impatient now; you want to watch your cat video and not this interrupting salesman.
Once the ad finally finishes, you get to enjoy your cat video. Great! Then you look, in the related searches bar—what’s that!? A dancing bear? You just have to click it, and— No! Why? The exact same ad begins to play again. You’ve already suffered through the salesman’s irrelevant spiel once, and now you are forced to watch it again!
Now, not only have you decided:
1) ‘I want to enjoy my personal time.’
2) ‘I do not care about this product.’
But you’ve also developed another reaction: The company has actually angered you with their intrusive videos and so:
3) ‘I am so annoyed with this company that I am less likely to involve myself with this or other products they carry.’
Sound familiar? So what should your company do?
YouTube is a massive website that reaches billions of viewers. However, YouTube often reaches people during their “Me-Time.” It’s the same concept as door-to-door salesmen knocking on your door at supper time. It’s intrusive and could hurt your company’s chances at gaining customers.
Check back on Hoopla as I reveal how to successfully advertise on YouTube.
by Lisa Wedmann | Jul 10, 2013 | Administration, Business Success, Latest, Management
Before we start let me be clear on the definition of a leader.
Well then again ….. maybe I can’t be clear.
I can’t be clear because leadership is an art not a science.
It’s not easy to pin down leadership characteristics. Regrettably, there is no magic formula you can follow to turn yourself into the beloved leader who knows how to push all the right buttons.
And to make matters complicated, in today’s matrix environments it isn’t always easy to tell who the leaders are and who are the followers.
Gone are the days when a Supervisor sat in his office and overlooked the floor of busy workers who followed set rules and obeyed orders. That old distinction between a leader and a follower no longer exists.
DISTINCTION BETWEEN A LEADER AND A FOLLOWER
Without those clean marks of distinction it can be rough to distinguish where your responsibilities start and where another’s stop. And when leadership responsibilities are not clear, you may wonder is it your job to lead or does the responsibility belong to someone else?
Sometimes there is no straight-forward answer.
It could be the person leading a team or running a corporation. It could be a Project Manager or Head of a Department. In these situations, it’s easy to tell who is the leader. The title defines the status. But more often than not these people will jump in to assist in some way or another or they bring in others to help with big decisions or challenges.
Then what about when those who are leading a specific part of a project? Sometimes identifying a leader is easy. They lead, direct and interact with others and rely on them to help get the job done.
Who’s the leader now? Is it the Manager driving the project, the Project Manager who is leading the team or the specialist running her end of the show?
Consciously or unconsciously different people are in charge at different times and places. For one reason or another they have the responsibility to lead.
SUPERMAN OF LEADERSHIP DOES NOT EXIST
Today’s’ world is dynamic where challenges are too complex for just one person to handle. The Superman of leadership does not exist. Instead we are faced with the dichotomy of Superman and Clark Kent. On one hand we are saving the world and on the other we are heads down in our work.
In reality, we are both leaders and followers.
WE ALL ANSWER TO SOMEONE
This flexible definition of leadership that changes from one minute to the next may not be crystal clear.
But one thing is clear when we are looking for the definition of a leader and that is we all have a boss.
Whether it is a supervisor, a manager, or a customer. Whether it is shareholders, a Board of Directors or the person who signs your timesheet, we all answer to someone.
And at one time or another we have all been the leader where we lead and direct the outcome of our tasks.
Leadership qualities are fluid. One minute you’re the driver, the next minute you are the passenger.
It’s complex.
Or as Mongomery Burns says when he tries to scoop homer’s brain to turn him into a robot, Dammit Smithers, this is brain surgery, not rocket science.
What qualities do you wish to see in a leader? What don’t you like?
by Justin James | Jul 9, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Creative, Design, Latest, Social Media
As I mentioned in my last blog, I want to be an entrepreneur. I have come to realize that the key to success is letting people know about your business since you need customers to earn money. Marketing is crucial for any business, and is important for me to understand if I want to run a successful business. To market effectively, I need a good marketing process.
At 3H, a lot of hard work goes into marketing. There are countless hours spent on the creative process, content and design, and linking all of the elements together effectively. For that reason, I believe one could call 3H’s marketing process 3D.
The “Three Dimensions” of the Marketing Process
The first dimension is the creative process. In only a couple of days, I’ve learned that a lot of time, inside and outside of the office, is spent on conceptualizing ideas. In this process, their team conjures the foundations for websites, advertisements, and strategic targeting of demographics and what appeals to them. This creative edge is what makes 3H stand above other marketing and branding agencies, since creativity is an essential part of connecting with an audience and capturing their attention.
The second dimension is where creativity meets reality. In the content and design phase, the company’s talented artists, writers, and web developers capture their creative ideas in a tangible, unique way. While I find the creative dimension enjoyable, it is this second dimension that makes me feel most satisfied as ideas come to life in ads, promotions or websites.
The third dimension is turning well-conceived efforts into effective efforts. This third phase links the content and ideas to the desired audience through blogs, social media, and introductory promotions. It is in this phase that 3H reaches out to the clients’ targeted demographics to build familiarity and trust with their potential buyers through online and offline tactics.
On social media platforms, like Facebook and twitter, 3H effectively uses content to engage their readers and spark their interests. The third dimension is the difference between reading well-written content on a website and feeling a personal connection with the company as they build trust, good will and confidence.
During my internship, I hope to learn more about the processes 3H utilizes in order to create the effective content they produce. I’m excited to have an opportunity to work with several new programs, including Google tools, Photoshop, and possibly Dreamweaver!
Even if I don’t become a marketer, understanding the need for effective marketing and the process behind creating good content is critical. I know that if I can learn these three dimensions, any future business I have will be more successful. Understanding how intricate the marketing process is makes me realize that it can be done most effectively by specialists in marketing. As most successful entrepreneurs know, it is best to stick with your core competencies and have other experts handle the accounting, marketing, shipping or other tasks, so you can do what you do best – and get the customers you need.
by Lisa Wedmann | Jul 8, 2013 | Administration, Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Latest, Management
Today I am sitting at my desk staring at my inbox full of emails. There are 30 emails waiting for me to open. I know each one of them is important and each one requires an answer. I have a meeting in 15 minutes. I don’t want to be late but there may be something urgent in one of those emails.
How do I know which emails to read?
Typically I scan the emails to look for subject lines of projects I know are urgent. This usually works. I find what I need immediately and the rest can wait until after my meeting.
But I pity my poor boss who mentioned in the meeting she has over 250 emails sitting in her inbox.
My first thought, did she read my emails from yesterday?
Then, that made me think.
Does she know which ones are urgent?
There must be others who are faced with this type of situation. I began to question myself, how can I get more attention for my emails at work? Is it because there simply isn’t enough time? Is there a way that time management at work will help?
Maybe, but there are other ways.
Time management is important but it is more a symptom and doesn’t get to the root cause. If your email is not working to get the attention you need here are a few suggestions.
My best tips on HOW TO WRITE EMAILS AT WORK
Choose your emails carefully
It’s mostly common sense but common sense seems to fly into cyberspace where email at work is concerned. And that is to choose your emails carefully. It stands to reason if you are known as that person who emails about everything, if you become the boy who cries wolf, your email will go to the bottom of the list.
If anything is the kiss of death in the email war, then this is it.
If you haven’t thought about it before now, your personal competence is being judged every time you write an email. If your email is convoluted then people will think you are convoluted. Either consciously or subconsciously they will label you as an unclear thinker. Not the type of person they want on their team.
Before you send an email consider its value and whether it will help to advance your cause if it doesn’t then don’t send it.
Prepare your subject line carefully
Be clear in what you want in the subject line and provide a deadline if possible.
For example, “Approval to proceed required by Thursday 2 pm” or “Feedback request by noon today”.
You can even use the subject line for a question. “Can we meet at 3 today?” “Our meeting today is changed to Friday”. Or what about a response to a question? “Yes I will be on Flight 429 leaving at 4.30.”
Aim for quick answers
I’m sure you do it yourself. You look for the easy emails and you answer them first. We tend to answer emails first that require a quick response or a quick answer.
Is there any way you can accomplish what you need by breaking it down to a very simple question?
If it is not a question and requires more detail, consider putting a 2 or 3 line summary at the top of the email and the balance of your content following. Often the extra information you provide is either background to the summary or to support your due diligence. If the reader is familiar with the subject they may not need this extra information or will skim it quickly after they read the summary. Either way, they have spent less time on the email and there’s a good chance you will get a faster response.
Pretend you are on your phone
You know you should keep it simple. You may try hard to keep it simple but it isn’t always easy particularly for those emails at work that are … well, more complicated. A simple trick is to pretend you are texting on your phone. What would your email look like then?
Limit yourself to one subject per email
When there is more than one subject per email it is difficult to respond to all the different subjects. Some may not have an answer, some need an urgent response and some are on hold. Then, when you receive the response to a multi-subject email you need to track which subjects had answers and which did not. It can become complex and almost overwhelming when there are too many subjects in one email. When we limit ourselves to one subject per email we make it easy for others to answer.
Turnaround is fair play
If you expect others to respond to your emails quickly then you must do the same in turn. Don’t be the bottleneck who holds up the email at work.
Writing the best emails
In the beginning you may feel that writing the best emails take more time since you will need to compose your thoughts, you will need to take those extra few minutes and think, really think before you hit the send button.
by Justin James | Jul 5, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Latest
Today, I find myself in an advertising agency on my first day at 3H Communications as an intern. Good for me! Let me back up a little and give you some background on well, me, the 3H Intern. Since the day I was old enough to understand that I needed money to live, I started asking myself the big question: How can I make money?
I eventually decided that I wanted to become an entrepreneur and start my business after finishing university. Now, I face only two problems:
1. I have no idea what I should be innovating , inventing or doing for my business, nor how to market what I was doing.
2. I need to be accepted to a university.
The combination of these two factors was rather daunting, until I heard of an interesting opportunity to gain in work training. This training provides a better understanding of the working world and can be used on a resume to help with future job and university applications. Through a Specialist High Skills Major business program at my school, I enrolled in a Co-op and was fortunate enough to be offered an internship at
3H Communications – a marketing advertising agency in downtown Oakville.
Excellent! Before I started working, I needed the proper attire. I visited a few stores and gathered the full ensemble: shoes, shirt, jacket, tie, and dress pants. Sweltering in the summer heat but looking professional, I approached the doors of 3H Communications Inc.
A day in the life of the 3H Intern:
The company is very impressive. There are talented writers, designers, and web developers working here, oozing talent and confidence. The workplace has a vibe of creativity and dedication, creating a stimulating work environment.
After a brief boardroom meeting, I was assigned a cozy office space to work in. My supervisor showed me what work I needed to complete, and as I tried to absorb all the instructions, I quickly turn into a Macklemore rap song. ‘All right. Okay. All—all right, okay.’
The day progressed and I learned much about effectively gathering data, evaluating consumer interest for a product and targeting the right demographics. In one day of work, I learned the equivalent of a semester’s teachings in school. I believe that co-op workplaces offer a great opportunity for aspiring teenagers because they can gain practical skills and information, which in business, proves to be more valuable than theoretical knowledge.
My experience as an intern is already phenomenal and I am only one day into my month-long co-op. Future ambitions aside, being an intern at 3H Communications Inc. is much more enjoyable than flipping burgers at McDonalds or one of the other limited jobs generally available to a 16-year-old.
Keep checking back here as I share experiences at 3H!
