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 Jenna Elberson | Dec 30, 2012 | Advertising, Business Success, Latest
The jury is back and the verdict is in, customers are going mobile. We all kind of intuitively knew that was coming, but the reports are now verifying what we already wondered. If your business is not mobile you are missing a whole lot of customers. What do we mean when we say mobile anyway? By mobile we mean that customers are using mobile devices to track down and find businesses, both local and non local businesses. Let’s look at a scenario; customers will use a phone to perform a search for a local business when they are out and about. They will not bother going home and looking in a phone book or even using a desktop computer to find what they are looking for. They will search with mobile and act fast. Of all the searches done for businesses, 9 out of 10 people reported they reached out and contacted the businesses they found. Thos are great odds for the luck business found. If your business cannot be found on local searches then you will be missing out on a lot of people. Get your business on as many local search results as you can. Every major search engine has a local section. Google Local, Bing Local, etc. There are also rate and review sites to be found on like Yelp, AngiesList, and more. The process is not difficult to do, but it should be done post haste to start capturing the online traffic ever going mobile. This infographic will give you an idea of what can be done in terms of online search.
This guest blog was presented by: www.Vistaprint.com
by Jenna Elberson | Dec 26, 2012 | Branding, Business Success
Despite our biological complexity, human beings are surprisingly straightforward and predictable when it comes to emotional reactions. The concept of honor, feelings of goodwill and being beholden to the person or company who gives us something for free is deeply engrained in the human psyche. Smart salespeople and businesses know this and have used it for centuries to close deals.
Promotional products are all around us. When you go to TD Bank for example, a basket of free pens sits on the counter with the bank’s logo printed on the side. The bank knows that this subtle gesture makes the customer feel confident that the bank must be flush with assets. Customers will be more likely to be loyal to the bank, opening new accounts for their children and grandchildren and recommending the bank to friends.
Hugely profitable businesses like pharmaceutical companies provide outside salespeople with promotional products to increase their sales percentages. They give away items such as personalized calendars, desk accessories and coffee mugs so that when it’s time to re-order supplies, the company name and phone number is right there in plain sight.
Extensive marketing studies have proven that businesses can benefit from promotional products. Response rates improve dramatically when potential customers receive free products because the name of the company is better recalled, and a favorable opinion of the company is formed unconsciously. Investing in promotional products is a smart marketing strategy that all businesses can benefit from.
For more information on promotional products look at the informational graphic below:
This graphic was created by Magnets.com, a promotional refrigerator magnet company. Magnets.com is proud to sell items that can boost the business of small and large businesses alike. Click here to learn about Mangets.com.
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.
