by Christine Marr | Jun 6, 2012 | Branding, Social Media
It used to be that the purpose of a blog was to state your opinion or viewpoint to those people who connected and linked with you…. so that like-minded people could join in a conversation and contribute to the dynamics of the discussion. This is still true and very relevant today, however as a brand enabler I believe that blogging has taken its rightful place as a viable channel for brand voice. The emergence of the brand blog is very real. In today’s world, brand is no longer only a product… it can be, well, you! We are in the age of personal brand and, like everything else in Marketing, your “brand blog” needs to have very precise and articulated goals for you, the brand, to prosper! The objectives you set should be around increasing your SEO rank so more people can find you. In order to do this, make your objective to increase your page views as this will help you in achieving a stronger position in the internet world of ranking. Once you see your ranking go up, this will motivate you to continue pushing out great content. Be patient while you build momentum. Try to get over 100 daily views and continue to set goals from there.
Boost the power of your brand blog: 12 hours/week to build your brand online presence:
1) 5 hours/week: Your goal is to release one relevant and topical article every week that will generate conversation. Be selective in what you write about, don’t just write about just anything.The subject is important. Follow trends, provide how to techniques on a subject matter, or check a common pain everyone has and offer a solution. Provide resources and offer up list of those for others that have been valuable to you.
2) 2.5 hours/week: It’s not all about you (no!). Network and build relationships, share with like-minded people, comment on other posts and sites and chime in other blogger’s discussion. Social media is about community and blogs are the cornerstone of that community. Keep in mind that this social communities exists because we all help each other. By doing so, you get the added benefit of building your online brand presence.
3) 2 hours/week: Blogging is definitely about speaking up… but you also need to speak out! Spread the word, or rather post! Promote your blog posts to your network, tweet about it and don’t forget to post to social bookmarking sites. Post your article where it is appropriate: Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, Google Bookmarks, Reddit. Before you publish make sure that your post is keyword-enriched ,that the headline in Google friendly and that you’ve added tags and appropriate descriptions in the back-end of your blog to optimize your views. Once you set up your brand persona and a reputation, you can guest blog on like-minded sites, and return the favour by having them write on yours.
4) 2.5 hours/week: One article a week does not build momentum. To increase the odds of traction, posting 3x a week is ideal. If you feel that this is too big of a hurdle, you could post a link to another blog that you comment on with an intro discussion to the post. You’ll find once you get started and realize the benefits of blogging you will quickly pick up the momentum and writing many posts won’t be an issue. The strategy here is to keep your readers engaged and show them that you are a subject matter expert by researching your content and providing helpful information.
Building a relevant and results-achieving blog isn’t something that can be fit in or done on the side, especially when creating a brand voice (product, service or person!). This is a viable marketing channel that when strategized and measured can reap monumental results. If you can’t achieve this on your own (or if you don’t know where to find those precious 12 hours a week!) there’s no harm in asking for help and outsourcing. Outsourcing doesn’t mean loss of control, just greater sustainability and more precise actions. After all , it’s the least that your brand deserves.
by Miriam Hara | May 29, 2012 | Branding, Business Success, Interactive, Social Media
With mobile technology and the rapid integration of Social Media the world is speeding… no longer respecting any speed limit! In a blink of an eye the business landscape changes and many businesses are at a loss of what comes next. All business types are affected however it seems that B2B businesses are more at a loss of what solutions to employ. In a world that is speaking to each other 24/7, the lines are increasingly blurry on what is a B2B or a B2C strategy. It has been my experience that the strategies employed for B2B or B2C were always similar. It was the employment of tactics and the weight of each of those tactics that differed. In today’s environment I would say the tactics are now the same. Social Media and technology has allowed for niche marketing at a whole no new level.
Business resistant change is the symptom of change resistant individuals. Unfortunately or fortunately, a business in today’s world hinges on its ability to adapt, change and adopt new channels of communications. The market conditions have shifted and many who hold key roles in the B2B arena have no idea how the game is being played and what is the picture of success. So what to do?
1) Determine your objective. What will be your “picture of success”? How else will you measure?
2) Implement a strategy… one with a 360° degree viewpoint. Not one that does away with all traditional (classic) tactics just because everyone saying that print and direct mail are dead… but one that introduces some of the properties of social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, Mobile Apps, Blogging, Twitter, etc… The key word is some and not all…. there needs to be a good assessment of what will work for your business and what won’t.
3) Assess your web site. No longer is it enough to just have a brochure type of site. Your site needs to reflect your business’ social conscious and ability. You can’t create any sort of social metric if your site doesn’t support the initiatives. Remember, your strategy must be holistic.
4) Implement a 15-month plan with built in schedule measurement reports allowing for the possibility of changing, adding or modifying the existing creative properties to ensure success. Feedback is important for resonance. You need your marketing plan to reflect your audience as intimately as possible. The beauty of these new channels is the ability to adapt… to change… quickly!
5) This may sound like a Marketing 101, but here goes…. don’t do it yourself or in-house. You’re in the business of your business. You can’t assume to know everything, that is why community reach out, tests, surveys and all those old marketing tricks are important not only for accuracy, but for the growth of your strategy and a leg up on your competition. The business of branding, advertising and social media is a profession. At the risk of sounding like a rant: Just because you speak and write English, that doesn’t make you a writer… and just because you have a Facebook Page or a LinkedIn page, doesn’t make you a social media expert. Contact a Marketing Advertising agency and leave it to them to make your business shine. Your business will be their priority as opposed to fitting it in.
For any type of business an environment of much talk that “it” doesn’t own can be pretty scary. One of my Marketing Understood biz-ims (#23) is “Get bent!”… Yes! Flexibility is a must! There’s no use burying your head in the sand. That won’t help your business. At the speed of business and of life you need to get a handle (twitter) and a pulse (social engagement) before your target stops you or pulls your business over for not keeping your business up to speed.
by Madi Secareanu | May 17, 2012 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Creative, Interactive, Social Media
The other day my colleague Lindsay shared a story with us about Klout, a service that measures your online influence and gives you a score between 1 and 100. Apparently it’s been getting people up in arms! It seems to have the power to make or break careers, brands and social statuses …but how and why does this service and your score have so much power?
What is Klout and the Klout Score?
Simply link up your social media accounts to Klout and the Klout Score measures influence based on your ability to drive action online. Every time you create content or engage online you influence others. The Klout Score basically tells the world how influential of a social networker you are through your:
- True Reach: How many people you influence. Klout looks at who acts, shares and responds to your content.
- Amplification: How much you influence others. To attain this, Klout looks at how many people and how often people respond to your content.
- Network Impact: The influence of your network. Klout looks at how they share and respond to your content.
So, what does it mean?
Well, the easier answer is that your Klout Score determines if you’re an online influencer or not. So what does that mean? Well, as a top influencer you are eligible for Klout Perks (free stuff from brands), you’re considered a “somebody” and your resume might get a bit of a boost. As a brand, you can leverage top influencers to generate buzz around your brand (more on this below).
So, what’s a good score?
According to Klout, influence is relative and depends on your goal and peers. The average Klout Score is around 20. Klout also makes it exponentially harder to increase as you move up the scale. They say that it is much harder to move from a 70 to a 75 than from a 20 to a 25, making sure top influencers are working hard for their high scores.
Good for Business?
Brands can leverage Klout Perks, use Klout to measure their own influence online and identify brand influencers.
What are Klout Perks?
Klout Perks are exclusive products or experiences that influencers can earn based on their Klout Scores. Perks enable brands to connect with influencers – people whose friends or social networks look to when choosing what brands to engage with. Giving influencers Klout Perks means they have to talk about your brand – what they say is up to them.
The debate
People seem to love or hate Klout. Common criticisms include:
- But…offline influence doesn’t have a score?
Sure, offline influence doesn’t have a score but most individuals are influential only to a close network of friends, and maybe their friends. Unless you’re a celebrity, us “regular” folks don’t seem to have much impact offline. With Klout, anyone can become an influencer, a “somebody”, if they make enough noise.
- Brands are giving customers preferential treatment!
For brands, using Klout to leverage top influencers has several benefits. For one, if you compare it to the offline world where it’s nearly impossible to identify offline influencers, using Klout makes it easy to identify those who will champion your brand. Turning customers into advocates with Klout allows brands to go beyond the review or testimonial.
- The Klout Score is giving me anxiety!
How, what, who…huh? The way Klout measures your score can cause some anxiety. In fact, they changed their original algorithm not too long ago, lowering some people’s score. It’s not just about how active you are….but how active your network is….how active is your network’s network and so on! Should you go to extremes and only choose to follow or friend people based on their influence to help increase yours? What does your high or low score really mean? Some really take their Klout Scores very seriously…and rightfully so. In some cases, high scores do come with some great benefits (Perks!).
- It has too much power!
That it demands some power over your life and your career is a cause for concern for some. Recently, I heard about a man who didn’t get the job he wanted because his Klout Score was too low. Are experience, education and capability no longer enough? No. Not in this day and age. I’m not saying that your Klout Score should dictate whether you will land a job or not, in fact I find its consideration a bit distasteful. But I do think that as marketing, communications and creative professionals, choosing to not participate in social media, as a whole will no doubt close a few doors.
I want to know, where do you stand on Klout? (oh..and what’s your Klout score?)
by Madi Secareanu | May 15, 2012 | Business Success, Interactive, Social Media
I might have said this once or twice before…but it really does seem like there is a new social media site gaining momentum each week. Some of you might be thinking “oh no, not another social media site! I barely have enough time to log on to Facebook”. It may seem like over-saturation at times but not all new social media sites succeed. Their success depends on several factors that include: knowing their audience, ease of use, community development, or linking up to other larger social networking sites. Here’s a look at a few social media sites that failed to capture a large following and several sites that are making big enough noise to keep an eye on this year.
The Ones that Could Have Been
1. Yahoo! Buzz: No niche… no need.
Similar to Digg, Yahoo! Buzz allowed its users to generate “buzz” around stories they read online. Unfortunately for Yahoo!, low user participation rates and low website adoption numbers led to Buzz’ demise.
2. Friendster: Poor strategy.
As one of the first social networking sites to make an impact, Friendster once had more than 115 million users. Its downfall was combination of programming flaws, an unstable infrastructure and poor business decisions. Friendster has since changed course and rebranded itself as a gaming site.
3.Ping: An Apple failure!
A failure is a rarity, but not unheard of, in Apple’s portfolio. Although it’s still active Ping, an iTunes based social networking site, has failed to generate much action. Its censorship, hard to use navigation and the biggie – its focus on commerce not building social relationship has really put users off.
The Ones to Watch
1. Path: Social networking on the go. (Terminated September 2018)
Path was social networking app, which allowed users to keep a journal on the go – a “path” of their life. Users could post photos, travel updates, share interests, music and keep in touch with friends and family. In September of 2018, Path announced its termination of the service.
2. Quora: Has all the answers.
Quora connects its users to everything they want to know. Users ask questions, responses and share information. Users can create their own personalized homepages surround topics, questions, people and content they are interested in.
3. Chime.in: What do you have to say?
Chime.in is a social network based on interests. Users share opinions and questions around their interests while discovering new information and making new connections and building communities around their favorite topics. Top interests include Street Style, Food, Social Media and more.
4. Stipple: Content with power.
Stipple gives image owners power over their content. It powers commerce and content inside of images on the web and mobile while fostering connections and communities. It also permanently connects images to their owners who can share information, media and commerce through their images.
Whether these “ones to watch” will make a lot of noise this year remains to be seen. One thing’s for sure – when a social media site becomes successful – success happens very quickly. We know the story very well – take a look at how fast Pinterest and BranchOut grew. The real determinant of a social network’s success and longevity lies in its ability to keep users interested while staying innovative – remember there seems to be a new social networking site every week, armed and ready to become the next big thing.
What social networks do you think will have the most impact this year and why?
by Miriam Hara | May 4, 2012 | Branding, Business Success
I like to think of Internal branding as mushy on the inside, solid on the outside… just like those chocolate coated marshmellow cookies! Businesses must realize that their internal brand must be a focus and it takes more than a positioning statement on t-shirts or jackets to make that happen. It is no longer viable for companies to rely on their external customer base to propagate the brand experience to their internal customers: their personnel. Gone are the days that the external message of brand is all that counts. In today’s environment, in order for an external brand to succeed, the internal organization, its employees, its processes all have to align themselves to the external brand…. if not, you’ll be short in offering your market base in brand experience, brand premise, brand promise and brand delivery.
Remember when offering friends and family discounts to your staff was the whole internal brand initiative companies employed? By doing this, companies provided employees with a way to “advertise” their product. In today’s social market, employees’ friends and families cast a wider net! Internal branding allows the potential of each employee becoming a proponent of your brand. They can and will be your best PR campaign. Word of mouth has taken on a whole new meaning.
Whether your business is in CPG (consumer packaged goods), b2b, medical, financial or non-profit… the ability to engage your personnel with your product, brand and service goes a long way in creating a complete brand experience. Organizations need to walk the talk. Today’s savvy consumers/customers expect and want more from their purchasing experience. In order to buy into a brand, to endorse it and select it, the complete 360 degree brand messaging must be consistent… and that includes your internal people. But how to do that?
To start, develop a clear company vision: Just like a brand positioning statement, this doesn’t have to be elaborate, however, it needs to be succinct. This isn’t anything new. Companies have always had a visions statement…. however, what you do with this company vision must be considerably more than framing it and placing it on the wall.
Identify key personnel to be the “internal brand ambassadors”, to motivate colleagues to embrace the vision: This is imperative. Identifying leaders within each department of your business will go a long way in creating a holistic experience for your brand. Empowering these ambassadors will ensure that within their department that the brand vision and premise stay strong and in line.
The company vision needs to be communicated to the internal team and “adopted” by senior management: The old adage “Do as I say…. not as I do” doesn’t work anymore. The culture of an organization needs to deliver on its brand promise. Actions speak louder than words. Management must get in line and be expected to tow the mantra.
Develop clear goals and measurement metrics, to assess along the way. (ie: sales mix % per sales person, customer service process and goals). This goes a long way in engaging employees and making them part of the process as “part of their job”. This assists in establishing the expectations and tying them up to the brand experience.
And lastly, but definitely very significant in the adoption of internal branding, is the ability to establish goals and reward personnel who demonstrate that they have embraced the culture.
In order to propel a cultural shift within an organization where employees are more client focused and more business focused, a developed and organized plan is essential in order to lead to the desired outcome. Just like everything else in business, a strategic plan identifying key goals is the first step. This will enable all key employees, and key stakeholders to be more engaged and relevant in the business process. I don’t remember where I read this but it did resonate with me: “There is a difference between communicating a message, and getting it understood, and changing behaviour.” So next time your are in a marketing meeting ready to establish your brand deliverables, don’t forget to bring those chocolate covered mashmallow cookies!
