Social media, mobile marketing, digital marketing, blogs and cross-channel Integration – all of these are buzzwords you hear on a daily basis from the marketing industry; but it’s what you make of them that’s important. 

Today at Digital Cement we went through a creative exercise for a campaign and started talking buzzwords.  The conversation quickly went to specific examples of great social media, mobile and digital campaigns – I’m sure we can all name a few – but what does it take to enjoy the same successes?  To make a splash it’s about paving your own way, creating compelling creative and cultivating a story that is different from the rest.

Marketers are often told, “We went to a conference and we need to integrate the brand in more digital channels. Do it.” This is a bit of a daunting task, and you may start by checking out past campaigns and competitors’ profiles. In the end, you just need to get it done and it often happens with no real planning. Unfortunately each channel has their own set of ‘unwritten rules’ and we’ve all heard of the companies that crashed and burned, especially on social media!

I believe that when buzzwords are thrown around it’s not a matter of looking at campaigns, it’s a matter of taking what you have to offer and making it the best within the channel you choose.  Don’t jump on the social media train because everyone else is, don’t build an app when you don’t need to and definitely don’t fall for a buzzword that doesn’t mean anything to your brand.  Go to the channel that you’ll succeed in, or do the proper research to understand where your brand or company fits in.  Listen, learn and create within that channel to make yourself memorable to everyone.

Buzzwords have been around for ages. At one time, they included “radio” and “television.” Channels have changed, message delivery has changed and being more direct and interactive takes center stage.

What recent buzzword has caught your attention and why?

Cheers!

When many businesses look into using social media they try to find the "big idea" or find a new way to promote their business, but to be successful they don't have to.  I am a social media specialist, but I am also a consumer who uses the channels available to me to talk to the brands and companies that I have questions for - this is a common use of social media by consumers.  I don't expect anything earth shattering, if I have a question I don't need anything free, just answers.  Recently I had an exchange with the Twitter handle @Overstock, and I could not have scripted it better myself.  The person in charge of this account helped and answered my questions beyond my expectations.  See for yourself:

There are so many posts available telling businesses how to build a social media presence and make it successful.  Yes, you do need to learn the tools, but like this example and many others - do what you do best as a company and stand out that way.

Thank you Overstock.com for a great customer service experience!

Cheers,

Jill

Five years ago, when I was the editor of strategy magazine, I spent a lot of time writing about how the consumer was control—and how marketing departments had to evolve to reflect that new reality.

The basic view was that technology had made marketing more democratic, given the consumer a voice and brought more transparency to every conversation. At the time, there were few companies that were actually engaging and encouraging consumers to co-create messaging for their brands.

That was before Facebook came on the scene. Today, 14 million Canadians are signed onto the social networking site—and counting. The majority of marketers realize they need to be in the space, but they might not be entirely clear on how to facilitate brand-consumer interactions.

The first step is for companies to recognize consumers view brands as their own property. Here are some other tips:

•    Respect the space. Allow conversations to happen naturally. Don’t remove posts unless absolutely necessary; doing so will just turn consumers off.
•    Refresh often. If you’re using Facebook, you need to post daily to get maximum exposure and keep consumers engaged. This means you won’t be able to pass every word through the legal department.
•    Be timely. Make the content relevant, by tying into current events, or asking compelling questions that lead to fun or interesting conversations.
•    Speak like a “friend.” If you’re on Facebook, you already know how friends interact. Your brand needs to establish a similar conversational tone, without trying too hard or straying too far from your brand’s character.
•    Be flexible. You can plan all your posts in advance, but be open to having them rewritten along the way.

Finally, take advantage of the medium’s versatility and affordability to be experimental. Try new things, surprise consumers, have fun and learn from your mistakes along the way.

-Lisa

Picture yourself sitting down with someone and having a nice conversation over coffee.  Next imagine walking into work every day and seeing the same stranger yelling random messages to you that obviously mean something to them, but not you.  If I had to choose, coffee it is! 

This situation happens across social media channels constantly, and it’s a marketers’ choice as to which experience to give.  Since 2008 social media has become something a business can’t ignore—their brands are already being discussed in this space, so it makes complete sense to join in the conversation. But how to join in remains the million-dollar question. 

So as a marketer, do you recreate the coffee shop atmosphere or do you simply yell your message a certain number of times per day?

In the world of social media marketing, I hope you choose to recreate a coffee shop atmosphere.  Marketing in this space is about conversations, building relationships & sharing valuable knowledge with all your friends, fans, followers etc.  The notion of broadcasting is not welcome in this space and marketers who try typically learn this lesson quickly.

Social media is now a major component to many marketing plans, as it’s a valuable tool when used properly.  Think about it, where else can you talk to hundreds of people at once on a personal level?  To gain traction, build a trusted following and make a lasting impact, communication must take place on a one-to-one level. 

When messages are broadcast it’s all about you.  Instead of telling the social media space how good you are, give them information (news, offers, sneak peeks and more) that they can’t refuse.  Make your message about them, benefiting/enriching their lives, instead of just a quick sale.  Building trust and loyalty in a consumer base starts there regardless of the medium.

Social media is still very new and marketers will stumble, but start on the right foot by building great conversation instead of just noise.

What is the best example you’ve seen of a company building a conversation, not yelling, in the social media B2C or B2B space?

Cheers,

Jill

Canadians are among the world’s busiest users of social networking websites and no, this is not an April fool’s day joke.

And it’s not just Twitter and Facebook that’s attracting new users. According to the Globe & Mail,  LinkedIn now has more than two million Canadian members and it’s still growing.  In fact, LinkedIn is planning on opening its fifth global office in Toronto, based solely on Canadians’ intense use and adoption of social media.

The story is of huge importance to the Canadian employment market obviously, but more so, it’s a call to all international and domestic companies that the Canadian consumer/user is not to be ignored.  While the Canadian market might pale in comparison to that south of the border, it’s still a viable place to do business, especially as one of the fastest-growing online markets.

Almost eight in 10 Canadians use social media at least once a month, according to the Globe article.  LinkedIn’s VP of international operations told the newspaper: “The only question [is], why weren’t we here earlier?” Canada is not a place to be neglected and holds huge opportunities for companies both within and outside its border.

From our perspective as a direct agency, this article is further proof that consumers have changed. With both our U.S. and Canadian clients, we’ve espoused the idea of creating one-on-one conversations that connect with consumers, versus push marketing, or yelling at the consumer from afar. So LinkedIn’s decision to open up shop here is good news.

What do you think?

-Jill  

There’s finally an answer to that long debated question and no, it’s not 42 - that’s the answer to life, the universe and everything.

Twitter started at SXSW in 2007. It was an amazing idea that wasn’t based on a revenue model, and the debate continues to this day on how Twitter will make money.  As a free source, it provides users with a platform to connect and build relationships and, of course, tweet.  Individuals and businesses alike can use the service and find value in the platform. Yet, it still has not made money, increased revenue or whatever you want to call it.

So, how is Twitter going to make money? Via a program à la Adwords geared at those interested in getting in front of more Twitterers. Alas, getting in front of the users is a valuable place to be.

The “official” announcement is speculated to come at one of two major events for Twitter in mid-April.  As an Adwords user, we are anxious, curious and excited about the program. So many questions are going through our minds:

• What will the ads look like?
• Can they be viewed across all 3rd party software or just on the web?
• How expensive will the words be?
• What is the speculated impression number?

This list could go on, but I want to know your thoughts.  This service will take a bit of time to roll out as Twitter needs to build a list of advertisers to start the service. Would you sign up for the first run?  Would you use Twitter advertising?