wvumsimc

We have seen that being a more social marketer calls for being seen and interacting with customers on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google +, and YouTube. But, have you considered pinning your product? Pinning refers to making your products seen on the fast growing social network Pinterest. 

If you are not familiar with Pinterest take a moment to check it out.

http://pinterest.com/

Pinterest is currently driving more business to company websites and blogs than YouTube, Google +, and LinkedIn combined according to recent studies. Further, the average user spends about 98 minutes per month on the site.

Pinterest involves placing images on the site which will contain the link to where the original was obtained. And, just like other social networks, you can become seen and heard while building relationships with others. Here are a few tips to making sure your business or blog or interest can be “pinned” to Pinterest.

1. Interaction – Avoid self promotion which is not permitted on the site. However, you can interact with others by commenting on photos of those you follow and engaging in conversation. They, in turn, are much more likely to follow you and engage on your pins.
2. Pin information that is relevant to your business – Since Pinterest contains visuals you must select content that is visual by nature about your product or service. You can pin pictures of relevant information that contains a link to your site. Remember, it is all about creating conversation and trust.
3. Drive site traffic – Post eye appealing content is your best route for driving interest and sales to your site. When you do this for a product be sure to add a price tag which ensures it will show up in the gift board.
4. Increase SEO – By using appropriate keywords in your description and sharing your pins to other social networks the result is valuable information search engines can pick up on. The more content you share the higher up you will be seen in search results.

Below is a nice, easy tutorial that explains the basic ins and outs of Pinterest in order to get your feet wet in this growing community. Be cautioned: Not investing time in Pinterest results in missing opportunites to be present in a fast growing social network that is growing in visits and conversions.

 

For a complete explanation of these tips, please visit: http://socialmediatoday.com/node/448286&utm_source=feedburner_twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=autotweets

Feel free to Follow me on Twitter @wvumsimc

In prior weeks we have spoken about social media quite a bit. Social media and new ways of presenting information are all the rage these days and for good reason. These emerging methods of presenting a message are important in terms of meeting people where they spend their time, and in cutting through the clutter of the thousands of messages we are bombarded with in a typical day.

Despite the emerging means to provide the message, there remain some fundamental considerations to getting your message across. Just like a $1,000 suit on a presenter with a boring message does not keep your attention, using new methods to get across a message that is fundamentally flawed will not be effective.

Today, let’s step back and look at 10 tips to effective media messages. There are many different types of messages being conveyed, so not every tip applies to every message. But the design of the message must incorporate some of these ideas to be effective.

1. Attention grabbing – in order for your message to grab a person’s attention it must be relevant to them or be different enough to cut through the clutter of other stimuli.

2. Be clever and creative – By being clever and creative you stand a better chance of standing out from the crowd. One example of standing out from the crowd can be seen with Chick-fil-A. When they first appeared they were very different and grabbed the attention of people in a humorous way.

3. Say something – Loud – When you want to get a person’s attention in a busy, crowded setting it is often best to be loud. The louder ad will get the attention. However, loud does not refer to simply volume like those crazy electronic ads with some guy screaming about his low prices; but; being loud means being heard above your competitors for attention. Below is an example of an ad that is silent, yet is heard above others.

4. Keep it simple – By keeping your ad simple you do not require your audience to think too much and tempt them to turn their attention to something less taxing. If your product is more complex you want to lure them to seek more information from other sources, so don’t be tempted to provide all the information in the ad. The below ad for a rest stop conveys the message very briefly with very little thought process.

5. Color – The color of your visual needs to pop out, yet stay consistent with the brand or company it is supporting. Bright colors tend to grab the attention more quickly.

6. Be informative – Your ad should provide information to your audience or reinforce what they already know. The below ad speaks volumes with few words.

7. Be memorable – Oftentimes the decision to act is based on a picture in our mind or a memory. Ask yourself, how many of your purchases are based on the fact that a family member used the product? Are some purchases automatic when you select them? Seek to spark a memory.

8. Provide a feeling – Since emotion is such a strong cue, elicit an emotion in order to stick with your audience.

9. Show them, don’t tell them – Use visuals in a way that shows your audience the benefits of using your product rather than simply telling them. In the below ad it would take many words to explain the effect that a simply picture tell.

10. Use metaphors or humor – We often make comparisons in order to remember information. Using metaphors or humor are excellent ways to stand out and be remembered. Be cautious with humor as one person’s idea of humor may not be liked by others.

Now that we have a general idea of the elements needed, let’s tie it all together, add some action and sound, and bring it to a level expected today.

Although you will not experience it for Super Bowl XLVI, the day may be coming where you can catch the latest action from the big game, direct from the players themselves. The National Football League is learning quickly that social media enhances their business. During the 2012 Pro Bowl players were not only able, but encouraged, to tweet their fans.   There were some restrictions, of course, to the tweeting policy. Only one player could tweet at a time; only during commercial breaks or when his offensive or defensive unit was not on the field; and during the course of the game only from the designated computer station. Players could tweet from their smartphones before the game or during halftime. For the immediate future the regulations for all other games stands firm. Those regulations do not permit tweeting within an hour and a half of game time through all post-game interviews http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/01/26/football-players-can-tweet-during-the-2012-pro-bowl/

I thought you had the phone…who’s got the phone? On two, hut…

Why the change of heart? Well, social media and professional sports are a perfect match. Analysts predict that Americans spend nearly a quarter of their time on social media sites and a quarter of them are visiting sports sites. People that follow sports have their favorite teams and players and are eager for the latest updates regarding them. Indeed, the last year has seen fans flocking to the team sites. The Dallas Cowboys, which Forbes ranks as the most valuable NFL franchise, has the most Facebook followers at 3.6 million. The NFL itself saw an increase of 474% last year to a level of 4 million followers.

The loudmouth New York Jets seem very well suited for social media with a total share of 11.9% of all social media activity. The teams attempt to keep their sites fresh with new posts to attract new followers and keep current followers coming back. Even in a small market such as New Orleans, the Saints update their site as often as 12 times each day for their 2.3 million fans. The Super Bowl bound New England Patriots update their 2.8 million fans using a feature called “Ask a Pat” in which a player responds via video to fan questions. http://techland.time.com/2012/01/26/social-media-and-sports-natural-teammates/

I, myself, follow the Super Bowl bound New York Giants on both Facebook and Twitter. Today I have received 8 updates on the team through Twitter, and 3 on Facebook. This is in addition to several individual players I follow. However, it is not all social media for the players as I notice very few updates from them as the big game approaches. Prior to this week there were at least 4 updates per day from the players. And it is not just the NFL getting in on the action.

I follow West Virginia University on Twitter and it comes in handy during sports contests. I live outside of the typical market for their games but find I get updates on every scoring drive of either team. I am able to follow the game by simply checking my smartphone every 10 or 15 minutes.  Major League Baseball is getting in the act slowly with 100 million page impressions on Facebook and Twitter. Meanwhile the New York Yankees seem very well suited for social media with 500,000 Twitter followers and 5 million Facebook fans.

 Yankees

The landscape of American sports is changing and it seems as natural as baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Twitter.

The Complexities of Online Marketing
So you have decided to take your idea, your company, and your passion online and reach a broader audience. All you have to do is create a website somehow, get on Twitter, and get on Facebook, right?
Well, not so fast there bucko. Although those are great starting points, for sure, there is much more involved to becoming truly successful in the global marketplace. In addition to creating a webpage and jumping into the social marketing pond there are other issues to consider. There are things such as Email marketing, lead generation, issues to consider with the site such as organic (SEO/SEM), conversion optimization, analytics, content marketing, and pay-per-click.

Rut Ro!!!!
Too Much Information!!!

Calm down Scooby Do, I’m going to make it a bit easier in just a little while.

For now, let’s just look at the social media portion. Within social media there are some important considerations. You want your idea to be uniquely yours so you should claim your brand name. You should certainly create your Twitter account and build a following, but you want to leave Twitter open in live tabs so you can quickly see and respond to posts. In addition, look at the timing of your Tweets. I find that many people engage most heavily with Twitter during business hours (when they should be working) and in the evening hours.
Of course you should create a Facebook page, but how about seeding some Facebook fans?
Or, perhaps, creating a conversation oriented Facebook page? Don’t forget to create a blog and link it to your Facebook page as well.
This may seem overwhelming but I promised you it would get easier. There is a pinwheel entitled “Noob Guide to Online Marketing” that contains all the essentials.

Good luck, and good selling!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2MNXBD/unbounce.com/noob-guide-to-online-marketing-infographic/

Targeting Youth in Media

The youth market is an irresistible group of consumers for most marketers. Why?

Last year young shoppers spent over $170 billion — double the amount just 10 years earlier. Many work for their money; others get it from parents. These mall-trotting teens carry credit cards, some using prepaid plastic that functions like a debit account. Teens want to look good no matter what: nearly three-quarters are spending the same or more this year on cosmetics (70%), clothing (72%), hair products (71%) or skin care (74%). For a few more interesting observations visit the following link: http://www.money-management-works.com/teen-spending.html

Today’s teens have expensive taste and they desire more than the simply necessities. Take a peek at a report by John Stossel to see just how entitled today’s youth can be: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=124346&page=1

And to think I had to make a trade-off between a class ring and the senior trip to Washington, D.C.; choosing the trip for its immediate benefits. I digress, but the point is that today’s teens have a lot of money to spend and prudent marketers cannot ignore them.

So how does a marketer reach today’s youth with those deep pockets? To answer that question about any group of consumers it is important to observe how they spend their time. The old adage holds true, “Show me where a person spends their time and I’ll show you hope they spend their money”. With the youth, their free time is spent watching television, on their mobile devices, video games, watching videos, on their computers, participating in sports, and time spent with family and friends. The recent trends suggest Social Media marketing as a substantial portion of the media mix.

The following is a breakdown of social media marketing trends for 2012 with regards to how businesses will target the youth market.

Location-based marketing

1. Location-based marketing
2. Social media gamification
3. Integrated social media ad campaigns
4. Social media youth sourcing
5. Social media brand advocates
6. Social media monitoring
7. Social media relevance
8. Increased video sharing and vlogging
9. Corporate blogging
10. Social television
11. Social customer retention

Please see the explanations of each of the above items for further clarification at:

http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/424/69100.html

You will notice that the key word is “social” and this is important. For your message to get across to today’s teens you will want to avoid a hard sell and make it appear to be more like their idea or a suggestion from a friend. But to that end, are today’s teens much different from you? Wouldn’t you be more interested in a product that a friend suggested versus an advertisement that wears you down because you see it every time you turn on the TV or pick up a magazine? The teens are not much different than you and I; they just spend their time a little differently.

But beware; a recent study coming out of technologically savvy India suggests they are turning away from social media. Is this finding an aberration, or a leading indicator of a trend?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/social-media/Youths-bored-of-social-media-reveals-study/articleshow/11560808.cms

Despite this recent emerging trend in India, I feel that reaching this important, lucrative market involves meeting with them at a place where they spend their time and energy and interacting with them as intelligent consumers.

For related blogs feel free to visit fellow student blogs – brilliant minds in an exclusive program of learning:

http://offforty.wordpress.com/

http://juliealong.wordpress.com/

http://emergingcritic.wordpress.com/

http://mediathatsemerging.wordpress.com

http://duonebyars.wordpress.com/

http:// gainingimcperspective.wordpress.com

http://josehuitron.com

http://www.helenalosada.com/MyBlog/

http://julieanovak.wordpress.com/

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Hello World!!!

My name is Glen and I am embarking on a journey looking at emerging media. This media takes on different names for different people. Some may call it new media, others digital media, or even interactive media, but the point is this new way of bringing messages to consumers has changed the media landscape forever. In the coming weeks I will be looking at where we have been, the journey I (and many of you) have taken, where we are now, and ways we may see media in the future.

Why devote a blog to emerging media? Well, as consumers we are bombarded with messages every day of our lives. Many of us tune them out as much as possible but, if we are alive and engaged in living we are exposed to scores of messages each day. We will hear radio ads, see television ads, or see billboards as we are driving. Messages are everywhere and marketers are becoming clever about getting those messages delivered to us. Media is becoming more customized in the hope that the message can be directed to those most likely to purchase products now and that the message will be relevant.

Where we were?

I am a member of the baby boomer generation, and as such I recall advertising on television as the predominant method of advertising that had an influence on me. The advertising may have been in black & white, or later on in color, but the message was delivered by a production based economy toward consumers en mass.

Boy, oh boy, I need one of those bad boys Mom!!!

Later on color was added, and some sex appeal to cut through the clutter….

This not only made me want Calvin Klein jeans but purchase a ticket for the movie Blue Lagoon!!!

The landscape over the coming years remained very much the same except for the occasional “shock ad” which made people take notice. This usually involved showing more skin than other ads. Other popular ads involved an elderly woman demanding “where’s the beef?” or some guy screaming about his electronic wares and how cheap they were. To stand out, advertising had to involve the aforementioned shock value, humor, a baby, a cute little animal, an elderly person that forever tarnished our perceptions of those over 40 years old, or music that captured our emotions in some way. The methods and tactics changed slowly but the delivery was always toward the masses with a ton of waste on those not inclined to ever purchase the good or service.

Today’s emerging media uses many different tactics that we will explore in the weeks ahead. We will also look at how some of these methods evolved.  As a starting point it may be useful to look at the short history of what we now call “the web” to see just how young this technology really is. Look at the history of digital media and the internet for a quick glimpse of this http://www.cyberartsweb.org/cpace/infotech/asg/ag18.html

There are many words used to describe the new, emerging media. Some that jump to mind are digital media, relationship media, interactive media, or mobile media. One description I found interesting is convergence media. One definition of convergence is to incline toward each other. I think this is an interesting way to describe the emerging media since the relationship between marketer and customer is more inclined toward each other. Marketers are listening to consumers as never before in terms of complaints, kudos, product development; whereas consumers are encouraged to “like” a product or service and spread the word to friends and associates. An interesting slideshow regarding this convergence can be found at the following: http://www.slideshare.net/joannapena/emerging-media

Although I see myself as anything but an early adapter, this past holiday season I was heavily influenced by messages sent to me from Kohl’s and Best Buy offering incentives to shop their stores. The messages were delivered to me via email and seemed to speak to me based on past purchases. I discarded my precious notion of myself as kicking and screaming against the establishment, got in my car, and turned over my hard earned money willingly to these stores that were so kind as to send ME a message.

For now, suffice it to say that our world is changing and the methods in which we receive messages are changing. In the coming weeks we will dig deeper to look at various methods and share insights from others.

Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences so that we can help each other make sense of this rapidly changing media landscape.