Saturday, April 30, 2011

Understanding the Cloud


As I read this article from Mediapost recently, it occurred to me that the "Cloud" concept has been around forever.

Television networks house the network prime time shows we watch. They are not stored in our televisions.

Sure we can, (and have) recorded copies of our favorite shows for viewing later, thanks originally to home VCR's and now TiVo.

Read more about how media habits are both changing and the same as before...

Life Is But A Stream

All this buzz about clouds is not hyperbole. There's a fundamental shift in how media is being consumed, and Gen Y is at the epicenter of it all.

Let's start with television. While traditional consumption via a television set remains the most common mechanism by which Gen Y consumes TV programming, they are rapidly adopting online technologies that feed their insatiable entertainment appetites. In our recent report on Gen Y's use of technology, we discovered via a nationally representative survey of 1,300 teens and collegians that, in the prior week, nearly one in four members of Gen Y watched video content that was streamed to a computer, one in seven downloaded video content to a computer and one in 20 watched video content that was streamed to their mobile phones.

On average, Gen Y spends nearly three hours a week watching streamed TV programs, and an hour and a half a week watching downloaded TV programs. Gen Y streams and downloads video from a variety of locations: they are nearly as likely to do so at home as they are at a friend's house. That is the essence of online video: students want to watch it when they stumble across it, no matter where they are. And they want to share it with friends by pulling up videos when they're hanging out, as well as by sharing links via Facebook.

Gen Y most commonly streams full-length, professionally produced videos, such as movies and TV shows, with music videos not far behind. College students watch a wider diversity of content than teens, with most checking out news clips, commercials, sports, and political videos in addition to long-form movies and TV shows.

Growing up doesn't mean giving up cartoons -- a majority of high school and college students watch them online. In fact, among boys, streaming animation increases during their college years, while it declines among girls. This is connected to how the genders define themselves as "adults"; boys don't feel any less adult for watching cartoons and playing videogames.

Streaming music is as common a practice as streaming video, with Gen Y spending an average of two hours and 40 minutes a week listening to streaming radio stations. Services such as Pandora and Spotify give users access to hundreds of thousands of songs at their fingertips. Traditional terrestrial radio still accounts for the lion's share of radio listening at a little over four hours a week, however, Gen Y spends just one half-hour less streaming feeds from traditional radio stations and online-only stations combined.

Looking at the impact of digital consumption on the music industry, sales are declining not only due to piracy, but also due to consumption via streaming services that allow users to custom create music channels. Only one in five of teens and collegians are buying more music than they did a year ago, compared to two out of five who are buying less and two out of five who are buying the same amount.

Two-thirds of Gen Y download music from the Web, whether legally or illegally. College boys are the least likely to download music, but that may be because they are spending more time following college sports and going out. The most common reasons students say they don't download music is that it costs too much or they can't afford it, suggesting that their first inclination is to obtain it legally. (We should also note that Gen Y is the generation that is most comfortable with the idea of paying a fee for digital content.)

More than a quarter don't download because they are concerned about security on their computer, which is a common problem with file sharing services that are riddled with viruses and malware. A similar proportion is concerned about being sued.

The trend towards cloud-based, on-demand digital media shifts the locus of control from the producer to the consumer. Having grown up immersed in digital media, Gen Y will lead this shift. Producers of entertainment (as well as all those who advertise, sponsor or otherwise participate in the entertainment ecosystem) should begin their transition strategies with Gen Y at the center of their digital universe, studying their preferences and behaviors and developing services that align with, rather than buck how, where and why they want to consume.

In all honesty, watching the digital media revolution has been pretty ugly to date, with lawsuits and forced-fit solutions being more numerous than intelligent and practical ones. As Gen Y steadily infiltrates the media industry, we're sure to see things fall into better alignment as this generation intuitively satisfies the needs of the digital media consumer.


Dan Coates is president of Ypulse, a leading authority on tween, teen, college and young adult insights for marketing, brand and media professionals, providing news, commentary, events, research and strategy. A veteran opinionista, Dan and his Ypulse colleagues tweet an endless stream of Gen Y news, factoids and insights at www.twitter.com/ypulse and can be contacted via email at dan@ypulse.com. You can also reach him here.

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Do You Have The Guts?

To hear the bad news?

From MarketingProfs.com

Ask Customers What You Don't Do Well

When you spend proverbial blood, sweat and tears building a small business, the last thing you probably want to do is ask customers what you're getting wrong. But it doesn't have to be a horrendous experience—and it's a great way to identify and resolve issues before customers leave in a huff, or simply drift to a competitor.

"Our Community team began to ask every customer on the phone, 'What's a great Emma experience you've had?" notes Jim Hitch at the Emma blog. "And what's one that's not so great, so we can improve?' We had some fantastic conversations and got some interesting answers."

Emma's customer had lots of good things to say, but they also noted a few issues that fell into the not-so-great column. For instance:

  • They said they'd like an easier billing process and improved resources for savvier users. "We said, 'Can do,'" notes Hitch.
  • They also mentioned difficulty reaching Emma staff by phone. "We said, 'Good to know. We're on it,'" he says. "Then we updated our phone system."

The company also discovered that many of its customers were thrilled with the current experience.

"One of the best answers to the question of what we can improve ... was 'none,'" he recalls. "Ahh, what a beautiful four-letter word. In fact, 21% of customers said 'none.'"

The Po!nt: Don't be afraid to ask your customers what needs to be fixed—they'll give you the insights you need to make the improvements that keep them coming back.

Source: Emma.

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4 Differences to Demonstrate

from my email:

Daily Sales Tip: Demonstrate Credibility

It's not enough to tell prospects you offer better service or quality than your competitor. Prospects want to hear specifics about why you're better.

Here are suggestions that may help show the difference more effectively:

* Unique qualities. What can you offer that nobody else can? Try to convert the value of your products or services into financial results.

* Advantages. What do you do better than your competitor? Give prospects what they need to understand the unique qualities of your product or service.

* Parity. If there's little difference between you and a competitor, look for minor ones that may add up to a competitive advantage.

* Disadvantages. Are there areas in your product or service in which competitors have a definite edge? Focus on the advantages you have to offset these disadvantages.

Source: Sales authority John R. Graham, president of Graham Communications

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Friday, April 29, 2011

No Fancy Titles

... just the straight scoop.

And more updates over the weekend.

The Friday night marketing news update from Mediapost:

Food and Beverages
by Karlene Lukovitz
The proposed voluntary guidelines recommend that food makers adhere to specific limitations on saturated fat, trans fat, added sugars and sodium in foods marketed to children. At the same time, they recommend that companies use advertising and marketing to "encourage children to choose foods that make meaningful contributions to a healthful diet." ...Read the whole story >>
Technology
by Karl Greenberg
The third annual study on the media habits of kids from Ipsos OTX MediaCT, suggests that such activities now make up more than a quarter of a 6- to-12-year-old's waking life. The study, LMX Family, also suggests that marketers have opportunities to reach families and a broad range of age groups through a wider range of content than those prescribed on official guidelines. ...Read the whole story >>
Retail
by Sarah Mahoney
With Mother's Day a few weeks off, marketers are doing their best to offer novel ways to remember her. Lowe's, for instance, is targeting outdoor DIY projects as the ideal way to please her, offering plenty of mom-friendly ambience (solar-powered post caps for railings and birdbaths, for instance) and lots of bright flowers. ...Read the whole story >>
Sports
by Karl Greenberg
The program will visit U.S. cities as part of NBA Nation, but all North American residents can participate by uploading videos of themselves dunking a basketball and also vote for their favorites in the competition. The winner from each city will advance to the voting round and will receive a $1,000 prize, while the runner-up will receive a $500 prize. ...Read the whole story >>
Entertainment
by Aaron Baar
According to IEG, which measures sponsorship spending, North American-based companies will spend $1.17 billion sponsoring music venues, festivals and tours -- a 7.3% increase over the $1.09 billion spent in 2010. That is the largest increase among all property types, including sports, causes and the arts. ...Read the whole story >>
Tourism
by Tanya Irwin
From May 9 to 15, all offers in Groupon's seven Ohio markets will be sponsored by the tourism division and will feature Ohio attractions, restaurants, lodging and events. This program, in conjunction with National Tourism Week, includes Groupon's markets Akron-Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown. ...Read the whole story >>

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Do you know the Difference?


...between the person with the problem and the person you need to reach to take action?

From Mediapost:

I Could Be Your Customer, But I'm Not Necessarily Your Audience
I snore. Or so I've been told. And just to be sure I know to take that seriously, healthcare professionals and marketers of health-related products continue to reach out to me with warnings that snoring is a sign of a whole host of serious medical conditions. But, frankly, it's mostly lost on me. After all, I sleep pretty soundly. I'm no more tired during the day than any other hard-working professional my age (at least I have myself convinced of that). And I have no symptoms of any co-morbidity that could compromise my health (that's my self-diagnosis).

As a marketing professional, I understand why healthcare marketers would reach out to me. After all, I'm the one who is theoretically at risk and the one to whom any related product would be sold to. But, since my snoring doesn't seem to be slowing me down any, I know full well they won't make any real progress in convincing me to take action.

So who should the healthcare marketers be talking to? I suggest they consider turning to the real sufferer. In my case, that's my wife. Wives are likely the case with many men. You see, while I'm convinced I'm getting a sound night's sleep, my wife is the one who is up all night as a result of my (alleged) snoring and (alleged) gasping. And she's the one who is tired all day because she wasn't able to get any sleep the night before.

The truth is, men tend to ignore symptoms and are generally physician-averse. "It's just the way they're socialized," says Lorraine Fitzpatrick, a medical doctor and associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. (as quoted in The Complete Book of Men's Health by the editors of Men's Health books, 1999, Octopus Publishing Group). "A woman is much more likely to come in just because she's just not feeling right." So it's no surprise that women are responsible for approximately 80% of all decisions about a family's health (U.S. Department of Labor, General Facts on Women and Job Based Health).

We, as marketers, must identify the most influential targets, and also recognize when that target isn't just the most obvious one. Here are a few things to consider:

The Afflicted vs The Affected?

When considering a target audience for a healthcare-related product or service, challenge yourself to identify not just the afflicted but also the affected. Those who are impacted by a spouse or child with a condition may just be the one with the greatest motivation to find a solution.

Who's Driving?

While it is important for sufferers to have greater conditional and risk awareness, consider who is actually driving decisions and action. Contributing to efforts aimed at driving more men to get prostate cancer screenings (most are reluctant to do so on their own), Lauren P. Wallner, lead author and graduate research associate at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, 2008) said, "In terms of motivating people to get screened, there may be a benefit in targeting wives and significant others as well as men." Look for the audience that makes things happen.

Help or Hindrance?

When considering your true target audiences, think about those who help and those who may be hindering your efforts or blocking progress. While the U.S. Army's efforts were successful in converting candidates into believers, the organization recognized that one of the barriers to their recruitment efforts wasn't the prospect they traditionally targeted; it was his or her parents. Armed with that knowledge, the Army modified its "Army Strong" campaign and slogan to include messaging aimed squarely at parents: "You made them strong. We'll make them Army strong."

I recently told my wife she should see a doctor about my snoring. And she did, without hesitation.


Eric Trow is VP/account strategy director at Brunner.

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Asking the Right Questions

Today I want to point out one of my favorite no-nonsense sales trainers whom I've bought materials from, Jim Meisenheimer. This is from his latest newsletter than you can recieve free in your email by clicking here.

One of the best ways to begin uncovering customers' needs is to ask really good open-ended questions.

Asking open-ended questions might be the right thing to do, but doing it right is the challenge for most salespeople.

And here's a big reason why. Salespeople just talk too much. For most salespeople their mouths are the center of their universe.

If you believe you can earn a lot of money by talking, there's an even better way. It's called listening.

In sales you should employ your ears before you engage your mouth!

I just saw the results of another study. Customers were asked, "What bothers you most about salespeople?" More than 50% of the people surveyed said, "Salespeople talk too much."

The quickest way to stop talking too much is to start asking some good sales questions.

Ask your sales prospects and customers about their responsibilities.

Ask them to talk about their challenges, and find out what's keeping them up at night.

Ask them about the qualities they're looking for in the products they need.

You can also ask them to tell you how they measure success when using these products. Getting the answers to these and other great sales questions will make uncovering customers' needs a much easier process for you.

One of the reasons why salespeople talk too much is because they have so much product information in their heads.

The more you talk the less you're able to learn about your sales prospects and customers.

And the less you know means you have to tell everything you know about your products.

Wouldn't it be so much easier to ask really good sales questions and then personalize your presentation?

In fact, after you ask your last question, you could say, "Based on what you just told me I'd like to show you how our products would be the perfect solution for the challenges you're dealing with."

That statement says you've been listening!

And, instead of telling your sales prospect everything you know about your products, you can tell him exactly what he needs to know.

Doing it this way, dramatically increases your relatability factor.

For best results forget about persuading and convincing your sales prospects and customers.

When you focus on uncovering customers' needs you can help them buy the best solutions.

Getting your sales prospects and customers talking is easy - just ask them the right sales questions.

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Thursday, April 28, 2011

New Ideas...

One of my favorite emails I get is from Springwise.com:

Flexible condos can be reconfigured and resized

Flexible condos can be reconfigured and resized

It's a fact of life that people's needs change over time, and that's as true in housing as any other industry. Aiming to create condominiums that are flexible enough to accommodate some of that change, Canadian architectural firm Sweeny Sterling Finlayson & Co. has created FlexNatür — a new, modular design for living spaces that allows them to adapt when needed. READ MORE...


For USD 60 a year, magazine delivers monthly works of art

For USD 60 a year, magazine delivers monthly works of art

The subscription model continues to gain popularity among convenience-minded consumers. However, it's rare that we see the concept applied to more high-minded goods. Now, however, Papirmasse is a venture from Canada that delivers 12 pieces of art throughout the year for just USD 60. READ MORE...


Game creates a playable virtual world controlled by tweets

Game creates a playable virtual world controlled by tweets

There's no doubt that technology continues to provide ever-more immersive gaming environments, with the latest graphics and gameplay offering unparralled realism. A new game called Tweetland however, has plans to harness technology to build a gaming environment determined by social networking activity. READ MORE...


A marketplace for redesigned notebook covers

A marketplace for redesigned notebook covers

As product customization becomes ever more popular with consumers, it is inevitable that items as personal as notebooks are also being altered to suit individual tastes. Rather than fighting this in an effort to preserve their classic black finish, Moleskine have recently launched a marketplace that embraces artists’ interpretations and redesigns of their notebooks. READ MORE...


Furniture units bring kitchens and showers to the great outdoors

Furniture units bring kitchens and showers to the great outdoors

Outdoor dining experiences have often graced our virtual pages, with recent examples including Buitengewoon In Het Land and Butler For Hire’s picnic service. But up until now we’ve never seen anything like WWOO’s outdoor kitchen units, which let the DIY diner create a unique outdoor eating experience. READ MORE...


Simple web page creator highlights businesses' social networks

Simple web page creator highlights businesses' social networks

Companies offering personalized web page creation for small businesses and individuals are nothing new. However, the pages created by Central.ly stand out from the crowd. With an emphasis on simplicity, the site creates image-based web pages that focus on linking to pre-existing social media channels. READ MORE...


App lets users visualize new building developments in situ

App lets users visualize new building developments in situ

Whilst we may still be some way off apps that let us see into the future, UK-based Deliverance Software’s new app — Walkabout3d — aims to provide just that. The app’s 3D panoramas can give users a glimpse of how their surrounding may appear once planned building projects have reached their completion. READ MORE...


Online hosiery store offers subscription-based deliveries

Online hosiery store offers subscription-based deliveries

We’ve already seen the subscription model applied to a wealth of various industries, from indie song playlists, limited edition art, lip balms, and even to Swedish kitchen cloths. More in the vein of Manpacks and Panty by Post however, we recently came across Hoseanna, a US-based service delivering hosiery to their subscribers. READ MORE...


Renault connect offline approval to online Facebook “liking”

Renault connect offline approval to online Facebook “liking”

Many brands have struggled when it comes to converting a popular offline presence into online recognition. Hoping to remove any practical barriers to this process, and encourage instant online appreciation, Renault were displaying their innovative Facebook share pillars at the recent AutoRAI Amsterdam Motorshow. READ MORE...


Restaurants pitched against each other in online game

Restaurants pitched against each other in online game

Is there anything that can’t be made into a game? Recently we saw Chromaroma gamifying London’s public transport system, and now we’ve discovered Tasty Duel. Through the website, the questions “where shall we eat tonight?”, or “which restaurant do you prefer” can now be answered through a series of online duels. READ MORE...


Viewers customize interactive Facebook-based “Social Film”

Viewers customize interactive Facebook-based “Social Film”

When it comes to entertainment, regular readers of Springwise may have noticed a growing trend whereby user interactivity is not only encouraged, but is made compulsory in order to reveal certain content. Recently we spotted Bluebrain’s location-based album, and now we’ve discovered Murmur’s “Social Film” — Him, Her and Them — which relies on the viewer/user to alter the viewing experience for their Facebook friends. READ MORE...


Homemade meals delivered directly to students’ doors

Homemade meals delivered directly to students’ doors

Having recently written about the gourmet dining available from Air France’s roving New York truck, we now turn our attention to the other end of the food quality scale: student dining. Not known for being high on nutritional value, University student meals often pale in comparison to those once cooked at home. Hoping to bring a little of that home comfort and healthy eating back onto campus, we’ve now discovered US-based GW Bites. READ MORE...


Reviews help ensure quality on crowdsourced translation site

Reviews help ensure quality on crowdsourced translation site

Regular readers may remember myGengo, a Japanese site that taps the native-speaking crowds for online translation. Now operating on much the same principle is MyTranslation, which adds reviews to help ensure the quality of translated work. READ MORE...

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Look Ma, No Tailpipe!

Check out this weeks new ad campaigns from Amy at Mediapost, especially story 2:

Are flash mobs the new black? Potty humor from Kohler. Let's launch!


1The tables are turned on a would-be convenience store robber in an ad for Toronto Crime Stoppers. The perp puts his hood up to disguise his face. He points his gun at the cashier, who is wearing a ski mask. Shoppers inside and neighbors outside are all wearing ski masks, hiding their identity while the criminal's characteristics are clearly seen. This part reminded me of "The Town," when Ben Affleck and his criminal crew were dressed as masked nuns and drove past a kid who couldn't believe his eyes. "You stay anonymous, criminals don't," closes "Anonymous," seen here. Print ads, seen here, here and here, show criminals attempting to mask their identity with a hood, bandana and hat, but their faces are imprinted onto the objects, making them look transparent and offering an unobstructed view of each person. DDB Canada's Toronto office created the pro bono campaign.

2Talk about perfect media placement. Nissan placed a billboard outside the New York Auto Show comparing the 100% electric Nissan Leaf to the 1,000 cars inside the Auto Show that spew toxic exhaust. One side of the billboard featured an exhaust pipe emitting smoke (environmentally friendly smoke. Imagine that irony), while the other side contained a picture of the tailpipe-free Leaf. See the ad here, created by TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles.

3Now I know why this bumblebee wears a helmet. He busts through anything that gets in his way. Jack Daniel's launched "King Bee," a TV ad supporting Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, the brand's first new product launch since 1997. The spot debuts today on Facebook, just prior to its TV appearance. The ad follows a high-strung bumblebee that tears through any object it encounters, from a large tree branch, delicate dandelions and a bottle of Jack Daniels, infusing the whiskey with a honey flavor. "Fly Straight. Drink Responsibly," closes the ad, seen here and created by Arnold Worldwide's Boston office.

4A camper deep in the wilderness can't get a quiet night of sleep in a TV spot for RAM Trucks. A chirping bird makes it impossible for our outdoorsman to sleep soundly, so he retrieves his bow and arrow and kills the bird. Satisfied with his actions, the camper goes back to sleep, only to be roused by a ribbiting frog. It's back to the truck so he can enjoy the "Silence." See the ad here, created by The Richards Group.

5Barnes & Noble launched a great TV ad promoting its Nook color. The spot is Mullen's first work for the brand. I love this ad because the Nook itself takes a backseat to the overall message of the ad, which encourages reading in all capacities. Viewers see the Nook in action, but the majority of people are reading from paperbacks and hardcovers. Nook positions itself as a complement to books, encouraging people to "read forever." "By hook or by crook, by book or by Nook, I will read," closes the ad, seen here.

6Reason #345,500 to avoid Times Square at all costs. It's a rainy day and you're trying to get from point A to point B, and a flash mob with red umbrellas breaks out? Serenity now. A whopping 125 people took part in the event for Arby's where the flash mob sang karaoke to Arby's "It's Good-Mood Food" ad campaign. The umbrellas paid tribute to Gene Kelly's dance in "Signing in the Rain," and I'm sure the majority of passersby got a kick out of it. See the flash mob in action here, created by BBDO New York.

7Think you West Coasters are flash-mob-free? Think again. American Airlines celebrated adding ten new destinations from LAX by dancing in downtown Los Angeles at the US Bank Plaza. "Come Fly With Us" featured 40 dancers on a sunny day putting smiles on the faces of unsuspecting passersby. I always love when flash mobs break up: they simply walk away and go about their business. Maybe it's the sunshiny weather, but this flash mob didn't seem as intrusive, and it might have made me smile. See it here, created by The Marketing Arm and produced and directed by Psyop.

8Sometimes you just need a little toilet humor to conclude your day. It can't be easy to advertise toilets. One rarely thinks about what's getting flushed (thankfully), so Kohler took the "Na Na Hey Hey" song, added flushing sounds, and voila: an ode to what's passing. Men in a public restroom, twins at home and a mom starting her day all sing the famous song while exiting the bathroom. See the ad here, created by GSD&M. Carat handled the media buy.

9Random iPhone App of the week: MedHelp and GE created Pic Healthy, an app that encourages healthy eating. Users take a picture of what they're eating and ask friends to rate the meal on how healthy it looks. When I take pictures in my food diary, I usually get comments like: "Eww, you ate that?" Users can earn points for eating well, honesty points for how accurately they rate their food and for uploading and sharing food photos. The app is available for free in the App Store.


Amy Corr is managing editor, online newsletters for MediaPost. She can be reached at amyc@mediapost.com.

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Another Way to Use Email

from an email I get every day:

Daily Sales Tip: Providing Helpful Information

Mix email into your customer follow-up rotation. For example, email an article relevant to the business issue your prospect is trying to address, and in that email, try NOT selling your product.

You've heard the old adage about not discussing business on the golf course? It applies here as well. If you write your email with the sincere intent of providing helpful information, it will come across that way to your prospect. The rapport you are establishing will be strengthened and your prospect will be much more receptive to taking your future calls.

Keep in mind that your competition is likely taking the easy route and only asking to "get your order today." Although this old-school "ABC: always be closing" approach used to be the norm in sales, today this tends to turn off buyers.

Of course, don't let being helpful prevent you from being effective at your profession. Another old adage may apply: "Nice guys finish last." It's all a matter of balance.

Source: Patrick Fern, Senior Sales Advisor for Landslide Technologies

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Mom Dosen't Want a Toaster for Mothers Day, but...

She many want some high tech toys according to the 2nd story in our Wednesday night Marketing News update from Mediapost:

Automotive
by Karl Greenberg
Chrysler's Ram Truck division has rolled out a new version of the pickup called the Outdoorsman, designed for people who hunt, fish, camp and are more likely to bring a bowie knife than a camera into the boonies. They are, therefore, likely to need storage bins, a good towing capacity, chargers and a rugged-looking vehicle. ...Read the whole story >>
Research
by Tanya Irwin
Mother's Day has become a universal holiday, according to Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys founder and president. People are feeling better about the economy and about the future, he says. And while there are still times where consumers watch their wallets, this year Mother's Day isn't one of them. ...Read the whole story >>
Retail
by Sarah Mahoney
The company, which has vowed to plant five million trees in the next five years and is already 20% of the way there, says it got the idea after a survey revealed that only 12% of Americans commemorate Arbor Day, which is celebrating its 139th anniversary, in any way, while 26% honored Earth Day. ...Read the whole story >>
Hospitality
by Aaron Baar
Via a print, television and digital marketing campaign, the Duluth, Minn.-based hospital system (formed in late 2010) uses the work of three accomplished photojournalists to demonstrate the network's commitment to patient-centered care. ...Read the whole story >>
Packaged Goods
by Karl Greenberg
Edge Shave Gel is hitting the airwaves for the first time in at least three years with a new TV spot via AOR JWT. The ad, meant to appeal to regular guys, versus super athletes and the elite, started Tuesday night on cable networks like Comedy Central, History, MTV, Spike, TBS, ESPN, and Versus, and goes on Fox later this week. ...Read the whole story >>

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Social Media Attitudes


I've been involved in the Social Media Marketing world for years and it looks like this is the year that business are finally wanting to jump on board.

Due to requests for information about Social Media last year, I launched another site, ScLoHo's Social Media Adventure that is updated every weekday at noon. Click here to go there.

Mediapost reports:

Social Media Marketing Maturing
According to a new study by Social Media Examiner, prepared by Michael A. Stelzner, social media has gone mainstream. And for businesses it represents an unprecedented marketing opportunity that transcends traditional middlemen and connects companies directly with customers. Two years ago, businesses were uncertain about social media. Now it's here to stay and companies are rapidly responding to new social media opportunities.

Major findings from this report contain insight into how marketers are currently using social media and their future plans:

  • 90% of marketers indicate that social media is important for their business.
  • One third of all social media marketers want to know how to monitor and measure the return on investment (ROI) of social media and integrate their social media activities.
  • 58% of marketers are using social media for 6 hours or more each week, and more than a third invest 11 or more hours weekly.
  • 77% of marketers plan on increasing their use of YouTube and video marketing, making it the top area marketers will invest in for 2011.
  • 70% of marketers want to learn more about Facebook and 69% want to learn more about blogging.

The number-one advantage of social media marketing is generating more business exposure, as indicated by 88% of marketers. Increased traffic (72%) and improved search rankings (62%) were also major advantages.

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs were the top four social media tools used by marketers, in that order. Facebook has eclipsed Twitter to take the top spot since the 2010 study.

Only 28% of businesses are outsourcing some portion of their social media marketing.

The overwhelming majority (93%) of respondents indicated they were employing social media for marketing purposes, and a significant 90% of marketers said that social media was important.

Social Media is Important for my Business

Attitude

% of Respondents

Strongly agree

62%

Agree

28

Uncertain

8

Disagree

2

Source: Social Media Examiner, April 2011

The self-employed (67%) and small business owners with 2 or more employees (66%) were more likely to strongly agree.

More B2B companies have been using social media longer than a year (52.6% reported 1 year or more) than their B2C counterparts (46.2% indicated 1 year or longer). In 2010, only 31% of marketers were using social media for 1 or more years. Now that number has grown to 50%.

Experience With Social Marketing (% of Respondents)

Experience

% of Respondents

Just getting started

17%

Less than 12 months

32

1 to 3 years

39

More than 3 years

11

None, but plan to use

2

Source: Social Media Examiner, April 2011

58% of marketers are using social media for 6 hours or more each week and 34% for 11 or more hours weekly. 15% of marketers spend more than 20 hours each week on social media.

Those with more years of social media experience spend more time each week conducting social media activities. For example, 63% of people with 3 or more years of experience spend more than 10 hours a week doing social media activities. Only 41% of those with 1 to 3 years experience spend that much time.

Time Commitment For Social Media Marketing (% of respondents)

Hours Per Week

% of Respondents

None

2.9%

1-5

39.0

6-10

23.9

11-15

11.5

16-20

7.9

21-25

4.3

26-30

2.9

31-35

1.4

36-40

2.6

More than 40

3.7

Source: Social Media Examiner, April 2011

There's a direct relationship between how long marketers have been using

social media and their weekly time commitment. For people just beginning with social media, 59% spend 1 to 5 hours per week. However, for those who have been doing this for a few months or longer, most spend 6 hours or more per week on social media activities.

A significant 47% of marketers who have more than 3 years experience spend at least 16 hours per week focused on social media activities.

There's a direct relationship between age and time spent on social media. The younger the marketer, the more time he or she spends on social media. People aged 20 to 29 years spend more time than other age groups using social media marketing (with 41% spending 11+ hours weekly), followed by 30- to 39-year-olds (37% spending 11+ hours per week). This is an increase over the 2010 study.

The number-one benefit of social media marketing is standing out in an increasingly noisy world. 88% of all marketers indicated that their social media efforts have generated more exposure for their businesses. Improving traffic and subscribers was the second major benefit, with 72% reporting positive results.

Nearly two-thirds of marketers indicated a rise in search engine rankings was a benefit of social media marketing.

Benefits of Social Media Marketing

Benefit

% Responding; Multiple OK

Generated exposure for business

88%

Increased traffic/subscribers

72

Improved search rankings

62

Resulted in new business partnerships

56

Generated qualified leads

51

Reduced overall marketing expenses

49

Improved sales

43

Source: Social Media Examiner, April 2011

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs were the top four social media tools used by marketers, with Facebook leading the pack. In 2010, Twitter was in first place with 88% and Facebook was close behind with 87%. Since 2010, Twitter lost 4%, LinkedIn lost 7% and Facebook gained 5%. In the 2009 study, only 77% of businesses were using Facebook.

The self-employed (80%) and owners of small businesses (78%) were more likely to use LinkedIn. Larger businesses were more likely to use YouTube or other video and less likely to use blogs (68%+).

At least 73% of marketers plan on increasing their use of YouTube/video, blogs, Facebook and Twitter. A significant 86% said they have no plans to utilize MySpace or will reduce their efforts.

Read more about these findings and future plans for social media and marketing activities by visiting SocialMedia Examiner here.

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Beware of Social Media Scams

First a warning from my email:

Daily Sales Tip: Buyer Beware

Both salespeople and companies, whether they currently use social media or not, are struggling to figure out how to use it effectively. In fact, few -- even those with sophisticated marketing departments investing time and effort into the process -- have any real social media strategy.

Undoubtedly, this will be true for quite some time to come -- and, of course, that means there are and will be thousands out looking to take your money to help you learn the hows of making social media work.

The lesson here: Be extremely careful as there are many who know little more than how to construct a tweet who are anxious to take your money.

Source: Sales author/consultant Paul McCord


Now, a free resource.

And I really mean free.

ScLoHo's Social Media Adventure is a site I created last year and launched in January to be a free resource for those who want to know more about Social Media. After several requests for more information and "how-to's", I decided to start my fourth blog dedicated to this topic.


Most of the content is written by me, although I have quite a number of guest post articles too.


It is updated at noon, 5 days a week. Spread the word! Click here to go there.



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